The Tyrant Wants to Live a Good Life,
The two of them were quite cautious when discussing recuperation, but that word caught my ear.
If I go to recuperate, at least I won't be staying in this Imperial Palace, and I will be able to distance myself from Carnan, Ray, and Theon and Julia, who are likely attending Episteme.
And.
‘I must become strong.’
I realized this through this experience.
That even if I want to live a good life, I need power.
Until now, I was afraid that if I became strong, I would once again be unable to properly handle that power.
Afraid that I might gain the power to sever the necks of others and return to the path of a tyrant.
But power is like a sword.
If misused, it harms people, but if used well, it can create delicious food to entertain others or protect those in danger.
‘I could go to recuperate and build up my strength.’
Here, Carnan’s eyes are here, Ray is here, and Theon also comes to visit.
As long as they are here, I do not have the courage to wield a sword.
“Um… I’m going to go recuperate.”
“Your Highness!”
“It’s too stifling here.”
Since this was the first time I had properly expressed my opinion since the kidnapping incident, the nanny and the doctor exchanged thoughts while looking at each other.
Just then, someone knocked.
“Knock, knock, hello, it’s Flower~”
The door opened, and Ray entered, his face covered by a lush bouquet.
“Ta-da~”
Ray smiled brightly as he lowered the bouquet, but it didn’t make me laugh at all.
His actions just looked foolish to me.
He had been visiting me every day since the kidnapping incident, and it was quite a nuisance.
“Welcome, Your Highness Raymond.”
“Dorothy, are you feeling a bit better today?”
Perhaps feeling embarrassed by my lack of reaction, Ray handed the bouquet to the nanny and asked how I was doing. He was wearing a white shirt with an Episteme badge pinned to it, as if he had come straight from his Episteme class.
“What were you talking about?”
He came over naturally and sat down beside me, smiling.
But I didn't look at him.
“We were discussing whether it would be a good idea for the Princess to go down for recuperation, as she is not feeling well.”
“Recovery?”
“Fortunately, there is a summer palace in the Seritian region that is perfect for recuperation. The climate is mild, and since it is near the seaside, it will surely refresh your spirits, Princess.”
“Still, Dorothy’s health has improved a lot. Is it really necessary to go all the way to a recuperation site?”
Ray seemed to be subtly opposing my recuperation.
“I want to go.”
“But Dorothy, if you go there, you’ll be alone.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
It’s not like I’m not alone just because I’m here.
“Dorothy……”
Ray stared at me intently.
I frowned, his eyes looking just like a puppy begging for food.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
He shifted his gaze here and there, then added as if something had just occurred to him.
"That's right. You can go to Episteme soon, too. Starting this year, you're exactly the age to take the entrance exam."
Ha, Episteme is the reason I have to stay here?
I burst out laughing.
"I'm not going to Episteme."
"Why? Dorothy, you could enter Episteme as the top student. Because you're smart..."
"I can't go."
"Huh?"
"I said I can't go."
"Why do you think I can't go...?"
"Why do you think I can't go?"
"Did you get scared because I told you studying at Episteme is too difficult?"
Ray asked innocently. So innocently that it was annoying.
" Ray had quite a hard time getting into Episteme.
He passed the Episteme entrance exam with a score that barely made it in.
And that was the result of grueling private education within the Imperial Household.
Because the long history and tradition of the Imperial Household firmly established that "the Crown Prince may drop out of Episteme, but he cannot refuse to enroll," Ray, who had been able to handle spirits from an early age, had to study all day long with a private tutor.
Ray agonized over that time, and there were a few times he whined in front of me that he didn't want to study.
Without even knowing how I felt.
"I barely managed it, but smart Dorothy will be able to do it. Don't give up easily."
"Give up easily?"
My lips twisted at his ridiculous consolation.
You say I gave up easily? To Episteme?
Do you even know how hard I studied just to get in there? Do you know how much I wailed and protested the day Carnan ordered that I wasn't allowed in?
I even got caught trying to sneak out to take an exam and was locked back in my room.
Before I could completely give up on the Episteme... how much I had to let go of, and how long it took.
And yet what? You give up easily?
He, who gets everything so easily, cannot understand me.
“I have nothing more to say to you. Get out, Ray.”
“Dorothy…….”
“I said get out!”
As I shouted sharply, Ray’s eyes widened in panic.
The nanny and doctor standing nearby also looked at me in surprise.
“Sorry, Dorothy……. I didn’t mean to make you angry. I just wanted you to stay here and live with me.”
Ray bowed his head and apologized. At that, the nanny and doctor’s expressions turned to pity.
‘Ha… Look at this. "I'm the bad one again."
A kind older brother worrying about his younger sibling, and a younger sibling throwing a hysterical tantrum.
