I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep

Chapter 30 ‘Gosh…’I looked at Floria with pity.She’d always said she wanted to get to know Caesar, but now that they’d met, she was saying this. I knew she’d be whining in a few days that she regretted it.‘But Caesar is more mature, right?’I looked away nervously and saw a hardened face.“Evelyn likes you more?”A chill was rising from Caesar’s voice.“I’m sorry, but I think I misunderstood something. Evelyn likes me more. She’s always by my side, from the time I wake up in the morning until I go to sleep at night.”“Your highness!”What kind of childish fight is this?“Evelyn!”Floria drooped her eyebrows and clung to me. Apparently she felt she was no match for Caesar.“Is it true, you really like my brother better than me?”“Of course. Otherwise, would she come to my palace? Now Evelyn is my personal maid.”“But, but!”Floria’s face turned bright red, as if tears were about to fall. I was just standing there, caught between the two of them, not knowing what to do.“Choose it, Evelyn!”“Yes?”“Yes, choose.”A sobbing Floria and Caesar with raised eyes looked at me from both sides.“Choose what…”“Is it me or my brother?”“Is it me or her?”My jaw dropped at the childish words.It was difficult for me to understand the whole flow of consciousness as to how the quarrel that started with the headdress came to this point.‘Seeing the eight and fifteen years together so well, it seems like they are indeed related by blood…’I looked at the brothers and sisters who looked alike today with perplexity.Eventually, as I made my way to the ballroom, I reached for Floria’s ribbon. No matter how I thought about it, Caesar’s choice was too colorful.I thought it would be better to look ridiculous, even if it was a bit childish. That way, no one would be wary of me.“It’s ridiculous.”Caesar, of course, was not pleased with my choice; he was almost treating me like a traitor.All the way to the ballroom, Caesar’s expression was sour.“That ribbon is good, isn’t it?”“No, it’s not… the crown prince’s patience. She’s only eight years old, and she’s a child who needs to be taken care of, so you should be a little more mature.”These words were meant to appease Caesar, but his hardened face did not straighten.“That’s how it is. Young, weak, and….”“What?”“I know your type.”“My type? What type?”I asked, but Caesar did not open his mouth again. ***** When the banquet began, Caesar was summoned away. He didn’t want to be separated from me, but he had no choice.He was the center of attention at this banquet.“There are too many dirty people.”Devit, standing next to me, drank her drink with a dissatisfied expression.Although the crown prince was the host of the banquet, the venue was the Central Palace, so there wasn’t much for us maids to do after the banquet began.So the maids, including me, were dancing, eating, drinking, and enjoying the banquet.I, of course, was on high alert.Caesar’s fifteenth birthday. A day that would not have come if he had died, as the story goes.‘No one knows what will happen.’Originally, Caesar died before this day came, and the aristocrats had acted as if they had been waiting for it, which meant that even if it hadn’t happened as planned, they might have been prepared.‘Maybe they’ve run out of patience by now.’So today, anything could happen. Today was the day for all the high nobles to gather, including the Emperor.“Hey, Evelyn. That man over there, do you know what his family is?”Devit asked, whispering, apparently thinking I was looking around for a decent man, just like she was.“No.”I don’t have many connections, and I’m not interested in men, so who am I to know?I shook my head, but Devit’s chatter continued.“Wow, look at that. That man! How is his skin so good? I mean, he’s a Viscount of Galact, and he’s grown so big! Did you know that, Evelyn?”“No.”I’m still listening to Devit out of the corner of my eye, and this time she slaps me hard on the forearm.“Oh my!”“Why again!”She kept doing this, and now I was getting annoyed.‘Yeah, he’s good looking…’“How did he get here…!”But Devit’s reaction was much different than before: her jaw was clenched and she couldn’t breathe.“Who is it?”Rubbing my forearm, I asked.“That one! The one just coming in!”“Who is it…”‘Huh?’Where her fingertips pointed, there was the back of a gorgeous blonde head.“Maybe that person…”The man turned his head, revealing a high bridge of a nose that looked like it could cut.‘That’s right!’It was unmistakable. It was the handsome man walking back to the mansion from Duke Spiegel’s ballroom.‘Because men who look like that aren’t common. And that gorgeous hair.’“Devit, do you know him?”“Of course I do! Who doesn’t! Oh, they said he’s new to the palace. He was a student at the Central Academy, so you might not recognize him.”“Central Academy?”“Yes. I wonder if he’s already graduated? He’s only fifteen, and he’s even more handsome!”“So who is he? Do you even know his name?”As I frowned in frustration, Devit exclaimed loudly.“Blond hair, golden eyes, dazzling looks, he’s from the Duke of Bryden!”“Duke Bryden?”Bryden, Bryden…It was definitely a name I had heard somewhere.‘Where did I hear that?’I can’t easily forget that look.“Yeah, Ian Bryden!”What?Again, I quickly turned my head and looked at the man named Ian.A face that is gorgeous but elegant and even looks holy.‘No way….’My mind flashed back to the face of Floria, who had been talking so lively in front of me just moments ago.Without realizing it, I opened my mouth.Ian Bryden. That was the name of the original male lead.‘Male lead? Is he really that person?’It didn’t make sense, because in the original, he had snow-white hair.‘But now he’s blonde. Is it the same person?’But first and last name, title, and even attending the academy. Everything matched the setting in the original story.‘Is that really him? But why is the Male lead here?’Even if the male lead was right, there was another strange thing.His first appearance in the original was in the Salmon region. Because he first met Floria there, who had fled to escape the rebellion of the aristocratic faction.This was after she had reached adulthood, so it was years, if not decades, later.‘The reason he went to Salmon was because his family had fallen…’The cause of his family’s downfall, like Floria, was the result of a rebellion by the nobility. The Brydens had been loyal to the Emperor for generations.In that rebellion, he lost both his parents, which he later avenged by driving out the noble faction.‘But that was before the rebellion. Now that Caesar is alive, there’s a good chance there won’t be a rebellion at all.’In other words, his parents are still alive, and his family hasn’t fallen.So it was no wonder he was in the palace.‘Then if the rebellion doesn’t happen like this… Does Ian continue to live with his family?’And if that happened, I didn’t know if he’d be able to meet Floria sooner.‘If they meet, will he know that she is his guide?’I didn’t really think much about the original male lead. After that, I couldn’t even predict how things would turn out in the future. There were now more variables to consider.“Oh my, my. He’s so handsome!”Davit trembled at my side.“First in his class at the academy, graduated at the top of his class, good looks, and a great family – he’s got it all!”‘Face, hair, money, even honor. He’s the male lead after all.’Although in the original story, he has all of those things, he is doomed to fall.Devit’s words made me stare at Ian. He was certainly a handsome man.‘I think Caesar is more handsome….’Ian looked a bit, well, sinister.The moment I thought of that, I felt as if my eyes met Ian.“Oh my God, I think he’s looking this way. Did he see me?”I flinched and shivered. There’s no way Ian knows me, so why does he seem to be staring at me?“What should we do! What if he asks me to dance? Huh?”Ian’s gaze lingered on Devitt for a moment, seemingly uninterested in her, before he withdrew it.He greeted several nobles with a smile.His demeanor was unremarkable and casual, and soon even Devitt was looking away from Ian, searching for another man, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.It was a gut feeling of uneasiness, but above all, it was because of the events of the day.Duke Spiegel’s banquet. Why did Ian go back to the Duke’s mansion?‘That too when all the banquets were over. In such a rush?’Of course, he could have left something behind, or it could just be my misunderstanding…‘Suspicious.’And those eyes that stared at me.