I Became the Tyrant's Beloved Omega - Chapter 15.2
At the abbot’s suggestion, the emperor rose from his seat.
“Aiden, rest today and let’s talk again later.”
“……”
Even at the rudeness of Aiden turning his gaze away and not answering, the emperor smiled gently and stroked Aiden’s shoulder.
“Haah…”
Left alone in the room after everyone had gone, Aiden let out a long sigh. The memories of his early childhood before he met Noah had almost all vanished. But the sensation of fear that still remained vivid was not easily erased.
“N-Noah…”
Tears welled up in Aiden’s eyes. Aiden, who had scrambled to his feet in a fluster, flung open the door and ran to the front of Noah’s room. Then he knocked, but no answer came back.
In his urgency, he tried to force the door open. But the doorknob turned without resistance and the door opened, and Aiden easily entered the room.
“Noah.”
But still, no answer came back.
* * *
At that moment, Noah had been summoned to the abbot’s office. The abbot quietly looked at Noah, then cautiously called him.
“Noah Carter.”
“Yes, Abbot.”
Aiden was blindly following Noah, who had saved him and practically raised him. So the only person who could persuade Aiden in this situation was Noah. The abbot, who had been silent for a moment, began to explain the commotion that had just occurred.
Thanks to the abbot’s kind and detailed explanation, Noah was able to understand the situation without difficulty. But unlike Noah’s outward appearance as he looked at the abbot with calm eyes, his inner heart was in turmoil, like rough waves surging. For Noah, too, had never imagined that the day he would part from Aiden would come so soon.
“Did you know that Aiden was of the imperial family?”
“I never imagined he was of the imperial family. From the clothes and necklace he was wearing at the time, I only guessed that he was not from a poor background.”
Noah told a plausible lie. But the abbot, who had no way of knowing such a fact, slowly nodded his head.
“Do you know that the position of crown prince is currently vacant?”
“When I occasionally went down to the village, I did hear rumors going around. But I didn’t know precisely.”
“I suppose so.”
“But… why do you ask?”
“His Majesty the Emperor has no heir, and is thinking of raising Aiden to the position of crown prince.”
“Ah…”
Noah squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He knew that Aiden would become emperor. It was just that the timing was far too sudden. At the feeling of a dull ache rising in his left chest, Noah drew in a deep breath and let it out. The abbot had roughly guessed Noah’s feelings, and spoke with difficulty.
“Noah.”
“Yes.”
“You have cared for young Aiden almost like a parent all this time, so it must be very hard… but please… do persuade Aiden.”
Noah’s throat suddenly tightened. He bit his lip and nodded with difficulty.
On the way out of the abbot’s office and back to his room, countless thoughts surged in like the tide pressed heavily on Noah’s shoulders. Noah was climbing the stairs with difficulty, grabbed the railing and stopped for a moment.
“Haah…”
‘There’s no way to stop Aiden from becoming emperor.’
Noah clearly knew that his time with Aiden could not last forever. But as the memories of the past eight years spent with Aiden came to mind, Noah felt a hot emotion well up in his chest in an instant. Noah, who wiped away the tears that kept leaking out, gritted his teeth and slowly began to move his feet. At the end of those heavy steps stood Aiden, looking bewildered, standing there blankly.
“Noah.”
In his previous life, Aiden had, in the early days of his enthronement, prevented all the great wars that broke out in the Liber Empire. Under the assumption that he would not become a tyrant, Aiden was certain to become a capable emperor. After much thought, Noah concluded that he could not stop Aiden from becoming emperor.
“Aiden.”
Noah faced Aiden with such complicated feelings. Aiden came running up to Noah, acting spoiled like a little child. Noah let out a small laugh and held Aiden’s hand tightly.
“Even though you’ve grown as tall as me… you’re still like a child.”
“Noah…”
“Let’s go in.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
