The Witch Didn't Raise the Tyrant That Way - Chapter 4: It Kept Getting Bigger (7)

I instinctively straightened my posture, my body tensing with unease. Despite how tense I’d been when I was first brought to the royal palace, I’d surprisingly adapted well to life here in recent days. The midday meals often resembled the ones I used to make in the forest, the atmosphere of the back garden was strangely familiar, and even the laboratory—where I spent most of my time after the bedroom—was almost an exact replica of the one I’d had in my forest cabin.

Although dealing with Kyle every night was still awkward and exhausting, I had to admit it was nice not having to handle household chores or cooking anymore.

But this was different.

The main palace was a space frequented by nobles, either to conduct state affairs or to engage in social gatherings. It was also where Kyle carried out his duties as the king of this country. Even though I was dressed appropriately, stepping into such an imposing space made my shoulders instinctively hunch in apprehension.

Thankfully, the path to meet Kyle seemed quiet, with not many people around. Judging by the faint echoes of footsteps, we were moving through a relatively narrow hallway, and there were no sounds of chatter.

‘Unless, of course, anyone who saw me like this was too shocked to speak…’

Relying on all my senses except for sight to gauge my surroundings, we climbed a flight of stairs and rounded several corners. Eventually, the maids holding my arms tensed slightly, a sign that we’d reached our destination.

“Your Majesty, Lady Yvette of Edelspach, Lady Mary of Orlando, and Lady Henriette of Valzen are here.”

“Let them in,” came a middle-aged man’s voice from beyond the door.

I assumed he was likely the chamberlain, speaking on Kyle’s behalf.

So there really were nobles inside. I swallowed nervously as the maids guided me into the room.

“We greet the eternal glory of Roden. Yvette of Edelspach at your service.”

“Mary of Orlando, at your service.”

“Henriette of Valzen, at your service.”

“Mm.”

After Yvette offered her greeting, the maids who had been supporting me released my arms and curtsied. Kyle’s response, however, was as curt as could be.

Having wandered blindly through unfamiliar spaces, that brief response felt surprisingly reassuring.

A moment later, Kyle must have given some kind of signal, as the maids untied the silk ribbon from behind my head, finally freeing my eyes.

What came into view was a grand and ornate room adorned with marble. At the end of a long red carpet stretching from the entrance, Kyle sat on a raised platform upon a magnificent throne.

He was dressed in a way I’d never seen before.

When he visited me during the day, he usually wore just a shirt and pants—simple and casual. But now, even though his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, he wore a jacket that added volume to his frame, along with well-polished boots over his tailored trousers. Seeing him in such regalia emphasized his presence as a ruler.

Here was the sovereign of a nation, seated on an opulent, oversized throne, greeting visitors with an air of boredom he didn’t bother to conceal.

‘…This must be the audience chamber.’

Standing just below the platform were two middle-aged men. One, who appeared to be in his fifties, wore what looked like an official uniform, suggesting he was a palace administrator. The other, slightly older man, was dressed in a strikingly extravagant suit.

It was my first time seeing a nobleman dressed so formally. Their mere presence made me shLynk further into myself.

While I had encountered noblewomen before in the palace, they had all been maids assisting me—younger than me, and, more importantly, fellow women.

As I tried to take in the situation, the maids untied the ribbon that had bound my wrists. Following the etiquette Yvette had hastily taught me, I bowed deeply, unsure of how I was supposed to introduce myself.

For now, I simply skipped the introduction altogether.

Kyle leaned casually against one armrest of the throne, resting his chin on his hand in a thoroughly insolent posture. He looked at me, bowing before him, with an amused, faint smile on his face.

“So this is the young lady,” said the elderly nobleman in the lavish attire, his gaze fixed on me as he addressed Kyle.

‘Still “young lady” here, huh.’

