What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 183

“Ysaa.”

Kazhan suppressed the urge to burst through the door immediately and called out to Ysaris instead. He had resolved to act like a gentleman—out of respect for her, he would give her ample time to respond.

“I heard you were here. If you have a moment, I’d like to talk.”

When no answer came, he knocked again, wondering if she hadn’t heard him. The silence persisted. His hand gripped the doorknob, his patience thinning. Useless guards. Useless Runellia. The killing intent simmering beneath his skin forced him to rein in his temper, his voice deliberately low and thick with feigned calm.

“If you don’t answer now, I’ll assume there’s a problem and enter.”

One. Two. Three.

With a sharp click, he threw the door open.

But inside…

There was no one.

* * *

“Tsk—!”

“Ugh!”

Ysaris jolted awake, her mind reeling from the acrid pain searing through her skull. Before she could even process what was happening, a sharp voice cut through the haze.

“Finally awake, are we? Is this how lazy the Empress of the Great Empire can afford to be?”

“Imperial Consort…?”

A flash of fiery red hair filled Ysaris’ vision. The realization that she had just been slapped by the Imperial Consort herself came belatedly, and the fury she had been suppressing erupted.

“How dare you—!”

“Clink.”

Her arm froze mid-swing. Wide-eyed, she looked down at herself—her wrists bound to either side of the bed by thin, cold shackles.

“What… is this…?”

They say people lose their words when faced with something too absurd. Ysaris was exactly that now. As she stared blankly, unable to comprehend the situation, a mocking voice slithered into her ears.

“‘How dare you’? That doesn’t sound like something the current Empress should be saying, does it?”

“Imperial Consort!!”

Ysaris’ gaze locked onto Runellia, who stood unrestrained—unlike her. The realization of who was behind this sank in. Calling out to the woman who had crossed every conceivable line, her voice trembled with barely contained rage.

“My ears work just fine, Your Majesty. I never knew you had such a strong voice, considering how softly you usually speak.”

“What… is the meaning of this?”

Ysaris forced the words out through gritted teeth, each syllable dripping with venom. Kidnapping and restraining the Empress was an act only a madwoman would dare commit.

And more than that—how had this even happened? Just moments ago, she had been in her room, with Mikael…

“Mikael. Where is my son?!”

The moment she realized she was alone with the Imperial Consort, her voice rose sharply. Her eyes, usually gentle, burned with a murderous glint.

“How undignified. Must you shout like this? Even if we’re not in the Imperial Palace, you should at least maintain some decorum.”

“You’re the one who’s abandoned all decorum, Imperial Consort. Mock me all you like—but if you have even a shred of conscience left, don’t you dare lay a finger on that child. He’s barely two years old. If you wanted a hostage, I alone should have been enough.”

Her tone had turned icy, her anger so overwhelming it had looped back into chilling calm. The mere thought of her beloved son in danger sent her mind racing, forcing her to assess the situation as rationally as possible.

The room she was in was small, unremarkable. If not for the shackles, it might have even seemed peaceful. At the very least, it didn’t appear she’d been dragged into some dungeon to be mistreated.

But that didn’t mean they intended to let her go easily. What was the goal here? If it was truly just to drive a wedge between her and Kazhan, as the Consort had claimed before, then this extreme measure made no sense.

Isolating her instead of keeping all hostages together was strange. And a child would require extra attention—so why bother?

Unless…

“Must you say such hurtful things?”

Runellia’s smug voice shattered Ysaris’ thoughts. Just as she was praying her worst suspicions weren’t true, the Imperial Consort delivered the cruelest blow yet.

“My goal was the Crown Prince from the very beginning. You, Your Majesty, were just an afterthought.”

“……!”