The Tyrant Wants To Live Honestly

Raymond opened his eyes for no reason and laid his palms down on the table.

 

And the over-honesty that follows.

 

“I don’t want to be a prince or emperor!”

 

It was a harsh tone, as if declaring in front of everyone.

 

It was natural for Dorothea’s brow to wrinkle.

 

“Ray…”

 

“Listen, Dorothy. Now it is my turn to speak.”

 

When Dorothea was about to say something, Raymond firmly shut her mouth.

 

“I feel like I’m going to throw up every time I’m called Prince. I’m not lying, Dorothy…Sometimes I really do.”

 

Raymond fiddled with his fingers.

 

It was the first time she had heard of it.

 

He said he couldn’t bear the pressure and stress of being the crown prince.

 

“The Emperor told me I was strange, he said, that I had been a crown prince since I was a child, and why should that bother me?”

 

Why can’t he just accept the fate I’ve been given since birth, and also Isn’t it a good fate, right?

 

But he couldn’t stop asking questions.

 

‘Why am I the Crown Prince?’

 

He thought from a young age.

 

Strangely, he didn’t accept the Crown Prince as his name.

 

Maybe it was because he couldn’t do what he wanted to do under the name of ‘Crown Prince’.

 

Going to Episteme, his doubts grew bigger.

 

‘There are so many people in the world who are so smart, why am I the Crown Prince?’

 

No matter how hard he works, he can’t be at the top.

 

There were many people who were better than him.

 

Of course he wasn’t completely incompetent.

 

He certainly had something he liked and was good at.

 

However, his talent was not worthy of the emperor.

 

“I felt like a dead person every time I existed as Crown Prince.”

 

A piece that is forcibly fitted into a machine called the Imperial and Imperial Family.

 

A living being who works nonstop, spinning round and round to the point that it gives him motion sickness.

 

An inanimate object that has neither vitality nor pleasure.

 

“How terrible it is to have to live doing something I hate until the day I die.”

 

The crown prince was like a murderer named Raymond.

 

And if you ask him to choose his own name, he will abandon the Crown Prince and choose Raymond.

 

Because he wants to have people by his side who call him ‘Ray’ rather than the Crown Prince.

 

So he thought it was better to be a fool, and he faked the accident.

 

“I am pathetic and selfish, right?”

 

Raymond gave a bitter smile.

 

He knew how foolish what he had done.

 

“So sometimes I envy you. I can’t see the emperor when I look in the mirror, but sometimes I see the emperor in your face.”

 

Dorothea’s eyes widened.

 

Dorothea is moved by Raymond’s stupid words again.

 

“I will be honest. I want to live in Ubera, where a person like you is the emperor.”

 

An emperor more trustworthy than him.

 

Dorothea’s heart pounded at Raymond’s words.

 

Her greed, which sprouted little by little, as Ethan says – dreams become more and more lush.

 

‘I can’t. If I get greedy….’

 

“So tell me, what are your true feelings?”

 

Blue eyes ask her again.

 

And he tries to uncover the truth hidden inside her.

 

“Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me.”

 

“Dorothy, you don’t know how much I believe you.”

 

Raymond smiled.

 

Dorothea hesitated and wet her dry lips before deciding.

 

It was time to tell him the truth.

 

‘No, I thought I’d have to tell him at least once.’

 

In order not to repeat the argument with the same story as him.

 

Dorothea took a deep breath.

 

Even If Raymond thought she was crazy, she is prepared to accept it.

 

“Actually, there was once a woman. She is jealous and greedy…”

 

Dorothea lowered her head because she didn’t have the courage to look into Raymond’s eyes and speak.

 

Then she told him the long story of her life.

 

She tried to tell him her ugliness as objectively as possible.

 

Because she didn’t want to defend herself in front of him.

 

So she left out things that weren’t important, such as the misery or pain she felt.

 

And, as if telling the story of a tyrant, she told him about her life.

 

“That’s why the tyrant was executed…”

 

Dorothea said, barely recalling her terrible past.

 

Still, it wasn’t as painful as it used to be to go over it one by one now.

 

“But for some reason she had to live again. She’s back to the time she was born.”

 

Raymond did not respond to Dorothea’s words.

 

Maybe he felt there was no point responding to a story that didn’t make sense.

 

She couldn’t tell Ethan’s secret, so she couldn’t explain the Spirit Stone and the Spirit King.

 

So it will sound even weirder.

 

But Dorothea finished the story to the end.

 

“So she thought, she is not going to repeat the same mistakes in this life. She is going to be nice… She is going to live…”

 

A new life. A new choice.

 

“So…It would be unacceptable for her to become emperor again.”

 

Dorothea shut her mouth when she finished her last words.

 

After saying that, she felt a little relieved.

 

Raymond’s reaction was a little scary, but she thought it was good to have courage.

 

Now he will never again seduce her to the throne.

 

Dorothea thought so and waited for Raymond’s response.

 

“hmph..”

 

She heard a weird sound, not words.

