The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 13.9
“I don’t know everything.”
“It doesn’t matter, just tell me everything you know.”
“All right.”
Yuris thought back to a time in the past. That winter when she first met Yernen.
“The first time I met Yernen was six years ago.”
The story began to flow slowly but smoothly. And as Lyle listened to Yuris’ story, his expression slowly began to distort with anger.
“That’s all.”
“…under.”
Lyle, who had heard the whole story without missing a single word, raised his hand, which was shaking with anger, and roughly ran his hand through his hair. Then he got up, walked to the window, and opened it.
The harsh winter night wind blew into the room, scratching his face, and Lyle stood there for a long time, feeling that if he didn’t cool down, he would go crazy from the rage burning through his body.
“…I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Yernen….”
Lyle asked in a slow tone, his fists clenched and trembling.
“When did this start happening to you?”
“I don’t know for sure because I didn’t ask. But… I can only assume it’s been a long time. Yernen said he hadn’t seen anyone in years… and there were rumors about it.”
Yuris paused for a moment before continuing.
“I believe Your Majesty has heard that rumor as well.”
“What rumor?”
“There is a rumor that Yernen cannot manifest because he is not a descendant of the royal family.”
Lyle frowned as he searched his memory.
“… There were rumors like that.”
When I heard that, I felt like I remembered it. It was just a useless rumor, so I thought I had heard it once and forgotten about it.
“That rumor started to spread, and then another rumor started to spread. It was that Lord Yernen had disappeared around his fourteenth birthday. So I guess… he’s been locked up since then. And…”
“… … .”
“That rumor. Your Majesty may have felt like a false rumor, but not to Yernen. He is stronger than anyone else, but when it comes to Your Majesty… he often becomes weak.”
“… … .”
“You said that you avoided His Majesty because of that. And… you also said that you regretted it.”
“Yernen… said so.”
Lyle’s hands gripped the window frame with strength.
“sh1t.”
Seriously… I didn’t really know anything. It was all a lie. All of it.
I thought I was eating well and living well. I thought I was living happily, surrounded by followers as I always had, eating well and living comfortably.
I had no idea that I would be taken to an island and locked up there for years, living a miserable life, without food and being cursed at.
I didn’t even know that I was fighting a lonely battle alone, trying to rebuild the fallen empire.
The fact that he died in excruciating pain.
‘…I missed you.’
I had no idea what kind of emotion was contained in those last words.
The moment I first saw him, I fell in love with him at first sight. He was a man who gave everything as if he didn’t need anything, including pride. He was a man who was very good at raising his chin and ordering someone around, surrounded by precious things.
He was not the kind of person who should have lived such a miserable life.
“Euris Camellia.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, I delegate full authority to you regarding the post-war handling of the Eastern Territory.”
“Yes…?”
At the sudden order, Yuris looked at Lyle with bewildered eyes.
“Deal with Stephin and return to the capital once all restorations are complete.”
“Your Majesty! What are you saying…!”
But Lyle opened the door to the living room and went out without answering Yuris’s bewildered question.
“Oh my!”
Stephin, who had been curled up in front of the door, suddenly got up and chased after Lyle.
“Your Majesty, what did Viscount Camellia say? Did you hear what happened to Yernen?”
He asked Lyle questions about this and that with a face full of curiosity.
“Your Majesty, Lady Yernen is not only your former fiancée, but also my cousin. In a way, you could say that we are closer to each other. So, please tell me…”
Stand up. Lyle’s steps suddenly stopped. And Stephin, who was right behind him, bumped into Lyle and took a step back in surprise.
“Where is Austin?”
“Yes? If it’s Auston, he’ll probably be… in the stable. But why is Auston… .”
“There’s something I need to hunt.”
“Hunting… right…?”
This hunt wasn’t just about hunting animals for fun. Lyle calling Auston and ordering him to hunt… .
The color drained from Stephin’s face.
‘Who the hell are you?’
Stephin looked at Lyle with shaky eyes, trying to think of who could have done something so wrong as to deserve being hunted. And finally, he remembered one person.
“S-Surely not, Your Majesty! Really, the Pope…! Ah, no. Your Majesty…! That’s…! That’s…!”
“Stephen Mariage.”
“Yes, yes…?”
“You will remain here in the Eastern Territory and supervise the post-war management together with Viscount Camellia.”
“Yes? Me?”
“I’m going back to the palace. With Auston.”
“Ah, no…! Your Majesty, really the Pope…! Oh my! Where are you going, Your Majesty! Your Majesty…!”
A flustered Stephin tried to grab Lyle, but Lyle roughly pushed Stephin away and walked away without looking back.
* * *
“Your majesty.”
Yernen’s brow furrowed with irritation at the irritating hand shaking his shoulder. He wanted to get up right away and say something. However, his whole body felt heavy as lead and he couldn’t get up.
With his mind still hazy, Yernen barely managed to move his hand and lightly slap away the hand that was shaking his shoulder. Unfortunately, however, the other person was a stubborn man who would not budge at such light resistance.
“Your majesty!”
‘… that son of a b1tch.’
Finally, Yernen lifted his heavy eyelids and glared at Justin, the man who had kept waking him up, with his eyes wide open.
“Your Majesty, please wake up. Do you know how many times I have called you?”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
Yernen barely managed to get up and rubbed his eyes.
“Oh, please don’t pass out here and take a nap. Please go to your room and sleep. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up having to go to another funeral.”
