If a Tyrant Becomes a Father

When Lucerne opened his eyes again, it was broad daylight.

As he regained his senses, he immediately sat up.

Not finding Hyerim on the floor meant she wasn’t on the bed either. Lucerne, squinting at the sunlight through the broken window, scanned the bed and then jumped up abruptly.

 She was gone. Hyerim had disappeared.

He brushed away the straw with his hand, but besides the magic Lucerne had cast, there was no warmth left.

The chill gripped his chest as everything crumbled beneath him. The light of the world vanished, and darkness engulfed his sight.

Without time to think, he soared into the air above the rooftop of the old building. His heart pounded, searching for Hyerim.

 

Amidst the sporadically growing trees, he glimpsed patches of melting white snow. Beyond that, the expansive sea spread out, waves engulfing the sandy shore. The sky was blue, but there was no visible movement against the wind.

A dull ache filled his chest. The same pain he felt when Collis disappeared with Hyerim the night before.

The only fortunate thing was that his magic had recovered. Whether it was due to completely emptying and refilling, there was much more magic flowing within him now.

Clutching his lips, he initiated the teleportation. Lucerne appeared at times in the open air, sometimes through the trees, occasionally on a cliff edge, or even underwater, all in search of Hyerim.

Normally patient, Lucerne became uncharacteristically eager. There was an urgency that he hadn’t experienced before. When he went to meet Astia, the only thought was the discomfort of the carriage. However, since meeting Hyerim, Lucerne had frequently used the unfamiliar teleportation magic.

He fully understood what it meant to be in a hurry.

The moment from here to just ahead of him was more than enough time for Lucerne to let his grief melt away. He appeared in various places, searching for Hyerim.

 

Staring around for a while, Lucerne returned to the old house, just in case. Yet, Hyerim was still nowhere to be found.

“Why, where are you?”

The pained voice lingered without continuing, gradually fading away.

When Collis took Hyerim and disappeared, Lucerne feared. He was afraid that she might get hurt, that Collis might harm her, or that he might fail to protect her.

Now, Lucerne was much more terrified. He feared that Hyerim had been taken away again while he slept. He feared that Collis might hide her in a place he couldn’t find, playing tricks. He was even afraid that Hyerim might have disappeared, leaving him behind.

When Geo disappeared, Hyerim said, “Maybe the child disappeared because of me, and I can’t bring myself to go look for them.” Only now did I understand what she must have felt.

“If it’s because you hate me, am I’m so loathsome that you ran away while I was asleep?”

 

Perhaps Lucerne’s claims of not being afraid and expressing a desire to stay by his side were all lies. She might not have known that he disappeared after being falsely reassured.

It’s unthinkable. There’s no way. It must have been Collis who took her away.

No matter how hard he tried to consider other possibilities, his thoughts kept returning to the same place.

What if Hyerim intentionally ran away? Did she desperately want to escape from me?

Baseless thoughts gnawed at Lucerne. The empty space left by Hyerim’s disappearance was so bewildering that thoughts constantly dragged him into the abyss.

He climbed back up to the roof of the old house.

If she had run away, he wanted to see her fleeing figure. Then he might be able to give up. But no matter how high or far he flew, Hyerim was nowhere to be seen.

 

He struggled to compose his shaken body and mind. His eyes were hot. He wanted to cry something out.

Lee Hyerim. Lee Hyerim. Where are you? Where have you gone?

He pressed his burning eyes with cold palms.

“Don’t go.”

He murmured.

Knowing it wouldn’t be heard, wanting to send her off if Hyerim wanted to leave.

“Stay by my side.”

 

For the sake of the children, out of fear of me, for any reason, just please stay by my side as you do now. He fervently prayed into the empty air.

“…Come back.”

“…Come back. Please.”

He whispered like a spell, his voice filled with moisture.

In the next moment, a blue light flashed inside the old house. The light was so intense that it could be seen vividly even in broad daylight. For Lucerne, it was a familiar light, seen so often yesterday and today that it had become tiresome.

Without time to be surprised, he found himself instantly transported into the worn-out house.

 

There, Hyerim was sitting on the floor, using her hands to brush the spot where Lucerne had slept. Just as she had done when he woke up, brushing away the place where she had slept.

 

Emotion overwhelmed Lucerne.

Hyerim, noticing Lucerne’s sudden appearance, looked up, her face filled with surprise.

“Lu…”

There was no time to wait for a response. Like a bird, Lucerne rushed towards her, stealing a kiss from her lips.