This is what the relationship between the legitimate Crown Prince and the illegitimate Princess is like.
How lucky she is. To be so kind and innocent with such a carefree heart.
I bit my lip and said nothing.
"I'll be leaving now."
Ray glanced at me, then quietly rose from his seat.
As soon as Ray left, the nanny approached.
"His Highness Raymond is probably just worried about you, Princess."
I know. I know!
Ray is kind and I am bad. It must be a truth everyone knows.
I didn't want to hear the comforting words of the overly kind nanny, so I pulled the blanket over my head.
I now have a genuine reason to go to a rest area.
* * *
In this respect, I was grateful for Carnan's indifference.
Carnan tossed the matter aside, as if to say, "Do as you please, whether you go to a rest area or not." Soon, after discussions between my nanny and a few retainers, my recuperation was decided.
I headed to the southern detached palace, which is occasionally used as the Imperial family's summer retreat.
“Welcome, Princess Dorothea.”
The caretaker of the detached palace opened the gate to welcome me.
A white stone building stood overlooking the emerald sea.
There was no Ray here, nor was there Carnan.
Neither were there the old memories buried in the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace was not only where I was born and raised, but also where Ray was killed and where my beloved Theon died.
Furthermore, it was the place where my subjects and retainers stormed in, roughly made me kneel, and forced me to march to the square.
Thinking about it, it was astonishing how I had managed to endure that nightmare until now.
I deliberately avoided places where bad memories lingered deeply, but… "I'm so glad I came."
The more I thought about it, the more satisfied I felt, so I took a deep breath of the fresh air.
I needed a place free from old scars.
"I am Clara, and I will serve the Princess here."
A woman wearing a white apron greeted me.
Clara was a maid who had come down from the island of Lampas earlier; she was not originally my assigned maid.
She looked young, and it seemed she had been sent to this remote countryside because she had been pushed down the ranks.
"You will be staying in this room from now on."
They led me to a room with a terrace overlooking the sea.
It was a neat room bathed in sunlight. A cool sea breeze blew in from the open terrace.
I was satisfied because the scenery was completely different from my room in the Imperial Palace.
As I looked around the room, someone knocked on the door.
I turned around to see a man standing there who was large enough to fill the doorway.
“This is Sir Stefan Greenwall, who will serve the Princess by her side from now on.”
Clara introduced the bodyguard who would protect me while I stayed at the detached palace.
Dark skin and short, black hair. A scar running across the corner of his eye. An overwhelmingly tall stature, broad shoulders, and solid muscles.
“Stefan...!”
I almost recognized him.
To think my bodyguard would be Stefan!
The man destined to rise to the position of Vice-Commander of the Order of Radiance, the Empire’s premier knight order.
Throughout my entire past life, he was one of the top five most skilled individuals I knew.
If I, the former Emperor, were to rank him, it would not be an exaggeration to say he was one of the best in the entire world.
However, I was not pleased to see him.
Because Stefan had also died at my hands.
Before my regression, my connection with Stefan was not very deep.
At that time, I led my army up to the capital and captured the Imperial Palace in a single swift strike.
And the only one left was Raymond.
Stephan was the knight standing guard at the final gateway leading to Ray.
“Greetings, Sir Stephan.”
I greeted him as I wiped the blood from my sword.
It was not our first meeting.
I had been interested in him because he was quite a name both inside and outside the Knights, but Stephan was not the kind of person I could become close to.
His towering stature and tightly closed lips were the same then as they were now.
“To think you don’t answer when the Princess greets you. You’re still as ill-mannered as ever.”
“…….”
“You’re arrogant.”
I did not like the silent Stephan.
Seeing him remain silent made me feel as though he thought the Princess’s words were not worth listening to.
Because it reminded me of the countless ‘silent things’ that stand in my way.
Instead of answering my words, Stefan drew a sword much longer than an ordinary man's.
“Do you have no intention of surrendering, Sir Stefan?”
I showed him mercy.
The palace was already in my hands.
The place he was guarding was the last bastion, the Emperor’s chamber where Rey resided.
The knights who could have helped Stefan had already died or surrendered.
Stefan was an excellent knight, but facing hundreds of soldiers alone in a situation without allies was impossible.
“…….”
“It would be nice if you answered wisely in a situation like this.”
I smiled as I watched the silent Stefan.
Foolish.
I felt sorry for that dim-wittedness of his, resigning himself to death when there was a way to survive.
However, I had no intention of showing him any more compassion than this.
“I genuinely wanted to fight you, but now is not the time to waste energy on such personal sentiments.”
At the slightest gesture from me, the archers stepped forward.
Ray was still there.
The fight with Ray was my responsibility.
I knew that Ray was by no means an easy opponent.
