The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 1.4

It didn’t matter if they realized he was a fake Fortnum. What truly mattered was that no one knew he was actually Yernen Helio.

In fact, some might even prefer a more coherent stand-in. After all, everyone wanted only one thing from Lord Fortnum.

All they cared about was the continuation of the Helio bloodline—an omega capable of bearing Lyle’s child.

No matter how ruthless the struggle for power, no one would dare suggest impregnating a child in a vegetative state. In a twisted way, it was better that some unknown soul had taken over Fortnum’s body and made it functional.

Besides, Yernen’s goals weren’t so different from what the others wanted.

The powerful wanted Yernen to produce an heir and then quietly disappear. Yernen wanted that too.
His plan was simple: bear a child, hand it over, and leave Lyle behind.

That way, Lyle could solidify his position as the true emperor, and Yernen’s intricate plan, which he had woven with meticulous care, would finally be complete. This was his true objective.

To uproot the corrupt powers poisoning the Empire and install the independent Northern Beltimore as a new, untouchable force.

Yernen had dedicated everything to that goal, but he hadn’t lived long enough to see it through. His premature death had left the work unfinished. Perhaps that’s why fate had given him this second chance—to finally see it through with his own hands.

Just long enough to finish the mission.
Once the child was born, Yernen would leave Lyle behind and disappear. That would be the end of it. Why? Because…

‘Lyle needs someone to blame.’

After becoming emperor, Yernen had read Lyle’s letters, filled with raw, unquenched rage—his anger toward Yernen and the Imperial family for the death of his parents and the enslavement of his people.

Lyle’s fury had no outlet, no target for his vengeance.

And that was exactly how Yernen intended it to remain.

The ones who had killed Lyle’s parents and enslaved his people—Yernen had taken care of them all. But he had no intention of ever revealing that truth. Lyle had spent far too long fueling his existence with hatred for Yernen; it had become the force that kept him going.

Being someone’s object of resentment was something Yernen had long grown accustomed to. Adding one more person to that list made no difference to him.

‘If that hatred keeps him alive, so be it.’
That was enough for Yernen.

He felt a deep sense of responsibility for not being able to protect Lyle and his family. But beyond that, there was another reason, one he couldn’t ignore.

If Lyle continued to believe that Yernen was the one who killed his parents and enslaved his people, then he’d never entertain the idea that Yernen could be a victim too. Yernen would rather drown himself than let Lyle discover the truth of what he had endured.

“…..”

A shadow crossed Yernen’s elegant face.
Those who had raped him, treated him like an animal, and subjected him to vile acts were all dead now. He had wiped them out under the guise of a purge, destroying every incriminating recording along the way. But Yernen knew he hadn’t eliminated everyone who knew the truth. Eventually, when things settled, whispers would likely resurface somewhere.

However, if Lyle refused to believe that Yernen had been a victim, it would delay the truth from reaching him for a long time. And by then, Yernen would have disappeared, hidden so well that Lyle would never find him.

Even if Lyle eventually learned everything, as long as Yernen avoided facing him, it wouldn’t matter. He just had to stay out of his sight—that was enough.

Yes, this was all because of his damned pride. But what else could he do? Without his pride, Yernen Helio might as well be dead.
And he was confident in his ability to keep his secret.

He had only spent about nine years with Lyle, from when he was five until fourteen. After that, Yernen had lived another eleven years alone before his death. Lyle, who only knew the youngest, pampered prince, no longer knew the real Yernen. Deceiving him would be simple.
Once everything was over…

‘Then what?’

Yernen believed that his soul being placed in the body of his nephew, the Portnum heir, had some divine purpose. Maybe it was a sign that he was destined to finish his life’s work. Perhaps when that was done, the real soul of the Portnum heir would return to take his place.

But if, after completing his mission, he remained in this body…

‘Then I’ll just…’

Live alone. Far from everyone, in a place where no one could find him, where he could die in peace.

Being alone was something Yernen had never been used to. As a child, it had been unbearably difficult. But now, he knew that far worse things existed in the world than living alone on a remote island. Solitude didn’t seem so bad anymore.

‘Well…’

There were people he wouldn’t mind living with. His knights—those loyal comrades who had helped him in his mission.

‘They’d probably want that too.’

But that could never happen. He couldn’t reveal that he was their former master.

‘Not that they’d believe me anyway.’

Yernen brushed aside the brief feeling of longing. Letting go of impossible dreams had become second nature to him.

What mattered was the present.

“But that’s beside the point.”

Even if he had decided to bear Lyle’s child, that didn’t mean he was willing to become Lyle’s subordinate.

And yet, Lyle had the audacity to act so
arrogant? Yernen couldn’t let that slide.
“Lyle Beltimore…!”

“Wh-what…?”

Still lying lazily in bed, Yernen cast a glance at his nanny, who was nervously shifting from foot to foot at his bedside.

“His… His Majesty has come today. In person.”

“Tell him to leave.”

“L-leave…?!”

The nanny’s face turned pale as if she had been hit by a brick, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. In fact, she already looked halfway to crying.

“You expect me to welcome a man who waited two days to send messengers after receiving a rejection letter?!”

