The Princess' Bedroom Doll

Branden broke into a cold sweat. Raha looked at him and reached for her teacup.

“I see that I’ve asked bad questions.”

“No, I mean… …. Would you like another fruit?”

“I must leave some for the royal lord. No, thank you.”

“There are plenty.”

“He liked it when he was young. I’d like to see him eat them.”

Then shall I peel them all?”

Raha chuckled at the half joke.

“Do that.”

The maid got up quickly and brought a basket full of fruit.

“…….”

Branden finally began eagerly peeling the fruit. While peeling, he recalled the conversation with the Princess. But the more he tried, the more confused he became. It seemed like he had skipped some important parts.

But he couldn’t answer all the questions for his master. His master and the Princess seemed to be in love, so he would answer her eventually anyway.

Raha quietly lifted her tea cup. Branden deliberately skipped the subject, but Raha had gathered enough information she wanted.

She finally figured out why Shed had volunteered to be an experiment for the Holy Land.

Karzen……

It seemed that her twin was involved in the death of the Prince of Hildes.

“…….”

It seemed that Karzen’s merciless sword was unlucky enough to be entangled in the complexities of the Hildes royal family, as it had never struck Hildes before. So even the royal family simply announced that the baby prince had died of illness.

It was not a difficult guess. Throughout the last few years, there had been only one serious problem for the royal family of Hildes. The Prince, who couldn’t even 

walked the kingdom, had died because of Karzen. Moreover, the prince was the only one Shed stood to escort. ….

Raha’s eyes looking down at the teacup stilled and her breath caught in her throat.

She understood why Shed would not talk about it. She understood it well enough. He was one of the very few who could separate her from Karzen. A man who truly believed that there was no reason for Raha to be responsible for Karzen’s tyranny…. ….

Since Shed would not talk, Raha did not want to pry. But now that she knew the reason from Branden, something had changed in her.

“I have never liked anything but you.” (Shed)

It was those words.

From the day those words pierced her heart, Raha could not be with Shed. Or more precisely, she could not spend the night with him. She could have meals with him, take walks….That was just it.

The man pushed his heart deep into Raha’s chest and yet he didn’t want to talk. But Raha was not fine.

Shed would kiss Raha every chance he got. The casual kisses became difficult for Raha. Even in his familiar embrace, her eyes became strangely hot. Her heart became unbearably dented.

She could have spent the night with Shed as much as she wanted without thinking too much, but she was not confident enough to hold Shed without breaking down with her deep emotions.

Instinctively, she realized.

The fact that she could not touch this man half heartedly. And also the fact that if she did so carelessly, he would melt away from her fingertips and disappear.

Ice does not disappear when it melts, but melted water is just water. It’s different from ice.

Raha did not want to change. To change now would be a deception to the many people who had died because of her.

So that was why she asked Branden. Because Shed Hildes would not tell Raha why he had a grudge against the Delo Empire until the end.

For Raha, death was a vow.

She swore that Karzen should die, she should die too. It was the same as using Shed because the determination and resolve that she had built up for so long seemed to be wavering.

She wasn’t a good person.

She didn’t deserve to live.

The Empress always cursed her like that. Perhaps it was true.

“Princess?”

Suddenly, a voice filled with melancholy rang in Raha’s ear. She awoke from her long thought and lifted her head. There was Oliver, kneeling with worried eyes, staring at her. She did not know when he had come so close.

“You don’t look good. Are you tired?”

Oliver jumped up as soon as he asked and picked up a wooden bag he had left next to his chair. It was a kind of house call bag that the palace doctor always carried with him, with simple medical tools, emergency medicine, books, and writing materials inside. A pattern symbolizing Delo was engraved in silver foil on the outer outline and sparkled.

“Oliver.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Highness.

“May I have a sleeping pill?”

“……..”

Half of it was serious, half of it was an excuse. It was true that she was tired, but she wanted to take the medicine and sleep all the time using the effects of the drugs as an excuse. Because she was baffled to see Shed’s face every time she refused to kiss him, pretending like nothing happened.