I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of role or identity I had been introduced as to garner such deference from these high-ranking nobles. Whatever it was, it seemed significant enough that they weren’t treating me dismissively. Though curious, I didn’t particularly want to know. If anything, I hoped Kyle had presented me as some benefactor who had aided him during his time away from the palace.

Of course, in reality, I had likely been portrayed as the person who’d had an inappropriate influence on him during those years, leaving him with insomnia and selective erectile dysfunction. As a result, I’d ended up confined here, researching ways to cure him.

Yet Kyle didn’t bother to answer the elderly nobleman’s question.

Judging by their bearing, these men were undoubtedly the type of nobles to whom most people would instantly bow in deference upon meeting their gaze. However, Kyle, in his dismissive way, seemed wholly unconcerned, which only made me more nervous.

That said, Kyle was the king of this country—one who, until recently, had ruthlessly purged opposition to secure his throne. It was only natural that even these distinguished nobles would quietly submit to him.

As the uncomfortable silence dragged on, with everyone in the audience chamber, myself included, anxiously watching Kyle’s mood, he finally spoke.

“Everyone, leave.”

Kyle uncrossed one leg and crossed the other, his voice clipped and commanding. His gaze, though lowered to the carpet beneath him, was unmistakably fixed on me, making the top of my head prickle with awareness.

“Take the guards with you. And get rid of the ones posted outside the door, too.”

“But, Your Majesty—”

“Do you think I’m in danger?”

“That’s not what I—”

The nobleman in uniform stammered with a flustered expression, but Kyle cut him off coldly, not even spaLyng him a glance.

“As chamberlain, you should be managing the servants outside. And as for you, Duke, why don’t you go spend some quality time with your daughter?”

Daughter? Among the three maids who’d come with me, Yvette was the only one addressed as the daughter of a duke. So, this man must be the Duke of Edelspach.

I hadn’t gotten a good look at him yet—did he resemble Yvette? He seemed quite old, possibly old enough to be my grandfather. Was Yvette the youngest child?

Distracted by my growing curiosity, I cast a quick glance toward the nobleman without thinking, only to meet his gaze. Startled, I quickly ducked my head again. If noblemen made me nervous, dukes were even worse.

‘But… his eyes… they looked similar to mine.’

My eyes were an unusual shade, like amber, shifting between gold and reddish hues depending on the angle. It wasn’t a common color, and I hadn’t inherited it from my mother either. In fact, I’d never seen anyone else with the same eyes. Yvette, for instance, had ordinary blue eyes…

Trying to push away the uncomfortable situation, I filled my thoughts with speculation. But the silence in the room persisted, and before long, Kyle’s voice cut through, tinged with irritation.

“Hurry. Leave everyone except my young lady.”

The way he called me young lady carried a peculiar weight, making it clear to everyone that I was the one he meant.

At last, the people in the audience chamber began to shuffle out reluctantly. Under Kyle’s unyielding, dismissive gaze—which never strayed from me—even the guards stationed by the door withdrew, shutting the heavy doors behind them.

Thud.

The resonating sound of the door closing sealed us in, leaving just the two of us in the vast, opulent space.

It was only then that Kyle uncrossed his legs and sat upright on the throne.

Even though no one was watching, the grandeur of the setting made me too tense to move a muscle.

“…Lynn.”

The name that only Kyle used for me echoed in the room, solidifying the realization that we were truly alone. A wave of relief washed over me, and my shoulders, which had been tense to the point of aching, finally eased.

“Come here.”

Kyle, still resting his chin on one hand, gestured for me to approach. I lifted the hem of my skirt lightly and began to walk toward him. Since I had been standing in the middle of the carpet, a few steps barely made a dent in the distance between us.

“Closer.”

I took several more steps.

“Closer.”

When I finally stopped just below the platform where he sat, I had to tilt my head slightly to meet his gaze.

“Come here and sit.”

Kyle tapped one of his knees, spreading his legs slightly.

A sense of foreboding washed over me, but I couldn’t outright refuse him. He was the master of this space, and outside the door were people who both obeyed him and held contempt for me. That alone was enough to make me tense.

