The Princess' Bedroom Doll

“Severo. I am not too naive to believe those words. In the first place, you are right, you are Karzen’s limb, what makes you believe that you can attach your master to me?”

”I believed that my master would get rid of the Princess.”

“…….”

“So I let him be. Again, because I am the one who believes that the Princess must be gone. I was, but ……. That person did not kill you. He left when he was too busy treating your alcohol addiction and taking care of your health. What he was up to behind your back, I don’t know.”

“…….”

“Of course he died. We never found a body, only a lot of relics.”

Severo brought only three with him when he came to see Raha today.

One was a metal glass, and one was a diary. The last one I hadn’t been able to get yet.

The first two he took out belonged to Harsel, no, Ernest’s.

“Would you like to see them?”

Raha took the diary. There wasn’t much to look at. With the busy double life, he didn’t write much.

It was too perfectly Harsel’s handwriting.

The doctor who had pulled her out of a drunken stupor. That doctor who had drained the blood out of her body without her knowledge.

There was no name of Raha or the Princess mentioned …The occasional brief mention of a child, a child being abused by her twin, was still there. There was no need to speak it, and it was not a big deal.

It was only one line that mattered.

[The last patient I saved but didn’t finish the treatment. It’s pitiful.]

The expression on Raha’s face as she read had not changed one bit. The cold expression in her eyes was as uninspiring as the eyes of a carpenter counting the rings of a tree that would soon split.

“His Majesty will take the Princess.”

Severo’s voice was like the blade of an ax in Raha’s mind.

“Lesis has been working on it for a very long time, and it will be completed before the national wedding. The Princess can only guess at the extent of His Majesty’s thirst. You will be tormented by His Majesty day and night, and you will end up giving birth to his child.”

Every single word was disgusting. It made her feel nauseous from repulsion.

 “So Severo.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“You want me to run away.”

“Would you go? Leaving your royal brother who already seems obsessed with you.”

Raha made an arsenic voice for the first time.

“You’re really arrogant, Severo.”

“That’s why I held you in my heart, whom I dare not even hold, Princess.”

Severo grinned.

“My master cared about you. I’m sure he was also sincere that he was worried that he couldn’t treat you.”

Raha’s smile slowly subsided. The change was like the loss of a speck or two of dust floating in the sunlight, though even Severo didn’t notice it.

“It’s just that he is already dead, and although I am his disciple, I cannot accept his last wishes. I do not have the power to let the Princess escape, and even if I had that power, my master is only His Majesty Karzen del Harsa. I can never betray His Majesty.”

Severo sat down on his knees before Raha. Then he took out the last thing he had hidden deepest in his pocket. The hexagonal castle, large enough to rise in the palm of his hand, glowed with a strange light.

“So I give this to you, Princess.”

Raha stared at the holy relic on Severo’s hand.

“What is it for?”

“I know the Princess wants to die.”

“…….”

“I know you want to take revenge on His Majesty.”

“So you’re going to hit me over the head with this and die?”

“You wouldn’t want to die in vain like that.”

Severo gave a faint smile.

“It will break the insignia of Delo and revoke the protection of the blue eyes.”

“…….”

“My Princess. It is the only way that will allow you to choose your own death when you wish.”

Raha slowly looked over Severo’s face. It was unusual. It was practically a first. It had always been the other way around.

Severo looked at her with a crazy expression, wanting to lick Raha’s entire body, but the Princess didn’t pay much attention to him. In the first place Raha was not interested in anyone. She didn’t show any interest.

She was that calm and cold, an imperial princess who wanted to take revenge on the twin she hated, even risking her own life. She was a person who was incapable of loving herself.

“You can die on His Majesty’s wedding day, or even before that.”

“…….”

“I cannot choose between His Majesty and my master’s last patient, so I offer this to you.”

There was silence. It was a very long silence. Raha grasped the sacred relic on Severo’s hand. She did not immediately withdraw her hand. So her soft fingertips stayed for a while on Severo’s cold hand.

