If a Tyrant Becomes a Father

Lucerne placed his hand on his damaged coat, and a bluish light emitted from his hand, slowly healing the wounds. The injuries were deep, so the recovery process was taking time.

“Collis, how did you… to me…!” Lucerne, who had been gazing at Collis with sorrowful eyes, turned his head. I was startled when Lucerne and I made eye contact.

“Lucerne.”

“Collis’s magic must have vanished. I’ll make sure she can’t use magic again. Hurry and save Geo.”

Lucerne’s sword reappeared, menacingly blocking Collis’s path.

“If you move, I will pierce you.”

“Ugh, Lucerne, step aside… I prepared for this opportunity…”

 

“I won’t step aside. I’ve warned you multiple times. I’ve made it clear that I don’t want to use force against you. You’ve ignored all the chances and warnings I’ve given you. I won’t back down anymore.”

While I continued digging through the dirt, searching for an opening, the conversation between Lucerne and Collis played out behind me.

“What could that child possibly be to you? An offspring born to another man’s woman, a woman who died! Yet you want to save such a child. How can you dare to challenge me with that, to the point that you would stab me with your own sword? All the hardships and struggles we’ve been through, and this is all you can do…”

“It’s not like that.”

Lucerne’s voice that followed was filled with sadness.

“If you hadn’t tried to poison Hyerim, if you hadn’t harmed the child she cared for like her own life, I wouldn’t have done this.

“Yes. I also know well what my sister granted me, and because I, too, held you in special regard.”

 

“Don’t lie! If I were special to you, you couldn’t do this!”

“Even if you don’t believe it, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

A weak voice, filled with sorrow, choked back tears. Lucerne, who had been hurting from being forcefully expelled from the palace, was hurting once again. How much more would he have to endure this time?

I worried that it was my stubbornness that led Lucerne to come with me. He would be hurting too much because of my insistence.

“Lucerne, you’re the unrivaled Emperor of the Empire. It means you possess unparalleled power. To use that power for those who have no relation to you is unbelievable. What is this about, protecting a child who isn’t even of your bloodline, even if it means hurting me?”

“Just as you have loved me as a younger brother, or as if I were your own child, I have come to cherish those children. The child is innocent. It doesn’t matter who their parents were.”

“…You have always been like this. Even after becoming another man’s woman and leaving me, now you’re embracing a child born of another man.”

 

At first, when we entered the palace, Lucerne was hurt by my words suggesting that he take the children with us. I also agreed that this was a cruel act. That’s why I had hoped he could love me, even though I couldn’t ask him to love the children.

However, Lucerne began to show interest in the children. He asked for their names and ensured they lived comfortably. Even when the children disrupted his personal space, he was forgiving, and he used minor magic to make them smile. He became a kind conversation partner, teaching the children magic directly.

In the end, Lucerne, who had loved Astia, had come to love the children born of another man.

How could such a profound love be offered so freely? Who could label Lucerne as a cruel tyrant? The reality was that he was a person so loving and kind.

To prevent Collis from approaching me, my heart raced in my chest. I liked Lucerne. The way he loved only one person so genuinely was beautiful. I envied Astia. I wanted to become her.

Tears threatened to well up in my eyes. I quickly averted my gaze from Lucerne’s back, knowing this wasn’t the time for tears. As my grip loosened, the stick I was using to dig through the earth slipped, causing my fingers to scratch against the rough surface.

“Ouch.”

The earth bead, as if startled, trembled all at once. It vibrated as if shivering, and then the earth’s surface started cracking and falling to the ground bit by bit.

“…Geo?”

The low humming sound from inside turned into sobs.

“Blood, blood… I’m sorry. Does it hurt a lot? I’m so sorry.”

I held the earth’s surface that was falling apart, alarmed by how quickly it was crumbling.

“Don’t cry, Geo. I’m not seriously hurt. It was my carelessness, my mistake.”