“What?”
Yernen’s eyes were filled with annoyance.
“I’m not joking. I’m saying this because I’m genuinely worried… Your Majesty, do you know what your face looks like right now?”
“What does my face look like?”
“No, I knew you hadn’t been to the bedroom for a few days, but I didn’t know you’d be living there without even looking in the mirror.”
“… … .”
“You look like you’re on the brink of collapse. Look at your arm—is this what a human arm should look like? It seems like it would snap with a single blow. You claimed you’d eat separately because looking at my face made you nauseous. Was that true? Or is it that you’re just not eating at all?”
Yernen kept his lips tightly sealed, refusing to respond. Justin sighed heavily at the sight.
“If you continue like this, you won’t just collapse—you’ll fade away completely. Today, you really need to go back to the Empress’s Palace, eat, and get some rest. I’ll handle everything else.”
With that, Justin grabbed the documents Yernen was holding.
“And what am I supposed to trust you with? You do know that I’m practically working myself to death because you’re not up to par, right?”
“Oh, well, even if I’m not up to par, it’s still better than what Your Majesty is doing right now. Isn’t this the same document you’ve been staring at since before I went to dinner? You’ve been looking at it for over an hour.”
Yernen couldn’t argue with Justin’s blunt observation, and instead, he made a face of displeasure. As much as he wanted to deny it, Justin’s words rang true.
“All right, all right. Go back to the Empress’s Palace, get some rest, eat, and then return.”
Saying this, Justin grasped Yernen’s arm and helped him to his feet.
“Ugh… Do you want to die?”
Yernen glared at Justin, clearly annoyed by the sudden forcefulness.
“Isn’t this all out of loyalty and concern, Your Majesty?”
Justin responded with a playful smile, knowing that Yernen’s threats were empty.
“I’ve already called the attendant to escort you to the Empress’s Palace.”
As Justin said this, he opened the office door. Yernen felt a wave of relief when he saw Marianne on the other side. It would have been much more awkward if Noah or Russell had been there.
“Your Majesty, I am here to escort you.”
Yernen glanced back at Justin, who was smirking mischievously, and then at Marianne, who stood ready, along with four determined attendants set on taking him to the Empress’s Palace.
“…Great.”
It was an inescapable dilemma.
“I understand.”
Finally, words of agreement slipped from Yernen’s mouth.
Marianne’s usually stoic face softened slightly as she nodded and stepped forward to lead the way.
But Yernen’s expression remained clouded as he followed. Many believed his absence from the Empress’s Palace was due to his workload, but that was far from the truth.
In reality, Yernen couldn’t bear going there, preferring to spend his nights in his office. Being in the Empress’s Palace meant eating and sleeping in the company of others, but even sitting at the dining table made him feel sick, and lying down only brought relentless nightmares.
He had managed to endure it for a while, but the deeper issue was that he would always, unconsciously, find himself in Lyle’s closet.
‘I still don’t know why this happens.’
When he regained his senses, he would find himself nestled among the chaos of Lyle’s belongings.
A slight frown formed on Yernen’s face.
This strange habit, which had appeared a few weeks ago, was only getting worse, showing no signs of stopping. Because of this, he couldn’t bring himself to return to the Empress’s Palace. He had managed to keep it under wraps a couple of times, but repeated behavior would inevitably lead to exposure. He couldn’t risk revealing such a vulnerable side to anyone.
But now, Yernen was truly at his breaking point. The letters on the documents were so blurry he could barely read them.
That was why he knew Justin’s insistence was needed. If Prince Fortnum’s frail body continued skipping meals and sleep, there was a real danger he might collapse.
But…
‘I don’t know if I can even eat.’
It wasn’t a matter of will. Something, for reasons he couldn’t identify, made him feel queasy, stopping him from eating.
Even so, Yernen didn’t give up on trying to care for himself. He had discreetly called for a priest through Justin. But, as expected, there was no solution.
It was perplexing. There shouldn’t be an illness that divine power couldn’t cure.
Of course, there were rare instances where the body suffered without a clear illness. Usually, if divine power failed, the next step was to see a doctor for a physical examination, but Yernen was reluctant to do so.
Perhaps it was because there was so much weighing on him lately—his deteriorating health, the workload piling up, and the unresolved matters with Lyle.
Perhaps it was because there was so much weighing on his mind. Lately, one thing after another kept happening, leaving him feeling overwhelmed.
His physical condition was deteriorating, the mountain of work was a constant source of stress, and his unresolved issues with Lyle lingered.
“… … .”
Today marked a month and a week since Lyle’s departure, and during that time, Yernen had still not made a decision.
With the conflict in the Eastern Territory now resolved, Lyle would be returning soon. If he had really discovered Yernen’s true identity…
“Your Majesty.”
“…?”
Yernen, lost in his thoughts, glanced up at Marianne, who was calling him in a voice full of surprise. Her expression was bewildered as she stared at something behind Yernen, unable to respond properly.
“What’s the matter?”
“Behind you… back there…”
“…?”
Before Yernen could fully turn at Marianne’s words, someone wrapped their arms around him, pressing their face into the crook of his neck.
The skin that touched him felt ice-cold, likely from long exposure to the winter winds. Yet, curiously, there was a lingering warmth where it made contact.
“… … .”
Yernen recognized who was embracing him immediately, as a familiar scent of pheromones reached his senses.
“I’m back, Empress.”