What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 145

“Mikael, should we feed Ppiu?”

“Me!”

“Yes, let Mikael do it. Mommy will help you.”

Ysaris placed a small pouch into the child’s chubby hand and gently supported it from below. Tilting the pouch over a flat dish, she shook it, and the bird feed the chef had skillfully prepared scattered out in a cascade.

Pii, piuk!

The large blue bird perched on a branch inside the spacious cage seemed to catch the scent, fluttering its wings as it descended. Though only a few days had passed since they started caring for it, the bird already seemed to recognize when mealtime was approaching.

“Ppiu, eat!”

Piii.

Mikael giggled at the bird’s response and pushed the dish through the thin gap at the bottom of the cage. The child, who had grown quite fond of the pet he had named himself, had recently been spending more time playing with Ppiu in the playroom rather than running around elsewhere.

Occasionally, he would shake a bird toy to catch its attention, mimicking its chirps with “piik piik” sounds as if trying to converse. He even flapped his short arms, imitating the bird’s wing movements.

Thanks to the child playing contentedly on his own, Ysaris could quietly conserve her energy. Her caregiving routine now consisted of reading books borrowed from the imperial library and occasionally checking on Mikael.

The days were endlessly peaceful. Free from worry or care.

“…….”

But for some reason, Ysaris found herself gazing uncomfortably at Ppiu’s cage while Mikael napped.

The cage, prepared by Kazhan for their son who wanted a bird, was as extravagant as one would expect for a prince. Gilded all over and adorned with intricate patterns, it even had branches fixed inside to mimic a natural perch.

It was a beautiful and comfortable cage. Though the bird inside might feel differently, Ppiu seemed to have quickly adapted and settled into the cozy environment, as if it no longer needed to struggle for survival in the wild. Perhaps it had already been tamed by human hands before.

Ysaris felt a sense of dissonance. It was as if Ppiu’s situation mirrored her own.

Of course, strictly speaking, she and the bird were not in the same position. She had entered the palace of her own will, was living with her beloved son, and the ruler of this vast empire was her husband.

But still……

“Are your lips still sealed?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“How long must I wait without any certainty?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

This was the problem. Ysaris sighed at the maid’s consistent apologies.

In this vast palace, it seemed as though only the imperial family had any will of their own. Everyone else refused to answer her questions. Though she occasionally invited Duke Blake and his wife for conversation, it wasn’t enough to ease her frustration.

And it wasn’t just that. There was another reason she felt even more trapped.

“When will I be able to go outside?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Ysaris nodded at the expected response. By now, her hopes had grown lukewarm, and she didn’t even feel disappointment anymore.

Since arriving at the palace, she had never once stepped outside. Kazhan had forbidden it, even summoning all necessary personnel to the palace for banquet preparations.

Ysaris understood why he kept her confined within the palace walls and restricted her interactions with others. It was dangerous, and he was protecting her. She had promised to wait patiently until the situation stabilized.

After all, not long ago, even the emperor himself had been directly targeted within the palace. The outside world would undoubtedly be even more perilous. She wasn’t so young or foolish as to complain under such circumstances.

It was just suffocating.

The only saving grace was that Mikael didn’t seem to mind. To a child with such a limited perspective, the palace was vast and enormous, so there was no reason to yearn for the outside world.

The greenhouse and gardens alone far surpassed the forest behind Lena’s cabin where the mother and child used to wander. Including the hunting grounds, the palace’s size already exceeded Mikael’s hometown, and he hadn’t even explored every corner of it yet.