The Tyrant Oppa Is a Bonus, Episode 4

Chapter 4

The tyrant Roksidian from the book was a man born inherently devoid of emotion. The beast’s blood mingled among the imperial ancestors had, regrettably, manifested far too strongly in Roksidian. Because of this, Roksidian was dulled to the many emotions that a human ought naturally to possess. Though his mind was sharp, he struggled to learn courtesy and common sense. This was because he found it difficult to restrain the raw, instinctual nature within him. Taking pity on him, the late Emperor and Empress borrowed the power of magic to forcibly instill emotions into Roksidian. In his childhood, this sufficed… but as he aged, the magic’s power gradually waned.

‘As it faded, the madness began to reappear.’

This was the reason he had earned the name of tyrant. And later, this became a setting that added a mature flavor—when the heroine appeared, he would endure his madness and cling to her with obsession…

‘Why, then, has he changed so absurdly before me?’

Noah knelt on one knee before me.

“My greetings are late, Lady. And my congratulations. You have quelled His Majesty’s madness.”

“….”

“You have removed one of the Empire’s hidden afflictions.”

…No, I did not exactly wish to remove that affliction.

“It is too early for congratulations. There are side effects.”

“Side effects?”

“Ugh… I do not wish to speak of it with my own mouth.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I do not wish to speak of it. Ah.”

“But Your Majesty, as you know, I must be apprised of all matters. Even if the side effect were that Your Majesty became a simpleton, I would understand—so please, tell me anything. I am prepared.”

“Do you wish to die? Ha… It would be faster for you to see for yourself. Hey.”

Roksidian called to me, and Noah naturally turned his gaze toward me. I tilted my head.

“It seems ‘Mother’ left a very fine gift.”

At that moment, Roksidian’s expression softened, and the way he looked at me changed entirely. A gentle, affectionate smile rose to his lips.

“Indeed, Liz. It seems Mother left a fine gift for my little sister.”

“…Your Majesty?”

“Come to think of it, is there anything you desire?”

I saw Noah’s mouth fall open, just as mine had done moments before, as he watched the tyrant busily chattering away on his own. Roksidian, paying him no mind, crouched his massive frame beside me with the face of a doting elder brother, earnestly inquiring after my well-being. His crumpled posture was no different from a tiger that, believing itself a cat, had squeezed its body into a tiny box. While he carried on thus, Noah barely suppressed his laughter, only to have to stifle it madly moments later under Roksidian’s fierce gaze when he returned to his usual self.

“Ah, well, er, how did this come about… *snort*, ah, I shall look into it.”

Roksidian rose from his seat.

“Hmph. Let us postpone today’s business for later. You. I warn you—do not wander about outside.”

“….”

I could only stare at his retreating back in disbelief. It felt as though a storm had passed.

* * *

Roksidian, who I thought would return at any moment, did not come to see me afterward. And for some reason, my grandfather, the Duke of Altzbeit, who had returned from his outing that day, flew into a towering rage.

‘So Roksidian and the Duke of Altzbeit are on bad terms.’

This was one of the facts I had come to learn as Charlize’s memories gradually surfaced. For some reason, the Duke and Roksidian did not get along. No, should I say they were terribly at odds? Though they were grandfather and grandson, they were practically political rivals. Yet both were lenient toward Charlize.

‘Well, even if she lived as a reckless scoundrel, they loved her enough to clean up after her.’

Before me lay a heap of gifts sent by one of them—my grandfather.

“His Grace the Duke has prepared these out of concern for you, Lady, as you have not gone out of late.”

“Oh.”

I whistled inwardly, but at the same time, I was lost in thought.

‘Wow, even with this, he won’t meet me?’

It was because I had yet to meet the person I absolutely must see—my fiancé. Moreover, the dozens of invitations I had sent had been returned unopened, as always. At the same time, documents demanding the dissolution of our engagement continued to arrive at the Altzbeit Ducal residence. I thought I had been courteous enough. It was time to act in person.

‘I had hoped to create a polite first meeting now that the core had changed…’

But I had information about Askin in my head.

“I am going out.”

