The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 10.1

Justin caught the aquamarine stone mid-air with a sharp thwack, then tossed it back up with practiced ease. Against the canvas of the dark night sky, it spun before gravity reclaimed it, sending it plummeting once more.

Thwack.

This time, he gripped it tightly, the chill of the stone pressing into his skin. Yuris’s warnings to handle the research specimen with care had long been pushed out of his mind.
Tomorrow was the coronation—the day when the new emperor would officially take the throne. It marked a month since Justin had begun serving the emperor.

What a mess, he thought, mind swirling.

Having been chosen as both a page and personal guard, Justin found himself constantly at the emperor’s side, unlike the other knights. While his title suggested prestige, in reality, he felt more like a glorified errand boy. Yet, his position had granted him an unfiltered look into the new ruler’s world.

Rumors were rife in the capital: the new emperor was said to be indulgent to the point of scandal, seeking male company every night. On the day of his return from exile—exiled for so-called “unnatural” desires—whispers claimed he and Tenes had marked their reunion with bl00d-streaked sheets from their frenzied passion.

Justin had believed those tales, at first. But the man he shadowed day in and day out was far different from the gossip. While the emperor wielded authority with a haughty tilt of his chin, he was not as wild as everyone claimed.

The brat isn’t all bad, Justin begrudgingly admitted.

So much so that a few knights even began treating him with casual familiarity.

Just like those fools, Justin thought, glancing at three figures moving beneath the moonlight. Despite their robes meant to conceal, their tall statures were giveaways—it was undoubtedly the emperor with his ever-present guards.

With a nimble leap, Justin dropped from his perch, landing gracefully before them.

“Out for a stroll, Your Majesty?” His voice was light, tinged with dry humor.

At the sound, the smaller figure shrugged off their robe with a practiced motion. The moon illuminated a cascade of golden hair that gleamed like threads of silver, framing a face so striking it still made Justin’s breath catch every time.

But now wasn’t the time for admiration.

“Isn’t this risky, especially tonight?” Justin’s voice sharpened, betraying his irritation. “I’ve lost count of how many uninvited guests have tried to see you over the past month. Tomorrow’s the coronation, and every desperate fool will be looking for a chance to strike. Should you really be out here?”
He shrugged, feigning nonchalance, though his words held a warning.

“Yuris is keeping my place warm inside,” the emperor replied coolly.

“That may be, but—”

Justin’s retort died in his throat when eyes as fierce and predatory as a wolf’s fixed on him through the dark. His heart stuttered.

Eren Partashu. That madman.

Eren was more than a loyal knight—he was devoted to the point of obsession. Ever since he took his oath, whispering fierce vows in private, he’d been trailing the emperor like a shadow, behaving as if he were an extension of the emperor himself. The emperor, in turn, seemed unbothered.

Justin’s irritation simmered, his frustration taking form as he kicked a stray pebble.

Then, as if sensing his discontent, the emperor’s voice cut through the tension.

“Now that I think of it, we might need a bit of fire. You’re coming with us.”

“…Yes?” Justin responded, uncertainly.

“Aren’t you here to make sure I don’t get assassinated? If I have three knights with me, I assume my life isn’t in immediate danger,” the emperor said smoothly.

“Well… you’re not wrong, but…” Justin felt the conversation slipping in a direction that made it sound like he was genuinely concerned for the emperor’s safety. Which, in truth, he wasn’t.

Determined to set the record straight, he added, “It’s not that I’m worried. If anything happens to you, it’s going to be a problem for me.”

And so, despite his reluctance, Justin found himself accompanying the emperor on a late-night outing, following him to the outskirts of the palace.

Two horses stood waiting, tethered as if they’d been prepared long in advance.

“Only two horses, I see,” the emperor remarked, before accepting Tenes’s assistance and smoothly mounting, sharing the saddle with him. “We’ll ride in pairs.”

That left Justin with no choice but to ride with Eren.
Damn it, he thought, shooting a glare to his side, only to be met with an equally disdainful look from Eren.

“Let’s move,” the emperor commanded, and the scowl on Eren’s face transformed into a mask of loyalty in an instant.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Eren’s voice rang out, with just the right amount of deference to make Justin feel slightly queasy. As the emperor rode ahead, Justin received a sharp elbow to the ribs from Eren, who seized the moment to strike while out of view.

