Sorry, the Patricidal Tyrant Seems Beastly - Chapter 34

A large body loomed over the head.

“I’ll put you to sleep. Let’s go to bed now.”

Benjamin brushed back his dark red hair. As the hair tangled in his hand, his lips loosened.

“Is the fireplace weak? Your cheeks are cold.”

“The hallway was chilly.”

“Oh dear… That’s because you came out wearing thin clothes.”

Charlotte pulled her hair out of his grasp. She pulled up the blanket and laid Benjamin down first.

“Did you call me to put you to sleep, or to put me to sleep?”

“I’ll lay you down first and then think about it.”

Charlotte laid him down and took a place beside him.

She pulled the blanket up to cover his shoulders.

‘Oh, is this not enough?’

As Charlotte touched his forehead with the back of her hand, laughter was heard from beside her.

“You’re copying exactly what I do.”

“I don’t know what else to do besides that. Am I a bit clumsy?”

“It’s alright.”

“Fortunately, you don’t have a fever. You’re not coming down with a cold.”

“If a knight who wields a sword catches a cold, I should go out and die. Doesn’t it mean I couldn’t even take care of my own body?”

If body maintenance is that sloppy, who can take care of whom?

Benjamin’s tone was light, as if making a casual joke.

‘Is he saying this for me to hear?’

Your body is just as sloppy, yet you say you’re taking care of me?

Somehow it feels like a rebuke.

“What after laying me down?”

“I’m going to sleep too.”

Charlotte took her place beside him.

“The night wind is noisy. I don’t think I can sleep alone.”

“You’re scared to sleep alone, Charlotte.”

Charlotte blew out the remaining candle. She put the candlestick back on the table and sat on the edge of the bed.

She fumbled under the blanket.

The blanket rustled.

Charlotte searched for a place to lie down and squeezed her body in.

As she turned her back to lie down, his body touched her.

He stretched out his arm to make room for her to lie down.

“Come closer.”

He seemed to be looking this way.

“You came to sleep together anyway.”

Benjamin pulled Charlotte into an embrace. His chest touched her back.

It felt like hitting an angry rock. His embrace was hot and firm.

Charlotte turned her back.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her vision gradually became clearer.

As expected, Benjamin was looking at her.

His pitch-black pupils glimmered in the darkness.

He brushed back Charlotte’s stray hair and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“It’s not right to turn your back after you brought me here.”

He whispered.

“What next?”

What to do now.

“Was that all you planned? To soothe me and put me to sleep beside you?”

He gently patted Charlotte’s stomach.

It was as if he was asking, ‘Is this all?’

His touch was as soft as patting a child’s belly.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

He cradled her lower abdomen and tapped with his fingertips as if playing piano keys.

“So this is all.”

Lying on his side with his arm propped up, he stopped his hand movement.

As if falling asleep, his breath gradually became quieter.

She examined that appearance carefully. His posture was neat without any change in expression.

His eyelashes were long, and the eyes hidden beneath them concealed their intensity.

“Why?”

As if sensing that gaze, Benjamin opened his eyes. His eyes were dark with drowsiness.

Charlotte cupped his chin.

His chin was smooth. While her hands were calloused and scarred, his cheeks were white and pale.

She felt concerned.

Charlotte closed her eyes and brought her lips to his.

Their lips met. If there was such a thing as cold warmth, it would resemble this.

Hot breath burst forth. She bit his lip and moistened it.

As she nibbled on his lips, her front teeth seemed to knead the flesh softly, taking a mouthful.

“You make people yearn.”

You pull the rope as if playing tug-of-war precariously, then let go, drawing closer only to move away again.

“Charlotte.”

The whispered name scattered in his mouth.

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Benjamin looked down at the sleeping Charlotte.

The candle by the bedside had gone out.

He pulled up the blanket to cover Charlotte.

As he lay down beside her and comforted her, her expression became more peaceful.

She slept with her hands folded on top of her navel.

She lay straight, without any dishevelment.

“I made an unnecessary promise.”

I shouldn’t have made such a promise on our wedding night.

“You look so at ease.”

Charlotte turned her back and lay down.

Her dark red hair scattered over the white blanket, as if sprinkling traces.

That sight captivated his gaze.

Lying on her side with her back turned. Only one cheek was faintly visible.

Even in the darkness, her skin was white and pale. Her slender neckline stood out.

He buried his face in the nape of her neck.

“I didn’t do anything.”

Yet.

“You were the one who said not to leave you alone, Charlotte.”

As if hearing that whisper, Charlotte turned to face him.

It meant she was in a deep sleep.

You may not know this while you’re asleep, but you have a sleeping habit.

You fumble with the blanket as if searching for warmth, and burrow into a person’s embrace.

She whispers softly.

“Don’t go.”

Don’t leave me alone. It was a plaintive plea. Her true feelings whispered in her sleep, asking not to be left alone.

“Don’t just leave me.”

Please. Come back. That whisper gradually faded.

After seeing you like this, it’s hard to leave you alone.

I kept the promise not to leave you alone.

I listened to the words you whispered alone in your sleep.

So, I’m still by your side now.

Charlotte reached out her arm. Her white fingers grasped the hem of his clothes.

