I Became the Tyrant's Servant

Janet managed to continue the conversation with her head lowered even more.

“He died because of me.”

It seemed that the agony of the day was quite severe as she squeezed their hands together.

She looked so sad that even my eyes turned teary.

“Ah.”

It wasn’t me who spoke, it was Cardan.

“That’s a sad story.”

For some reason, my mouth opened slightly when I saw Cardan showing empathy.

Janet also raised her head slightly, as if she were surprised.

“Did you say Peter?”

“Yes, yes…”

Janet replied puzzled.

“Please tell me the date. He is the benefactor who saved the life of the first concubine, so let’s send a bunch of flowers on his death anniversary.”

I blinked.

Is my appeal to gain trust by treating Janet well finally working?

The effect was quite good.

Janet answered in a hurry, turning her blushing face at once.

“Oh, I mean…….”

Perhaps surprised by Cardan’s warm attitude, Janet’s eyes wandered aimlessly and fell on my desk.

Without looking into Cardan’s eyes, Janet muttered, staring at the desk for a long time.

“December. So, around December……. Yes, it’s December 1st.”

With a thin smile, Cardan pulled off Janet’s hand, which was still clutching my hand.

“I’ll make sure to deliver it in December.”

“T, thank you. I’ve never imagined…….”

Janet cried without noticing Cardan’s behavior of lightly dropping her hand under the bed.

“It’s because of me……. There was nothing I could do for him. I couldn’t do anything for him.”

Eventually, tears that had been dangerously pooling in her eyes overflowed.

Cardan only looked at Janet, who was holding back tears, with an insensitive eye.

In the end, it was my job to comfort Janet.

“What could Janet do at such a young age?”

When I hugged Janet carefully, she immediately dug into my arms. My shoulders quickly became damp, but I was willing to let it be.

“And Peter, why is it Janet’s fault that he suffered? The accident didn’t happen because Janet wanted to.”

“No, it’s my fault……. It’s always been like that. Peter, the Duke, and my mother……. People around me always get hurt because of me.”

Mother?

As far as I know, the king of Esland has not remarried since his death. I wondered if it was related to Janet’s words now.

However, I couldn’t ask Janet, who was crying, about her late mother.

I decided to try to appease Janet as much as I can for now.

I was about to pat Janet’s back, but the weight on my shoulder disappeared in an instant.

“That’s enough for the visit.”

Cardan pulled Janet up and led her to the door.

“You hugged a patient and cried foolishly. Tsk.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m a little embarrassed…….”

While sniffing, Janet was dragged quietly.

“No! I’m fine……!”

However, Cardan, who dismissed Janet in the hallway before I could protest, closed the door.

“Your Majesty! How can you kick out a person who is crying like that?”

I was so out of breath that my voice went up.

“You’re not being nice to her. This is something that people shouldn’t do to others!”

“Your temperature went up.”

“Of course it went up! I am a servant to such a despicable emperor!”

“You have a fever.”

Cardan raised his hand and touched my forehead. I leaned my forehead a little closer without realizing it because of the sudden cool touch.

Only then did my hot breath that began to accumulate under Cardan’s palm come in a flash.

“Ugh.”

I made a sick sound without realizing it. Then Cardan held his hand tighter so I could lean on him.

“But…”

A sweet voice came in through the heat that made my head dizzy.

“Despicable emperor?”

“No!”

I grabbed Cardan’s hand in a hurry before I laid my head in bed.

“It’s not like that!”

His hand flinched for a moment. Then he naturally wrapped his hand around me.

“Then what is it?”

As I slowly raised the corners of my mouth, I turned my head awkwardly to Cardan’s gaze looking down at me.

“……it was a slip of the tongue.”

Normally, I would have spoken words of praise, saying that he’s a “human stallion” which is an expression for “a heavenly race, not a human race,” but I could only make a poor excuse because I was worried about his hand holding my head.

When I gently pulled out my hand, Cardan let go.

“I sent Janet out because she seemed to be distressing a patient, but that’s not the only reason.”

“How can you call it distressing when she’s crying like that….?”

Cardan ignored my muttering neatly and said passively.

“Peter is not dead.”

“What?”

I asked back, wondering what this was all about all of a sudden.

“Didn’t she say Peter’s death date was December 1st?”

“Right…”

With these words, Cardan picked up something from the desk.

