The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go

 

“You know, even if you don’t have friends. Talking to the sword doesn’t improve your social skills.”

 

I’m not sure if he’s being ironic, but the person in question seemed to provide genuine advice, which annoyed me even more.

 

‘I doubt he’s very sociable either…?’

 

Caliberne’s voice resonated in my head at that precise moment.

 [That is correct. But he’s not wrong, is he?] 

‘Hey, be quiet. You’re the same with having no friends.’

 

Caliberne jolted at those words, but I tried to ignore her as I stared the boy in the eye.

 

‘Where did this little boy come from?’

 

Naturally, Cedric and I were the only children of our age in the palace. I was also the youngest member of the Knights.

 

The member who was four years older than me was the next youngest, he was 16 years old.

 

But this guy in front of me looked about the same age as me.

 

“You know, if you don’t have a friend, do you want me to be your friend?”

 

“Well, no, not really…”

 

The response took the form of denial.

 

It wasn’t until the words came out of my mouth that I thought, “

Oops

.”

 

Curly golden hair.

 

Rose-colored cheeks.

 

A well-organized cravat, shirt, and black shorts.

 

Anyone could tell his appearance was shouting,

‘I’m a son of a wealthy family.’

 

It was most likely the son of a prominent nobleman if a little child with such physical characteristics was able to enter the Imperial Palace.

 

‘Crazy, I don’t think it’s appropriate to address him in that manner…’

 

Sure enough, the boy had a shocked expression, as if the world had collapsed.

 

“What did you just say? You don’t like it?”

 

“Oh no, that’s—”

 

“Do you even know who I am?”

 

The boy’s face, which looked like a doll, was distorted in an instant.

 

‘No, I didn’t know that, so wouldn’t I say that if I knew him?’

The words came up to the end of my throat, but I held it in.

 

After getting knighted a few days earlier, I had to keep modest because it was clear from his appearance that he was a beloved son of a noble family.

 

“I said I’d be your friend, but how dare you say no?”

 

“No, I, I’m sorry—”

 

But the boy responded without paying attention to what I had to say since he was so hurt by being rejected.

 

“I know who you are. You’re the one from the oracle, and you’re working for Cedric.”

 [Oh, I think he knows who you are. You’re popular now. Lucky you, hey!] 

‘No, I don’t want to get this kind of attention…’

 

Just as I was thinking about it, the child squinted his green eyes and shouted.

 

“I’ll tell Cedric everything—”

 

“Ciel!!”

 

The child’s voice, though, was entirely drowned out by Cedric’s scream as he burst through the door.

 

Cedric, who had a smile on his face and was running toward me, stopped when he noticed the boy.

 

“Huh? Kashuel, why are you here?”

 

“By accident…”

 

The kid, whose name was Kashuel, and Cedric were having a casual conversation.

 

I pondered when I recognized the two individuals,

‘It’s just that the boy has too much confidence to speak casually with the Crown Prince.’

 

“Didn’t you hear that I’m coming today?”

 

“I didn’t hear anything about it.”

 

Cedric tilted his head to answer Kashuel’s question.

 

And his gaze, which had stayed on Kashuel for a while, suddenly shifted to me.

 

“But… Did you two know each other?” asked Ciel.

 

Cedric stated with a very serious tone as he furrowed his brows.

 

“No, it’s my first time seeing him today.”

 

“Oh, as expected, I see.”

 

Cedric nodded when he heard my answer.

 

Cedric’s demeanor appeared to soften for some reason, and the corners of his lips slightly raised.

 

“Your Highness Cedric!”

 

Just then, Paul opened the door wide and shouted.

 

As soon as he came in, his eyes met Cedric, and he sighed and walked along.

 

“Your Highness, I have told you over and over again that you must not run in the hallway.”

 

“But, I heard Ciel’s voice from here.”

 

As he cuddled up next to me, Cedric tugged my arm toward him.

 

Kashuel shifted his attention from Paul to Cedric.

