The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go

At the rough hand of his mother gripping him, Cedric couldn’t hold out and was dragged helplessly.

He was frightened by the people’s cry and the pungent smell that spread throughout the castle.

Nevertheless, he could not resist his mother’s grip on him.

His mother, heading further and deeper into the palace, stopped only at an inconspicuous closet room.

“Uh… Mother…”

The woman, who ignored his call and pushed the door open, shoved Cedric roughly into the room and locked the door.

Then she threw a sword in front of him, who had lost his balance and collapsed.

“I’ll give you one last chance.”

Sharp eyes like an awl and a cold voice like ice.

Cedric was always afraid of it.

But that day, I was more afraid than usual.

“Prove your worth.”

Cedric knew well what it meant.

‘My worth…’

It was meant to not disappoint her like I did before.

In other words, it was to unlock his mana and show strong abilities worthy of being called the prince of Deamant.

Cedric trembled, but picked up his sword and took a stance.

I begged and begged inwardly.

May God help me this time.

“Ah…”

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

He knelt down trembling and reached out towards his sword.

Still, I couldn’t raise my head.

I didn’t want to know what kind of gaze my mother was looking at me with.

“Well then. That’s right.”

Sadly, God didn’t even listen to that little wind.

Cedric was dragged helplessly by a hand that forcibly lifted his face.

He had no choice but to face it.

“You’ll be useless in the future.”

The contemptuous gaze that looked down at him like a worm

“Urgh… Moㅡ”

Cedric, who was trying to hold back and begged for another chance, eventually failed to say what he wanted to say.

After grabbing him with a strong force, his mother began to drag him somewhere as he struggled.

“Mother! Please…!”

Cedric’s helpless cry did not reach her.

She, who was dragging him regardless of Cedric’s resistance, threw him in front of a strange man.

To the stranger holding the bloody sword, Cedric’s mother shouted in a voice that contained no emotion.

“Kill it.”

That was my last memory with my mother.

✿

“The former Empress dragged your Majesty to Jack Marr…?”

“Yeah. She told him to kill me because she doesn’t need me anymore. I survived because Paul, who had led the suppression forces, saved me.”

Previously, Empress Deamant was executed for involvement in a coup, and I knew Cedric almost died during the coup, but I’ve never heard of such specific circumstances.

When I heard the situation, I understand it now.

Why Cedric was so afraid of being abandoned.

“Because of that memory, I could hardly hold a sword. I was afraid that if I made a mistake while holding a sword, everyone would throw me away.”

Cedric smiled bitterly as he swept his black hair like ebony.

“I don’t remember much about almost dying from Jack Marr. But the memory of my mother abandoning me haunted me like a nightmare.”

“I would’ve done that, too.”

I said as I struggled to contain the tears inside.

“Because I couldn’t forget the day I was handed over to the orphanage.”

Those who are afraid of being abandoned are those who have already been abandoned.

And those people would never forget the memories of being abandoned for the rest of their lives.

“That’s right. Maybe if it weren’t for you, I’d be obsessed with that memory all my life.”

Cedric and I made eye contact as he spoke.

“The day I missed the sword, if you hadn’t held my hand.”

“Your Majesty…”

“I knew that day. Someone might protect me without abandoning me.”

A slightly muffled voice resonated in the room.

“Ciel, you saved me from that nightmare.”

Cedric’s gaze fell back to our clasped hands, with his head bowed slightly.

‘Was it something he desperately wanted?’

May someone stay by his side who doesn’t let go of his hand until the end.

“So it doesn’t matter who’s daughter you are. Even if you’re really Jack Marr’s daughter, you’re still…”

Cedric, who had been speaking in a furious tone, stopped in the middle and hesitated.

As if no word could contain his overwhelming feelings.

“…My precious person.”

It wasn’t long before he finished talking.

“So don’t avoid me at least during the contract period and stay by my side. You could do that, right?”

Eyes redder than roses were looking only at me.

That’s when I realized.

Caliberne was right.

The woman lost, and I won.

“Of course.” I said with a soft smile.

“If the Lord wants it.”

I wanted to let Cedric know that the information the woman thought was a fatal weakness was nothing. And I wanted to show that woman staying in prison that I’m fine.

Contrary to her wish that I would be abandoned by everyone and fall to ruin, someone didn’t abandon me.

“Okay.” Cedric replied with a bright smile.

I smiled brighter at him.

“Thank you for telling me about Your Majesty’s mother. It must have been difficult to talk about it.”

I, too, never brought up the story of my mother in front of others.

I’ve never even mentioned it to Cedric.

Cedric, who had a similar experience to mine, must have taken great courage to bring it up.

“Oh, I didn’t really want to talk about it before, but I thought it would be fine to talk about it today.”

“Today all of a sudden?”

“Well…”

Cedric, who had been scratching his cheek shyly, spoke again.

“Until now, I didn’t tell anyone about it because I didn’t want to be found out that I was abandoned by my mother.”

“Oh, it can be.”

“I don’t think so, but somehow I felt so weak, and the people who would find out that I had been abandoned by my mother felt like they would also abandon me.”

Cedric said, with his face turning a little red.

You seem to think I was thinking stupidly, but I wanted to tell you that I wasn’t.

Because if it were me, I would have thought that way too.

“But because you said you’d never leave, at least for the duration of the contract… It suddenly occurred to me that I could tell you.”

“I see.”

I just said it because I thought it was obvious.

Were you comforted by such trivial words?

“Well, as I said earlier, I’ll be here for the whole contract period.”

Ciel said as she placed her hand over Cedric’s.

“Yes.”

“So you can rest assured.”

Then Cedric burst into laughter.

“Don’t ask me.”

“You won’t stay still even if I leave on my own anyway.”

“That’s right. You know it well.”

Cedric said with a playful smile.

“No. Well, you can run away in the middle.” Cedric leaned against the sofa and spoke in a drowsy voice.

Hmm?

‘You can’t suddenly say something like that, right?’

No matter how much I thought about it, I glanced at his face, which seemed so relaxed, it was strange.

“Instead, I’ll chase you to the end of the continent and bring you back.”

His eyes, which had looked drowsy until just now, gleamed eerily.

Wait a minute, your eyes looked so serious.

“And I’ll lock you up in a luxurious room with a bathroom so you can’t go outside.”

“Huh…”

“Ah, it must be a bit of a problem not being able to practice swordsmanship. I’ll give you a room with a large swordsmanship practice range. And I’ll give you a sword too.”

Hey, I don’t think the swordsmanship practice area was the problem.

“And I’ll do everything you hate.”

Look at this.

I was so curious about how far he would go with a pretty specific plan.

“What about for example?”

“Well, first of all, I’m going to throw away all my work and do my best to hear the treachery of a tyrant.”

Wow, you can’t possibly do that!

Such a terrible idea to ruin anyone’s plan.

“That’s not as bad asㅡ”

“That’s not all. I’ll be next to you all day long because your mana might be unstable while you run away.”

Cedric revealed his white teeth and his eyes lit up.

“I’m going to wear the shower gown you hate every night.”

‘No, did you still keep it? Did you still have that in your mind?’

“And I’ll put the shackles on you that you hate so much.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, I mean it.”

Cedric said skillfully, leaning on my shoulder.

“So, please be by my side.”

With a face like that, as if having a happy dream he continued…

“That’s all I need.”