Claimed By The Tyrant King

"What about you, Lord Cedric?" Rebecca asked when she noticed how quiet he had become. She rested one elbow lightly on her lap and leaned against it as she looked at him with quiet curiosity.

"Me?" Cedric repeated, blinking at her.

Rebecca nodded. "Hmm. I mean... after you’ve fully recovered."

Cedric looked toward the ceiling for a brief moment as he considered her question.

"Oh... well..." A faint sigh escaped him.

"I suppose I’ll simply return to my old routine. I’ve been away from my duties for far too long, and the knights have probably started becoming lazy already."

Rebecca couldn’t help smiling at that. "I’m certain they’re doing exactly as you left them," she replied gently. "They know you’ll return sooner or later, so I doubt any of them would dare become complacent."

Cedric almost laughed. "I know those men far too well," he said with an amused shake of his head. "My presence is usually the only thing keeping them on edge."

Rebecca found herself chuckling softly, and for a moment the chamber no longer felt as quiet or awkward as before.

After a brief silence, she lowered her eyes and absentmindedly played with the hem of her skirt before speaking again. "I’m sure they miss having you around."

Cedric turned his head toward her. "You think so?"

She nodded without hesitation. "I do. Especially..." She paused thoughtfully, trying to remember the name before her face brightened. "Killian."

Cedric looked slightly surprised that she remembered him.

"Yes," Rebecca continued. "He comes to check on you quite often. Unfortunately, he usually arrives while you’re asleep, so he never gets the chance to speak with you."

A faint smile appeared on Cedric’s face. "That sounds like Killian."

Rebecca nodded with a soft smile of her own. "He always asks the physician how you’re doing before he leaves. Sometimes he just stands by the door for a while, looking at you as though he’s hoping you’ll suddenly wake up. I don’t think he realizes he does it, but... he’s been genuinely worried about you."

Cedric lowered his gaze for a moment, feeling an unexpected warmth spread through him. "They really have been waiting..." he murmured quietly, more to himself than to Rebecca.

"They have," Rebecca replied with certainty. "Not only the knights, but many people in the palace were relieved when you finally opened your eyes. You may not realize it, Lord Cedric, but you’re far more important to them than you think."

For a brief moment, Cedric didn’t know how to answer.

He had always believed respect came with the position he held, yet hearing that people had sincerely worried about him... not because he was the Lord Commander, but because he was Cedric... left him strangely speechless.

His lips curled ever so slightly, almost as though a smile was about to appear, but it disappeared just as quickly and settled back into its usual calm expression.

And before either of them noticed, the conversation continued naturally.

The awkwardness that had once lingered between them slowly faded away, replaced by a quiet comfort that neither of them had expected.

Time slipped by unnoticed as every topic seemed to lead effortlessly into another, and for the first time since Cedric had awakened, they were simply talking.

After a while, Rebecca tilted her head curiously. "By the way... why did you ask whether Julian and I were planning to leave?" she asked, her eyes resting on him with genuine curiosity.

Cedric was quiet for a moment.

Truthfully, he wasn’t entirely sure himself.

Before all of this, Rebecca and Julian had been complete strangers to him.

Their lives had never crossed, and he had never imagined they would become part of his own. Yet because of everything that had happened, they had somehow become familiar faces within his everyday life, and the thought of them no longer being around felt... strange.

"I was just curious," he replied at last.

Rebecca looked at him for a moment before a playful smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Not because you’d miss having us around to bother you?" she teased lightly.

Cedric immediately shook his head. "You don’t bother me."

Rebecca’s eyes met his, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, her heartbeat quietly skipped.

"I do find myself enjoying your company," Cedric admitted honestly, his voice calm and free of hesitation.

Rebecca blinked and for a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Cedric seemed to realize how his words might have sounded and he quickly cleared his throat. "You and Julian, of course," he added, his ears growing ever so slightly warm.

Rebecca nodded almost immediately. "Right..."

She lowered her gaze, quietly composing herself before letting out a small laugh. "Julian really can ask the most unexpected questions sometimes."

Cedric couldn’t help agreeing. "He certainly can."

The image of the little boy innocently questioning him earlier made the corner of his lips lift again. "And somehow he always manages to catch people off guard without even trying."

Rebecca laughed a little more openly this time.

"That’s just how he’s always been. He says whatever comes into his head without realizing what it sounds like."

"I’ve noticed," Cedric replied with quiet amusement. "With that innocent face of his, it’s impossible to stay annoyed with him for very long."

Rebecca couldn’t have agreed more. Julian had a way of making people smile even on difficult days, and perhaps that was one of the things she cherished most about her son.

Then she remembered something else. "I heard him asking you to come to Merovia with us," she said after a moment. "Have you... ever thought about it?"

Cedric’s expression softened, but he slowly shook his head. "I couldn’t."

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in his answer.

"As much as I’d like to experience something different..." he said quietly, "my duty is here. My place is beside His Majesty, and I cannot simply leave the kingdom behind... I don’t know if that makes sense to you."

Rebecca looked at him thoughtfully before speaking. "It does."

Her answer came so naturally that Cedric turned to look at her again.

"But duty doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a life of your own as well," she continued gently. "You can still enjoy things, travel when the opportunity comes, or simply take time to rest. None of those things lessen your loyalty."

"You’ve devoted so much of yourself to protecting everyone else," Rebecca said softly. "Surely... you’re allowed to think about your own happiness every once in a while."

She hoped she wasn’t overstepping her place, but those were the thoughts that had been sitting quietly in her heart ever since she began caring for him.

"And besides," she added with a small smile, "I’m certain His Majesty would want that for you too. I’ve seen the way he looks after you, and it’s obvious he values you far beyond your position as Lord Commander."

Cedric let out a slow breath...

He had never really thought about it.

For as long as he could remember, his life had revolved around a single purpose.

Protect the king... protect the kingdom... fulfill his duty.

Everything else had always come second.

He had never stopped to ask himself what Cedric wanted because he had convinced himself that such thoughts were unnecessary.

Yet hearing Rebecca speak so earnestly made him wonder, if only for a brief moment, whether there really was more to life than the path he had always chosen to walk.

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