“Severo.”

Raha slowly opened her mouth.

“You can see why Karzen chose you as his first aide.”

“This life isn’t so bad, to be praised by the Princess.”

“Yes…….”

Raha smiled and accepted the holy relic. She moved her gaze for a moment at the metal glass that Severo placed on the side table. 

How could she not know about that silver glass? It was the glass that Harsel suddenly offered to her one day while she was drinking herself to death.

“From today onwards, Princess. You must stop drinking. If you drink more than this cup in a day, I will fill it with my blood. I am a doctor with a lot of blood.”

But he pretended to be a good doctor when he secretly drew her blood instead.

“My name is actually Ernest, Harsel is an alias. Princess. Later, when your pathetic life comes to an end, if you wish to curse and bear a grudge against someone, I inform you to speak ill of them with my name in mind.”

Raha slowly erased her thoughts.

“Severo.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

“Is there anything you want from me?”

“You.”

Severo continued to speak slowly.

“May I kiss you just once?”

“Oh, you don’t want to kiss Karzen.”

“The Princess has a good sense of humor.”

Chuckling, Raha bent down gracefully. She pressed her lips to Severo’s mouth as he sat on his knees. When a lifelong craving was half satisfied, the fantastic softness of her lips made him feel like he was going crazy for a moment.

Raha’s tongue dug into his open lips and his breath mingled with hers. Severo’s whole body froze. A moment later, the words almost came out of his mouth if he was her bedroom slave now and if he could take her to bed.

But the moment came to an end. Raha’s sweet lips were regrettably moved away. Severo almost pulled Raha into his arms. He said in a slightly trembling voice.

“I didn’t know you would kiss me so deeply. I didn’t know…Princess.”

“It’s a secret, Severo.”

Raha smiled softly.

“Actually, I’ve wanted to die for a long time.”

* * *

”Has Duke Winston gone to flatter the royal lord again?”

The Count who was with Duke Esther coughed at the Duke’s outspokenness.

“Yes, well, yes.”

Originally, the royalty named Shed Hildes in Hildes wasn’t that prominent. Thanks to that, the nobles of the empire, as well as the nobles of other countries, thought that Shed was a person of no great importance. But that all changed when he saved the emperor’s life.

However, the royal lord that the Duke saw was very nice, strong, and a great knight. Above all, he didn’t think that such an outstanding knight would agree to be a slave.

The Dello nobles found it effortless the moment they met him in person.

How he wouldn’t leave the Princess’s palace even though he was free to do so.

He occasionally attended the luncheon of the great nobles with the imperial princess. However, this morning, tremendous news was delivered that changed the situation.

“I can’t believe that the queen is coming in person as a congratulatory delegation from Hildes.”

“I do not know what that means. Hildes is so far away that information was rare. But a queen coming as a celebratory delegation…. …. Isn’t it amazing? I also have a pretty good idea of where the royal lord stands in the kingdom.”

For Delo nobles, Hildes was a land of opportunity. No one knew that if they caught the lord’s attention and secured a plausible trade alone, they would have access to a fortune that would make even the great nobles envious within a few years.

That was why everyone was jealous and envious of the Duke of  Winston. For the Duke of Winston was the last of the nobles who had connections with the royal lord. 

Other than that, there was Count Spencer, who recently dedicated the precious fruit of the Kingdom of Hildes called “Summer Nights” to Raha. He had been walking around with a lot of energy lately.

“Duke Esther brought the wise men directly to the palace and so His Majesty’s wedding is still coming in spring. Therefore you should have tea with the Princess….”

“No thanks.”

“I misspoke.”

The Count frowned. He thought of another subject to talk about.

“Duke Esther.”

A beautiful and elegantly dressed maid approached. She was a servant of the palace.

“The Princess wants to have tea with you for a while.”

The Count’s eyes flashed open.

”Oh my goodness, what a great timing. Then can I…”

“The Princess only wanted to see Duke Esther.”

“Have a good time, Duke Esther.”