What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 87
<“I told you not to worry, didn’t I? The Emperor’s madness is a side effect that builds up over time. Mikael is still young and hasn’t used enough of his powers for that to happen. He might awaken, but from what I can tell, he seems to have inherited more of your blood.”>
<“Still, you never know. I need to understand how to use these abilities properly so I can help Mikael when he’s suffering.”>
<“Listen… there’s really nothing you need to do. Just being there with him is enough, as long as the side effects haven’t piled up too heavily.”>
<“And if they do build up?”>
<“Then make contact. Draw blood, if necessary. Your grandmother’s very scent was enough to bring relief. Physical touch works even better.”>
Ysaris lowered her gaze. She saw Kazhan’s hands, stained with her blood, from where he’d sewn her wounds.
Where did the influence of the side effects begin, and where did it end? And what of his current state?
She couldn’t know. She had no intention of asking, either.
Even if he noticed the change and questioned her, she planned to keep her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was to give this man, who already clung to her obsessively, another reason to do so.
Perhaps interpreting Ysaris’s silence in his own way, Kazhan spoke up again.
“Do you need proof? That I’m willing to let you stab me if it would convince you.”
“…That won’t be necessary. Haven’t you already been injured, Your Majesty?”
“That was separate from the oath.”
“I have no intention of shedding blood unnecessarily. Besides, if something happens to you, I’ll be the one bearing the Empire’s wrath.”
Ysaris logically countered, yet something in her own words felt off. It wasn’t the content itself but rather the sudden reminder that Kazhan was indeed the Emperor of Uzephia. This realization brought with it a cascade of questions.
“Did you come here alone? What of your guards?”
“I’m alone. The barrier prevents others from entering.”
“…Is it really all right for you to be away from your seat for so long?”
“I’ve arranged matters with the Chancellor. I didn’t expect you to be so concerned for Uzephia.”
“I’m not particularly worried. I just wanted to confirm that Your Majesty is indeed still on the throne.”
Ysaris’s cold, distant reply left a brief silence in its wake. After a moment, Kazhan spoke again, breaking it.
“You also returned to the clearing alone. Mikael is in the village, I assume?”
“Don’t take an interest in Mikael.”
“Is he not our son?”
“He’s my son. Not ours.”
Kazhan nearly accepted this outright, so confident was her assertion. But her statement was too absurd to go unchallenged, and he quickly responded.
“My blood must flow within him, too.”
“Just because the same blood flows doesn’t make a family.”
“If we’re not family, then what are we?”
“Surely Your Majesty, who has slaughtered his own kin, would know the answer to that.”
Kazhan fell silent. He watched Ysaris, who had a remarkable ability to render him speechless, and sighed.
“Did I not swear an oath by Tennilath? I vowed not to harm Mikael.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Then why are you so adamant about hiding him from me? I won’t be able to do anything to him anyway. No matter how much you dislike it, the fact remains—I am his father.”
This time, it was Ysaris’s turn to fall silent. She could think of various reasons, yet none were truly grand enough to justify keeping father and son apart.
In truth, she simply didn’t want to acknowledge that her beloved son carried Kazhan’s blood. She was afraid that if the two stood side by side, their resemblance would be evident. And if Mikael ever called him “Father”… she didn’t know what she would do, which is why she never wanted them to meet.
She had raised Mikael with only her own love, alone. The thought of Kazhan, this interloper, disrupting the world she shared with Mikael was unbearable.
“Don’t even think about playing the role of father now. I’ll raise Mikael on my own.”
“….”
Kazhan stared at her in silence, momentarily taken aback. He had merely asked about the boy’s whereabouts, but she had denied him any right as a father.
To be honest, Kazhan hadn’t yet developed a strong attachment to Mikael. The fact that Mikael was his and the woman he loved’s child stirred faint emotions within him, but his world remained overwhelmingly focused on Ysaris.
His lack of experience with familial love also played a role. Threatened with death by the former Emperor and forced to flee to Pyrein, he had never known the affection of a father.
