Eaten By The Tyrant I Raised - Chapter 18

“They wouldn’t dare treat the owner of a Shinsu rudely. The problem is that there will be some who are aiming for the master of the Shinsu.”

“…You mean the people who support the Miltans.”

Nesha nodded as his eyes widened slightly at the mention of the Miltans. He was one of the few people who knew about Ronée.

It was because he was one of the few to investigate her before Nabel went to rescue her.

Thanks to that, he knew that she had spent almost her entire life inside the mansion.

Even so, she didn’t seem to be unaware of the news outside the mansion.

“—For the most part, the Shinsu will be able to protect you. However, it can’t prevent unintentional accidents that happen in an instant like the tea incident, or assassination attempts when the Shinsu’s owner is unaware.” Nesha said with a slightly relaxed look.

Nesha continued as if he was a little embarrassed.

“It means that if an assassin comes in while you are asleep, the Shinsu cannot stop it,”

“Ah….”

Ronée’s eyes widened. Nesha bowed his head.

“While His Majesty has ordered an increase in the number of knights escorting you, you have not been officially recognized as the master of the Shinsu, so we cannot increase the knights beyond the allotted amount for guests. So, you should always be careful.”

He politely warned her several times.

“For any reason, if there is a ‘Duke Lloyd’ among those who requested an audience with you, you must refuse the visit. The maids will help come up with a reasonable excuse.”

His gaze turned to Dia, the head maid.

Dia, one of Nabel’s most loyal people, nodded briefly.

Everyone who worked under Nabel knew that Duke Lloyd had no loyalty for the emperor.

“Please.”

Nesha, who repeatedly emphasized caution, looked at Ronée.

‘She’s just a lady’

Her pink hair was a symbol of the East and caused her to stand out a little.

But she looked weak.

‘Master of the Shinsu….’

It was definitely the powerful force the Iver Family needed.

Nesha noticed that the power Ronée wielded was also little different.

He recalled the day Ronée first arrived.

Nabel, who has always been a cold, unapproachable figure, melted like the snow under the spring sun around Ronée. His warm smile was only for her.

It looked like a lie.

He had served Nabel for nearly a decade.

Nabel, who was a wounded child when they first met, had grew into a tyrant who couldn’t be moved by blood or tears.

He had no choice but to survive.

However, like the previous Emperor Iver, who trusted no one and was wary of everyone, Nabel also kept his distance from everyone around him.

Nesha had no choice but to worry.

Despite that, he regarded Ronée as a sign of hope.

She is like the spring sunshine.

He hoped that Ronée could melt his master’s frozen heart, even a little bit.

* * * * * * *

Nabel wanted to always be with Ronée. It was only natural.

He had been waiting for their reunion for 10 years.

The Imperial Castle was vast, however, Ronée had yet to be officially recognized as the master of the Shinsu and couldn’t freely move about the castle.

‘I could give her freedom if I become a tyrant.’

She could go anywhere she wanted. Even his office, where all types of secrets are kept.

If others refuted, he could simply have their throats cut.

‘Become a saint.’

However, Ronée’s words became a leash that kept Nabel still.

Instead, he was content with seeing her occasionally over the terrace.

She looked like a flower in full bloom in the garden on the sunny terrace.

‘I think I can even smell your scent from all the way over here.’

Of course, when he could no longer bear it, he would sneak into her room at night.

“Nabel!”

When Nabel, who resided on the 5th floor of the castle, appeared at the window of her room on the 3rd floor, Ronée became distressed.

Afraid he might fall; she quickly opened the window.

“What are you going to do if you get hurt coming through the window?”

“I practiced a lot when I was young, so it’s okay.” Nabel’s smile seemed a little mischievous.

So, the two spent ample amounts of time with each other every night.

Of course, Nabel didn’t push her because she was sick. She reached her sweet peak several times, but he never went any further than that.

‘I don’t think I’ll be able to stop once I’m inside of her’

He would sate his hunger to the point where she couldn’t walk around the next day.

Then everyone in this castle would see that she belonged to Nabel Iver.

Rumors gradually spread that he entered her room every night.

“I heard that tyrants are weak against a woman’s seduction….”

The servant of Duke Lloyd, who uttered those words recklessly, vanished without a trace.

