The Tyrant Wants To Live Honestly

The pitiful gaze she occasionally sent toward him represented Dorothea’s heart. Still, Ray believed that there was a certain amount of affection in those eyes.

But it seems that wasn’t the case.

“You are not an idiot! You’re the kind of person who goes to Episteme!”

Clara said to Ray who was smirking.

You go to Episteme and you’re not an idiot!

Episteme was the empire’s premier educational institution. A place where talented people from all over the world gather!

Moreover, it was an independent educational institution, not a place where admissions could be freely decided by the imperial family.

Ray was a dignified passing student who passed the exam properly. Just walking in there is already huge, how can you call it an idiot!

“I still got 80th place in this episteme test…”

After hearing Clara’s words, it was a bit unfair, so Ray made excuses for himself.

80th place out of 100 students per grade in Episteme.

It may be a pathetic and shabby grade for some, but it was a great achievement for Ray, who came in as a pull-up in the Episteme entrance exam.

In addition, swordsmanship and horseback riding were ranked as one of the best, and now he knew how to solve difficult equations. Of course, compared to other Episteme friends, it still lacks a lot, but for Ray, it was the result of a lot of hard work.

In order to reach that level, He endured the painful times of episteme by studying with tears every day.

Waiting to go see Dorothea on vacation.

“Don’t cry, your majesty. It must have been the words of the princess who came to visit so suddenly.”

“No. Dorothea must be sincere. She never responded to my letter.”

There was always no reply to the letters He sent with his heart once or twice a month.

Ray wasn’t stupid.

Still, foolishly, did Dorothea not receive the letter? Is Dorothy Too Busy? Or is it that She is not feeling well and that it is difficult to reply? She sent a reply, but was it lost in the middle? 

Ray imagined such excuses and rationalized the non-response.

It’s so sad that Dorothea doesn’t reply after receiving the letter.

“I wish Dorothea would like me…I never know what to do.”

Clara didn’t know what to say to Ray like that. Clara knew that Dorothea didn’t like Ray.

She would be happy to receive a letter from her brother from far away, but Dorothea didn’t always look at Ray’s letter.

Joy, who was rude and lowly, was generously accepted, and he got along very well with Ethan, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Bronte, but he was only cold to Ray.

“Does the nanny know what Dorothea likes? If I do what Dorothea likes, will she like me?”

Ray looked at Clara as if asking for help. Because of his desperate blue eyes, Clara was compelled to answer Ray.

Clara thought about what Dorothea, who was always blunt, liked, and then came up with an answer.

“Oh, she likes to practice swordsmanship. She does it every day without skipping.”

“Swords? I’m good at swordsmanship!”

Ray’s face, which had been gloomy like a rainy day, cleared up a little.

He had one of the best 

swordsmanships in the episteme.

A subject he has little confidence in. If that’s the case, he Will be able to show it off proudly without being ignored by Dorothea.

“Then if I show her how to use a sword, will she like it … ?”

Ray was excited that maybe he could teach Dorothy a sword or practice with her.

“Ah! right. Just a few days later, there is a swordsmanship competition held in the village under the name of the duke. How about going out there?”

“A swordsmanship competition?”

Ray nodded.

If he wins there, won’t Dorothea recognize his skills and look at his cool side?

Trying to do anything, Ray asked Clara to apply so he could go too.

Then someone knocked on the door.

“Theon.”

“Ray, the princess must be feeling a bit unwell.”

“The princess is not feeling well?”

Clara asked in surprise. Dorothea must have been flying with a sword until this morning.

“I should have told the princess first, but I came suddenly… I was so rude that she was not in good shape, but a guest who she didn’t even invite came…”

Theon didn’t believe Dorothea was not feeling well.

Dorothea was deliberately avoiding him. She didn’t say exactly what the reason was, but it was certain that he was an uninvited guest here.

“I think I’d better go back now.”

“Oh! You came today, what are you talking about? However, you should rest here for a few days.”

Clara waved her hand.

It was not polite to kick him out as soon as he arrived, a guest who had come a long way for Dorothea.

If he just went, wouldn’t it be a waste of time to get to this far place?

“Maybe she is a little tired from practicing swordsmanship this morning. She also went to town. I’ll go and check the princess. You two are resting in your room.”

Clara rushed to the infirmary where Theon had told her to see Dorothea, who was not feeling well.