But Oliver did not prescribe sleeping pills to Raha often. He had always been a smart doctor, and he was worried that Raha might take sleeping pills and attempt suicide. Perhaps she wouldn’t do that, but he couldn’t take the chance.

Moreover, Raha had been working so much lately that she couldn’t sleep properly. There was no way Oliver could have known that she was in a state where she could pass out if she just put her head on the pillow. So that young doctor bowed his head, and almost clung to Raha’s leg. It was obvious that he would not give her the sleeping pills, saying something like, “I’ll go right away and make you a cup of tea that will help you sleep well.”

Yes, Raha was sure Oliver would say that….

“…….”

Oliver, who was looking up at Raha with a rabbit-like stare, bit his lip. Then he pulled out a bottle of medicine from his wooden satchel.

“Well then, please take it now.”

“…… now?”

“Now?”

Branden, who had been listening to their conversation under his breath, asked involuntarily. Oliver looked back at Branden with a frown.

“Sir Branden should peel the fruit.”

“Ah, ah, yes.”

Immediately Branden bowed his head and began cutting the fruit combatively. Oliver quickly took his eyes off him and looked back at Raha.

“If you feel tired right now, take the pills and go to bed. I can’t prescribe them if you want to keep them for later.”

Branden’s big shoulders shook with a jerk. How could a doctor dare to say something like that to a Princess?

Oliver was the only one who dared. He looked like he was going to cry every time, so Raha had no choice but to listen. She didn’t feel good, especially when Oliver looked at her and cried, “Please don’t get sick.” Raha opened her mouth, remembering how vulnerable she was to Oliver.

“Fine. I’ll take it and go right to bed.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness. Then I’ll go get ready right away.”

Raha got up from her seat as Oliver flew out of the room at a fast speed. The maid immediately led Raha to the bathroom. After washing and dressing, she went to her bedroom and sat on the bed, just as Oliver returned.

“Princess. I brought you some medicine.”

Raha swallowed the sleeping pill right in front of Oliver. Oliver took back the bottle right away. Raha smiled and laid her head back on the pillow.

“Oliver.”

There was no Branden, so Raha asked what had been bothering her earlier.

“Why are you giving me sleeping pills so easily today?”

Oliver, who was capping the medicine bottle, stopped.

“Because the Princess made…… such a face.”

“……?”

Raha asked curiously.

“How did I look?”

“Hmm…….”

Oliver said, pulling his mouth into a tight line.

“A look makes me want to cry.”

“Really?”

“That’s why I’m giving it to you just for today. I won’t give it to you for another year.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Oliver laughed a little.

“Sweet dreams, Princess.”

* * *

When Raha woke up, Shed was lying next to her.

The drowsiness from the medicine made her dizzy in front of her eyes. Was this the reason? When she met Shed over the past few days, the awkward feelings seemed to have faded. Before Raha confessed to Shed, she stretched her arms to hug Shed and buried her face in his chest.

Shed immediately hugged Raha back. Raha blinked her sleepy eyes.

“…… Shed, are you awake?”

“I’m not asleep.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s dawn. Sleep more.”

“Did you eat the fruit by any chance?”

“What?”

She knew this would happen. Raha got out of bed, rubbing her eyes. Shed got up after her. His gown slid off and the breathtaking well-woven muscles moved. Raha was about to reach for Shed’s body when she realized. The sleeping pills didn’t seem to have taken much of the strength out of her.

Raha got out of bed and walked toward the bedroom table. A black wooden tray was prepared on the marble table. Under the glass lid, fruits were neatly cut. A light tea to match was also with it.

“It’s Hildes’s speciality, I was told. Count Spencer brought it to me.”

Raha tried to lift the tray, but Shed moved faster.

It was on the bed in a flash and the tray was properly placed in front of him.

A faint smile broke out on her face. Raha drank the tea and offered Shed a piece of fruit. He looked at Raha’s hand, opened his mouth obediently and ate the piece. After a few repetitions, Raha asked.

“When you were young, you loved this. You ate with fruit juice all over your hands.”

“Branden must have said useless things.”

Shade frowned lightly, and Raha finally burst out laughing. And Shed was not a man to let such an opening pass.

“Raha.”

“Yes.”

“Why have you been avoiding me lately?”