The Witch Didn't Raise the Tyrant That Way - Chapter 5: The Problem Grew Worse (3)

Why had he suddenly thought of the past? Was he referring to his time living here in the annex, or was he talking about our time together in the forest? If it was the annex, was he feeling sentimental about it? And was that why he was simply holding me quietly now, basking in the warmth between us—something so unlike the two of us these days?

I wanted to ask so many things, but since he’d never talked about his life before coming to the forest, I wasn’t sure if now was the right time.

“Lyn.”

Kyle raised his head slightly and looked up at me with half-lidded eyes, his gaze steady and piercing.

“Do you think you might really be a witch?”

“…What?”

“Otherwise, how could I go from trembling with rage, wanting to kill every single one of those irritating pests, to feeling completely calm the moment you’re by my side? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“…….”

He must have dealt with something troubling during today’s meeting—a gathering where most of the influential nobles in the capital were in attendance. I didn’t know what to say, so I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

“Maybe there’s some secret about you that even you don’t know—like the scent of your skin, or the feel of it. Maybe that’s why I felt so at ease when I stayed at your house.”

“…….”

“Lyn.”

The arms holding me loosened slightly, and Kyle’s hand slid down my body. Because he had wrapped both my arms in his embrace, his hand, which awkwardly hovered near my hip, eventually found mine.

“You…”

Kyle took the last joint of my ring finger between his fingers, shaking it gently in a manner that felt almost petulant.

“If it hadn’t been me abandoned at your house, but someone else, would you have treated them the same way?”

“What?”

“The second prince was petty and stupid, and the third prince—well, we could talk, but he was gloomy. Would you have treated them the same way you treated me?”

It didn’t seem like he expected an answer. He lowered his gaze, letting it drift downward, and rested his cheek back against the curve of my chest.

“Sometimes I think about it. What if, instead of my mother, that woman had died first? And what if those bastards were abandoned like I was, ended up staying at your house, and shamelessly came onto you, desperate with lust… would you have accepted them too?”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Once that thought crosses my mind, I can’t stop myself from getting jealous of those bastards—even though they’re already dead. I want to kill them all over again. And then…”

Kyle raised his head and gazed at me quietly. His crimson eyes, seemingly calm at first glance, flickered with a dark, fiery intensity beneath their surface.

“I think to myself how lucky I am that I was the one abandoned in the forest.”

“…….”

“Lyn.”

Still holding my gaze, Kyle lowered his head, pressing soft, deliberate kisses against the pale skin peeking out above my neckline.

“No one will ever want you as much as I do. Those bastards are dead, and I won’t let anyone else even get the chance. So…”

His lips parted, and the heat of his tongue slipped out, trailing between my breasts and pressing firmly against the soft flesh, as though he were claiming it.

“Even if I get better, even if I stay broken, no matter what happens… I just want you to be here with me.”

“…….”

“Kiss me.”

Instead of demanding an answer, he made a different request. Was he afraid of hearing my response, or did he think that a kiss alone could be my answer?

“Please?”

As I hesitated, Kyle tilted his head back slightly, lifting his chin in a subtle invitation. His well-shaped lips hovered just a short distance from mine.

Kyle had never asked me for anything before. He was always the one to initiate a kiss. Whatever he wanted, he simply took. He never demanded anything of me—not to kiss him, not to touch him, not even to do things like take him into my mouth or let him take me at his whim. Even when he wanted something, he usually acted for my sake rather than his own.

But now, he was asking—pleading—with me.

‘Something must have happened.’

Still, I had no right to ask him what was troubling him. The only thing I could do for him was something small and simple: give him what he wanted.

Even if it caused him to misinterpret things, even if it made promises I had no right to make.

The memory of Kyle striding so familiarly through the shadowy forest returned to me. The thought that I had been the one to push him back into that forest, both literally and figuratively, weighed on me like a sin I couldn’t escape.

It felt like a heavy stone hanging from my chest had lodged itself in my throat, threatening to choke me.

My lips quivered slightly before I finally lowered my head, leaning toward him.

* * *

It had been a while since Kyle last summoned me, and I was now on my way to the main building. There had been talk of some event taking place, and for several days, the entire palace had been unusually busy. Kyle, too, seemed swamped with state affairs, often returning to his quarters late at night.

Because of the increased number of people coming and going in the palace, Kyle had been summoning me to the main building less often. Instead, he seemed to focus all his unspent energy on our nights together, becoming noticeably more obsessive. It felt as though his goal was to completely drain me, leaving me too exhausted to even lift a finger.

Occasionally, he would call me to his office. When I arrived, he would pull me into a tight embrace, his expression one of quiet desperation, and lie down with me on the daybed. Just like that first night in the palace—when he had clung to me as though I were nothing more than a body pillow—he would simply wrap himself around me, saying nothing.

‘Something must have happened that day…’

This change began after the day Kyle showed me the site of the annex.

Thinking back on the peculiar look in his eyes that day, I couldn’t help but feel that there was a special reason behind the current commotion in the palace. Still, I wasn’t sure I had the right to ask. All I could do was hope that he at least managed to rest well when he could. If it was something I needed to know, he would tell me.