 

Kashuel stood there and watched as Cedric held my arm till Paul stopped nagging him.

 

Then, like a startled rabbit, his emerald eyes grew wider.

 

“Phew, late greeting, Little Duke.”

 

“Yes, it’s been a while, Paul.”

 

Kashuel was very familiar with Paul’s greetings, and when I saw them, my mind began to spin.

 

‘Little Duke? Crazy, that child was a Duke?’

 [Silly, that title is enough to speak casually to the Crown Prince] 

When Caliberne scolded me in this frightening circumstance, it got much more unsettling.

 

“Ciel, did you get a good night’s sleep too?”

 

 Oh, yes. How about Paul?”

 

Paul replied with a benevolent smile, “Yes, I slept well.”

 

“Oh, I guess it was the first time Ciel and the Little Duke had ever met. Have you already made introductions?”

 

At Paul’s question, Kashuel shook his head and said,

“No, I didn’t.”

 

In response to Cedric’s intense gaze, Paul knelt to our eye level and graciously introduced Kashuel and me to one another.

 

“Ciel, this is the Little Duke, Kashuel Alehard.”

 Duke of Alehard. 

I heard that the sister of the current Emperor married there.

 

‘So, he’s Cedric’s cousin.’ 

 

The atmosphere was somehow different from Cedric’s, but he also looked handsome.

 

As expected, beauty was determined by genes, not by anything else.

 

“This is Ciel Minerva, Little Duke. I’m the newly appointed swordsmanship teacher of His Highness.”

 

“I know, I know.”

 

Kashuel gave a despondent reply.

 

“Everyone would recognize that unusual silver hair in the first place.”

 

No wonder. Because of that, he must have known that I was Cedric’s swordsmanship teacher.

 

“Oh, it’s already time.”

 

Paul grabbed his watch, checked it, and then stood back to his feet while seeming worried.

 

“Your Highness, I’ve got work to do, but are you going to stay with Ciel?”

 

‘Yes. Don’t mind me and leave.’

 

“Well then, I’m sorry, but I’ll leave you first. Is it okay if the three of you stay together for a moment?”

 

Paul left the room gracefully after neither Cedric nor I urged him to keep going without worrying about us.

 

Cedric shifted away from Kashuel and turned his whole body towards me as soon as Paul’s figure vanished. 

 

He then spoke, “Ciel, today.”

 

Come to think of it, I still haven’t held Cedric’s hand today.

 

“Ah, that’s right. I’m sorry, I forgot.”

 

Cedric said with a faint smile,

“It’s okay.”

 

Just then, Kashuel, who was staring at the two of us, intervened between me and Cedric.

 

“Cedric, listen. That kid was really weird,” said Kashuel.

 

“Huh?”

 

Cedric’s eyes widened at Kashuel’s words.

 

“No, she talks to the sword by herself. And she was talking with the sword in the air.”

 

“No, it’s not. It’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness.” cried Ciel.

 

Ciel tried to plead no, but Kashuel’s mouth didn’t stop.

 

“You think that’s it? She even gave the sword a name.”

 

In an instant, my heart sank.

 

The moment the name

‘Caliberne’

popped out in front of Cedric, I wouldn’t be able to escape from here, or he’d beat me for at least a few years, and I’m sure it’d be a dead end.

 

I shook my head desperately, looking at Kashuel with blazing eyes, but he wasn’t looking at me.

 

“And the name that she called the sword,

Cali-oop!

”

 

Eventually, I ran to Kashuel and covered his mouth.

 

Kashuel, whose mouth was covered with my hands, continued to exhale hot air, desperately trying to shake me off.

 

However, feeling that my life was threatened, I grabbed him with superhuman strength that was several times stronger than usual.

 “Ci— Ciel?” 

Cedric stared at me with astonishment, and I replied with a serene look on my face that it was nothing.

 

“Ahaha! Oh, it’s nothing, Your Majesty.”

 

“Oop, whew!”

 

As my hands loosened slightly, Kashuel slipped out from my grasp, waving his arms in anger with a shriveled face.

