What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 94
Finally, the question returned to its origin.
“Why do you love me?”
She didn’t bother to ask why he was doing this to her. He had already confessed his love for her multiple times, and she could predict the same answer would come again.
Instead, Ysaris approached it more fundamentally.
‘Fine, you love me. But why do you love me?’
‘If it was simply because I share the name or resemble some past lover of yours, then I’m ultimately someone else entirely, am I not?’
Her question was valid. Ysaris had never done anything to deserve Kazhan’s love. Nor had she ever wanted it.
From the beginning, their relationship was born out of animosity. She couldn’t understand why, after all this time, he would behave this way toward her.
“That’s because…”
Kazhan understood her reasoning. He had his own reasons, but he wasn’t blind to how it might appear from her perspective. That’s why he had accepted her anger without making excuses.
But now, there was no more room to evade. Kazhan had to accept whatever consequences his answer might bring.
Closing his eyes briefly, then reopening them, he met Ysaris’ gaze directly. It was time to open Pandora’s box.
There was only one move left to stay by Ysaris’ side.
“Because I am Cain Jenut.”
It was a simple statement.
Cain loved Ysaris. And Kazhan was Cain.
“So, I have no choice but to love you.”
Finally. At long last, he said it.
Kazhan watched her without breathing, tension tightening every muscle. He had no way of predicting how she would react.
‘Would she be furious? Suspicious? Dumbfounded? What would become of the vows they had shared?’
Her face twisted in an expression that reflected his anxious crimson eyes.
“How ridiculous.”
Her initial reaction was disbelief. Ysaris glared at Kazhan, her anger burning bright.
“This is an utterly tasteless joke, Your Majesty. Do you find joy in desecrating the memory of the dead?”
She assumed Kazhan had dug into her past. How else could he know about her connection to Cain and dare to say something like this?
‘Kazhan, Cain Jenut? Impossible!’
While she might have occasionally glimpsed Cain’s shadow in Kazhan, for him to claim to be Cain was unthinkable. It mocked all the years they had spent as enemies. How could he dare to make such a claim?
Especially after committing acts Cain would never have done.
“You cannot simply mimic his behavior and expect me to believe you’re Cain. If you truly wanted to deceive me by pretending to be my knight, the least you could have done was change your face. What are you doing, hiding behind the disgusting guise of a Tennilath?”
Ysaris’ sharp words, colder than ice, cut deep. To her, it felt as though Kazhan’s claim sullied the precious memories she had of Cain.
The murderous glare she shot him sent Kazhan’s heart pounding. He felt joy at her loyalty to Cain, pain at her loathing of him, and terror at the thought of reconciling those two reactions.
But the die had been cast. There was no turning back now. Steeling himself, Kazhan began to explain.
“Cain Jenut was a false identity. It was under that guise that I met you. I was a fugitive, and I had no intention of revealing my true status. For as long as I lived, I intended to remain your knight.”
“Oh, how noble of you. And I suppose you’ve been living under another identity all this time?”
“Yes. I lived as Cain. With brown hair and a vague, forgettable face.”
“Such nonsense—!”
Her voice, growing louder in anger, suddenly cut off. Her eyes widened in shock as they locked onto the bracelet Kazhan held in his hand.
“You—you even took Cain’s keepsake!”
“Look closely. This is the Cain you knew.”
Kazhan gave her no time to respond before slipping the bracelet onto his wrist. Retrieving it had taken weeks, from a long-forgotten grave.
The magical artifact, said to have been his mother’s heirloom, began working again after years of dormancy. He had never once taken it off while living as Cain.
Black hair turned brown. His sharp brows softened, his jawline grew less defined, and his piercing gaze dulled into an unassuming expression.
Though the changes were subtle, they created an entirely different man.
“Cai…”
Cain Jenut.
Ysaris couldn’t even finish saying his name. Her face went pale, as if she’d seen a ghost. Unable to form the words, she stood frozen, and Kazhan spoke instead, his voice altered to Cain’s familiar tone.
“Yes, Ysaa. It’s me. I’m Cain Jenut.”
