The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 8.10

“When you were young, the Duke of Beltmore taught you how to use a dagger. Do you remember that?”

“…remember.”

Yernen remembered everything Lyle had taught him: how to handle a sword, and how to use a dagger in case of emergency.

On this boring island where there was nothing to do, all he could do was reminisce about the past. That’s why Yernen often practiced swordsmanship. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was not even a single kitchen knife on the island, but in a corner where junk was piled up, there was an old wooden sword that a young royal had left behind while playing.

“Within a week, Your Majesty will return to this island. Then, somehow, I will accompany His Majesty Illian and return here. If that happens, then.”

Tenes took Yernen’s hand and placed it against his neck. He felt a bl00d vessel pulsating rapidly where his hand had touched.

“Take the life of His Majesty Ilian.”

“… … .”

“I’ll take care of the rest.”

If Illian could come to this island, there would be an opportunity to make close contact. Yernen and Tenes both thought so. Illian was that kind of guy. And even Yernen, who was not used to handling a sword, could cut the throat of an unsuspecting opponent who had come close.

If that happens, Tenes will take advantage of the confusion to cut off Harriet’s lifeline.

It was a task that had to be completed quickly and without any room for error. If I failed, I might be thrown into a hellish pit that was incomparable to anything I had ever experienced before.

Maybe, just like they always said, I would really end up in a brothel. And if that happened, the Tenes family wouldn’t be able to survive.

‘But if I succeed, at least I can survive.’

The fact that Teneth killed Harriet would be proof that he was not of royal bl00d. And Ilian, who looked just like Harriet.
If the truth is revealed in this way, there will be two true children of the late Emperor: Yernen and Cecil.

And if you exclude Cecil, who is already married and the head of the household, and is involved in a complex power dynamic, then only Yernen remains. However, all of this is a fruit that can only be obtained if success is achieved.

Yernen said with a stern expression.

“It might fail.”

It was a warning. And it was also permission.

“Even if what awaits at the end of the road is a thousand-foot cliff, I would consider it an honor to be with Your Majesty.”
It was really stupid and naive.

“Even if you say that now, you’ll regret it when it actually happens, right?”

“I will never regret it. What greater honor can a knight have than to give his life for his lord?”

“You….”

“So please appoint me as your knight.”

Tenes looked at Yernen with hardened eyes.

Yernen thought that guy was the most foolish person in the world. There was no benefit to serving him as his master, even though he had nothing. All that lay before him would be a hardship.

But.

“… … .”

Those eyes, those eyes filled with firm trust and faith, were no different from the ones I had seen when I was very young.

“Okay.”

Yernen willingly accepted the offer to become his knight.
It was the most shabby inauguration ceremony in the world.

* * *

“Ugh… .”

Yernen opened his eyes to a terrible pain that felt like his stomach was being stabbed. Then he bent over, clutching his stomach tightly as the pain surged back. His sweat-soaked hair tickled the corners of his eyes.

“Ahh…!”

But no matter how much he curled up, the pain didn’t go away. It felt like his stomach was on fire. All Yernen could do was hold on to the bed rails and hope the pain would go away.

How long did I hold out like that? I felt the pain slowly subsiding.

“Ugh… Ugh… .”

A faint tear streamed down his sweaty face.

“It hurts….”

Yernen held onto the pendant tightly as if it were his lifeline and curled up, even though he knew that the pain wouldn’t go away even if he did so.

“It hurts….”

And then, a pain incomparable to anything before struck, shaking his insides like a quake. Yernen writhed in excruciating pain, as if something sharp was scraping at his stomach. And.

“Ugh…! Keuk…!”

As the most horrible pain passed, black bl00d rose from my throat. The bl00d had a putrid, nauseating smell, as if something was seriously wrong.

Yernen looked at his hand, which was covered in pitch-black bl00d, and then weakly dropped it. The sticky bl00d pooled on the bed sheets.

The bed was completely stained with black bl00d.

The thought of making the bed was an obsession in Yernen’s mind, who was obsessed with cleanliness to the point of being meticulous. But he no longer had the strength to even lift the thin blanket.

Harriet would definitely be back on the island within a week. He wanted Yernen dead more than anyone else, but he didn’t want Yernen dead more than anyone else.

However, contrary to his eager promise to Tenes, Yernen did not think he would be able to last a week.

“Hah.”

My head is definitely boiling hot, but my body is shivering from the cold. It wasn’t like this last night, before I fell asleep. If it continues like this, I really don’t think I’ll be able to get through tonight.

Yernen recalled the dagger under his pillow. It was hidden under a thin layer of cotton, its scabbard removed. It was ready to kill a man if he could just pull it out.

But I wondered. Could I really swing that sword with such a weak body?

“It’s fortunate that it doesn’t come back to bite me.”

In his dazed state, Yernen recalled the visit from Tenes three days ago, the old-fashioned knight who had told him to become emperor.

“…Can I bring Illian?”

Will he be able to succeed and get out of here? As he thought about this, Yernen’s eyelids slowly closed.

‘If I sleep, I can’t… .’

It was strange. It hadn’t been that long since I woke up, but for some reason I felt particularly sleepy today. I shouldn’t fall asleep like this, but if I stayed awake a little longer, I would be able to stay awake when Tenes came.

But I still kept falling asleep. It was really strange.

At that time, when the line between dreams and reality was blurred, Yernen felt a sudden sense of warmth.

* * *

“Here?”

“… … .”

Yernen lifted his heavy eyelids and opened his closed eyes.
In my sleep, I thought I heard a voice from an island I had never heard before. It was definitely Illian’s voice.

“Come.”

That thought occurred to me for a moment.

Yernen held the pendant in his hand tightly and threw it between the wall and the mattress. There was no way Harriet would have given this pendant to Tenes unless she was crazy. Tenes must have secretly brought it from somewhere.

So if it were known that Yernen had this pendant, there would be a huge uproar. It would be a waste of a precious opportunity that only comes once. That must never happen.

Yernen, who had safely hidden the pendant, clenched and unclenched his fist. Surprisingly, his body felt stronger. He hadn’t even had a sip of water, but somehow he felt better than yesterday.

“Can you do it?”

As a child, he practiced swordsmanship with a wooden sword and even swung a dagger himself. However, that was over ten years ago, and even then, Yernen had hit people with a wooden sword, but had never stabbed them in the body.

I wasn’t sure if I could do it. But I had to do it anyway. I swallowed dry saliva, moving my throat slightly.

Squeak.

After a while the door to the cabin opened.

“… … .”

Yernen lay in bed, not getting up, and opened his eyes dimly, looking at those who had entered through the door. There were eight people in total who had entered the cabin. Harriet, Ilian, the usual grumpy doctor, Tenes, and the four knights who always visited the island.

It was unclear whether Tenes’s influence was present or not, but the number of attendees was smaller than usual. And after confirming that everyone was seated, Harriet spoke without even exchanging the usual greetings.