Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 4. The Tyrant’s Gift (4)

After the former employees left the Hyacinth Palace, Lavinia collapsed onto a sofa. A servant quickly brought her a glass of water, which she drank to catch her breath.

“…They’re all gone now, my lady.”

“They’ve left the palace for sure, haven’t they?”

“Yes, they have.”

The maid answered, cautiously watching Lavinia’s expression. She had thought Lavinia to be rather composed, but her earlier outburst had been completely unexpected.

“Why did you send them away? I heard they served you for a long time at the duke’s residence.”

“I wasn’t in the mood to see them, that’s all. I don’t want to talk about it any further, so don’t ask.”

Lavinia replied coldly and ordered everyone to leave, saying she wanted to be alone. The attendants left the room, leaving her in solitude.

“Phew…”

Her hands, resting on her lap, trembled uncontrollably. When she clasped them together, her fingertips still felt icy. She couldn’t fathom what Cassion was thinking.

Staying in the palace was not an option—she had no intention of dying because of Cassion’s jealousy. If Cassion ever met Albert, he would undoubtedly discover that Lavinia was Albert’s first love. Then, Cassion would inevitably kill her, blaming her for his failure to win Albert’s heart.

“But why… why is he doing this to me?!”

No matter how much Lavinia tried to deny that Cassion had any interest in her, his decision to send her to this palace made his intentions clear.

“No… Maybe not yet. I’ve only seen Cassion for two days, after all. There could be another reason—perhaps he sent me here temporarily for some other purpose.”

She desperately hoped that was the case. Lavinia didn’t want to be trapped in this palace, tethered to Cassion.

“I just want to live a happy life this time around! Why does everything… why is everything always so difficult for me?”

Why was nothing going her way? Even after reincarnating, she found herself trapped in a BL novel. While being born as the only daughter of a duke’s household seemed like a stroke of luck, her twenty-plus years of hard work to become the heir of the duchy had all led to a devastating outcome.

Seeing familiar faces again was bittersweet, as the location made the encounter unbearable. Overwhelmed by a torrent of tension and fear, tears began streaming uncontrollably down Lavinia’s face.

“Sniff… hic…”

She wanted to live. She wanted to prevent those people from dying. If they stayed by her side, Lavinia would have no choice but to endure, unable to escape Cassion’s grasp, simply to protect them.

Was it so wrong to want to start a new life in a safe place? The tears she had been holding back burst forth, pouring down without end. Lavinia was grateful she had sent everyone away from the room.

Knock, knock.

The sound of tapping on the window startled her. Just when she thought the day couldn’t get any worse, it did.

Outside the window, Lavinia recognized the face of a soldier watching her with concern.

It was Albert.

＊ ＊ ＊

If Cassion managed to capture Albert, everything would be over. With a face pale as a sheet, Lavinia rushed to the window. Outside, the garden stretched out—a perfectly maintained space that had been emptied in preparation for its new owner.

Even so, the thought of being spotted by the guards made Lavinia bite her lip. As she opened the window, Albert silently slipped inside without a sound.

“What are you doing here? Why are you here?”

“I heard from the palace staff sent to the duke’s estate that they were recruiting people to serve in the Hyacinth Palace,” Albert replied.

Unlike Hans, who was shunned by the duke’s household, Albert still had a few loyal people who passed information to him. Lavinia quickly pieced together what must have happened.

Albert was one of only fifty sword masters on the continent. While that number sounded significant, if one excluded those in seclusion or residing outside the empire, it wasn’t very many at all.

“…Even so, breaking into the palace? Have you lost your mind?”

“I wanted to make sure you were safe,” Albert said firmly, his gaze dropping to her tear-streaked cheeks.

Lavinia furrowed her brow. Of all the people, Albert was the last person she wanted to see her crying. When he reached out to wipe her tears, she swatted his hand away.

“What are you doing? Do you still think I’m your stepsister?”

She couldn’t even raise her voice for fear that someone outside might overhear. Albert’s face twisted into a pained expression as he stared at her.

“I will spend the rest of my life making up for lying to you.”

“I don’t need that.”

If anyone saw this scene—if anyone caught Albert leaving the Hyacinth Palace—Lavinia would be in serious trouble.

“How exactly do you think you’re going to help me in this situation? You being here is already making things worse for me. Get out of the palace before someone comes!”

“Why were you crying?” Albert asked, his face set in determination.

Lavinia recognized that look—Albert’s expression when he was resolutely set on something.

“It’s none of your business.”

“It’s because of the emperor, isn’t it? Everyone across the continent knows he’s a man who loves other men. You’re not someone who would be content as a hollow, powerless empress,” he said, his voice calm but cutting.

Lavinia had no idea what he was trying to get at, and it only irritated her more. As she moved to shove him away, Albert grabbed her hands, holding them tightly.

“Lady Lavinia. No—Leni.”

Lavinia froze, startled, and looked up at him. Albert’s face was deadly serious.

“Run away with me. I’ll take you out of the empire.”

“…What?”

For a moment, her mind went blank. She’d been consumed by thoughts of escaping the palace for so long that the suddenness of his words overwhelmed her. Albert continued, his tone filled with quiet urgency.

“I’m not trying to force you to become anything to me. I’ve already tried to take your life away from you once… so this time, let me save it.”

Albert’s voice spoke of the freedom Lavinia had longed for: freedom to escape Cassion, freedom to find happiness, and freedom to feel safe.