“Yes, Lady. I shall prepare at once.”

The place where that man would be at this hour… There was only one.

A moment later, I let out a small sigh of admiration as I looked at the hem of my外出 dress.

“…I chose the most modest one I could find.”

In Charlize’s wardrobe, where luxury was a virtue, the word ‘modesty’ did not exist.

‘It is truly beautiful, though…’

Indeed, my face was so lovely that no matter how often I looked, I never tired of it. If I had entered the entertainment industry like this, I would have earned enough to support myself and my descendants for generations—what was a lifetime of living off my face? Though there was a somewhat fierce quality to it. One might say absolute beauty overshadowed that.

‘Charlize must have been well aware of her own appearance. And she must have used it well.’

Her wardrobe was filled with clothes that were merely extravagant but suited her perfectly. Thanks to that, finding a dress with no exposure was like plucking stars from the sky, so I had no choice but to don an outer garment and was about to leave the mansion when—

“Um, L-Lady!”

I was taken aback. A maid blocked my path, bowed deeply, and trembled as if to say, ‘Please, do not kill me!’ with a look of utter terror.

What? Had some problem arisen?

The maids here were all afraid of Charlize. Even though I had treated them kindly for a few days, they could not overcome their fear overnight.

…Just how harshly had she treated them?

At any rate, I tilted my head. So why had she stopped me?

“A, a guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

“Yes, Lady’s close friends…”

“Ah.”

Friends? As I tilted my head, Charlize’s memories surfaced in my mind. Ah. Friends. She meant those ones.

Charlize did not commit her misdeeds alone. She had a group that frequently caused trouble with her. A collection of people with similar inclinations, or cunning individuals whose goal was to pick up the crumbs falling from Charlize’s background.

‘The so-called Capital’s Scoundrel Gathering, I recall. I remember calling it ‘Scoundrel’ for short.’

As the name suggested, these people would later see their lives ruined… One could say it was due to the karma of their own deeds. And Charlize, who was practically the leader of this group, met the most dreadful end.

I rubbed my neck.

‘Wow, I feel vividly, anew, that I have been reincarnated into a tragedy.’

If the story proceeds exactly as the original, I—Charlize—will be killed by the very object of my love and obsession, and my trusted brother, deeply smitten with his beloved woman, will not lift a finger to help me. In short, I will die a lonely, painful death so terrible that I would not wish to be reborn.

‘In truth, I have already met that so-called brother… but there is no betrayal to speak of—once the heroine appears, he will surely take her side entirely.’

In the original, they were close siblings. But from what I saw, he did not like me at all; he regarded me as less than a passing dog, and if his harsh treatment upon returning did nothing but fuel his anger toward me, I would consider myself fortunate.

The fortunate thing was that if I could just get through this year well…

‘Then I will have nothing to do with the original.’

I could return before Charlize’s death, which would follow the original! The time was merely hanging by a thread.

Therefore.

“Cancel the carriage preparations.”

“…Yes, Lady.”

‘To live safely for the next year, I must cut off those low-quality friends in advance.’

The scoundrel friends who had come to visit me now were of no use to the plans I intended to carry out. There was no harm in nipping the buds early.

‘Wait for me, my fiancé. I will come to see your face soon.’

It was regrettable that I had not yet seen the face of my fiancé, whom I needed to negotiate with as quickly as possible. But I considered it a step back for two steps forward—not a waste.

“Escort the guests in.”

* * *

A lavish reception room. Charlize’s reception room was different from the usual structure. Typically, a noble lady’s reception room favored pretty tables for tea or large windows. But contrary to this, Charlize’s reception room had no large windows, and even the existing ones were fitted with blackout curtains. Thanks to this, it could create an atmosphere like night even in broad daylight, and it was no different now. The dim magical lamps gave the scene the air of an upscale pub.

‘In dramas, there are scenes where tycoons play in luxurious bars, but this place doesn’t look much different from those bars…’

Indeed. The servants of this household, accustomed to Charlize’s tyranny and terror, had prepared it without being asked. And on the comfortable, cozy sofas sat several men and women.