The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go

“Ciel.”

“…”

“Ciel…”

“…”

Eventually, Cedric, who couldn’t stand it anymore, looked at me in tears.

“Ciel, I’m really sorry about what happened last night. Let me explain again.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

“…”

Continuing to treat Cedric, who glanced at me with a gloomy expression, as an invisible person, and focused on the novel Sera brought.

Because of Cedric, who caused a major accident yesterday, I had been holding a silent protest for 16 hours to express dissatisfaction with him.

“Ciel… ”

In the meantime, Cedric has offered countless apologies, trying to get my attention with all sorts of things, but I refuse to respond.

[Hey, why don’t you cut some slack?]

As it had been 17 hours since the silent protest began, Caliberne whispered.

‘Why?’

[After all, you won’t get better if you don’t have physical contact with him. You can’t treat him like an invisible person forever.]

Finally, Ciel sighed and closed the book.

Caliberne was right. It was impossible to ignore until the end.

I also have to control my mana, too.

“You are very persistent.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

When I finally spoke to him, Cedric turned to me with a moved expression.

“Ciel, finally…!” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

“Oh, before you approach me, please explain first.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Raising my hand to stop him, Cedric paused and sat quietly on the bed, and said,

“I’m sorry about last night. Were you surprised?” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

“Of course. Even if I think about it in the middle of the night, I’ll live my life wondering if all of this really happened.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“I’m sorry…” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Cedric said as he shrugged with a sullen expression.

“When I asked Paul, he said you don’t even wear shower robe in the first place? Why did you do that yesterday?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

At that, Cedric hesitated, trying to look elsewhere.

“Just…”

Weird.

I heard that Cedric told him to prepare the size in advance.

‘I don’t know what the hell he’s hiding.’

At the time when I was squinting at him with such thoughts, Cedric spoke again.

“Because Ciel likes muscles…” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

I was blown away by the exact words that nailed it.

“Wha- what, what?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“I’m serious. Didn’t you like muscles?” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Jumping out of bed, I grabbed his shoulder and asked in a stern voice.

“Who said that?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“Sir James Zodiac.”

Upon returning to Cedric’s answer, I thought I would definitely train James to lift the log in revenge.

“That’s why I did that to look good to you, but I made a mistake and the robe… I’m sorry.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Cedric’s face, saying that he was so sorry, looked like a pitiful male protagonist who was weeping while looking at the heroine he had unrequited love from afar.

“Ugh…”

It’s not good for my heart.

With such a transparent light, who can say anything when they see a handsome man’s sad eyes?

Eventually, I turned my head, to change the view, and said,

“You can’t do that from now on.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“Okay, I got it.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

“Like that again, your body… You shouldn’t reveal it thoughtlessly.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

As the memories of yesterday come back to mind, it seems like my face felt hot.

Trying to erase the intense flesh-colored visual out of my head, I made up my mind.

“Ciel, are you really worried about me?” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

‘No way.’

Seeing him smiling brightly, it seems that it was all an act earlier.

“You still haven’t come to your senses, have you?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“No… Nope. I was wrong.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Cedric quickly changed his attitude and stood upright.

“It’s true, believe me. I’ll make sure to dress properly, and sleep from now on.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Seeing his eyes looking at me like a puppy in the rain, my heart eventually weakened.

‘I have to hold your hand today, and the more we have contact, the faster I get better.’

Yes, I thought this was enough.

“Okay.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Saying so, he reached out one of his hands.

Cedric, who immediately understood what I meant, ran to the bedside, with his cheeks red as if he was really happy.

“Come on, give me your hand and I’ll hold youㅡ” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

But instead of holding my hands, he rushed straight into my bed.

When I came to my senses, I was already embraced in his wide arms.

His thick arms wrapped around my back and shoulders. Hugging me tightly.

And Cedric put his nose on my shoulder and touched my cheek as if I were the lover he hadn’t seen in a while.

‘Huh?‘

At that time, surprised by the unexpected situation, Cedric loosened his arm and slowly pulled my right hand.

“What are you doing…” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Chu~

Even before I finished speaking, an explicit sound resonated in the room.

The kiss didn’t end with a single kiss.

…Fingertips.

…Fingernails.

…Finger knuckles.

…Each joint.

…The back of my hand, and the palm.

One after another, and with each kiss in every corner of my hand, my heart pounded.

“What? What are you doing?!” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Unlike me, who felt that my face turned red from surprise, Cedric was calm.

Rather, the corners of his lips he rolled up as if having fun and smiled.

His red eyes, gently curved like a crescent moon, looked sweet and sticky like honey.

“Temptation.”

Why does the voice spitting out that word sound so seductive?

“What?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“Treatment under the guise ofㅡ” Cedric, who even kissed the hollow space between the index and middle fingers, said with a smile.

“Because holding hands isn’t enough anymore. The deeper the contact, the more I’ll absorb your mana.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

He put his hand in over mine and interlocked our fingers.

“That way, you’ll get better soon, and you’ll be able to go outside and work as you wish.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

I know he’s right…

That’s why I’m getting more annoyed by that strange and terrifyingly handsome face.

“That’s what I’m doing, is there any problem?”

“It’s not for treatment purposes.” Ciel raised an eyebrow and asked.

“I think your goal isn’t for my treatment, but something else…?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“Oh, I see.”

Then Cedric put my hand to his cheek and replied calmly.

“Did you want me to seduce you, not treat you? If it’s like that, I could do it for you as much as you want.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

“No, that’s not what I meant! You’re usually so good at reading between the lines, but could you stop pretending?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Cedric burst out laughing at those words and spoke.

