tyrant chapter 15

“That would be rather difficult, Your Highness.” I’m already in the Emperor’s bad books for siding with the Prince. Meeting with Fiogen would only worsen his displeasure. As Delkart averted his gaze, the Prince’s red eyes flashed.

“Are you defying Fiogen?” Delkart sighed inwardly. The usual Prince Karta would have said, ‘Are you defying me?’ His current phrasing implied his annoyance stemmed from Delkart’s refusal to meet with Fiogen. Delkart, the Duke, stifled another sigh and reluctantly spoke.

“Are you certain about this?”

“It’s fine. It’s just a pretend relationship.” Karta replied in a relaxed tone.

“Pretend?” At the Duke’s dubious expression, the Prince drew a dagger.

“You weren’t actually planning on… doing anything with Fiogen, were you?” At Karta’s words, Delkart gave an awkward laugh.

“Of course not. As Your Highness’s loyal subject, I’ll stick to the pretend romance. Hahaha.”

“Kissing, touching… all of it is forbidden.” Karta spoke as if he were Fiogen’s parent. It hardly mattered to Delkart. He had already seen the princess….

“The Princess is absolutely not my type. Don’t worry.” He meant it. From her provocative attire to her unadorned face, she was far from beautiful by the Empire’s standards.

“Speak in that manner again, and I’ll cut out your tongue as an example.” Karta’s dagger spun twice in the air. Delkart slowly nodded.

“Of course. I wouldn’t dare speak ill of Your Highness’s beloved.”

***

Karta wore a disgruntled expression all day. Fiogen grinned, watching him stand there with his arms crossed and a frown etched on his face.

“If you’re so displeased, why not just kill me with your sword?”

“It’s not you I’m displeased with.” Karta’s forced excuse made Fiogen tilt her head. Her demeanor had shifted subtly since he mentioned introducing her to Duke Delkart. She had styled her hair elegantly and even applied makeup.

“What did Duke Delkart say?” Karta pouted. When she met with him, she usually just ran a comb through her long hair. It bothered him to see her preening for Delkart.

“That dress is awful.” Karta raised his voice as Fiogen held up a dress. Ignoring him, she continued sorting through the numerous dresses, selecting the lightest ones.

“It’s practically underwear.” Karta continued to complain. He had reason to; the dresses Fiogen chose all seemed to be lacking in fabric.

“Who brought these rags here?” He looked ready to summon a maid for punishment. But Fiogen wasn’t one to be intimidated.

“If you don’t like it, kill me. Don’t take it out on others.”

Karta immediately quieted, like a scolded puppy. While he stewed, Fiogen focused on choosing a dress.

“Karta.”

“Yes.” Fiogen blushed and murmured softly, “Is he really handsome?”

Watching her, Karta felt his stomach churn. He was the one orchestrating this introduction, yet he suddenly wanted to imprison Delkart.

“Not as handsome as me, but…” Karta needlessly inserted himself. Fiogen simply nodded without comment.

“Why are you nodding?”

“Because no one in this world is more handsome than you.” Karta’s heart pounded at Fiogen’s words.

“What do you mean?” Karta couldn’t take his eyes off her as he asked. Fiogen slowly fiddled with the hem of a dress and replied, “Because, of course, you’re…”

‘…described as the most handsome man.’ Fiogen hid the rest of her thought and smiled. “Handsome. Even by the kingdom’s standards, you’re handsome.”

Fiogen’s compliment made Karta’s ears burn. He was used to hearing praise for his appearance, but hearing it from Fiogen made him both shy and pleased.

“And knowing that, you still rejected me?” His voice was filled with hurt. Though she sensed his feelings, Fiogen deliberately ignored him.

“Our relationship is impossible. You have to kill me…”

Before she could finish, Karta grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall. Fiogen’s eyes widened as she was trapped against the wall, enveloped in Karta’s embrace.

“What are you doing?” Her slightly trembling voice seemed to melt his insides. Seeing his own reflection in her glistening eyes made his heart race.

“Fiogen.” As Karta began to speak, a presence made itself known behind them.

“Oh dear, I seem to have arrived too early.” The oblivious Duke Delkart approached with a sly smile.

“Are you blind to my presence?” Karta’s voice was different than usual. Low and dark, it was enough to instill fear in Delkart.

“Your Highness.” He bowed deeply to Karta. Fiogen frowned, glancing between Karta and Delkart.

“Karta.”

“Yes.” His voice, icy towards Delkart, was as warm as a spring breeze when he addressed Fiogen.

“You’re hurting me.”

“I’m sorry.” Karta’s startled hand loosened its grip. Fiogen, not yet changed, was dressed shabbily. Any ordinary noblewoman of the Empire would have been embarrassed to be seen by Duke Delkart in such attire.

“I didn’t have time to get ready. Since we’ve met like this, let’s just go.” At Fiogen’s words, Duke Delkart flinched. He looked up at Karta, who stood behind her. The fear of losing a limb if he simply left made Delkart shake his head.

“No, I’ll wait. Waiting is a gentleman’s duty.”

As Delkart backed away, stiff as a malfunctioning robot, Fiogen’s eyes narrowed. “Karta, why aren’t you leaving? I’m going to change.”

Karta stood there, gazing at her, before turning around. “I’ll turn my back.”

“If you stay here, the person outside will misunderstand.” At Fiogen’s barbed words, Karta chuckled. Creating that misunderstanding was precisely his intention.

“He’s a loyal subject, so it’s fine. He’ll believe me if I explain.”

“Whether he believes you or not, I don’t want to be in a compromising situation. Leave.”