The Obsession of the Tyrant Sub-Male Lead is Unnecessary

Episode 22

“It’s not even winter yet. Besides, seawater isn’t harmful to a mermaid.”

“Absolutely not.”

Carlos reiterated firmly.

“The empire’s wellbeing is important, but your health is more important to me.”

Verona was about to argue that he was worrying too much but stopped herself. Her lips moved silently without words forming, reminded of her missed period.

‘Maybe it’s true after all.’

And somehow, she didn’t mind Carlos caring for her so deeply.

Carlos said he would send a message to the temple and that it would take about three days to travel there. This timeframe was not ideal but still manageable to prevent the worst of the tsunami.

“Hey, Retrius, can’t you do something about this since you’re a dragon?”

After Carlos left, Verona remembered and asked.

“Shouldn’t dragons be omnipotent or something?”

“Do you think dragons are gods, Princess?”

Retrius frowned.

“If I could control natural disasters, I wouldn’t be stuck here.”

“Oh, right.”

“Black dragons aren’t particularly skilled in magic or prophecy. It was tough learning magic from my father! I didn’t even want to learn it, but Carlos made me.”

“You learned magic because of Carlos?”

Why did Carlos come up in a conversation about magic? Verona asked suspiciously.

“Well… I thought I wouldn’t need magic. I’m confident in physical combat…”

“So why did Carlos get involved with dragon magic?”

“My father and His Majesty knew each other.”

Retrius reluctantly explained.

“They’ve known each other since I was born.”

“What?”

Verona, lying down, quickly sat up.

“How old are you, Retrius?”

“That’s a secret, Princess.”

Retrius declared proudly and then transformed into a puppy, curling up on the soft cloth cushion at the foot of the bed where Mary had placed it, clearly unwilling to share more.

‘So, he’s a hatchling?’

If Retrius had known Carlos since birth, he was younger than Carlos.

‘No wonder his actions are a bit sloppy.’

It seemed odd how Retrius seemed so intimidated by Carlos, but now it made sense; he was younger.

Verona was bewildered but had no choice but to lie back down. As she covered herself with the warm blanket, she felt sleepiness overcome her.

‘I need to focus on reducing the scale of the tsunami.’

* * *

“Are there signs of a tsunami at Kelot Beach?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Fortunately, it subsided after two hours.”

The messenger bowed lightly and left the reception room.

“It seems the princess’s prayers were effective.”

The Pope smiled warmly at Carlos.

“As expected of someone from the royal family blessed by the gods. Honestly, when Your Majesty sent word that you and the Princess of Waterfall would visit the temple, I was surprised. It seemed you would never interact with the temple in your lifetime.”

“If it weren’t for the princess, I wouldn’t have.”

Carlos responded stiffly, feeling the Pope had hit the mark.

“But Princess Verona wanted it, and for the sake of our future child, I thought it necessary to establish closer ties with the church.”

“An excellent decision.”

The Pope smiled even wider and offered Carlos more tea. Carlos accepted, taking a sip, but his mind was on getting back to Verona.

“So, when is the child expected to be born?”

“I can’t say for certain.”

Carlos replied in a slightly softened tone.

“My child will be different from ordinary children.”

“Of course.”

The Pope placed his hands on the table and clasped them.

“The child would be extraordinary from conception. I believe my personal blessing would be beneficial.”

“We appreciate that.”

“The heir to Clarence is indeed a symbol of peace. Contributing to the continent’s peace even before birth.”

“Just ensure the child’s safe birth, Nainos.”

The Pope’s eyes widened at Carlos using the title, a respectful term for ‘God’s messenger,’ instead of his name.

It signaled a level of respect and acknowledgment that hadn’t been there before. Carlos’s shift in addressing the Pope indicated a willingness to bridge gaps for the sake of his family and empire.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

“Clarence will strengthen its ties with the Church, and peace will spread across the continent.”

“Do not worry, Your Majesty,” the Pope said, trying to maintain a natural expression.

“The Princess of Waterfall, being of divine blood, will endure childbirth without difficulty.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Carlos spoke briefly before standing. The audience with the Pope was largely a formality. He quickly left the reception room and headed towards the prayer room where Verona was staying.

Outside the prayer room, Retrius was sitting on a chair, hugging his sword sheath and dozing off. Carlos pushed the troublesome hatchling aside with his foot and knocked carefully before opening the door.

“Verona?”

Verona, kneeling at the altar, looked up.

“Oh, you’re back? What did His Holiness say, ah…”

As she tried to stand, Verona suddenly clutched her forehead and collapsed. Carlos’s face turned serious.

“Verona!”

He rushed to her and lifted her up.

“I’m okay.”

“Are you dizzy? I told you not to kneel for too long.”

“I’m really fine.”

Verona extricated herself from Carlos’s arms, tilting her head in confusion.

Was it because she had been kneeling for an hour? She wasn’t in particularly bad health.

“The priest told me earlier. There were signs of a tsunami, but it subsided quickly.”

