The Tyrant’s Tranquilizer

Serwin had a habit of breaking things and sarcastically criticizing the aristocrats’ mistakes.

However, he did not abandon his work. He handled his daily routine mechanically as usual. It was only that there were a lot of violent tendencies.

Serwin used to show sudden violence. He was merciless, and he did not tolerate even the slightest mistake. He got angry easily and drew his sword. It was not uncommon for him to break things or hurt people.

‘I expected him to be gentle, but now he’s back to the old His Majesty!’

The Palace was afraid once more.

‘Now is the time for anyone to go on the path to the afterlife—’

Serwin used to kill people when he felt uneasy. When the victim occurred, it was quiet for a while, so among the people of the imperial palace, it was only necessary to avoid the moment when Serwin exploded.

Regardless of their status, everyone in the palace was anxious to keep an eye on Serwin. Under the pretense of illness, several aristocrats did not enter the palace at all, while aides left work without saying anything. Even the sound of breathing was carefully monitored by the servants, who did not take sick days or leave work.

Serwin’s office was in silence. It was originally a quiet place because Serwin hated noise, but it has been severe lately. In particular, after Chad returned from reporting, there was no sound of flipping the paper or slapping the pen. It was because everyone in the room was desperately trying not to provoke Serwin.

Serwin, who is actually leading this atmosphere, was lost in thought.

‘Count Manvers—’

Count Manvers was a problematic man with a quick wit and good skill, but he was a wonderful hand to have because he was open about his desire to make his daughter Empress. Serwin did not aggressively reject Renia since he acted as if he were a son-in-law and helped him. But it was the last word. As he tried to bother Amelie, he couldn’t spare any more.

‘If Baron Avery discovers the slush fund’s whereabouts, I’ll have to deal with it right away.’

He was both sad and excited at the thought of seeing blood for the first time in a long time. It wasn’t his emotions that were bothering him; rather, it was the disaster. Serwin’s ear was filled with the sound of disaster. His voice sounded like it was being said by numerous people at the same time.

‘Shut up.’

Serwin frowned. The number of disasters coming has been increasing since he began to distance himself from Amelie. That wasn’t the only thing. His patience was getting thin, and he was often thirsty.

‘I’ve only been keeping my distance for a short time, but I can’t believe it’s actually happening.’

Serwin was purposely putting distance between himself and Amelie. He was going to sit quietly and wait for her to ask for help. The plan was that if she suffered, she would understand how difficult living in the Palace was and ask his help.

The situation turned out to be what Serwin expected. Amelie was struggling with an obstacle called Renia Manvers. But Amelie didn’t visit him. She just works with the maid.

It was Serwin who looked like a child. The more he kept away from her, the more he realized how much influence she had on him.

It’s not like he didn’t meet her at all. He still sleeps next to her every night. He simply stopped speaking to me face to face. How could it be so difficult just for that?  The physical condition was stable but the problem was with the mind.

‘What if she decides to leave at this rate?’

Anxiety washed over him now and then.

‘I have to get used to keeping my distance. I’m too dependent on her right now.’

He seemed to take it for granted that she was by his side at some point.

‘No, but how come you didn’t come to me first?’

Cling.

When he mistakenly added strength to his hand, the pen broke. Serwin’s palm was soaked with ink, which dripped onto the desk. His servants were frozen without the thought of cleaning the ink because his expression was frightening.

Even if he told her not to come out when there was something she wanted, she would come to the Imperial Palace, but when he gave me permission to go around the palace freely, she wouldn’t even come near the Imperial Palace. Wouldn’t it be possible to stop by the Imperial Palace at least once on the way? After entering the Imperial Palace, it is okay to come and visit the office for a moment!

‘If you say a word to me, everything will be solved—’

The more he thought about it, the more fierce Serwin’s eyes became. The room was cool because of the increasingly brutal atmosphere.

“Hukk—”

A servant let out a groan without realizing it.

‘Things that have worked for me for several years—’

Isn’t it like his aides, who are his direct servants, who are only keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t go too far? He became angry when he noticed him rolling his eyes.

Kwang! 

The aides all shook their shoulders at the same time when the desk was kicked. It was the result of a conflict between the animal instinct to escape out of this place and the social instinct to continue in order to survive.

Serwin frowned and clicked his tongue in displeasure. There was nothing about this or that that he liked.

‘Amelie wouldn’t do that.’

With a glance and fear, Amelie is not going to go lost. Her stiffening and rolling eyes were no different than his aides’, yet Serwin thought she was cute.

Is it because of the first impression? The little bird, resembling a rolling cotton ball, was just cute no matter how frightened and looked at. That impression remained in his mind to this day.

