What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 213

Ysaris, unconscious in Trienne’s room, fell into a long dream.

Perhaps “dream” wasn’t the right word. The emotions she felt were far too vivid to be mere figments of her subconscious.

No—Ysaris relived her forgotten memories entangled with Kazhan. Fully conscious, she became sixteen-year-old Ysaris Chernian once more, experiencing the past moment by moment.

It was a bizarre sensation. She was simultaneously the audience, the actor, and the true protagonist of this unfolding play.

The dream began on the day she enrolled at the academy. Her first meeting with the boy named Cain Zenut played out like a faded, blurry memory.

After that initial encounter, Ysaris and Cain bickered every time they crossed paths in the academy’s halls or stairwells. To be precise, it was more accurate to say that Ysaris—with her stubbornly broad sense of responsibility—couldn’t ignore Cain, who was always bruised and battered.

Eventually, Ysaris grew exasperated by Cain’s constant attempts to avoid her. His attitude—rebuffing her goodwill like an impenetrable wall instead of being charmed by her status or looks—was so absurd that she half-stubbornly began chasing him around.

Even if her chances of inheriting the throne were slim, she was still a princess of Pyrein. As the academy’s representative—and a candidate for student council president—she couldn’t ignore bullying happening right under her nose. That was her official excuse, at least.

Unofficially, part of her burned with determination at the thought that this might be her first chance to truly claim someone as her own. If he’s the type to remember kindness, he’ll repay it, the young girl had thought.

And so, for an entire semester, their battle of wills continued—Ysaris trying to help, Cain trying to shake her off. In the end, he finally gave up running and sat across from her at lunch, asking bluntly.

The sheer disbelief in Cain’s eyes made Ysaris burst out laughing. Until now, people had either scorned her, envied her, or lusted after her—but no one had ever found her annoying. It was refreshing.

A man like this wouldn’t try to use her. He’d treat her as nothing more or less than a person. Like her childhood friend, Bariteon, had.

A disregarded princess and a fallen noble. Even in a place like the academy, wasn’t this enough to form a friendship?

Cain had no room to refuse Ysaris’s forceful insistence. His resigned expression made it clear he planned to humor her until he could slip away later.

But Ysaris didn’t play by his rules. Unlike the politically advantageous relationships she maintained at the academy, this was the first genuine friendship she’d pursued—and she liked it. She sought him out diligently, never missing a chance to check in.

Summer, autumn, winter, spring.

Time piled up between them. Even if they only shared occasional meals or brief conversations in the halls, it was enough to grow accustomed to each other’s presence.

They discovered each other’s unnoticed preferences, spoke more freely than they would with anyone else. Even if they didn’t study together during exams, they exchanged light greetings when passing in the library.

Ysaris and Cain became ordinary friends. By now, even he seemed comfortable around her.

Then—everything changed the summer they turned seventeen.

On her way to a shop slightly removed from the academy district, Ysaris—