After that, Nabel would sneak into her room through the window, and return to his room before sunrise.

He could endure the rumors about himself.

But he couldn’t stand the filthy rumors about Ronée.

“When I’m asleep, Bell can’t protect me either.”

“Did Nesha tell you that?”

Another time when the two could be together without worrying about the eyes of others was dinner time.

They were having a light dinner in the dining room after Nabel finished with his work.

Originally, it was a dining room designated for distinguished guests, but after strict regulations were established by Nabel’s order, it became a dining room exclusively used by him and Ronée.

“Don’t worry too much. There are still people in the Imperial Castle who served the previous master of Shinsu.”

Those who served Pell, the Archmage.

They knew how to serve the master of the Shinsu well.

In front of them, tender Tobia steak was served.

Tobia was a common animal throughout the Western Empire, but its taste varied and greatly depending on how it was cooked.

For Ronée, who found it difficult to digest food with strong flavors, it was one of the meats she manages to eat.

Nabel shifted his eyes to her plate, which had a healthy portion of Tobia steak cut into small pieces.

“… …?”

Ronée tilted her head slightly at his look and picked up her fork.

Picking up the meat with the fork, she naturally brought the food to her mouth.

The Tobia steak, topped with a light brown sauce, made her mouth water just by looking at it.

“Mmmm.”

Then her fork stopped.

Nabel’s hand was already resting on top of her hand.

Sitting across from her just a moment before, he moved behind her in just a split second.

Nabel’s shadow fell on Ronée.

“Wait a minute.”

“Hmm?”

Nabel smiled softly and leaned in.

Then he took a bite of the meat that Ronée had picked up with her fork.

Ronée was embarrassed that Nabel’s face was so close but let out a small laugh.

“Nabel.”

Nabel tilted his head slightly, and then moved her hand to pick up another piece of the Tobia steak again.

Dipping the meat into the sauce and he took another bite.

“Well…”

Then he set the fork down and knocked on the table.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A maid immediately entered the dining room.

Nabel waved his hand as if he was calling for someone else.

“Did you call, Your Majesty?”

Nesha poked his head through the door of the dining room. Nabel beckoned him to enter.

“Take this back.”

“Yes,” Nesha answered and immediately approached.

After bowing, he removed the plate that was in front of Ronée.

“Nabel?” Ronée asked as she was curious about what he was doing.

Nabel covered his mouth with a slight frown and said, “This steak smells strongly of rosia vinegar.”

“Rosia?”

Ronée tilted her head in confusion. It was a common scent that even Ronée knew.

In particular, rosia was from the Eastern Continent and was so well known that even commoners would ground the leaves to season their food.

“Do you not use rosia in the West?”

“I eat it… but not with Tobia.”

Nabel narrowed his eyes.

His white gloves, which he was wearing as usual, had a slight stain on it.

It was red from wiping his lips.

He took off his gloves as if nothing had happened.

Nabel dropped the gloves on the floor so that Ronée couldn’t see the bloodstains and smiled.

“It’s okay now.”

She was sure the Nabel had eaten the same steak earlier.

Ronée looked at him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve tried it a few times, so it’s okay,” he answered quickly and then paused.

At that moment, he realized how his words must have sounded to Ronée.

“… …”

Ronée seemed to get a very brief, deeper glimpse into how Nabel’s life looked for the past decade.

Nabel let out a small laugh.

“Don’t worry about me. More than anything…”

His low voice echoed through the dining room.

“Be very careful, sister.”

‘I didn’t know there were people already aiming for you.’

‘This is why I didn’t want to reveal my sister to outsiders.’

His eyes shifted to the table again. Now that the steak had been removed, there was no other problematic food.

He needed to track down who it was, but they were faithful to the basics of assassination.

They used methods could cause fatal injuries in the smallest and most trivial ways so one does not notice it.

“… …”

Nabel would have liked it better if she wasn’t the owner of a Shinsu. It didn’t matter if he was listed in the history books as a rare woman-crazed tyrant.

‘As long as I can make this place is a haven for you, I don’t mind.’

This will happen frequently in the future.

“You know, sister…” he began in a low voice. “Without you I would be lonely.”

‘So, please don’t leave my side.’

His whispers, that sounded more like begging, echoed through the dining room.