 

Dorothea involuntarily raised her head to look at Raymond.

 

Raymond wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve, trying to stop the tears.

 

“Ray…?”

 

“Dorothy…!”

 

Raymond, who was crying, ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

 

She was taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

 

“Ray!”

 

“I am very sad.”

 

Raymond took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his tears and nose.

 

‘What the hell are you sad about?’

 

What she confessed was the story of a tyrant.

 

A terrible, horrifying story. Also, the story of what killed him.

 

“I don’t know that you’ve been thinking like that all along huf…”

 

Raymond was about to say something, but then choked again, unable to speak.

 

“Do you believe me, Ray?”

 

“You have no reason to lie like that.”

 

Raymond nodded and said.

 

Honestly, her words were unrealistic.

But she was Dorothea.

 

Someone who has no reason to make up a story like that.

 

Raymond therefore believed that Dorothea’s words were true, or at least a clever metaphor of another truth.

 

Anyway, it’s her story.

 

He is not used to doubting others. So, it was more unsuitable for the position of emperor.

 

“I was bad enough to kill you.”

 

“It’s sad that you call yourself a bad person, you…!”

 

Raymond seemed to be angry with Dorothea.

 

“You can’t talk so badly about your life.”

 

Raymond was more heartbroken by Dorothea’s calm tone.

 

‘Even if she had a bad life, shouldn’t she at least try to defend herself?’

 

But Dorothea seemed to be judging and punishing herself.

 

“Because it was really bad.”

 

“Not really bad.”

 

Raymond got angry again and grabbed her.

 

“In my eyes, having watched you from the time you were born until now, you are not actually bad.”

 

“….”

 

“I have never seen you do such a bad thing in my life. Whether your confession is real or not.”

 

“Of course it was before—”

 

“Anyway, the Dorothea I know is not bad.”

 

In this life, she was not that person.

 

‘Don’t end your life stuck in a past that doesn’t exist now.’

 

“You have come this far by working hard not to make the same mistake.”

 

Raymond’s warm hand wrapped around hers.

 

“If I had given up just because I had ruined my farm, my garden wouldn’t have become so lush. I wouldn’t have found a new rotation method.”

 

Dorothea had a life of failure. And when she was given another chance, she had a choice.

 

She could take revenge on those who had made her this way.

 

She could try to gain the throne early.

 

She could have gotten rid of Raymond early.

 

Knowing the future, she could harm others and change it to the advantage of her own wealth and power.

 

Smart and clever Dorothea can do that.

 

But among the many options, Dorothea chose this life.

 

“What do you mean you’re not qualified, you’re wrong. You deserve it more than anyone.”

 

Behind Raymond’s voice as he spoke to her, she could still hear the laughter of the people celebrating the victory.

 

Dorothea’s heart was beating hotly.

 

‘Can I really be a good emperor?

Just one more time, can I truly dive into what I want to do?’

 

Raymond looked at her questioningly and nodded.

 

“If you’re willing to try again, you can become a better emperor than anyone else.”

 

Eventually, Dorothea buried her head in his arms and burst into tears.

 

More than anyone else, she was grateful that Raymond had said those words to her.

 

* * *

 

Shortly thereafter, news came that They were allowed to visit Carnan.

 

Maybe his health was really bad, so even though Dorothea had returned from the war, the meeting with him was delayed.

 

Fortunately, Dorothea didn’t mind too much because she was used to living without seeing Carnan’s face.

 

“He is very ill, but he is still able to speak, so I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

 

Raymond and Dorothea headed to Carnan’s bedroom.

 

When the two arrived, Robert opened the door.

 

As soon as they entered, a different scent greeted them.

 

The emperor’s bedroom, which always had a luxurious aroma, smelled of medicine and musty smoke.

 

When the two entered, Carnan, who was lying down, barely got up with the support of the servants next to him.

 

He leaned his upper body on the cushion and looked at Dorothea.

 

He was completely different from the last time Dorothea had seen him.

 

If she didn’t know him at all, she probably thought he was someone else.

 

“Dorothea Milanaire.”

 

The voice coming out of his lips was different from before.

 

Most of it was wind and crackling, so his solemn tone had faded.

 

Now he was more likely to be called a sick man rather than an emperor.

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Dorothea opened her mouth heavily.

 

Carnan, who looked at her daughter silently, waved helplessly towards the others.

 

At his signal, the servants, Robert, and Raymond went out a little later.

 

As Raymond left and the door closed, Carnan told her to sit by his side.

 

With his helpless gaze, Dorothea quietly followed his request.

 

He looked at her again with hazy eyes.

 

The dignified and clear eyes were dim and lifeless.

 

Dorothea faced his silence quietly

 

“I Heard that you defeated Hark…That’s great, Dorothea.”

 

He took a moment to catch his breath, and he opened his chapped lips.

 

‘That’s great, Dorothea’. The word was very unfamiliar.

 

When connected, it seemed like two awkward words were forcibly connected.

 

But it wasn’t bad.

 

* * *