 

“How dare you touch my body? And cover my mouth?”

 

Kashuel strode up to me, huffing, “I told you I’d be your friend first, but how dare you do this!?”

 

Seeing this, Caliberne whistled and muttered,

[Oh, He must have been very upset. I think he’s eyebrows are bent at almost 90 degrees?] 

I wanted to tell Caliberne to please shut up, but I couldn’t afford it.

 

“Ciel Minerva! I’ll remember your name!”

 

Kashuel screamed angrily, kicked the door, and left the room into the corridor.

 

It has been since then.

 

Completely captured by this angelic-faced, yellow-haired little devil.

 

⚔️

 

After the tough Knight’s training, a cool breeze sweeps from the valleys.

 

Wildflowers gently swaying.

 

Pleasant sunlight and the sound of the rustling of leaves.

 

It was a perfectly peaceful afternoon.

 

“Ciel Minervaaa!!”

 

If it hadn’t been for that damn voice.

 

Looking back with a sigh, Kashuel was standing there today with a triumphant expression on his face.

 

‘Once again, this day will be exhausting…’

 

Kashuel’s mother, the Emperor’s younger sister, had recently visited and stayed at the palace, and it seems that Kashuel also accompanied her to the palace for a few days.

 

And since the first day we met, Kashuel came to see me every day and left with his own

‘revenge’

.

 

The revenge was to talk to me unilaterally. Kashuel seemed to think his words were very intimidating.

 

Unfortunately, he just looked cute to me, who had heard all kinds of friendly swear words from Hell of Joseon for 23 years.

 

To be honest, it’s hard to think of him as threatening after hearing

“Humph, you look soft like puddin

g” or

“Lost your cookies on your way home?”

 

This was how his revenge began today.

 

“Ciel Minerva, you’re so weird.”

 

“Oh, yes. Thank you, Duke.”

 

“Just a talk to the sword.”

 

“Well, you heard it wrong.”

 

“I’ve never spoken down to someone I’ve never met before, and you covered my mouth. Making me look weird in front of Cedric.”

 

“Hey, I said sorry back then.”

 

Now that I was used to it, I was able to respond in my way.

 

Of course, the conversation went in one direction, not in two ways.

 

“I don’t know, everything about you is weird,” said Kashuel.

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

“I don’t appreciate it”

 

The content of what he was saying wasn’t very threatening, but his temper was nasty.

 

Kashuel burst into a rage, “Strange things are bad things. I don’t like it!”

 

Then he grabbed a handful of my hair that was hanging over my shoulder.

 

“Look at this! Your hair color was also weird! It’s weird!”

 

Kashuel exclaimed while holding my silver hair.

 

Perhaps a five-year-old would cry if he heard this, but unfortunately, my mental age was older than that.

 

‘Now he’s starting to turn a bit of bullying…’

 

And it was far better to hear a thousand times from Kashuel about the color of my hair at the Imperial Palace than being beaten and growing up in an orphanage.

 

Also, I liked my silver hair no matter what others said in the first place, so it didn’t matter.

 “It’s weird, you’re weird…!” 

Kashuel, who was holding my hair, snapped and blurted his words.

 

Then he suddenly stroked my hair with his other hand, frowning, and pushed his head up and looked down at my hair.

 

“Little Duke?”

 

But he wasn’t listening to me.

 

“That’s odd. But why does he think it’s pretty…?” Kashuel mumbled.

 

Huh? What?

 

Couldn’t believe what I just heard, I asked back once,

“What?

”

 

Just then, a hand came from somewhere and separated me from Kashuel, who was examining my hair.

 

Cedric interrupted Kashuel, who was looking at my hair, and said, “Hey, Ciel has to go to class with me.”

 

Two long arms wrapped around me tightly and pulled me closer.

 

‘Uh…?’

 

What in the world was happening?

 

“So, could you get out of the way?”

 

Cedric, who looked so jealous, spoke in a sharp tone.