“Oh! That’s a relief.”

It was welcome news. For the past five days, she had been transmitting her energy through the palace lake and surveying the southern sea after arriving at the temple.

‘Although it was a bit challenging to enter the sea at night without being seen.’

Carlos had vehemently opposed it, so she only dipped her hands in the water in his presence. Then she secretly went out at night to patrol the southern sea.

The southern sea’s water felt unfamiliar compared to the northern sea she was used to.

Somehow, the southern sea’s water felt colder. In Waterfall, she was accustomed to swimming in icy waters, yet this felt different.

When she returned to bed in the morning, it took some time for her body to warm up to its usual temperature.

‘My stamina must be declining.’

Verona thought she should ask Mary to make her some Waterfall soup once they returned to the palace.

She suddenly craved the soup she hadn’t had since coming to Clarence. She felt it would restore her energy.

“It seems that because you are of the divine royal bloodline, public opinion in the Empire is favorable. The news will soon spread to the Kelot region as well.”

“It wasn’t such a big deal.”

“It’s a significant thing for the future empress to care for the people.”

Carlos gently stroked her hair.

“I’ve always focused on making the Empire prosperous. Using the power of religion to stabilize public sentiment is more important than expanding the territory to gain wealth.”

“…”

“What you are doing, Verona, is something I couldn’t do.”

Carlos hugged her and moved to the bedroom within the prayer room. He laid her on the soft bed and wrapped her in a blanket.

“We need to return to the palace tomorrow. The tsunami didn’t cause extensive damage, but half of the Kelot region’s fish farms were destroyed. They rely heavily on the income from fishing to pay taxes, so we need to discuss that matter.”

“Are you considering tax reductions?”

“For now.”

He looked completely different from the tyrant she knew.

“Get some rest, Verona. I’ll come to get you in the morning.”

“Alright.”

Carlos kissed her forehead before leaving. As she watched him leave, Verona thought,

‘If only he hadn’t been obsessed with war, Carlos could have been a good emperor.’

Was it the previous emperor’s influence, or was it because of Olivia that he became a tyrant?

Verona sighed.

‘I don’t know.’

Would it have been better if he had maintained a closer relationship with the Church?

Anyway, Carlos’s extended stay at the temple would give the appearance of harmony between the imperial and religious authorities. Perhaps Osmund’s formidable grand ducal authority would wane slightly.

“Princess, are you unwell?”

Just then, Retrius opened the door and entered.

“When His Majesty left, he was shouting and scolding me, saying how could a bodyguard neglect their master’s health!”

He grumbled as he approached and placed his hand on her forehead. A faint white light emanated and seeped into her, clearing the lingering dizziness and making her feel refreshed.

“If the princess is unwell, I get scolded. Not just by His Majesty, but also by that maid Mary!”

“Seems like you can’t do much against Mary,” Verona remarked, throwing the cloth cushion at him. Retrius caught it and held it carefully.

“You know she made that cushion, right?”

“That’s because she keeps a close watch over you, Princess.”

“For someone who’s kept a close watch, you seem to like it when she pets you.”

“What am I supposed to do, bite her hand off when she pets me?!”

Retrius shouted back. Verona laughed and shooed him away, then asked,

“By the way, Retrius, can you do something like mind-reading?”

“There you go again. I told you, Princess, dragons aren’t gods.”

Retrius shook his head.

“Though gold or red dragons skilled in magic might be able to.”

“You mentioned you couldn’t cast large-scale healing spells either.”

“…I’ll study that later.”

“Alright, alright. Go and rest.”

Verona coaxed the indignant Retrius out of the room.

‘Fortunately, the plague didn’t spread, so Retrius didn’t have to step in.’

It was a small mercy. With Carlos clinging to her, dealing with a sudden outbreak of plague would have been difficult.

‘And Olivia won’t have to play a significant role now.’

Though she felt a bit guilty about removing the heroine’s moment of glory, it seemed Carlos would gain the people’s trust from this tsunami incident.

Feeling proud, Verona went to bed.

* * *

“Princess! Oh my, you’ve lost so much weight. What should we do?”

When they returned to the separate palace, Mary rushed out, tears welling up in her eyes.

“It’s not that bad…”

“Not that bad? You’ve always been thin, and now you’ve lost even more weight! You need to lie down immediately.”

Mary promptly took Verona, dressed her in warm pajamas, and tucked her into bed. Luigi came in, unpacked Verona’s belongings, and bustled about.

“Mary, I want some soup. Can you make it for me?”

“Soup? I can get it right away. Do you want it now?”

“No, the soup we had in Waterfall.”

“Oh, that one?”

Feeling chilly, Verona thought a warm bowl of soup would help. While anything warm would suffice, she particularly craved the traditional Waterfall soup.

Though she didn’t feel particularly hungry, perhaps out of homesickness, she desired it greatly. Ever since thinking about it at the temple, the urge to have it now had only grown stronger upon seeing Mary.