What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 81
“Time is moving too slowly.”
Kazhan muttered as if groaning. Perhaps it was because he had already felt what it was like to be with Ysaris once, but the time without her seemed to crawl by particularly slowly.
It was still a long way until night, yet he already felt this way.
He sat perched on a tree, endlessly staring at Ysaris’s house, where nothing had changed. Thick curtains covered the windows, making it impossible to peek inside or even tell when the lights turned on or off. He couldn’t detect even the slightest movement from within, which left him with a growing sense of unease.
‘What if Ysaris had run away again? Should I knock on the door now and ask to be let inside?’
His fingers twitched anxiously, but then he sighed and ran a hand over his face. He knew the house was magically protected, blocking out all signs of life—he had figured that out yesterday. The moment the door closed, all traces of movement had abruptly vanished. There was no way he could have missed that.
So even if he couldn’t feel it, Ysaris was undoubtedly inside, yet his heart still pounded. Having already run away from him once, the thought of what she might do next had him staring at the door for hours until his eyes hurt.
“Pathetic.”
Kazhan muttered to himself self-deprecatingly. Just moments ago, he had felt heartbroken that Ysaris didn’t believe him. But if he thought about it, it was he who hadn’t trusted her first.
He had assumed Ysaris had broken their oath, forgotten him, and that no matter what he did, he wouldn’t be able to change her mind. It wasn’t just distrust rooted in their past.
Now, he feared she would never return, that it was already too late, that she would distance herself and flee once again. That anxiousness kept him unable to look away from her house.
“And yet when I finally see her, I can’t even touch her.”
A bitter laugh escaped him. His empty hand clenched into a tight fist.
When Ysaris had stumbled, Kazhan had been ready to catch her. He had meant to steady her and tell her to be careful, but right before that moment, his body had frozen.
He was afraid she was just an illusion that would vanish the moment he touched her. Afraid that, once again, she would disappear into thin air. Or if she was real, that she would recoil from him, push him away harder, and hurt herself in the process.
He was terrified.
“Ha.”
Kazhan rubbed his face again. How had he, an emperor of an entire empire, become such a coward?
‘But it would get better. If only I can bring Ysaris back with me.’
‘…It will get better.’
Just as Kazhan, lost in his troubled thoughts, was brooding, the door suddenly opened without warning.
Click.
“…!”
Kazhan started to get up but forced himself to calm his excitement. He quietly observed from his hiding place among the leaves as Ysaris appeared, her silver bob gleaming, wearing a different dress from the day before.
The weather had cleared, so she wasn’t carrying an umbrella this time. Instead, she was holding the chubby hand of a small child.
“Mikael, should Mama carry you? The ground is still full of puddles.”
“Seee. I, I walk!”
“Alright then, let’s walk carefully. Don’t let go of Mama’s hand, okay?”
“Mm!”
Ysaris smiled faintly at the confident response. Holding each other’s hands tightly, mother and son began to walk slowly toward the village.
Their pace was delayed to match the little one’s tiny, tottering steps, but the scene was so peaceful and heartwarming it was impossible not to smile. Yet Kazhan, struck by an unexplainable shock, froze in place.
“They look… happy.”
The gentle look on Ysaris’s face struck him differently than it had through the crystal ball. Though there was some worry in her expression, her gaze was full of love, filling him with a strange sense of defeat.
‘She was mine. She used to be mine.’
‘That’s exactly what I wanted.’
<If you truly love me, please leave. That is the only thing you can do for me.>
Throb.
Kazhan clutched his heart, which ached as if in protest. He suppressed the shameless urge to interrupt and seek comfort from Ysaris.
Showing up in front of her now would only break his promise, and it was clear it would end in more pain for both of them. It was better to stay back and watch her peaceful face from afar.
Ysaris, who once would have worried over him being in pain, no longer existed.
<Goodness, Cain. If you’re in pain, you should say so!>
<What’s the point? I’ve already taken medicine.>
<That’s, well… I can still comfort you.>
<Comfort?>
<Like this. Get better, feel better…>
<…Your ears are red, Ysaa.>
<…Be quiet. I know that.>
