The Princess' Bedroom Doll

“It looks like there’s a crack in the insignia.”

“……!”

The blood drained from the faces of the wise men at Duke Esther’s words. They threw out their barely guarded dignity and rushed to the insignia, leaving only one person next to Raha.

“Your Majesty, look.”

Voices murmuring. The emperor of this empire was seen striding in at the same time.

Duke Esther said with a cold face.

“Your Majesty, Severo Crassus dared to take the life of the imperial princess in your name.”

“…….”

There was no warmth in Karzen’s face as he towered before the tombstone. The cold anger that seemed to freeze with him as he held up his hand made his face rather impassive. Karzen watched as the wise man supported Raha and the red blood that stained the front of her gown and shawl.

It was then that the other wise men returned with pale faces.

“I am sorry, Princess, but could you please check this part? Because the insignia can only be seen in its originality by those who have the eyes of the heir ….”

Any other nobles would not have been able to do this because of Karzen’s complexion. But the wise men seemed half out of their mind to care right now.

Raha walked on trembling legs to check the tombstone.

She said in a cracked voice.

“There is a crack in the insignia, but it’s not large.”

“……!”

The faces of the wise men hardened. So was Karzen’s face. Raha, however, looked puzzled. The wise men exchanged glances and asked Raha.

“Princess.”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you hear anything from the previous emperor?”

“……what do you mean?”

Truly, Raha had never heard a single word from the previous emperor. Especially when it came to the insignia.

Raha was the one who shed blood, but the faces of the wise men turned pale like wax dolls.

“Your Majesty. If there is a crack in the insignia, we cannot fix it by ourselves without the help of the Princess.”

“…….”

“The insignia must always be intact,Your Majesty. Did you not know that?”

Karzen looked at Severo, who was already kneeling in captivity before the knights. Then he looked once more at Raha, his precious sister.

Even in the midst of all this chaos, the swarms of light that wandered around the rear garden tried to keep hovering around Raha. And so, among these people, only Raha shone.

Raha was just a vessel heaped with the eyes of the heir. She was like an expensive doll with precious gems encrusted in her eyes. Karzen treated Raha as such all the time, and Raha obediently kept her place.

Karzen turned around roughly.

“Ask the previous Emperor for an audience!”

* * *

“A crack in the insignia!”

The previous emperor, about to jump up, noticed his missing leg and gritted his teeth.

“So, did you come running like this because of that? To see the memorandum?”

“It wasn’t me, the wise men were there. I almost died and the insignia cracked.”

The previous emperor would definitely be angry if Raha spoke like this. Because he always lost patience in front of her. It wasn’t that it was difficult to understand. He wanted to kill her and lost one of his legs.

But contrary to Raha’s expectation, the previous emperor coldly pulled out a small book from his pocket and threw it at Raha.

The little book fell at her feet and Raha bent down to pick it up.

The memorandum was not very thick. But there were only important contents. The contents were about the eyes of the heir, about the insignia, and the story about the patronage. About the situation where the swarms of light drifting through the garden of the insignia changed rapidly. About how to help the wise men if something untoward happens and the insignia is broken…

It didn’t take long, and after finishing the book, Raha looked at the previous emperor and asked.

“When the insignia is broken, do the eyes of the heir disappear?”

“Didn’t you just read it? Yes. The blue eyes will disappear and the cluster of lights in the garden will also fly away. The blue eyes will rise with insignia. Damn it, as it says in the memorandum.”

“So that’s why the eyes of the heir…”

Raha finally learned today why the lineage of Delharsa was chosen by the wise men. Another heir was sleeping under the insignia shaped like a tombstone. Sleeping under a tombstone was no different from being dead.

How could the eyes be dead under that huge and beautiful garden? It was so romantic that it brought tears to her eyes.

Earlier.

Once in the rear garden, Raha was able to quickly find the spot where Severo was hiding. It was strange. She had a vague intuition 

that it was because of the swarm of lights that kept following her constantly, but in fact, similar words were written in the memorandum.

