tyrant chapter 10

“You seem to have plenty of company for someone who’s bored.”

His touch was gentle. Flustered, Fiogen forced a wider smile, rationalizing that he hadn’t grasped the situation yet. “Oh, Karta, you’ve wasted your life. Having people around doesn’t mean I’m entertained. Just because it’s crowded doesn’t mean my heart is.”

Karta nodded in agreement. Fiogen’s expression faltered at his affirmation. Through the open doorway, she could see the chefs and other staff. They were likely curious to see how the prince would handle this. Fiogen looked at Karta triumphantly. Her eyes challenged him, daring him to kill her.

“Fiogen.” Karta’s low voice made her look up. His calm tone made her heart race with anticipation. Would she finally meet her death and end this charade?

“Are you tired of me now?”

At her serious question, he chuckled. “Never.” He scooped her up and carried her towards the table laden with food. Fiogen’s expression hardened.

“What are you doing?”

“I heard about you while I was training.” His hair was damp with sweat, as it was every day. Despite being a tyrant, he woke before sunrise to train. After his morning bath, he attended to affairs of state in his study, and then returned to training. She hadn’t specifically asked, but she’d gleaned this from the maids’ chatter.

In any case, Fiogen enjoyed his clean, refreshing scent. She snuggled against him like a child, and he looked at her with amusement. He set her down gently on a chair.

“You can’t imagine how happy I was to hear you were looking for food.” His red eyes sparkled. She couldn’t tell if it was the light reflecting in them, or genuine emotion. She only knew he seemed deeply pleased.

“You’re happy to see this mess?” Fiogen frowned. The food remained piled high, untouched. More had been wasted than eaten. If her past self could see this, she would have been filled with self-reproach. She used to cherish even expired convenience store food.

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

Karta nodded and smiled. “Anything you do is fine by me.” He sat beside her, resting his chin on his hand. He picked up a fork, took a bite of strawberry cream cake, and offered it to her. “Here, try some.”

Fiogen stared at him, her expression unreadable. In the novel, he was always described as expressionless. No one had ever seen him smile… Fiogen had seen him smile so much that it was disconcerting.

“Are you really in love with me?”

Karta’s face hardened. He hesitated for a moment, and Fiogen tilted her head. “You’re not?”

Karta slowly nodded, his eyes filled with what seemed like genuine apology. Fiogen was taken aback. He finally spoke, his voice strained. “If being in love with you can change your mind, then I’ll be in love with you.”

He meant it sincerely, but to Fiogen, it was absurd. It sounded as if he believed he could control even his own emotions. Besides, whether he loved her or not was irrelevant. He was supposed to kill her anyway.

“Karta.”

“Yes?” She took the cake he offered and put it in her mouth.

“I’m not… as good a person as you think.”

Karta studied her face. Her blonde hair was neatly combed, but otherwise unadorned. He hadn’t known many women, but half the Imperial Palace was female. They meticulously adorned themselves every morning. But Fiogen, in her chambers, was always unadorned. Pale skin, a haggard expression. Still wearing the same silk slip she’d had on when they first met. The more he saw her, the more he wanted to care for her.

Prince Karta wanted to restore Princess Fiogen’s beauty. He longed to see her empty gaze filled with hope again. Her cold eyes, as if she had no regrets in this life, seemed as achingly lonely as his deceased mother’s. He truly wanted to embrace and soothe that loneliness. But he, too, was a lonely man, and he didn’t know how to comfort either of them.

“It’s alright.”

“What kind of response is that?” Fiogen frowned. “Even if you kill me today… I’m okay with it.”

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” Fiogen trembled. In this novel, Karta was the tyrant. If she killed him, she would be remembered as the ultimate villainess. She sighed. Karta chuckled, watching her.

“I’d risk my life to have you.”

Words that might have touched her in the past, but coming from the tyrant, they only irritated her.

“Couldn’t you risk your life to just kill me instead?”

This story was meant to begin with his conquest of the world. The kingdom was just the first step. Fiogen should already be dead and gone. By now, the tyrant should have met the heroine and fallen in love at first sight.

“Oh, by the way. Why are you still here in the Empire?”

Karta smiled, gazing into her red eyes. “Where should I be?”

“Conquering the world, obviously, and laying it at your feet.” That’s your job. Fiogen swallowed the last part, watching him. Karta, looking amused, popped another piece of cake into her mouth.

“If I conquer the world and give it to you, will you give me your life?”

Fiogen shook her head at his earnest question. He frowned slightly, as if displeased. That was all.

“How long will you give me?”

“How long?”

“You just said you’d conquer the world and give it to me. When will you deliver?” Fiogen sighed at his casual tone, as if he were asking her to pick up snacks from the corner store.

“I don’t need any of that. You can just kill me on your way.”

At her indifferent reply, Karta smiled wryly. “I figured you’d say that, so I haven’t gone. I have plenty of knights I can send in my place.”

In the book, he’d conquered everything himself, but it seemed his knights were doing the work for him this time. Fiogen looked at the cake with disinterest, then stood. “I’m tired of eating.”

Karta nodded. “If you need anything, use this.” He offered her his bracelet, a symbol of his authority. It was the same bracelet he’d given to the woman he loved in the novel. When Fiogen simply stared at it, he took her wrist and fastened it himself. “Go out with the maids. They say women feel better when they buy things they like.”

Fiogen’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t come crying to me later when you regret this.”