“Ciel.”

Then he slowly leaned his face towards me and whispered in my ear.

“You don’t like it?” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

If someone could express the scent of a deep rose with their voice, would it be just like this?

At first glance, the voice that stuck in my ear spread slowly and deeply throughout my body.

It was as if I was being engulfed by a voice that lingered in my ear.

When I looked back again and saw Cedric smiling, he got even more cheeky.

When I saw his smile that seemed to think I couldn’t say ‘No’, I was annoyed.

“…No, I do not want to.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

“You’re hesitating too much.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

“I don’t know, I don’t like it anyway.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Eventually, I pulled out my hand and leaned back.

Nevertheless, Cedric wasn’t embarrassed at all and let out a chuckle.

Even in this kind of situation, he seemed to have a relaxed appearance.

“I don’t hate it.”

I heard it again.

A deep voice.

Finally, I closed my eyes.

For some reason, Cedric from his childhood seems to be talking.

‘Ciel!’

Holding out a small hand, giving cookies tied with blue ribbons the same color as my eyes.

“You know…”

Unable to bear it, I spoke.

“Yes?”

Eight years have already passed.

It’s a time when two more years are filled, and the rivers and mountains change.

How have you always been able to look at only one place?

As I lay down, I saw his red eyes that shone beautifully like jewels.

Still, those eyes that were fixed on me.

“Why are you doing this to me?” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Perhaps such a question was unexpected, in an instant, the smile disappeared from Cedric’s face.

“Honestly, there are many other people besides me. And your Majesty must have seen many more wonderful people than I have.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

Looking at his eyes stained with surprise, I continued to speak calmly.

“Smart, good people, or talented people. There are pretty women, too. But I don’t know why you leave people like that and do this to me.” ᶜᶦᵉˡ

It was of pure curiosity.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have confidence or had low self-esteem.

I just wondered why this man, who had so many opportunities to meet better people, had made the same choice for eight years.

His lips trembled as he tried to answer.

Far from being relaxed, the corners of his lips without a single smile looked pathetic today.

“Without you…” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

A deep voice echoed through the room.

“I would have lived my whole life not knowing that there was light.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Not knowing the light means seeing only the darkness.

He probably thought I was leading him towards the light.

‘It doesn’t suit you.’

It seemed impossible that Cedric, with those beautiful red eyes that never lost their light, couldn’t see the light.

“Without me, Your Majesty would have found the light on your own.”

The Cedric I know is someone who can find the light on his own, and also be that light on his own.

That’s what I believe.

I think so, even though it seems a little absurd when I see what he does sometimes.

At that time, the corners of Cedric’s lips formed to a smile again.

After returning to his usual appearance.

“Even so, I would never have known that the light was beautiful without you.” ᶜᵉᵈʳᶦᶜ

Reflecting on his mysterious words, he rested his head on a fluffy pillow.

✿

“Gasp…”

A woman’s painful groan echoed in the desolate cold stone room with no furniture other than a bed.

Even the bed, the only piece of furniture, was worn out for a long time.

Unpainted stone walls, cold floors, and even the worn-out mattresses on the bed.

The only thing that didn’t suit the dimly lit room was the woman who was breathing heavily on the bed.

As if the flame were burning, intense red hair flowed down the woman’s shoulders in a beautiful curve.

Her long, quivering eyelashes looked like a fairy’s, and her lips looked tainted by a red juice.

Despite the slightly pale complexion and the cold sweat running down her forehead, it was a breathtaking beauty that no one would be able to take their eyes off of once they saw her.

“Uhhh…”

Even if the woman made a groaning cry, the face of the man in a white robe overlooking her was truly businesslike.

It’s like watching a dog passing by on the street.

Glancing over the man with such a gaze, the man with red hair thought that he had chosen his subordinates very well.

“How many hours has she stayed like this?”

The voice of a red-haired man echoed through the cold room.

The man in a white robe, who slightly raised his head and turned to him, replied in a monotonous voice.

“It’s two hours.”

“It’s not as long as I thought.”

Then he muttered, leaning towards the woman lying in bed.

“It’s almost the last step, but even if it’s long, I’ll have to do it at any cost.”

Looking down at the woman tossing and turning in pain, the red-haired man rather smiled.

The white teeth exposed between his lips couldn’t look so meaner.

“I bet this lovely child has never known in her life. Let’s see what’s eating up your body.”

He said, with shining gold eyes that seemed to burst out of madness.

“Don’t you think so?”

The man in the white robe did not respond to that.

He just stayed silent.

“It’s stupid.”

The man in the white robe felt anger, not madness, from that word.

An intense hatred that burns like fire.

And contempt sharper than a blade.

In his view, there was no reason for the red-haired man to feel such feelings for a woman, so it was questionable where the source of the feelings came from.

‘Rather, wasn’t there more that the princess was taken away?’

But he was too quick to let such a question come out of his mouth.

“How’s the preparation going for the recruitment?”

“Yes, there’s no problem.”

So he shut his mouth and answered only what the red-haired man asked.

“Okay. it’s coming soon, we just have to do it this way.” The man smiled and spoke.

And whispered to the woman who was shaking her whole body in agony.

“Lovely Persephine.”

‘You’re such a beautiful child that I want to kill you.’

This time it’s your turn to lose everything.

“If you can’t embrace Caliberne…”

The furious golden eyes gleamed horribly.

“You’re going to die.”