It was the schedule for the Imperial Palace event last December. I thought it would be helpful to plan the banquet at Star Palace with that as a reference, so I looked at all the schedules for last year’s event.

After looking at the schedule for a while, he soon threw it on the desk as if he had lost interest.

“Princess Janet seems to have forgotten. December 1st is the time when the lake is frozen solid in the cold in Esland.”

“Ah…”

I was dumbfounded for a moment and couldn’t say anything.

“So you’re saying Janet lied to us? I can’t believe it.….”

When I denied it, he frowned slightly.

“What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?”

“How can such a gentle and nice kid lie? Isn’t Your Majesty mistaken?”

I couldn’t believe it at all, so I looked at Cardan with suspicion.

Janet, who had been shedding sad tears in my arms until now, is still clear in my memory.

She was so sad that even my dry heart was filled with sadness.

“Or maybe the ice broke and he fell into the water. You know that’s more dangerous, right?”

Cardan smiled in vain as if he was amused.

“The royal family plays on the frozen lake?”

It was irrefutable. However, I didn’t want to admit it, so I just stared at Cardan looking down at me with an uncomfortable expression.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s just… I can’t believe such a nice person lied. She proudly brought a gift for her visit to me with her own hands and she gave it to me one by one.”

“Huh…”

Then Cardan began to dump all the gifts that Janet brought in the trash, regardless of blankets, nutritional supplements,

“You’re bewitched. You’re completely mesmerized. The Empress Dowager sent her to bewitch me, but she ate away the soul of a stern person.”

“Why are you throwing away other people’s things?”

Thanks to me barely holding Cardan’s arm, the trash can was saved from being thrown out of the window.

“It’s not just because of the gift.”

I made a hasty excuse before the innocent gifts suffered more because of Cardan.

“I meant that Janet’s tears were sincere.”

As Cardan said, she may have lied about Peter’s death.

However, the sense of loss in her eyes was too true to dismiss that all her words were false.

“In addition, what Janet told me was somewhat consistent with what I thought was suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

I explained quickly. Janet’s behavior, Crown Prince Momad’s hounds attacking her.

“But today, I realized that Janet seemed to have been bullied by the royal family on Esland since she was young. When she was a kid, I thought it was a joke, but the king only watched.…. There must be a family history that is not known externally.”

Cardan nodded slowly.

“It certainly seems so.”

I smiled softly and rubbed my hands.

“It’s good for us. If we provide her a loving family, it would not be difficult for us to turn her to our side.”

I glanced at Cardan.

There will be no better opportunity to get closer than to heal each other’s wounds.

“So, please take good care of Janet in the future, Your Majesty.”

A small sigh fell over my head and his fingers pressed against my forehead. Because of that, I had no choice but to lie down.

“Okay, take a good rest at the Star Palace for the rest of our stay. Don’t get caught up in a strange accident again for no reason.”

“Of course. I’m not going to budge in bed.”

After I give back what I received from the mammoth.

***

Janet’s tragedy probably stems from her growing up as the youngest daughter of the royal family.

The youngest daughter who could be forgiven by just acting cute.

So Janet lived when she was young, regardless of the rules of the palace, the nanny’s nagging, and her mother’s worried dissuasion.

Until that happened.

It was the same day as usual. Janet was excited about her outing after a long time, and her nanny, who had to keep her in check, was sick and unable to attend.

“Janet, stay away from the horses. It’s dangerous.”

Even after her father’s warning, which she had heard several times, it could not stop Janet’s excited heart.

Janet didn’t even know she had dirt on her skirt and went around picking wild flowers that bloomed here and there.

She was going to make a flower crown.

Janet hummed, glancing at her mother, who was humming next to the carriage.

She’ll make a flower crown for the most beautiful mother in the world and then she’ll pick some flowers for her sick nanny.

Her mother will surely be happy.

Last time, after digging through the royal garden to make a tulip crown, her mother praised her for creating such a beautiful crown.

Her nanny, who was nagging her while waving her finger in the middle of the ruined tulip garden, soon softened when she handed over some sloppy tulips.

Therefore, her mother, who had been struggling for several weeks due to her unborn younger brother, will laugh when she receives a pretty wild flower crown.

“Janet!”

However the tragedy happened in an instant.

Urgent screams, flying dust, dull blows, the neighing of horses.

Janet, who didn’t even know what happened because she didn’t feel anything at first, only realized that something was wrong when she saw her mother bleeding from her head.