The Tyrant Wants To Live Honestly

‘I think it’s too much.’

I was fiddling with my pen, chasing Clara and Stefan away from seeing my bucket list and inking it.

[First, a friendly smile once a day.]

This was a great decision for me.

‘After that…’

After taking the first step, the second step was a little easier.

[Second, do not covet others’ things.]

It was a pretty plausible kindness.
I wrote a little below it.

[The throne belongs to Ray, and Theon belongs to Julia.]

The nib for writing short phrases scratched my chest and made my heart ache.

Neither the latitude nor Theon is mine.

After engraving indelibly on my chest, I let out the breath I had been holding on to unconsciously.

Wanting to move quickly from the second commitment, I hurriedly typed the third in.

[Third, saving a million people.]

Saving people would be a good thing.

The third promise was in the sense of atonement for sins committed in the past life.

How many people have died because of me in my past life?

Not only the people I killed with my own sword, but also the wars I waged, the labor I did, disasters and diseases that I did not properly deal with, and hunger.

I thought that maybe 500,000 people died because of that.
Perhaps more people have died than that.
People who might have lived if Ray became emperor died because of me.

So, in the sense of atonement, in this life, twice that number, a million people are saved.

Besides that, I wrote a few more things related to good work.

Say thank you three times a week, 

Donate over 1 million each month.

‘For now, just this…’

Those alone are enough for a successful life.

I got up from my seat and looked outside.
The blue sea could be seen over the white sandy beach.
The waves were crashing as if to cool my light heart.

“I want to go to the beach.”

The reward for coming to recuperate lies in that landscape.

* * *

I went out to sea with only Stefan.
Stefan was an excellent knight.
I didn’t have to care about him.

Sometimes I forgot he was following me.

Only after I turned around and checked the footprints on the sandy beach, I knew that he had been following me for a while.

He didn’t say anything, he didn’t interfere with my work, and he didn’t touch me.
But in the end, he was by my side.

Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy the calm created by the sound of waves, seagulls, bubbles, and the sound of wind.

I was the only one on the beach.

I thought so… but the young boy was seen in the distance.

At the end of the sandy beach where the sun was shining, there was no one other than me.
The man was sitting on the sand with his knees bent.

He looked at the sea in the distance and buried his head in the palm of his hand.

He was a small, crouched child the same age as me.

‘Who is it?’

Stefan seemed to recognize the child before me but did not step forward.
Because it didn’t seem like a threat.

But when I was able to discern his silhouette, I had to stop.

The boy was a face I knew well.
Silver hair fluttering softly in the sunlight, sheer nose and jawline.

The most beautiful person in the world as far as I know.

Looking at his beauty, I had the illusion that the sea was stretching the waves hard into the sand to catch him.
The sun shone only on him, and the grains of sand seemed to sparkle for him.

Even the seagulls flying in the sky forgot their wings and sat huddled on the rocks looking at him.

“Ah…”

Stefan also looked at his face and sighed.

A face that makes Stefan speak.

How can anyone forget his perfect appearance?

‘Ethan Bronte.’

I remembered his name.

When I was called a tyrant, He is my closest aide.

The ‘golden-eyed angel’ of the social world.

The nickname ‘Golden-Eyes Angel’, whose name was unknown, was embarrassing, but there was no nickname that suited Ethan Bronte that much.

Even for me, who loves Theon, Ethan’s appearance was the best in the empire.

As he walked across the ballroom with his long legs, the eyes of the people present were all on him, and Ethan would make eye contact with the people with a bright smile on his pretty face.

Anyone would be fascinated by him if he stared at the opponent with shining golden eyes as if he had captured all the light of the world, and greeted them with a soft, deep voice that could be called the third instrument.

Not just appearance, but singing, dancing, and instruments.
There was nothing he couldn’t do if it was something to boast about in society.

It is so overwhelming that it is a dream for anyone, regardless of age or gender, to share a word with him.

But God didn’t give everything to one person, either.

Just as Ray had the crown prince but was a good-natured fool, Ethan Bronte had a fatal problem.

That’s right if you only look at the Sakka hidden in his beautiful exterior.

Ethan was never a good and upright man.

Maybe it was a blessing to him.
It was so wicked that no one could see his dark inner world.

[“If I do it, everyone does it, Your Majesty.
The system is full of people begging not being able to lick my toes.”]

Ethan knew all too well that he was good.
His appearance was both a weapon and a shield, and his power was explosive.

With a kind and gentle mask, he made everyone on his side, and he used it skillfully to move at his own pace.

[“As you said, the lord of River South is dead.
How the hell did you know that?”]

When the lord of river south, whom I did not like at all, died suddenly in an accident, I remembered that Ethan had predicted his death a few days ago.

Shortly after that prediction, he was killed by his old servant.

[“I didn’t know, I made it like that.
‘For my Majesty.”]

Ethan smiled and kissed the back of my hand.

Now that I think of it, even I, who knew what was behind his mask, was taken advantage of by him.

When he killed the lord for me, I rewarded him with joy, and Ethan did more for me.

He helped me deal with the man I didn’t like, brought what I liked, and killed Ray.

He was the one who killed Julia, Theon’s love, as I wished.

To that extent, I gave him all the wealth, power, and honor, and he rose to the throne at an early age.

I didn’t even know at the time that I was being used by him.
I just thought I had a loyal servant.

Between the family who did not love me and Theon who ignored me, the person who moves only for me.
A person who understands and understands my heart.
So I thought it was natural to give him what he could give freely.

Thank you.
Because it seemed that I was recognized as much as he was.

And Ethan, who had everything, even aimed for a seat next to me in the end.

[“Your Majesty, why do you have that arrogant man by your side?”]

One day, he saw Theon walking up the stairs alone, ignoring my hand.

[“If I had married your Majesty, I would have served you very well.”]

Beautiful golden eyes gleamed towards me.
I was offended by those eyes full of desire.

The greed for insulting Theon and aiming for the seat next to me is clearly visible.

[“Ethan.
I thought it was your talent to choose what to say and what not to say.”]

[“I’m sorry, Your Majesty”]

Ethan was a clever man, and after that, he never again cursed Theon or talked about marriage in front of me. 

But at the end of death, I realized that I had made the wrong choice.

When I was condemned to be a tyrant and put to death, the prime minister was acquitted by all.

‘The Prime Minister was trying to somehow protect the country under a tyrant’.

That was the content of his indulgence.
He was even appointed to become the next emperor after my death.

His angelic appearance and pretentious kindness were the privileges of being forgiven of all his sins, so I took all of his sins and put them to death.

He watched my neck fall from the nearest point.

I met him here again.

Like a joke of fate trying to tie me back together, who barely escaped from Carnan and Ray.

It was then that I remembered that this Cerritian belonged to the estate of the Duke of Bronte.

‘Bronte…’

It wasn’t that I didn’t think of Ethan when I heard the name of the Bronte family.
Rather, the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Bronte was him.

But I never thought that we would meet like this, so I was a little embarrassed.

The detached palace was located in a remote place quite far from the castle of Bronte, and if I tried hard, I could not meet him for the rest of my life.

‘I have to avoid it.’