In the meantime, the best I could do was research herbs in my lab to create remedies for his fatigue and occasionally give him something to help him recover. I also continued developing tonics to address insomnia and erectile dysfunction—issues that seemed unrelated to his current symptoms but still worth working on.

“Here are the stairs, miss.”

“Thank you.”

As we entered the stairwell that led directly to the area next to Kyle’s office, Yvette kindly reminded me to be careful.

‘Twelve steps, six times—then I’ll be there.’

I climbed the stairs with practiced ease, counting them silently in my head just as Yvette had taught me.

“They’re here.”

A voice I didn’t recognize echoed from somewhere above.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps followed—tap, tap, tap—growing steadily louder. Someone was coming down the stairs.

It was the first time I had sensed someone else’s presence this close while using this stairwell, especially since it was a direct route to Kyle’s office and not connected to other floors.

The thought of encountering a stranger left me frozen in place. The main building of the palace was reserved for the royal family and their loyal nobles. Someone like me—a commoner, not even officially registered—was an anomaly, a glaringly misplaced stain in such a space.

But something felt strange. This stairwell led exclusively to the area adjacent to Kyle’s office and was said to be strictly restricted. So why was someone else here?

Yvette, too, seemed startled. She stopped abruptly on the landing, hesitating.

The footsteps grew louder—tap, tap, tap—until finally, the figures appeared on the landing just one step above ours.

“Lady Edelsbach? And who’s that next to her?”

“Did she bring along a peddler selling witches’ trinkets?”

Their mocking laughter echoed soon after. Judging by their voices, the speakers were young women, likely just past adulthood.

But it was odd. They didn’t seem to show the slightest courtesy to Yvette, instead jeeLyng at her companion—me. From their tone, it was clear they were noblewomen, yet it was strange that they acted so freely without any restraint in front of Yvette, a member of a duchy. What’s more, even though my appearance might seem suspicious, the fact that I was walking arm-in-arm with Yvette should have made it clear that mocking me was tantamount to mocking her.

I could hear the faintest shift in Yvette’s normally calm breathing, now slightly uneven.

‘But… calling me a witch? Do they know something?’

At the moment, I was wearing an outdoor robe. Ever since that day in the audience chamber, Kyle had forbidden me from wearing dresses, even when going to the main building. Since it wouldn’t do to wander the palace in just an indoor slip dress, I had thrown on a robe to cover myself. To top it off, I had pulled the hood low over my face, hiding my eyes and keeping my appearance inconspicuous.

Even so, I had to admit my outfit, even to my own eyes, looked suspicious in this setting. But to specifically call me a witch?

“Lady Dorisson, Lady Delynn, good afternoon.”

At that moment, Yvette, having steadied her breathing, raised her voice with a poised and dignified tone.

“Hmph, ahem…”

“Hah.”

Though the two women coughed and scoffed in irritation, they must have known they couldn’t entirely justify their behavior. Yvette’s composed response, despite ignoLyng their remarks, made it clear she wasn’t backing down, leaving them visibly disgruntled.

“That said… this person is a guest of His Majesty. I suggest you show her proper respect.”

“Oh? A guest?”

“Since when has a pretentious maid become a guest?”

At the phrase pretentious maid, I froze, unable to hide my shock.

Had rumors about me begun to spread?

How could they know about me?

Whenever I went to the main building, I always kept my face hidden, which made my other senses naturally more attuned. I was well aware that Yvette always took me through the least populated routes, ensuring we avoided anyone. The courtyard between the inner palace and the main building, too, was accessible only to a select few, so it was similarly desolate.

‘Then again… it’s no surprise that rumors have spread, considering how Kyle keeps me locked away with him for hours every time he calls for me.’

Even though Kyle’s behavior in his office was so brazen, I’d assumed only trusted people were allowed near the area.

‘You overthink too much. About everything.’

Or perhaps… Kyle simply didn’t care about how others saw him. He wasn’t the kind of man to concern himself with anyone else’s opinions.

‘But if rumors about a witch get out, it won’t do him any good.’

As my thoughts spiraled, the two women continued whispering among themselves—if you could even call it whispering, since their words were clearly intended to be overheard.

“Honestly, she looks exactly like the rumors said.”

“The late kings must be rolling in their graves.”

“Honestly, His Majesty is admirable for his care for the people, but… should he really lower himself to embrace just anyone?”

“Well, after spending so many years in the wild, I suppose it’s natural he’d develop a taste for cheap food.”

“I beg your pardon!”

Yvette, unable to endure their words any longer, raised her voice sharply.

“You may insult me all you wish, but do you truly believe I wouldn’t report everything I just heard to His Majesty? I am, after all, an Edelsbach.”

Her words struck a nerve. The women above fell silent, momentarily stunned.

“What’s more, this stairwell is a restricted area, accessible only to those granted prior permission by His Majesty. If it’s revealed that not only did the two of you trespass here but also uttered such disrespectful remarks, there will be no leniency!”

“Hmph! Who let the guard dog bark so loudly at the front gate?”

“As if His Majesty would spare you a glance just because of this!”

Clearly rattled by Yvette’s words, the two women stomped down the stairs in a huff, their heels clicking loudly as they shoved past her, bumping her shoulder in the process. Thud, thud, thud—their indignant footsteps echoed down the stairwell, growing fainter as they descended.