When Clara left, only Ray and Theon remained.

Theon glanced at Ray. There were tears in Ray’s eyes. Ray, who was overflowing with happiness when he came down here, was no longer.

“I didn’t mean to come.”

“No. It’s because of me.”

Ray laughed bitterly.

Feeling pity for that, Theon quietly patted Ray on the back.

He knew best how much Ray looked forward to meeting Dorothea, so he could best understand how Ray was feeling right now.

Ray used to talk about Dorothea as usual. Especially after sending a letter to Dorothy, every day he asks, ‘Will I get a reply today? Will I get a reply when I return to the palace?’ 

Dorothea was the person Ray was waiting for with a face full of excitement.

However, as days went by without a reply, Ray became quieter.  But just because he didn’t say it didn’t mean he didn’t wait for Dorothea’s reply.

When he goes back to the palace, he always checks first to see if he has a letter from Dorothea, and then turns around quietly.

“It must have been that I came here for no reason and she felt worse. I am not a member of the imperial family, nor am I close to the princess…”

Theon, who was comforting Ray, stopped talking.

What caught his eye was a small handkerchief next to Dorothea’s bed.

The embroidery on the corner was the coat of arms of Prince Fried.

The handkerchief, which is very different from this villa, the space of Milanaire, was folded like a very precious object and placed in the center of the side table as if it was displayed.

‘Why is it there?’

Theon remembered giving her a handkerchief a long time ago while dusting off Dorothea’s.

Dorothy, the princess, doesn’t have a handkerchief, so it must not be that she is still using his handkerchief.

‘I thought she would have thrown it away…’

It didn’t matter, Dorothea didn’t like Theon. maybe.

did you keep the things of the people you don’t like so close to you?

Or did she keep it so she could return it when Theon came? But by the bedside?

The handkerchief was obviously his, but Theon looked like a code that the handkerchief could not break.

* * *

Ethan knew who he was from an early age.

His mother was a woman selling herself in a bar, while his father, who was difficult to call his father, was a great duke. He was born and grew up with his mother for four years before coming to this duke’s family. The mother needed money and could not afford to raise the child.

The duke did him better than expected. Not only the duke, but most of the people of this spacious duke’s mansion favored him.

It was thanks to the face that ‘looked like the bitch who slapped the Duke of Bronte’.

Ethan knew from a very early age that his appearance was superior to others. His world was kinder than others.

There was always sincerity in the vain compliments He heard every day for being handsome.

When someone else smiles, the reaction is different than when he smiles. When his half-brother Jonathan talks to him, he reacts differently. The comparison was easy, and he found that a rolled stone shines brighter than an embedded stone.

Is it because he inherited the blood of his mother who worked in a bar? 

He knew how to win the hearts of people.

If you subtract the color of the mother and add the color of the aristocratic Bronte family, the perfect ‘Ethan Bronte’ is completed.

So it was easy for Ethan Bronte to survive in the dukes.

People gave him another piece of chocolate when he smiled, and when he shed a tear, the whole cake came out.

Not even the Duchess could hate him. No, rather, she cherished him and felt sorry for him.

“What’s wrong with this pretty little child…!”

Ethan’s arrival deteriorated the Duchess’ relationship with the Duke, but neither of them blamed Ethan.

For being innocent of a cute little child. Ethan paid the most attention to the Duchess.

Everything inside the duke was the wife’s business, so he rolled his head to make him look more like a lovable child.

Fortunately, the eldest son of the Bronte family, Jonathan Bronte, was not so clever.

While Ethan was only doing things that would be pleasing to him, Jonathan had an accident just like children his age.

Ethan liked Jonathan like that.

Compared to the inexperienced Jonathan, Ethan stood out more. Adults were strange people who hated children to cause accidents even though they were children. Anyway, thanks to that, Ethan, who was smart and quick-witted, was able to survive.

Ethan especially enjoyed touching Jonathan’s stuff on purpose.

“Ethan! That horse doll is mine!”

When he touched Jonathan’s thing, Jonathan got angry and ran and took the thing violently.

“Ah… !”

Ethan was knocked down by the power of his big brother, and then the servants came running in surprise.

“Master Ethan!”

“Ugh… I was going to shake off the doll because there was dirt on it.”

With a moderate sniff, the servants sided with him, and it was Jonathan who was scolded.