In the original story, Lavinia had fled to avoid her marriage to the emperor. She wasn’t the protagonist, and the knight who accompanied her hadn’t even been given a name. Wasn’t it possible, then, that anyone who happened to be a knight could take his place?

“Leni, come with me. You can’t endure a life like this. I’ll protect you.”

Lavinia’s heart wavered, her emotions in turmoil. Of all moments, Albert had to appear when she was at her weakest. If it had been anyone other than Albert, she might have said yes.

“Let go of me.”

“Leni.”

Tears fell freely from Lavinia’s eyes as she glared at Albert.

“I can take care of my life on my own. Stop meddling in it.”

Albert’s lingering presence in the empire was likely more her fault than Hans’s. Even Albert’s attention, which should have been comforting, only irritated her.

Why does this ridiculous setup exist? Why does it put my life in danger like this?!

“…Didn’t I hear the lady tell you to let go?”

A cold voice sliced through the air, and Lavinia’s face drained of all color. Both she and Albert turned their heads toward the door—the only entrance to the room.

There stood Cassion.

As a transcendental being, Cassion had planned to appear before Lavinia at just the right moment, expecting her to welcome him with joy. However, things hadn’t gone as he’d anticipated. Lavinia didn’t seem to like the Hyacinth Palace, and when she saw the former servants from the duke’s residence, she’d even gotten angry.

When he sensed that Lavinia, left alone in her room, had started crying, Cassion felt as if his insides were burning. Then, he detected someone approaching her window. Lavinia should have screamed and called for help, but instead, she opened the window and let the person in.

Realizing this, Cassion felt an unfamiliar and overwhelming emotion flood his mind: jealousy. A fierce, violent jealousy made him want to rush in and tear the intruder apart. Yet the possibility that this man might be Lavinia’s lover held him back.

If I kill her lover, will she ever love me? No woman would love the man who killed her most precious person.

Still, he couldn’t risk anyone discovering this clandestine meeting. He dismissed everyone in the vicinity and eavesdropped on their conversation from just outside Lavinia’s door. His transcendental senses made it easy to hide his presence and listen in.

Even without being in the same room, Cassion’s heightened awareness allowed him to sense the swordmaster and overhear their exchange. Fortunately, the man wasn’t Lavinia’s lover, and she seemed to oppose him. But when the conversation reached a critical juncture, Cassion froze.

Would she take his hand and leave with him?

“Let go of her hand,” Cassion said, his voice laced with menace.

Each step he took felt like a threat in and of itself. Before Albert could respond, Lavinia had already yanked her hand out of his grasp.

“Y-Your Majesty… Ah, I greet the sun of Adalaxus,” Lavinia stammered, bowing with trembling formality.

It was all over. Lavinia wanted nothing more than to collapse and faint. Cassion, his gaze sharp and menacing, bore down on Albert.

“Do you know who this man is?” Cassion asked coldly.

Lavinia glanced nervously at Albert, panic flashing in her eyes. It was too late. Cassion had already seen him. Would he imprison Albert?

“H-he’s… someone who was once my stepbrother,” Lavinia answered hesitantly.

Albert, still disguised as a soldier of the imperial palace, didn’t dare make a move. He was acutely aware of the murderous intent emanating from Cassion, as sharp as a blade piercing his skin. That alone was enough to tell him he couldn’t stand against this man.

There wasn’t a soul in the empire who didn’t know the emperor was a transcendental being. Albert knew he should have been more cautious, but when he saw Lavinia crying, he couldn’t stop himself.

Realizing he had no chance against Cassion, Albert fell to his knees.

“Your Majesty, Lady Lavinia knows nothing of this. It was my decision to act alone. If you must punish someone… punish me.”

“Leave.”

Cassion wanted nothing more than to kill Albert on the spot, but he held back, his voice cold and commanding. Both Albert and Lavinia turned to him in shock.

“If I kill you here, it will put the lady in a difficult position. So, make sure no one notices and get out of here immediately.”

Lavinia, trembling, glanced at Albert with a flicker of hope in her eyes. Albert, however, looked at her with desperation. He couldn’t leave her behind in this place.

“In that case, Your Majesty, could you also allow Lavinia to—”

“Silence!”

Cassion’s roar made Lavinia flinch, her shoulders jerking up in fear. Though he immediately regretted his outburst, the boiling fury inside him was impossible to contain.

“The lady will stay by my side! Don’t make me regret sparing your life. Now, leave! At once!”

Cassion’s shout echoed through the room. Lavinia looked at Albert, her face streaked with tears. Albert shook his head, reluctant to leave, but Lavinia sobbed as she spoke.

“Just go! Quickly!”

Albert was the one who had thrown everything into chaos. If Lavinia were honest, she wanted nothing more than to grab the nearest vase and hurl it at him.

Cassion watched the two of them, his piercing gaze cold and calculating, before striding forward with purpose. Albert instinctively stepped in front of Lavinia, his body acting as a shield.

This is ridiculous!

“Go! Just go already!”

In her panic, Lavinia began hitting Albert’s arms and shoulders, frantic to get him to leave. Caught off guard, Albert turned his head, and in that moment, Cassion reached out.

“Leni!”

With a swift motion, Cassion pulled Lavinia to him, his fiery gaze locking onto Albert. Lavinia was already trembling in his arms, her face buried against his chest. The sorrow she’d been holding back spilled out as muffled sobs.

“…”

Albert, staring blankly at Lavinia in Cassion’s embrace, clenched his jaw until his lips nearly split. Slowly, he turned away and left through the same window he had entered.

“Sniff… sob…”