Claimed By The Tyrant King

Everything around Rebecca seemed to disappear, leaving only the sound of her own heartbeat echoing loudly in her ears. "W... what?" she asked, staring at him in complete disbelief.

Her heart pounded so violently that she thought it might leap out of her chest at any second.

Cedric slowly released the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. "I think..." he began quietly, "we’ve both been pretending not to notice that there’s something more between us."

His gaze remained on hers. "I didn’t want to keep ignoring it anymore." A faint, almost embarrassed smile crossed his face before disappearing again.

"At first, I thought I was only imagining things because you were always around, looking after me or just there when I needed help. I convinced myself it was simply your kindness, so I tried not to think too much about it."

He paused briefly before continuing. "But after a while... I found myself looking forward to those moments."

Rebecca remained completely still as he continued, "I started hoping I’d run into you somewhere around the palace. I looked forward to our conversations, and before I even realized what was happening, seeing you every day had become something I quietly wished for."

His voice softened just for her, "I liked spending time with you."

Rebecca’s eyes had widened long ago. Every word he spoke only made her heart beat faster.

She had buried those same feelings deep inside herself because she had been afraid... Afraid of being rejected and she had been too much of a coward to risk losing what little she already had with him.

Yet now...

He was the one standing before her, confessing first.

Cedric drew another steady breath before speaking again. "When I realized that I could lose you forever without ever telling you how I felt..." he admitted quietly, "I couldn’t let that happen."

He walked quietly in her direction, his gaze holding hers as he came to crouch before her. Rebecca felt her heart stumble when he reached for her hand in her lap and held it, gently caressing with his thumb as his eyes remained fixed on her. She couldn’t breathe properly...

"I understand why you’ve made this decision, Rebecca, and I respect it because you have every right to choose the life you want." His expression remained gentle. "I’m not asking you to stay because of my feelings."

"I don’t want you to change your mind out of guilt or obligation but I only want to ask you one thing."

His voice became almost a whisper. "If you were given the choice..."

"...would you want to build that new life with me instead?"

Rebecca couldn’t find her voice. She simply stared at him, her throat tightening as countless emotions rushed through her all at once.

She had imagined it before. More times than she dared to admit.

A quiet home with Julian and Cedric.

Julian laughing and Cedric beside them. The three of them eating together, talking together, living like the family she had secretly wished they could become.

Those thoughts had always remained nothing more than impossible dreams. Yet now the dream was standing right in front of her, asking if she wanted it too.

"Cedric..." she whispered.

He immediately seemed to realize how overwhelming his words must have sounded. "I’m sorry," he said softly. "That was a lot to hear all at once."

He offered her a reassuring smile. "I don’t want you to feel pressured."

Rebecca quickly shook her head."No..."

She lowered her eyes before gathering enough courage to look at him again. "Could you... give me a little time to think about it?"

There was hope in her voice, not rejection and Cedric noticed it immediately. "Of course," he answered without hesitation. "You can take all the time you need."

Rebecca quietly nodded.

As the room settled into silence, Cedric offered her one last gentle look before turning toward the door. He let himself out without another word, leaving Rebecca alone with the silence that suddenly felt much louder than before.

The moment the door closed behind him, she slowly pressed a trembling hand against her chest. Her heart was still racing.

She hadn’t even realized she had been holding her breath until she drew in one hurried breath after another. "Oh goodness..."

She then covered part of her face with one hand before letting out a nervous laugh. Holding her head, she closed her eyes for a brief moment. "...Was that a dream too?"

---

Except it wasn’t a dream. It was reality, and Rebecca had no choice but to face it.

When Julian returned to the room, he looked around for his mother before spotting her standing quietly by the window. "Mother," he called softly with a sniffle, his eyes slightly red as though he had been crying.

Rebecca’s heart softened immediately. She crossed the room without hesitation, crouched in front of him, and wrapped him in a gentle hug. "I’m so sorry, Julian," she whispered.

"It’s okay... I understand now," he replied quietly, returning the hug. He had spent some time thinking about everything after leaving the room.

Rebecca pulled back just enough to look at him. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded. "I should listen to you because you know what’s best for me," he said softly.

Rebecca smiled at first, but the smile slowly faded. She shook her head and gently held his shoulders. "No... I didn’t stop to think about what you wanted," she admitted. "I’m sorry about that."

Julian gave her a small smile that made her heart ache. "What do you want us to do?" she asked him gently.

Julian lowered his gaze for a moment before answering. "I think this is something that concerns our future," he said thoughtfully. "Even though I’d like to stay here with everyone and keep being happy, I also have to become someone in the world."

Rebecca couldn’t help the warmth that spread through her chest as she listened to him. Sometimes she forgot just how much her little boy had grown. "You really are growing up, Julian," she said with a proud smile, and he smiled back at her.

After a brief pause, Rebecca looked at him again. "Lord Cedric came earlier," she said.

Julian nodded quietly, waiting for her to continue. "He... asked if we would rebuild a new life with him."

Julian became completely still and Rebecca watched his expression carefully before asking, "What do you think about that?"

He remained silent for a few moment, clearly trying to understand what she meant. "You mean..." he began slowly, "...he wants to live with us permanently?"

Rebecca gave a quiet nod.

Julian’s eyes widened with genuine surprise. "Does that mean you’re finally going to get married... and he’ll become my father?" he asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

Rebecca bit her lip... It wasn’t exactly that simple, she thought to herself. Cedric hadn’t spoken about marriage... at least not yet.

Before she could explain, Julian spoke again, his face lighting up. "That would be wonderful, Mother! I’ve always liked Lord Cedric."

Rebecca smiled, knowing how that was true. "And I know you like him too," Julian added so confidently that Rebecca immediately felt warmth rush to her cheeks.

"W-What in the world..." she stammered, trying to compose herself. "What do you know about liking someone?"

Julian looked at her as though the answer was obvious."You always spend time with Lord Cedric, and you’re always happy whenever he’s around. He looks after you too," he said simply. "I think you’ll both become wonderful parents... and we’ll be a wonderful family." Rebecca could only stare at him.

The little boy had noticed all of that.

A smile slowly found its way onto her lips before she could stop it. Julian looked genuinely happy at the thought of being a family and if she was honest with herself... so was she.

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