“Look.”

I carefully perched on his knee as he pulled me close, his arm wrapping around my waist. He nodded toward the view in front of us.

“This is the scenery you told me to have.”

“Ah…”

What unfolded before me was the area three steps below the platform, where I and the nobles had been standing moments ago. The room, with its soaLyng two-story ceiling, was vast and grand. Polished marble tiles covered the floor seamlessly, and an opulent carpet embroidered with gold stretched all the way to the massive doors at the far end of the hall.

Not long ago, fully armored guards had stood solemnly on either side of those imposing doors. And on days when there were many petitions or when Kyle issued decrees, the space would have been filled with palace officials and nobles, lined neatly along the sides of the carpet. They would all stand with reverent and serious faces, their eyes fixed solely on Kyle.

Just like the chamberlain and the Duke of Edelspach, who had stood near the platform earlier—noble, dignified, and commanding.

For the first time in a while, I was struck by the reality of Kyle’s lofty status and noble lineage.

Though his childhood had been marked by hardship, he was born into royalty and nobility, revered by all from the very start. And now, as a legitimate ruler with unshakable authority, he reigned supreme over everyone.

When we were young, he had been someone I cared for and looked after. And more recently, he’d been the man who spent every waking moment whining and aroused whenever he saw me. It seemed I’d momentarily forgotten who he truly was.

As I thought about this and took in the ornate columns, the gilded moldings on the ceiling, and the sheer splendor of the audience hall, I noticed Kyle’s gaze growing heavier as he looked at me.

“But… who dressed you like this, all scandalous?”

“What?”

“With your chest completely exposed like that.”

“…What are you talking about?”

I turned to him with an incredulous expression at his baseless accusation. My dress was no different from what most noblewomen wore. The maids’ outfits for leaving the palace were proof of that. While palace attire was more conservative, dresses with square necklines that revealed the corset-pushed curves of the chest seemed to be the trend.

The dress I was wearing now followed that very style.

“If I hadn’t used the ointment, this would’ve been covered in my marks…” Kyle muttered, brushing his lips lightly against the skin just below my collarbone.

Before I knew it, his hand had slid up my waist, pressing against the side of my chest. The rounded curve of my breast deepened, making the cleavage more pronounced.

He pressed his fingers into the flesh a few times as if testing the softness and elasticity, then shifted to the other side, his gaze fixated on the resilient bounce of my chest.

Suddenly, he buried his nose in the hollow of my cleavage.

“…This is strange.”

He pushed my breasts together with both hands, the smooth skin pressing against his cheekbones. As he exhaled slowly, his warm breath ghosted along the sensitive inner curve of my chest, making me shiver.

“Have you cast some kind of spell on me? Otherwise, there’s no way I’d get hard just by looking at you like this…”

“You know I don’t know anything other than herbs,” I said firmly.

“I was curious… if even in this cursed place, I’d still get hard just from being around you,” Kyle murmured.

His words were so strange that my entire body stiffened. Sensing this, he let out a low chuckle and guided my hand to the inside of his thigh. My fingers brushed over a familiar outline.

“It’s really strange, isn’t it? At balls or anywhere else, even when other women throw themselves at me half-naked, nothing happens…”

“…”

“But with you… it’s like you’ve sprayed some kind of bewitching fragrance to ensnare men.”

“Stop saying weird things… I don’t even bathe myself—others do it for me.”

“Exactly.”

Kyle muttered under his breath, “I really need to make sure no other man gets near you…”

With that, his hands moved to my breast again, kneading the soft flesh firmly.

Burying his nose in the hollow of my cleavage, he took slow, deliberate breaths, then pressed his lips alternately against the round curves of my upper chest.

“Ah… Is there some secret to your skin? I specifically ordered the palace to use the most expensive oils for your baths, but… when I breathe deeply like this, it smells like the grass on rainy days at your house.”

“…”