The soft plodding of hooves slowed, and finally the emperor’s horse came to a halt. Eren, ever vigilant, was quick to dismount and stand close by. Justin slid from his mount, eyes scanning the dim, empty square they found themselves in. The place reeked of damp and decay, strewn with refuse and occupied by shadowy figures curled in corners, clinging to what scraps of warmth they could find.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar scene to Justin, but for the emperor—born and raised in the gilded cage of the palace—it was undoubtedly foreign.

Annoyed, Justin let out a derisive huff. “Why here? Are you planning on making some grand vow by observing the poor before your coronation? If so, the central square would have made a better spectacle. To you, it’s all the same—whether it’s the people of the main square or here in the north.”

Though Justin had come to realize that the emperor wasn’t as heartless as he had once assumed, this still grated on him.
This is a mockery.

Justin believed that the struggles of these people, as meager as they might seem to the nobility, deserved more than just a fleeting glance. He knew their battles, their resilience—he had lived among them. To come here, as if peering down to confirm their suffering, felt disingenuous.

It was this distance that kept Justin from becoming too attached, even while serving the emperor more closely than any other.

The emperor claimed he would bring justice to the corrupt eastern nobles, the same ones who profited from the suffering of the poor. That would be enough. The plan to sweep out those leeching aristocrats would improve lives on its own. But to come here, pretending to care, felt like a performance.

The emperor doesn’t understand the reality of life on the streets, Justin thought bitterly. He’s never had to crawl in the mud just to survive.

If he really wanted to help, he’d leave the lowest classes be and take action in the corridors of power. But the emperor was here, and that unsettled Justin.

Eren shot Justin a scornful glance, as if to say he was hopelessly naive, before scoffing. “You’ll understand soon enough.”

“Sure,” Justin muttered, though he doubted it.

Eren’s zeal had always baffled Justin. Ever since their first meeting, Eren would lecture him, urging him to serve the emperor with more fervor and respect, as though Justin were missing the obvious. He’d given up on that lately, but the air of disapproval remained.

Justin watched as Eren trailed after the emperor. The emperor walked slowly, eyes scanning each figure they passed, as though searching for someone. When he finally stopped, it was before a man with hollow eyes and tattered clothes, a man whose gaze flitted about in confusion.

The emperor stood tall, his posture unwavering, and addressed the man with a tone that brooked no argument.

Here we go, Justin thought, sighing under his breath. He’s going to get himself punched.

But instead, the man, shuffling awkwardly at first, stood and, like a charmed rat following the piper, trailed behind the emperor.

What? Justin’s brow furrowed. The man’s compliance, given the emperor’s imposing presence, made little sense. Unless—
Could he be a fallen noble? The idea settled uneasily in
Justin’s mind.

The emperor continued walking, now deeper into the shadows, with Justin following, uncertain but intrigued. The journey stretched on, through paths that grew wilder, until they reached a clearing surrounded by towering trees. The sounds of civilization had faded away, leaving an eerie silence.

Tenes and Eren moved about, gathering wood and building a structure at the center of the clearing. It took a moment for Justin to realize they were constructing an altar, and atop it, the bundle clutched by the vagrant—a woman’s dress—was laid.
What on earth…?

“Justin,” the emperor called, breaking his thoughts.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Light the fire.”

“Here, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

“…Understood.”

Though puzzled, Justin couldn’t withstand Eren’s searing glare and begrudgingly set the altar alight. With the season’s dryness, the wooden structure quickly roared into flames.
Leaning against a nearby tree, Justin watched the emperor with a scowl. The emperor was reciting a prayer, words directed, Justin presumed, to whoever once owned the dress the vagrant had clung to so desperately.

Could he have known them? Perhaps the vagrant was a fallen noble, an old acquaintance of the emperor’s. Maybe even a distant relative. Though, it didn’t seem likely.

The man began to weep, voice cracking as he crumpled before the flames. The emperor, unmoved, looked up to the heavens, whispering a plea for guidance, for the departed soul’s peace, and for happiness in the next life.