The Obsession of the Tyrant Sub-Male Lead is Unnecessary

Episode 5

Verona whispered quickly.

“Please… Please don’t talk to father about the child. Please!”

Already, father coming to dinner was quite a stretch, but if he were to hear such a bombshell, he might faint.

The physician always emphasized the importance of mental stability. It wouldn’t do to drop such a bombshell on a father like him.

“Verona can’t drink alcohol? But making wine and drinking a glass or two is the child’s hobby…”

The king looked puzzled at the strange remark. The emperor replied awkwardly.

“Earlier, she seemed tired while walking on the beach. I thought drinking might not be good for her health.”

“Is that so? Marquis, I’m grateful that you care so much.”

The oblivious king smiled contentedly, alternating his gaze between the emperor and Verona.

Verona swallowed her milk nervously, feeling suffocated. The emperor’s gaze, looking at her with satisfaction, was uncomfortable. Verona just wished the ground would swallow her whole.

* * *

As dusk settled, the king went as far as holding hands with the emperor until the castle gates. It was an overly familiar gesture, especially considering they were dealing with a foreign noble. The emperor didn’t seem to mind at all, even responding with warm smiles and agreeing with the king’s words.

To an onlooker unfamiliar with the situation, one could easily mistake the emperor for the king’s son.

“In remembrance of the marquis’s efforts for the friendship between our nations.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“It’s regrettable that I couldn’t personally see off Your Majesty’s envoy.”

“It’s nothing but an honor to have the princess accompany me.”

Is his tongue coated with butter?

The emperor acted very naturally. The king seemed thoroughly pleased.

While relieved not to be caught by her father, Verona felt extremely uncomfortable seeing the emperor, renowned for his coldness, acting so unfamiliar. She trembled with unease.

“Then see them off, Verona.”

Supported by a knight, the king went back inside.

It was only after everyone else had left that the emperor approached her. Verona gestured for the knights and maids behind her to keep their distance.

“Shall we go?”

The emperor suddenly grabbed Verona’s hand. Verona flinched but didn’t pull her hand away. No, she couldn’t. If she did, she might not know what he would say.

So, reluctantly, she took his hand and walked along the shore with him.

The emperor casually held her hand and walked towards where the soldiers were lined up.

There, they encountered a massive black horse with fur the same color as his hair. Seeing its majestic presence, it seemed as if the emperor was heading into battle. It was puzzling how neither her father nor the guards noticed.

As she pondered, lost in her thoughts, the emperor suddenly spoke up.

“I’ll send someone soon.”

“Huh?”

“Tell me when you want to marry, and I’ll make the arrangements accordingly. All you have to do is wait for me. I’ll arrange everything.”

Listening to the emperor’s words about the empress’s affairs and palace repairs as if they were entirely natural made Verona dizzy.

‘I’ll really lose it!’

If she didn’t get her act together, she’d be forcibly taken away as empress, and after ten months in the palace, the emperor would be so furious that he’d wipe the Waterfall off the map when he realized she was pregnant.

Verona made a mental resolution to respond vaguely to the emperor’s words.

I have to run away.

“I don’t want to go back.”

Stopping in front of the black horse, the emperor murmured, not holding the reins. Verona panicked at the thought of canceling his departure and sitting down here, so she quickly said,

“But, but you have to go. Who else will take care of the empire if you’re not there?”

“…If I’m not there, the Grand Duke will.”

“No matter how capable the Grand Duke is, he’s no match for you, Your Majesty. Comparing a mere noble to the emperor? In Clarence, it’s only natural for Your Majesty to be present.”

Verona firmly spoke, hiding the meaning of ‘If you stay here any longer, I might die of anxiety, so please leave quickly’ like a loyal servant. Verona’s mind was filled only with the thought that she must not disturb him.

“It’s the first time the princess has said such a thing.”

But suddenly, the emperor made eye contact with her. She wondered if she had said something wrong again.

“…Yes? W-what are you talking about?”

No, this isn’t right?

However, the emperor continued to drop bomb-like words without stopping.

“Indeed, you are my empress.”

The emperor smiled happily and kissed Verona on the cheek.

“I’d like to kiss you properly, but I can’t do that in front of others.”

“…”

“The sea breeze is cold, go inside quickly.”