As the dirt continued to crumble, I comforted him with my words. The sensation of the cold and grainy earth was strange to my touch.

A significant amount of dirt flowed from the earth bead. The earth kept piling up, and it was only after that I managed to see the dark interior beneath. I reached my hand through the hole to remove the dry dirt.

“Geo, Geo! Are you okay?”

“Uh, uh.”

A noise, whether a groan or a sob, reached my ears. As the earth crumbled, there was enough space for me to slip inside. I quickly squirmed in and reached above Geo’s head, brushing away the piled dirt.

“Geo, Geo! Are you alright?”

“Sorry, I’m so sorry, Mom…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay now. Were you scared?”

My heart swelled with emotion as he called me “Mom.” Even though he knew I wasn’t his real mother, he continued to call me Mom. It felt like he was allowing me to be his new mother.

Thank you, Geo, for calling me Mom. And…

“I’m sorry, Geo. I came too late, didn’t I?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Geo’s body slowly slumped in my arms. His voice grew quieter. Even in his fading consciousness, the kind child continued to express his trust.

“Mom and… His Majesty… came to save me, I knew…”

“Of course. If our Geo was brought to such a place, we had to come and rescue you.”

“I was… scared… so I hid inside the bead…”

“You did well. You hid well.”

“I waited…”

Struggling to breathe heavily, Geo managed to say these words.

“I… missed… you, Mom…”

Cradling Geo, who had lost consciousness, I finally let my tears flow.

“Thank you, thank you, Geo. I missed you too…”

Geo had given me an overwhelming amount of love. I was so grateful. How could I express this feeling? I thanked him repeatedly, tears of emotion streaming down my face.

In the background, Collis laughed like a madwoman.

“Your Highness.”

“Hahaha! Ahaha!”

“Don’t move. I told you that I’d stab you again if you move recklessly.”

“Ahaha, hahaha! I knew it would end up like this after all!”

“Yes. You’ve been defeated, sister. So please give up now.”

“What do you mean by saying you knew it would end up like this?”

Collis’s laughter abruptly stopped.

As Lucerne tensed up, sharp blue energy crackled around Collis. He held the sword dangerously close to Collis’s chin, as if ready to strike if she made even the slightest move.

I held Geo’s shoulders even tighter.

Collis, who had been silently observing me, swept the dusty ground with her hand.

“Lucerne, saying I knew it would end up like this means being prepared for when things turn out like this.”

“No!”

Lucerne’s voice disappeared as if it had been cut off. From the part Collis had touched, light spread instantly, creating unfamiliar patterns on the ground and quickly obscuring my view. I crouched to protect Geo.

My body floated against gravity. I exerted strength in my hands and arms to hold onto Geo, but I couldn’t feel his warmth or weight within my embrace. My back felt a queasy sensation, and soon my consciousness faded.

“Lucerne!”

My body thudded onto a hard surface. As soon as I landed, my body ached from the rough and uneven rocks beneath me.

“Uh, ugh.”

“Hehe, hahaha!”

“Come quickly to the place of reconciliation I’ve prepared.”

It was Collis’s voice.

My head felt heavy. As I shook my head to clear the lingering dizziness, I suddenly noticed Geo was no longer with me.

“Geo, Geo! Collis! What did you do to Geo?”

“Well, either Lucerne took care of him, or he was abandoned. I’m not interested.”

It seemed that Collis had lost interest in Geo after the mission had failed. She leisurely looked around.

“Do you like it? I prepared a special spell for you.”

“Do I look like I would like it?”

 

“That’s a shame. I put a lot of effort into preparing this place.”

I was infuriated by Collis’s taunting words.

The place Collis and I had moved to was a small rocky island in the middle of the sea. Due to the overcast weather, there was no sign of land in the vicinity. The surroundings were filled with turbulent waves, and the space we stood on was so narrow that only two people could lie down side by side.

Kwaang!

A massive sound, like thunder, echoed as the waves crashed against the rocks.