Unable to withstand the weight of Lucerne rushing at her, Hyerim collapsed onto the straw bed.

Her body trembled.

Grateful for the fact that she was unharmed, thankful that she had returned, and delighted that he could touch the place where Lucerne had been, he couldn’t control himself.

 

“Um…!”

Hyerim’s face, with her lips blocked by Lucerne, quickly turned bright red. Her chest heaved. Her wide-open eyelids trembled, then closed after a brief flutter.

Hyerim, accepting his kiss without pushing him away, was endearing.

He missed her.

He wanted to see her.

He missed her so much.

“You didn’t leave.”

 

Now, whatever happened, it didn’t matter. Because you came back.

He wanted to pour himself into Hyerim.

                                                              * * *

Lucerne poured himself into me. There was no time to think properly.

The first kiss was urgent and overwhelming. Lucerne kissed me as if he were someone trying to find something from me. The grip on my shoulders was tight and painful. As if to make sure I couldn’t escape, he climbed on top of me completely.

I managed to extricate Lucerne, trapped in the straw, while my lips were pressed against, shoulders and body pinned by Lucerne.

I tried to turn my head and somehow breathe, but Lucerne didn’t give me any room at all. For a moment, between parted lips, if I tried to breathe, he would rush in as if to swallow that breath and kiss me again.

 

Water seeped through the parted lips.

It felt like my heart was dropping.

Why…

The lips that had been pressing down momentarily retreated. Lucerne still held onto my shoulders, perched on top of me. His face was too close to see his expression.

Lucerne’s lips, seemingly close enough to touch, trembled and tickled my lips.

“I thought you had disappeared…”

The voice trembled with sorrow.

 

Lucerne, who said he wanted to see my smile.

He disappeared and reappeared, urgently pressing his lips against mine.

Doubts grew. Could it be that Lucerne loves not Astia, but me?

With a heart that pounded uncontrollably, I quietly spoke.

“I’m sorry. I had somewhere to go for a moment.”

“Somewhere to go.”

Thinking about how to convey the truth to Lucerne with less shock, I spoke briefly.

 

“I found Collis in the morning.”

The trembling in Lucerne’s slender figure abruptly stopped.

“…You met my sister?”

“No, I didn’t meet her. I found her.”

A chilly wind blew in from somewhere. Sighing, the wind enveloped Lucerne from toe to head, brushing through his beautiful black hair before escaping out the window.

Lucerne rose and distanced himself. Bathed in sunlight, he still looked neat and alluring. There were no traces of the droplets that had seeped between our lips when we kissed.

 

There was no change in expression, no words.

I understood that it was Lucerne’s own expression of shock and pain.

Unable to compose my body stuck in the straw, I explained Collis’s condition as if making excuses.

“In the morning, while taking a walk, I found Collis collapsed on the beach. Fortunately, there was a teleportation bead in Collis’s pocket, so I took her to the palace and was on my way back.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“The sight of her collapsing was a bit… I thought it would be better if you didn’t see it.”

Lucerne furrowed his brow and swallowed a breath. His already large frame seemed to swell even more.

 

Did I say something unnecessary? I bit my lip and lowered my head.

“…Sorry for acting and making decisions on my own.”

“No. It’s okay.”

“Dipeume examined her, and luckily there was no harm to her life. She just lost consciousness due to some complex issues.”

“Is that so…”

Phew, a long, deep sigh poured over me. I didn’t know what to do and lowered my gaze, staring intently at Lucerne’s knees on the ground.

Lucerne bent his upper body again and came closer to me. Startled, I stiffened my body.

 

A small, almost inaudible voice echoed as if speaking to my ear.

“Thank you.”

Goosebumps rose on my arms.

“…For taking my sister to a safe place instead of me, for considering me. Thank you. I repaid kindness with reckless actions.”

My face quickly turned warm. Somehow, it felt more embarrassing and joyful than when we kissed without thinking.

I fumbled with the hem of my dress and took out the teleportation bead I received from Calib.

“Let’s go back. Dipeume probably moved Collis to the guest room by now. Hurry and go check if she’s okay. You must be anxious.”

 

“Sure.”

Lucerne took the teleportation bead I offered. Instead of holding his hand to stop him, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed his lips against my golden hair.

My heart felt like it would burst at the closeness.

Before I could utter the question of why he was suddenly acting this way, the world before my eyes brightened.