Serwin first recalled the day she visited the Imperial Palace.

She firmly said that she had run away from home after doing something foolish by Serwin’s standards. Her green eyes were tense and mischievous at the same time. Her dress was also embellished with red flowers.  But the flowers could not be compared to her brilliance.

‘Was she always that pretty?’

Serwin was able to recall Amelie’s appearance after some time had passed and the commotion had disappeared. She is a beautiful woman who stands firm in her opinions. Serwin was purely admiring. It wasn’t like anything he’d ever experienced before.

Amelie thought Serwin was busy enough to sleep less, so she would not come to the Emperor’s palace, so if he abandoned her, the relationship would naturally unravel. However, the Emperor’s pride blocked Serwin. He didn’t want to admit he was being swayed by her.

Even though he was already being swayed by the fact that he was thinking about Amelie with his mind.

“I’m going to take a break to clear my head.”

Serwin got up from his chair. Swinging a sword felt like a good way to get away from thinking about her. When Serwin left the office, a sigh broke out at the same time.

“Haa.”

“Haa, I really thought I was going to die today.”

The people of the Imperial Palace were having a warlike day today.

*******

Serwin announced a few days later that he would throw a celebration for the Imperial Family. This information quickly spread throughout the country. It was a celebration of Serwin’s return, but everyone knew it was actually a place for the Emperor’s lover to be presented.

Even before receiving the invitation, the nobles began to prepare for the party. It was because it would be too late to start after receiving an invitation.

The capital was buzzing with excitement. Unlike the previous emperors, Serwin hated parties, so it had been a long time since a party hosted by the Imperial family had been held. Nobles began to dress up in order to stand out. They spent a lot of money on new banquet gowns and accessories using the Imperial celebration as an excuse. The related vendors yelled with delight at the rush of orders. Popular shops have had to hire a separate employee to write rejection letters.

Mrs Enard’s party preparation lecture began the afternoon of the day when the party was decided. It was not like having tea with some ladies at the party. More people would be required, and many of them would be interested in Amelie.

“They won’t be able to disturb you openly, even if they are afraid of His Majesty. But I’ve been telling you right from the beginning, haven’t I? The knife that comes from their mouth is much more scary. It’s quite simple to make a fool of one person at a time.”

“Yes. Mrs. I know.”

“Really! What was His Majesty’s idea of throwing a party in such a hurry—”

Mrs. Enard sighed. The plan to grind Amelie step by step has all been distorted. What she needed to teach was a pile of mountains, but she didn’t have much time. It was a tight time to learn to dance properly.

“Your feet are in the wrong position! Right foot first! Then left foot towards two o’clock!

Mrs. Enard instructed Amelie to change the posture of her feet. While performing the piano accompaniment, Milena burst out laughing.

“You have no talent for dancing, Miss Amelie!”

“Yes, absolutely not.”

“It’s nothing to laugh about!”

Mrs. Enard was strict. Without even having time to chat with her, Amelie stepped on her steps again and again.

“Okay, I believe you’ve learned it, so let’s practice. Can you help me, Sir Chad?”

Mrs. Enard pointed to Chad. He stood on the wall, watching as if he were watching other people’s business, and stood up straight in embarrassment.

“Me?”

“Yes, please be her dancing partner. Me and Milena are smaller than His Majesty, so we can’t be practitioners.”

Ugh. Does she want her to dance more here?

Amelie stuck her tongue out. Dance lessons have already been going on for hours. Her feet hurt from taking steps, and her body felt heavy because of unfamiliar posture. She thought she could rest if she memorized the steps.

“I’m a little— His Majesty’s sense is more stands out.”

Chad said no at once.

“That’s true. Sir is on duty right now.”

“It’s not necessarily like that— Haha. It would be great if His Majesty could help.”

“No, I can’t. I think he’s still busy these days, so I can’t interrupt him.”

At Amelie’s words, Chad made a sad expression.

‘Your Majesty will always be happy to see Miss Amelie—’

Serwin was getting a daily update from Chad about Amelie’s activities. It was the part where Amelie realized everything was fine and went on. Serwin’s eyes grew bloodier by the day, and he met him every day. When he asked a close aide about it, he said that his eyes were particularly harsh when he looked at him. He was concerned at first because he couldn’t figure out what he was doing wrong, but he soon learned why. He was annoyed because he had spent the entire day with Amelie. He couldn’t help but notice because he had a look of dissatisfaction and jealousy on his face every time he gave a report.

He wasn’t sure what would happen if he practiced dancing with Amelie in this situation. He couldn’t report having dance practice with her to him because it wouldn’t be her kill.