I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 236

“How old are you, Your Majesty?”

He paused for a moment, as if surprised, then smiled brightly.

“I’m one year older than you, Euel.”

“Liar.”

“Did you catch me?”

The annoying man laughed aloud without answering, then left the room.

“What the…?”

There’s no way he’s around my age.

Because this man looked the same five years ago. That’s why I could remember him so easily.

— It’s unnatural for someone’s appearance to remain unchanged over time.

Suddenly, the words of the Fairy King flashed in my mind, and a chill ran down my spine.

My mother slowly changes, but she doesn’t stay the same. Compared to my childhood appearance, there’s the mark of time on her now.

My pure-blooded human father bears the full force of time’s passage, much more directly than my mother.

But what about him?

He hasn’t changed at all.

It’s too convenient to just assume that he’s kept up with his appearance. There’s an odd flow of magic surrounding him that feels troubling.

“Phew…”

I leaned back against the head of the bed and looked around the room. The small room had only a bed and a rug spread out on the floor.

There didn’t seem to be any special flow of magic, so it didn’t seem like any measures had been taken in the room itself.

I had been changed into a simple dress, and near the pillow was the mirror pendant Ruby had given me. A mirror said to chase away bad things.

Did he not take it because it didn’t look valuable?

The Fairy King and the dragon didn’t notice Tess’s heart, so he probably didn’t either. I hope so.

Suppressing my unease, I gazed out the window beside the bed.

There was an open space between the trees and a swing swaying there. In the distance, mountain peaks were visible, and as the light faded, it seemed the day wasn’t over yet.

My Tess, my poor lover.

Is he about to go berserk? What if he loses control and goes mad?

I need to go back quickly. I have to go back.

My chest, where Tess’s heart used to be, feels so empty.

You must do this, Euseniel Hardland.

* * *

“This is the border, Euel.”

The Southern Emperor, who had come to dine with me, surprisingly gave me the location of this place without hesitation.

“It’s not far from where you were. Once your body is better, I’ll show you around.”

“That’s something to look forward to.”

“You’ll also get to see the disgusting devil contractor die later. You’ll get a good view of that too, Euel.”

He either wanted to provoke me or truly believed that I didn’t care for Tess, but I couldn’t tell which.

“I won’t forgive you for speaking disrespectfully of my Emperor.”

“Oh dear, I’ll be more careful next time.”

The Southern Emperor exaggerated his apology, tapping the fork on the table lightly.

“But Euel, you knew the Northern Emperor had made a contract with the devil, didn’t you?”

I was perfectly cornered.

“Wow, and you still love him? Really?”

“He’s handsome.”

That was my honest reason.

“Is that so? I’m not sure.”

The man with the neat appearance tilted his head, and while others might find him charming, I found him repulsive.

He was the type of person who hid his true feelings. The elf power was suppressed by the shackles on my left arm, but the warning from my instincts was far too clear.

I couldn’t get involved any further, so I gave a very neutral response.

“He’s just my type.”

“He’s not my type.”

So what? This crazy guy.

I muttered under my breath and looked at the meal being set in front of me. I was really hungry, but I couldn’t bring myself to touch it, and the Southern Emperor laughed.

“Euel, I haven’t done anything. You’re quite suspicious, aren’t you?”

“Well, Your Majesty, if anyone is suddenly kidnapped, wouldn’t they act this way?”

“Because it’s Euel, you’re still being dignified.”

The Southern Emperor picked up a knife and fork, showing me that he would eat first.

“Most people would just dive in, eating like commoners.”

There was a tone of harsh contempt in his voice.

“As expected, Euel is the daughter of a child of light.”

As if to imply I had value, the Southern Emperor urged me to eat. His intentions were so obvious and blatant that I had no doubt about the food.

He suspected that I might try to escape, but at the same time, he believed that I would ultimately fall for him without a doubt.

“Being the child of an elf is something to be proud of.”

“Of course it is. Beautiful and strong.”

I agreed, and the response came swiftly.

“Of course, elves are still elves in their own way. But Euel is part of the upper class, so you can act this way.”

I couldn’t respond to his attitude of placing elves into human class hierarchies, so I focused on the food.

I almost missed the pure admiration of Carin Heights for the fact that I was part elf.

After finishing the meal, the Southern Emperor made a suggestion.

“Though it’s late, shall we go out?”

I pretended not to notice his hand extended to escort me and grabbed the doorknob. I could hear his laugh behind me. The hand he offered looked clean, but it felt sticky and malicious, and I didn’t want to touch it.

As we stepped outside, the surroundings were densely wooded, with no end in sight—it looked like a forest. However, one side sloped, and instead of trees, grass grew thick.

“Oh…”

I was a bit startled as I realized what the green fields in the distance were—it was likely a river.

“It’s Sen river.”

So, we hadn’t traveled far after all.

Thankfully, we hadn’t moved too far from the border.

The building was quaint but white and tidy. I was locked away here, but oddly, I found the building more appealing than the Southern Emperor himself.

“There are too many filthy and insignificant things in the palace, so sometimes I come here to rest. It’s a secret place. You can use this space however you like, Euel.”