I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart

The double eyelids and pale eyes were curved in a round shape, and the pretty lips drew an arc and smiled showing that he was supremely happy.

“Yes, Euseniel.”

Burying his face in the palm of my hand, the man was filled with joy.

“I thought Euseniel didn’t remember me…….”

A voice that captures people’s hearts.

“My Euseniel.”

The soft hair brushing my fingertips felt so familiar to me that I felt a little relieved.

“Are you really Tess?”

“Yes.”

Contrary to his cold appearance in front of the auditorium, I was slightly shaken by his friendly answer.

At the same time, I seem to understand.
The reason the man ordered people to raise their heads was because he didn’t want to see me with my head bowed in front of him.

Then this man is the kid I know, so I had to ask myself again.

Are you the kid I know?

In the end, I had to bring out the most curious and pathetic question, not the questions I had set in my mind.

“Hair, what happened to it? The eyes? Is it magic? But I don’t feel any magic? Why the hell did you change like this? Huh?”

Looking closely, it feels faint on his face, but there are also traces of his childhood.

However, it is a serious problem that his appearance has changed so much in a world without lenses or dyes.
Even if it turns out he was someone else, I had nothing to say.

The black hair and eyes that cannot be explained.
No magic felt.
Tess’s hair and eye color had changed purely as if it had been that color originally.

The childhood friend I hadn’t seen in a long time smiled faintly, and I rushed to answer him.

“Why are you like this?”

His Majesty had asked 14 years ago.

-“What about black eyes? No, in exact, your ideal type is someone with black hair and black eyes, Euseniel?”

I remember what I heard that day without a mistake.

-“Didn’t I ask if it’s because of her that my son has changed that way!

The Emperor’s voice filled with anger.

Before our family was driven out, the Crown Prince’s Palace had refused people’s visit.
It must have been under the Empress or Emperor’s order, not the Crown Prince’s will.

In a letter from Ethyl several years ago, he said that the Emperor even imprisoned the Crown Prince in the palace.
He hadn’t shown the Crown Prince to anyone except the Duke.
No, maybe he hadn’t been shown at all?

Now I seemed to understand why, and my heart started beating so fast that it was hard to breathe.

“Why, don’t you like it?”

“It doesn’t matter, why? Why are you like this?”

“You don’t like this look?”

Tess, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, still listened to me with one ear, and only said what he wanted to say.
He hadn’t changed at all and it felt nostalgic.

“It’s not that important.
Tess, answer me.
Why is your hair this color?”

“You don’t like it?”

I screamed, knowing the persistence of this man who was still burying his face in my palm and expressing his doubts.

“No! I like it.
I do! It’s my type!”

Looking at the man’s smiling face, I thought I knew the answer to my question.
The reason why my childhood friend changed like this, the reason my family had to be expelled from the Empire.

“Ah.”

Aside from my anxiety, the other person doesn’t hide that he was dazed with joy.

“Because it’s Euseniel’s taste, I look like this.”

My heart, which was beating like it would explode, sank with a ‘thump’ sound.
Tess put the innocent smile I was familiar with on his face.

“Because this is the look you like, Euseniel.”

I feel like I got caught in the perfect trap.

14 years ago, I heard the story, ‘Your family is being kicked out because of you,’ but I was in denial.

‘It won’t be because of me, it won’t be because of me.’

However, the hard work of my past years was in vain due to such clear evidence.
To me who was in deep despair, my childhood friend offered me the sweetest fruit in the world.

“My Euseniel.
You don’t have to be kicked out where you don’t want to.”

A friend of mine that I haven’t seen in a long time whispered.

“Now that I am the Emperor.
No one can harm you.”

What should I say now? In any case, I thought I would not be surprised, but my head turned blank.

“Because I will give you everything.
Everything Euseniel should have.”

Ethyl and Aurin contacted me, but their letters didn’t say anything like this.
The newspaper never mentioned this either.

Even Father.

“So, if you get insulted like that before, don’t hold it in.
My Euseniel.
Because everything I have is yours, okay, Euseniel?”

Strange.
Everything is strange.
How did a person change like this and no one said anything? Rather, the previous Emperor who expelled Hardland can be regarded as a normal person.

“Euseniel.
Are you thinking of other things in front of me again?”

From where and what to ask-

Chu.

Something soft touched my lips.

“Hey! You! Tessvalun! What is this?”

“Why? You didn’t say anything when we were younger.”

That was when we were so young, and no matter what I said, he didn’t listen.

Tess smiled as I frowned and glared at him.

“Because Euseniel is thinking of something else in front of me.”

He clasped my hand.
His long fingers seemed to cover the back of my hand, and then he rubbed my hand.

“Euseniel, do you have any other questions?”

My brain quickly went to work, fearing the movements of the fingers that made my back numb would not stop.

Just then, his clothing caught my eye.
It is similar to a knight’s uniform, but the form is, of course, black, unlike the usual blue uniform.
Also, clothes that looked different from any other clothes the Emperor had.

“That, what are you wearing? There are no such clothes in the Emperor’s attire, right?”

Tess responded happily to my casual question.
However, the tone was low, unlike the bright and cheerful old days.

“Yes.
I needed it so I made it.
Doesn’t it suit me?”

“You look good in it, but why is it this color?”

“Euseniel said that she likes people who look good in black.
Oh, do you want the gloves to be black?”

It was amazing, but I matched his rhythm.

“… You don’t even need gloves.”

“Is that so?”

He swung away his hand that was rubbing the back of my hand.
I immediately saw the man with drooping eyebrows, but I asked coldly.

“Why are you here?”

“To look at Euseniel.
Actually, I wanted to pretend to know you when everyone was in a gathering place, but I was afraid that Euseniel wouldn’t like it, so I held it in.”

Tess put on a face that said, ‘Praise me.’

“If you want to come to visit me like this, would you have been able to contact me sooner? Ah, the Emperor must have been busy.”

 

But I crossed my arms and said sarcastically.
I know he didn’t do anything wrong.
Maybe he just liked me and wanted to change the way I wanted him to.

Shouldn’t I have even calculated this much and said what would lead to this situation?

In fact, I hate myself for trying to take my anger out so much that I can’t stand it.
Especially when I listened to Tess’ following words.

“I couldn’t go to see you.”

“What?”

“I wasn’t able to go see Euseniel because I wasn’t feeling well.
Sorry.
Sorry, I’m late.”

“Where are you sick?”

I reached out and grabbed Tess’s arm.
Right, he changed like this, so there’s no way he’s going to be okay.

I put my palm on his forehead and it was a little cold and his face was white, but he didn’t look sick.
So, is he hurting in an invisible place?

“Where are you hurting? Now? Are you still in pain?”

“Ah…….”

A small sound, not sure if it was an exclamation or cheer, came from between Tess’ lips, looking down at me.

“My Euseniel.
You are the only one who truly cares about me.”

“Don’t play with me!”

“I’m fine now.”

Tess’s answer was concise.

“Maybe.”

However, the additional words left an impression on me

“I think it’s stable now, yes.
It will.”

Tess nodded his head alone, and I wanted to see if a screw was missing somewhere, just like when he was a child.

“Aren’t you supposed to show it to the doctor? Or the temple’s healing priest.”

“Ah, I don’t need either.”

Only fresh denial came.

“But how did you change like this?”

“Are you curious?”