The Obsession of the Tyrant Sub-Male Lead is Unnecessary

Episode 18

Mary quickly let her hair down and stepped back. Verona quietly placed the mirror back on the vanity and climbed onto the bed again. Mary silently covered her with the blanket.

When dinner time came and Verona confronted Carlos about the mark, he shamelessly replied,

“What? Is it wrong to leave a mark on my woman as proof that she’s mine?”

“What do you think others will say when they see it?”

Verona fumed, on the verge of tears.

“They’ll think you’re my wife.”

Carlos said confidently, wiping the corner of her mouth with his finger.

“What’s the problem?”

“I’m not your wife yet! I’m your fiancée!”

“But you’re still the mother of my child, aren’t you?”

“….”

Verona decided to drop it.

She slapped Carlos’s hand away as he tried to run his fingers through her hair.

“Stop touching me. It hurts.”

“It hurts?”

Carlos’s brow furrowed in concern.

“Mary! Call the royal physician!”

“No, Mary! Don’t call him!”

Mary, who was serving dinner, looked up sharply, ready to follow Carlos’s orders. Verona hastily waved her hands.

“Your skin is too delicate. We need the physician to treat it immediately. If it hurts, you should have told me sooner!”

“Stop overreacting! I’ve already applied ointment. It’ll fade in a few days!”

Verona’s face turned beet red, embarrassed someone might overhear. As she kept arguing with him, Retrius, who was standing in a corner, muttered quietly.

“This is ridiculous.”

Carlos’s face hardened as he glared at him.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, Your Majesty. I was just surprised to see you acting this way for the first time.”

Retrius quickly tried to cover up.

“I meant that you seem like a wonderful husband and father, ha ha ha!”

“Your excuses are pathetic.”

Carlos seemed annoyed but let it slide, as the answer didn’t seem to bother him much. Instead, he ordered Retrius to go on a patrol and kicked him out of the room.

Since they had just finished dinner, Mary also collected the dishes and left with the tray.

“Are you feeling better?”

Carlos asked gently once they were alone.

“I’m fine. How many times are you going to ask?”

“You might feel fine now but could be in pain later. If your stomach feels tight or anything seems wrong, call the physician or tell that brute. He’s strong but knows some healing magic as a dragon.”

“Sir Retrius can use magic too?”

Verona asked, her eyes wide with curiosity, making Carlos’s expression turn odd.

“Retty?”

“Oh, I mean Retrius. His name is too long, so I’ve been shortening it.”

“That’s his nickname?”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

Verona said nonchalantly, but Carlos’s face grew darker.

“When did you get so close to him that you use nicknames?”

“I didn’t mean to use a nickname.”

“You never asked what my nickname is.”

“That’s because your name isn’t difficult to say…”

“I don’t like it.”

Carlos said stiffly.

“No, it bothers me.”

Your Majesty, are you seriously jealous over this?

The sight of the tall man fussing over such trivial matters was both absurd and amusing, making Verona chuckle. She asked, still laughing,

“Then what’s your nickname? If you want, I’ll call you that.”

“I don’t have one.”

“What?”

His face remained expressionless as he spoke.

“There’s never been anyone to call me by a nickname.”

“….”

“But it doesn’t matter. Now, I have you.”

She had forgotten.

Carlos’s mother, the Empress, died shortly after giving birth to him, and his father, the Emperor, didn’t love him. He had no siblings to call him by a nickname either.

Verona suddenly felt a pang in her heart.

“We’ll give our child a splendid and beautiful name,” Carlos said with unwavering determination.

“Unlike me, our child will hear plenty of affectionate nicknames.”

Despite the clearly bitter memories of his childhood, he smiled brightly at the thought of their child.

“What should we name them? Have you thought of any names, Verona?”

“We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”

This time, Verona couldn’t redirect the conversation by saying not to fuss or that it was too early to worry about such things. She tried to hide her suddenly heavy heart as Carlos looked thoughtful.

“Then I’ll have to call the ancient language professors from the academy and the royal genealogy keeper to start a meeting immediately. We can’t waste time if we want to pick a good name.”

“The due date is still far away.”