Who would call that man the Ironblood Emperor? Even as Verona, it was unbelievable.

The emperor urged her, jumping onto the black horse in an instant. Feeling drained of all strength, Verona reluctantly shuffled her steps towards the gate.

‘The emperor and the Grand Duke have been rivals since childhood! I forgot and provoked him by mistake. What should I do?’

It was mentioned in the early part of the novel that the previous emperor favored the Grand Duke’s son more than his own. The throne should go to the emperor’s son, so naturally Carlos became the emperor, but the previous emperor pitied the Grand Duke’s son, Osmund, who lost his father at a young age, and took care of him.

It would be natural for the emperor, who had his father’s love taken away from him, to feel inferiority and rivalry towards the Grand Duke.

He would have felt even greater loss when he competed against the Grand Duke and lost over a woman in the future.

But to be told that you are more remarkable and important than the Grand Duke!

‘I’m really digging my own grave.’

Verona sighed, feeling dizzy.

“Princess, are you tired? Shall I support you? Shall we go to the bedroom?”

Marie asked from behind, looking worried. Verona nodded.

“I need to go to my father. I have something to tell him. You go and prepare the bath.”

“Yes, I’ll do that!”

Marie said briskly and quickly ran off. Verona hurriedly headed towards the king’s bedroom.

“Verona, have you finished seeing them off? What did the Marquis say?”

“He left well. But more importantly, Father.”

Verona, who had sent both the guards and the butler out of the room, approached the bed and lowered her voice.

“I, I’ll be going somewhere.”

“At this hour?”

The king immediately looked worried. It seemed like he remembered her nighttime outing a few days ago.

To reassure him, Verona gently spoke.

“It’s okay. It won’t take long.”

“Are you going to the sea as a mermaid?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the king didn’t inquire further. He knew that her statement about going out and returning as a mermaid meant she was going on an inspection to prevent disasters.

Due to the geographical location of the coastal country, Waterfall always had to guard the sea. Strangely, despite being located by the sea, the North Sea adjacent to Waterfall had little salinity, making it possible to fish without much difficulty even though there weren’t many rivers in the territory. Yet, the abundance of various aquatic creatures allowed fishing.

Despite being a kingdom, Waterfall was smaller than most principalities, and there were no nobles to speak of. While there were viscounts in principalities, there were no nobles in Waterfall, where the king was equivalent to a lord.

However, all the people lived by farming, fishing, and being self-sufficient. There were no particularly poor people.

The warm climate made the people’s temperament generous, and there were almost no natural disasters, so much so that recently the phrase “era of peace” was used.

How such a strange environment was possible was a fact known only to the Waterfall royal family for generations.

To ensure that there were no interruptions in the lineage, female royals had to periodically go out on inspections to care for the seawater.

Regulating the cycle of tides was crucial for farming. Scholars said they could judge based on the movement of the moon, but that was because the merfolk had always followed the moon’s movement.

Preventing disasters like high tides, helping with farming and fishing were the duties of the royal family.

However, for decades, Waterfall had been experiencing a scarcity of girls, and frequent disasters occurred. The fluctuation in the salinity of the seawater repeatedly ruined the crops.

After realizing her identity as a mermaid, Verona had regained peace.

Once she realized her duty, Verona faithfully fulfilled it. She hadn’t learned the customs that a princess should know separately, but fortunately, she was well aware of the world of the novel.

Verona understood history and customs to a sufficient extent without learning them, but they weren’t particularly important in Waterfall anyway.

There were no tea parties or balls held in the first place.

Of course, Verona was not uninterested in those fancy and glamorous things, but what was more important was the lives of the people. If she didn’t act, the entire country would suffer, and it was only natural for children to starve.

So, from the age of ten, when she could transform into a mermaid, Verona went out on inspections periodically.

Her father, the king, who had passed on that duty to her through the bloodline, was the only one who knew about her secret nightly outings, so he always allowed them without question.

“You went out and came back not too long ago, and now you’re going out again, so I’m worried.”

“Haha, still, just in case.”

Actually, Verona felt a little ashamed that she had used the same excuse to go out and return after spending the night with the emperor, but she kept a straight face.

“Got it. Take care. Oh, by the way, Verona.”

As she was about to leave, the king, who had stopped her, hesitated a bit and asked,

“How is Marquis Elota?”