“Aiiigoo… aiiigoo… but he even sent gifts…”
Yernen’s eyebrows shot up in annoyance.
“He sent what?!”

“It’s so wrong! How could he ignore such a lovely fiancé for two years, then suddenly announce the wedding is in four months, expecting you to prepare everything?! And after you rejected him, he only just now decides to show up! It’s so unfair! B-but since His Majesty came all this way personally… shouldn’t you at least meet him?”
With an irritated huff, Yernen threw off his covers. Seeing this, the nanny, mistakenly thinking he was agreeing, allowed a relieved smile to bloom across her face.

“I’m going to wash up and attend my lessons.”

The smile instantly vanished.

“L-lessons? Now?”

The nanny’s face crumpled back into an expression of confusion and despair.

“Why not? Weren’t you the one who said last week that I have so much to learn since I’ve only recently awakened?”

“Aiiigoo… yes, my dear, you still need your lessons, of course… b-but, surely… not today?”

“Tell him to leave.”

Nanny Melissa, who had lovingly cared for her sweet little lord for 20 years—only to realize he was sweet on the outside but sharp and prickly on the inside—sighed with teary eyes, knowing she could never change his mind.

“Yes, sir,” she replied softly, thinking to herself, How in the world am I going to send the emperor away? With a heavy heart, she turned to leave, tears almost spilling from her eyes.
As she left, Yernen rose from his bed and headed straight to the bathroom. Behind him followed the pale-faced Tomi and Endrew.

While massaging Yernen’s scalp with practiced hands, Tomi cautiously tried again, “M-my lord, since your teacher might be a bit late today, maybe you could take a moment to meet His Majesty?”

Enjoying the relaxing massage, Yernen replied simply, “No.”

“Come on, my lord,” Endrew added, trying to sound playful, though it fell flat.

“Enough,” Yernen snapped, and at once, silence fell over the room.

“So, what do you want?”

Yernen shot a disinterested look at Lyle, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

“Well, aren’t you cold today?” Lyle said with a smirk, clearly pleased to have finally been granted an audience after being turned away for a week and left waiting for two hours.

“At least you’re acting more civilized than a wild animal now,” Yernen remarked dryly.
“Lyle Beltimore, aren’t we already broken off? Is it really appropriate for you to come and go from your former fiancé’s home?”

“Come on, you didn’t really mean that. You’ve got something to say, don’t you? Just tell me what you want. I’ll do what I can.”

“Ho? You think you can handle it?”

“Well, I am the emperor.”

Lyle puffed up his chest arrogantly, and though it was annoying, Yernen found it amusing enough to let it slide. Since Lyle was so confident he could manage, Yernen decided it was time to bring out the prenuptial agreement.

“Fine. Here, take it.”

“What is it?” Lyle asked, taking the document Yernen handed him.

With a careless grin, Lyle glanced over the first page of the contract, but as he continued reading, his expression darkened.

“…”

By the time he was halfway through, Lyle ran a hand over his face in frustration before looking up at Yernen.

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

The prenuptial agreement Yernen had written was long and detailed, but the key points were straightforward:

First, Yernen Fortnum Helio (hereafter referred to as “Party A”) agrees to sincerely cooperate in producing one child with Lyle Beltimore (hereafter referred to as “Party B”).

Second, Party A reserves the right to refuse participation in any royal events, except for conjugal duties, and Party B must respect and adhere to Party A’s refusal without question.
Third, Party B must obtain written permission prior to meeting Party A, except on the scheduled conjugal days.

Fourth, after the birth of one child, Party A reserves the right to refuse participation in all royal duties, including conjugal duties, and Party B must unconditionally accept Party A’s refusal.

Fifth, following the birth of a child, Party A and Party B will enter into a “gradual adjustment period” concerning their marriage.
Sixth, before the “gradual adjustment period,” Party B must provide Party A with one year’s worth of dowry in the form of usable currency.
Seventh, during the “gradual adjustment period,” Party B is prohibited from meeting Party A under any circumstances.

That was the crux of it.

Yernen was proud of the prenuptial agreement. He thought it was perfectly crafted.

He had no intention of seeing Lyle for long stretches of time. Despite Lyle’s cleverness, Yernen knew that with enough interaction, Lyle might eventually piece together that Yernen was, in fact, Yernen Helio. So, he planned to avoid as much contact as possible and, after the child was born, enforce the “gradual adjustment period.”
The “gradual adjustment period” was, in truth, a play on words.

In his heart, Yernen would have preferred divorce, but in the empire, divorces among the royal family were rare, especially for the emperor and empress. Divorce was seen as setting a poor example for the people.

However, even in the empire, some couples were known to be horribly mismatched.

As a solution, the 15th emperor introduced the concept of a “gradual adjustment period.” It was a slow process of recalibrating the marriage—essentially a euphemism for separation, or in other words, a de facto divorce.

Historically, three imperial couples had undergone the “gradual adjustment period,” and none ever lived together again, dying without seeing each other’s faces. In essence, Yernen’s prenuptial agreement spelled out, in convoluted royal language, that after producing a child, he would never live with Lyle again.