I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 237
“Even that swing?”
“Of course. But running away is not an option. You’re smart, so you’ll understand, right?”
The man kept laughing, but there was a warning in his tone.
“Of course, you wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.”
The Southern Emperor, smiling with his eyes narrowed like crescents, really annoyed me. I understood why he was confident.
The shackles on my left arm not only prevented me from using magic but seemed to suppress my physical abilities as well.
Someone once said that when you’re in a hurry, you should go around. Alright, first things first, I’ll get back Tess’s heart.
The Southern Emperor didn’t stay here all the time. Whenever he had time, he would come to see me, though his visits were unpredictable.
I spent a week observing the bastard Emperor’s visiting pattern and, while making sure not to arouse suspicion, I watched for the right moment to execute my plan.
“Cough, cough.”
There was a servant in the room, and I pretended to cough up blood in front of him. Actually, I used a little bit of magic to apply pressure on my internal organs.
I knew I couldn’t fool the Southern Emperor with a half-hearted lie.
I vomited in the morning and evening, and after several days, the Southern Emperor came back.
While dining with him, I once again caused a disturbance in my body, and the blood spilled out on its own. This time, it was worse than before.
“Oh my.”
When I truly coughed up blood, the Southern Emperor looked startled.
“Euel, how could you spill such noble blood?”
Even in the middle of this, the damn Emperor was mumbling about nobility.
“Well, it’s because Your Majesty took it, kuh, took what was mine!”
“Euel’s? Ah, the gem?”
The Southern Emperor seemed confused, and I shot back at him sharply.
“You were planning to make me your Empress, but you didn’t even check something like that?”
The man looked like he was thinking about something he might have forgotten. To throw him off, I came up with a reason after some consideration.
“That gem has been passed down through my family for generations. In my family, every generation, one person dies under a mysterious curse, and the gem helps alleviate the symptoms!”
This was all just a plan, knowing that the Southern Emperor didn’t seem to intend to kill me. If he had wanted my life, it wouldn’t have mattered.
“Really? The report I received didn’t mention anything like that.”
“It’s a family secret, so of course, outsiders wouldn’t know. Didn’t you know that?”
It was an excuse, saying he wouldn’t know even if he investigated.
The Southern Emperor seemed truly baffled, and I coughed up some more blood.
“Oh no, Euel, you can’t die.”
But the Southern Emperor was serious. He really was planning to make me his Empress.
He seemed troubled and pulled something out of his pocket—something I had been dreaming of, both during the day and night. But instead of giving it to me right away, he snapped his fingers and opened the door.
Then, he called someone.
“I’ve never heard of this. Can you explain it, Bugh?”
Someone walks into the room.
I momentarily forgot to cough, as I was distracted by the familiar silhouette of someone who clearly showed the marks of aging.
The person the Southern Emperor called in was none other than my first magic teacher, Mr. Bugh.
My goodness.
Mr. Bugh was from the Southern Empire? I never would have guessed he was from the Southern Empire, even though he didn’t quite seem like someone from the Northern Empire.
And to think he was a close confidant of the Southern Emperor!
Was Mr. Bugh originally sent to Varen by the Southern Emperor?
Why? To watch me?
My thoughts spiraled, the disarray leading to a horrifying conclusion.
Mr. Bugh was the one who had brought me that gem, so he must also know who the boy who appeared on the stormy day was.
He must have heard my story about how the gem was passed down through my family. If he were to say that the gem and my coughing up blood had nothing to do with each other, it would all be over.
Mr. Bugh would tell the truth, right?
My heart pounded as if it were about to burst.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. My investigation was inadequate.”
“No, if Bugh didn’t know, it must indeed be an important secret.”
The Southern Emperor, glancing briefly at me with blood still staining my lips, came closer.
“Oh no, Euel.”
The Southern Emperor was holding Tess’s heart in his filthy hands.
You bastard, I swear I won’t let you get away with this.
My eyes burned with tears, but I bit my lip tightly to avoid looking pitiful. The bastard, misunderstanding my reaction, kneeled in front of me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this. But, Euel, do you really need to keep it? If you’re close to someone like me, shouldn’t you stay away from this gem?”
“It has to be close to my body, Your Majesty.”
“I see.”
There was a clinking sound as the golden chains rattled, followed by a heavy sensation around my neck.
The familiar weight made me feel like I might cry, but I clenched my fists. The pain from my nails digging into my palms dried my eyes.
“But, why Mr. Bugh…”
My heart was still racing, and I gasped for breath.
“Oh Euel, you don’t look too well.”
The Southern Emperor lifted me and sat me on the bed.
“Bugh will stay here, so you can ask him questions slowly. I’ll leave now.”
As I watched him go, I realized the Southern Emperor seemed to be trying to provoke me to the very end.
“That damn devil contractor keeps rebelling like this.”
However, what I heard was, “The Northern Emperor is safe.”
“Cough, cough.“
I intentionally coughed, not wanting to show any relief. A small amount of fresh blood came out. The smell of blood stung my nose, but since I had received Tesss’s heart back, this was nothing.
The door closed, but neither Mr. Bugh or I spoke. I simply wiped my lips, while Mr. Bugh sat silently in the chair beside the bed.