“I’m telling you just in case, don’t dream of breaking the tombstone and killing me and Karzen. Because you will die the hardest of all. The wise men will still turn against you.”

“Your Majesty.”

Raha smiled as she approached the previous emperor.

“I’m leaving the palace as soon as I get married. So I don’t even want to die.”

The previous emperor’s cold face twisted. He was perplexed at Raha’s unexpected behavior.

“Raha del Harsa.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“As the Queen told me the other day, the royal lord was very much taken with your appearance.”

“…….”

“So I even made a bet. The Queen was very sure. She was certain you will fall in love with the royal lord in a few months.”

 “…… Ah.”

For a moment Raha realized. She asked with a smile much like his.

“That’s why you showed me this without hesitation. Because you know I won’t die.”

“That’s right.”

The previous emperor said as he put the memorandum that Raha had brought back into his pocket again.

“For what it’s worth, I am your father. I know you’ll be obsessed with the royal lord just as Karzen is obsessed with you.”

“There is a difference between me and Karzen.”

“What’s the difference? You two are the mirror image of each other.”

“Karzen desires his twin, but I desire my rightful wedded one. How can you put us on the same line?”

“Raha del Harsa.”

The previous emperor said mockingly.

“You and Karzen.”

“…….”

“You are both obsessed with what you don’t have. What makes you different from Karzen when your love is broken?” 

Raha did not answer. But her expression was the same as usual. A white face with a faint smile. 

The previous emperor slowly lost interest.

“Still, live the rest of your life thanking me, since I created you. Aren’t you getting love from the royal lord because of your appearance?”

“…….”

“How long can one love a broken thing?”

Raha smiled slowly.

“Yes, your Majesty.”

* * *

“Princess! Did the conversation go well? Did you check the memorandum?”

The wise men approached Raha in a rush and asked. Raha nodded. In the midst of chaos, the wise men had a new shawl in their hands.

They misunderstood that Raha was cold because she had the blood-stained shawl wrapped around her neck.

“I read the part about how to fix the insignia. Let’s go to the garden.”

“Oh, my. Princess.”

Raha was stopped as she was about to leave.

“There’s no need to go right back in a hurry….Over there…please.”

Raha cast a glance where the wise men carefully pointed. The door to the room Raha had just left was connected to a short corridor. With no energy to ask any questions, Raha moved towards it.

Soon she blinked slowly.

She saw Shed with his back to the wall and his arms folded. At that moment, Shed turned his head and their eyes met.

Almost as soon as she thought he was going to approach her, she was wrapped in his arms. A big embrace.

For a moment, she felt like her heart was gripped.

She had visited the previous emperor with a thin gown and a shawl covered in blood. She had no time to change.

She had never once expressed it outwardly, but she always felt like words had escaped her whenever she finished talking to him.

Perhaps the raw murderous intent and anger that the previous emperor spewed out at her was too overwhelming.

Having a conversation with a father, who tried to kill her, wasn’t the easy thing to do…

It wasn’t indeed, but she could get it done nonetheless.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Perhaps she didn’t expect to see Shed. Her eyes felt hot with unshed tears.

This sudden warmth was bad. No matter how long she touched him, she was not at all used to this man’s body heat, it was too much for Raha ….

Shed let out a low sigh. He let go of her and cupped Raha’s cheeks up in his hands. He looked into her wet eyes. She looked like she was about to cry, but she never cried. Raha hated crying in front of people.

He could see servants glancing by, but it didn’t matter. Shed kissed Raha’s cheek without hesitation.

Her fingers gripped his arms weakly, but Raha did not push him away.

Shed slowly raised his head.

He could see her blood-dried shawl and gown. Her mouth and face seemed to have been wiped clean, but everywhere he looked there were traces from the blood she had vomited.

“Raha.”

He let out a low sigh.

“I don’t know what to do with you.”

For a moment, Raha felt cold, as if her heart had been cut open. Normally, she would have listened without a care in the world. If she hadn’t had a talk with the previous emperor earlier, she would have been fine. But not now.

‘How long can one love a broken thing?’ 

The words of the previous emperor were still stuck to Raha’s chest uncomfortably.