Perhaps due to lack of strength in her hand, she clung weakly to the edge of his shirt.

Benjamin pulled Charlotte into his embrace.

Charlotte was warm yet cool.

Her hands and feet were cold, but her neck and forehead were hot. He stopped after brushing that lukewarm warmth with the back of his hand.

“I can’t behave like a beast cub next to you like this.”

What should I do with you?

He gently stroked her delicate back. As he slowly caressed her back, her breathing became even lighter.

He fell into a light sleep. Her steady breathing lulled him to sleep.

Dawn broke.

And after that.

Time continued to flow.

A few days later.

News came from outside.

The old man who had returned the Empress Dowager’s remains had passed away.

He departed quietly, as if having fulfilled his share and now leaving.

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The old cabin was small but cozy.

Built of wood, it smelled of dry firewood.

“The old man passed away just a few days after completing the repatriation ceremony.”

The official dispatched from the imperial court reported.

As if the last of his life had been sustained because of the Empress Dowager.

“Are there no other family members?”

“No. It seems he lived here alone.”

“And all funeral procedures were followed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It was carried out without any lack.”

The official spoke, sheepishly running his hand through his hair.

“The old man foresaw it on the day he returned to the cabin. He said he would die soon. If he were to die someday, he wanted to die here where he had lived for over seventy years.”

“Did the old man say this himself?”

“Yes. They say the elderly have deep insight, don’t they? He said he had lived longer than his original lifespan. He said he had kept his foot in this world to return the Empress Dowager, and now that he had finished his share, he would close his eyes. Fortunately, we were able to be with him at his deathbed.”

That day, even though a mansion was bestowed from the imperial palace, the old man refused it. He had already glimpsed his day of death.

“That will do then.”

It was nearly evening. Benjamin put on his fur cloak.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been out after the royal wedding, it would be good to walk a bit more.”

“Shall we go see the night market?”

“Ah… Since we’re out, that would be nice too.”

As Charlotte left the mansion, she fixed her gaze on the forest path.

The old man had trimmed all the forest paths. The image of him bending his back to cut the grass over and over was vivid in her mind.

‘Is this what they call a mountain cabin?’

Somehow, the smell of dry firewood seemed to linger long at the tip of her nose.

The captain of the royal guards approached Benjamin.

“Your Majesty, how would you like to handle the escort personnel for the night market?”

“Just have a few follow appropriately.”

“Then I’ll arrange for just a few guards to be in charge.”

The night market took place in a wide square.

As the New Year’s festival approached, the night market was bustling. Shops were set up on plywood boards, and such plywood food stalls lined up in rows.

Lanterns were hung to light the streets, and people crowded every corner.

How to provide protection in the midst of this?

When Charlotte turned around in wonder, Benjamin answered like this:

‘If you can sense their presence, it means they should retire to the countryside and give up their knighthood positions, so stop looking back.’

The night market was a mix of various smells from street foods.

The scent of spices heavily sprinkled on meat made her nose tingle.

From merchants engaging in touting to children running with pinwheels in their hands.

For a moment, she was lost in thought.

Small children brushed past Charlotte.

As Charlotte turned her head, small heads moved away, each holding a chicken skewer.

“Shall we try that?”

“The spices will make it not suit your taste.”

“I’m curious. Why are those children laughing and running like that?”

I couldn’t do that when I was young.

“Would you like a chicken skewer?”

An aunt wearing an apron held out a chicken skewer with plenty of spicy sauce on it.

The golden-brown grilled chicken looked delicious.

It had a unique street food feel, but that wasn’t necessarily bad.

As she took a bite, the scent of cinnamon rose. When she furrowed one eye, Benjamin opened his mouth.

“Doesn’t it suit you?”

He took a bite and paid for it.

“Give it here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I used to eat these often as street food snacks with drinks.”

Benjamin took the chicken skewer.

He finished the skewer and then went on to devour grilled octopus, grilled squid, and the like.

“Come this way.”

They hurriedly passed through the crowd of people.

Passersby bundled up in winter clothes lingered around gambling stalls.

Charlotte, who had been glancing at those gaps, stopped at one place.

“Why are you standing there not coming?”

Her steps had stopped in front of the central tower.

It was an alley leading from the bustling area.

She had been standing there for a while when someone soon called out to them.

“Your Majesty, we need you to come for a moment.”

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“So-someone’s been stabbed! Someone’s been stabbed with a knife!”

Someone shouted like a scream.

“Chase him!”

The culprit fled down the alley. The path gradually darkened.

“You’re surrounded. Surrender quietly!”

The man rolled his eyes. He swallowed his hiccups with a gurgle, his breathing ominous.

“…You idiots. Die, all of you.”

The man pulled something out from his chest.

It was a transparent bottle. A dark red liquid sloshed inside.

He threw it to the ground.

The glass bottle shattered, and the liquid seeped into the ground. The poisonous vapor corroded the earth.

“Ugh! What is this stench?”

Soon, the ground rippled. Waves rose from the very bottom. The hard bricks crumbled like soil.

“E-everyone, step back!”

‘Crunch?’

Bones sprouted from the ground.