“We have to think of names for both a girl and a boy. And what if it’s twins? It’ll be too late to decide then. We need to choose names that are noble, beautiful, and dignified.”

Carlos was already planning in his mind. Verona discreetly downed her orange juice in one gulp.

“So, what do you prefer?”

“What?”

“Do you prefer a daughter or a son?”

“…Hmm.”

She hadn’t really thought about the gender of the child, but if she were to be precise, Waterfall needed a daughter.

If she became the ruler, having a female heir would stabilize the royal lineage, even if a son were born.

However, if she passed away and a son inherited the throne and had children, there was no guarantee a daughter would be born.

Either Verona or her daughter would need to have many children to ensure the stability of the Waterfall royal bloodline.

But Clarence would need a son.

For an empire expanding through conquest, a male heir, who could ride out to battle and thrust a sword into enemies, seemed more suitable.

The thought of red blood made her shudder.

“Well, either would be good.”

“I prefer a daughter.”

“…What?”

Carlos, understanding the weight of his position as Emperor, would surely desire an heir. She expected him to want a son more than anything.

“No, more precisely, I’d like a daughter who resembles you. A daughter of Verona Waterfall and Carlos Gruenwaldt Clarence.”

His low, whispering voice was sincere. It was filled with an intense obsession and deep affection simultaneously.

“But if it’s a child that resembles you, I don’t care about the gender.”

Carlos seemed oblivious to Verona’s inner turmoil. He played with the diamond ring on his fourth finger, looking extremely excited.

“I’ll strive to be a good father.”

He kissed her forehead.

“Will you see me off?”

“…Sure.”

Seeing the joy in his deep green eyes, she couldn’t refuse. Verona silently took his hand and walked him out.

“Don’t come out any further. The night air is cold. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Carlos.”

Verona grabbed his sleeve as he was about to leave. He turned back with a puzzled expression.

“I just have something I’m curious about.”

“Curious?”

“Although I doubt anyone would dare…”

She chose her words carefully. Her heart kept wavering. She needed to ask what he would do if there was no child, but she hesitated, afraid of seeing his happy face crumble.

“So, what if… someone lied to you, Carlos? What would you do?”

“A lie? Why are you curious about that all of a sudden?”

He laughed, as if finding the question absurd.

“Who would dare lie to me? I’ve never been deceived.”

“But what if it happened?”

“Of course, I would punish them accordingly.”

A chill ran down her spine. The man before her, laughing, suddenly seemed terrifying.

“For a simple lie, I’d punish the person involved. But if it’s severe, I’d hold their entire family accountable. That’s the right judgment as an Emperor.”

“…I see.”

Verona forced a smile as she saw him off.

‘No wonder he’s considered a tyrant. He’d hold the entire family accountable? He might destroy Waterfall!’

Carlos, oblivious to Verona’s growing anxiety, kissed her cheek and returned to the imperial palace.

“What’s with that face, Princess?”

Retrius, whom she met on the way back to her bedroom, asked curiously.

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

Retrius followed her, his face full of curiosity.

“Feeling sorry for His Majesty? Don’t be. What’s a nickname compared to everything he has? He’s the Emperor. He can have everything without a nickname, right?”

“Could you please go away?”

Verona frowned, and Retrius stepped back.

“Alright, alright. You’re really irritable now that you’re pregnant.”

Grumbling, Retrius stood guard at her bedroom door. Mary glared at him as she helped Verona to bed. But Verona couldn’t sleep easily.

‘What if I’m really pregnant?’

She knew it was unlikely to conceive from one night. But if she had conceived on the second night, her plan to escape in three months would be ruined. And what if the child was a girl?

‘It’s a problem either way.’

Unable to calm her troubled mind, Verona got up and walked to the window. She opened it and stared at the night sky. Still, her thoughts wouldn’t settle, so she wandered around her bedroom.

‘Huh?’

As she passed by the bedroom door, she heard a faint breathing sound. Specifically, from the crack in the door.

She was suddenly terrified. Was someone peeking through the door crack? Her legs gave out, and she sank to the floor.

‘Where’s Retrius? He’s supposed to be guarding me!’