What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 82

Kazhan followed the traces of Ysaris and Mikael with a vacant gaze. As they disappeared into the village, he tried to piece them together in his mind but eventually closed his eyes in despair.
They were his wife and son, yet he couldn’t imagine himself fitting into the picture between the two of them. More precisely, he couldn’t see a happy picture with all three of them together.
“You were right, Ysaa.”
Kazhan knew. The only thing he could do for Ysaris now was to disappear and never show himself before them again.
Because with him, she would never be happy.
“But please understand. I….”
‘I can’t live without you.’
This was Ysaris’s fault. She had saved him from a world that was already dead and handed him life. Shouldn’t she be responsible for him for the rest of his life?
Kazhan slowly stood up from the tree. He lightly landed on the ground to follow Ysaris, but his feet refused to move toward the village.

<It’s best if you stay out of sight and only meet with the Empress in the empty field. It seems that Lady Lena is away for now, but if the Emperor suddenly appears in the village and causes a stir, who knows how she might react…>

“Click.”
Kazhan clicked his tongue, reminded of his promise to the sage. He recalled the sage’s ability to watch over him and summon him from anywhere at any time. It was best not to act rashly.
‘How annoying.’
With a furrowed brow, he turned and headed toward a nearby stream. He had been hiding out in the rain from the day before, so he decided to take the opportunity to wash up while Ysaris was out.
At least ten hours until their scheduled reunion. Kazhan, preparing to face Ysaris with a clear mind, planned to take a short nap to ready himself for their meeting.

* * *

“It’s getting late.”
On a moonlit night, Kazhan, leaning against a tree in the empty field, muttered to himself. No matter how he thought about it, the child should have long been asleep, yet Ysaris hadn’t shown up.
‘Could she have run away? She went to the village with the child, but perhaps she left without even packing her things.’
Kazhan couldn’t shake off the creeping anxiety that gnawed at him. Having left briefly to wash up, he didn’t know whether she had returned home or not, which only added to his nervousness.
‘Maybe I should break into the house right now. Or I could go to the village. It wouldn’t be too hard to track down Ysaris.’
“If she really has run away….”
‘What should I do? Of course, I’d have to find her again.’
Kazhan stared blankly at the empty field, his eyes clouded with dark thoughts. His mind, already tainted, began to drift down an irrational path.
‘Maybe I should’ve just kidnapped her and bound her with shackles the moment I saw her. Even if she spent her life cursing me, she wouldn’t be able to leave.’
‘I should’ve done that from the start. If I’d known she’d leave me again, I would have lived feeding off her hatred like before.’
‘If I can’t change her heart anyway…’
Step, step.
“You’re here.”
“Ysaa.”
As if waking from a nightmare, Kazhan’s eyes brightened. He pushed himself off the tree and approached Ysaris.
“I thought you weren’t coming because you were late…”
“Stop right there.”
Kazhan reflexively stopped at her command. The distance between them was too far for a normal conversation in the dark, but for him, the night was as clear as day. It didn’t matter.
What caught his attention instead was her appearance. Unlike when she left the house, she was now dressed in a black dress, as if she had just come from a funeral.
“Did something urgent come up?”
“It’s not something Your Majesty needs to concern yourself with.”
“…I see.”
Even though Ysaris had gone to the village with the child early and only now returned alone, even though she had come here near dawn, not the appointed night, it was not his place to care.
“You said you wanted to see me again. I’d like you to get straight to the point.”
“Hmm.”
Kazhan let out a low hum. It would’ve been nice to have some small talk, but it wasn’t essential. He could save that for later, after his goal was achieved.
Thus, Kazhan revealed the reason he had come to find her here. The day before, he had been too overwhelmed by their reunion to have a proper conversation. Now was the time.
“Won’t you return to Uzephia with me? I’ll do my best to accommodate whatever you ask for.”