The Princess' Bedroom Doll

***

“ I can’t believe you don’t know what to do.” Raha deliberately smiled.

Thinking for a long time, she was able to answer the painful words with a smile. Shed narrowed his brows slightly.

“You can do whatever you want.” (Raha)

“Okay.” (Shed)

Just as Raha decided to let go of Shed’s solid arms, she felt her feet off the ground. 

Shed held Raha in his arms and began to walk down the corridor with great strides. The servants’ eyes grew wide as they moved busily down the hallway, but Shed’s expression did not change in the slightest. Raha asked in a perplexed voice. 

“What are you doing? Where are you going?” 

Was he taking her to the bedroom? So suddenly? But there had been more than one case of this man suddenly kissing her and proceeding to have s*x.

 “Shed, I …….” 

Raha was about to tell him to stop by the rear garden before doing anything else.

“Let’s go to my castle. It doesn’t matter if the wedding is held in Hildes.” (Shed)

Raha doubted her ears. “What….what do you mean all of a sudden?”

“You told me to do whatever I want. You gave me permission.” Shed’s deep voice rang in her ears. “I don’t want you here at all.”

Was he joking? When people got too flustered, their train of thought would stop. Raha’s head was spinning. She finally came to her senses when she saw the bewildered faces of the wise men chasing after her from behind. No royalty in the world should have treated the wise men like that….what the royal family of Delo had never done… 

“Stop. That’s not what I meant.” (Raha)

“Then what did you mean?”

“I…”

Raha tightened the shawl that seemed to be falling off her shoulders.

“I thought you meant it was hard to handle me.”

“….?”

Having been striding as if nothing could stop him, Shed stopped abruptly. He stared at Raha.

“Raha,” he asked, his eyes scrutinizing her. “Who said something strange to you?” 

“You’re talking nonsense.” 

Raha’s eyes shimmered like the surface of blue water. Shed saw Raha’s hands trembling slightly as they gripped the shawl. He put her down. Shed took off the jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around Raha.

“I still wish that permission had been real, Raha.”

*** 

Three days had passed since Severo had tried to harm Raha. 

“I heard that Severo Crassus was taken away by the wise men. Did you hear?”

“They said he tried to hurt the Princess using the emperor’s name.”

“For a long time, Severo Crassus has only been great in his loyalty. But with the Imperial name fabrication, he had crossed a dangerous line.”

 “It’s a good thing the wise men are in the empire. …… the insignia of Delharsa was almost cracked too.

The main palace was crowded with murmuring people. 

“How dare he try to sever the very foundations of the empire! He should be punished with the death penalty!”

In particular, the lights in the  Council chamber had not been turned off since the day before yesterday. It was not the grand conference room where all nobles participated on a large scale, but it was a place of great importance where only high-ranking nobles of marquis rank and above would gather to facilitate meetings. 

Just recently, Severo’s death sentence was officially confirmed in the national government chamber. Karzen gave his approval with a hard expression.

Public opinion was filthy bad, and the wise men were not swayed one bit. For Karzen to overturn this, in other words, to save Severo, he would have to kill eight wise men, and send the nobles in the palace to the death row.

It was, of course, outrageous. It would have been more peaceful to announce that Raha del Harsa would now be the Empress. 

The news that Severo had been sentenced to death spread throughout the Palace. Likewise, when Raha heard the story from the knights, she waited a dozen minutes before getting out of her seat. She sat and waited in the waiting room for three hours to see Severo, who was imprisoned.

“Guide me.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Raha was wearing a thick shawl, even though it was already spring at midday. That day, the night the moon rose. 

The problem was that the holy relic that Severo gave her attacked the insignia and Raha vomited blood. Or more precisely, Oliver, who heard the news and came running in contemplation. Now, Raha even had a warm water bottle in her hand that Oliver had given her. 

It was a little hot in this weather, but …… she had no choice but to take it, because Oliver kept crying, not wanting her to visit the damp prison if she didn’t take what he had prepared with care.

Raha laughed when she saw the hot water that Oliver had made with Branden. It didn’t fit the situation. Raha handed the hot water bottle and her shawl to the knight and went inside. 

Creak.

The place where Severo was was no ordinary prison. It was a prison under the Wise Men’s authority. The word “prison” did not even fit. It was more like a deserted room. There were no iron bars, no straw on the floor. 

She had heard many people say that the underground prison in the Imperial Palace was inferior to this one, but this level did not seem so bad. That was what it looked like to Raha.

The high walls had a palm-sized window, letting in sunlight. The dust floating in the sun looked golden. 

Severo was kneeling in the low sunlight. His hands were tied behind his back, and hard leather straps were wrapped around his neck and chest. He had a gag in his mouth and a blindfold over his eyes.

He appeared to be completely bound. There was a subtle divine power in the restraining sphere that held Severo in place. 

They wouldn’t treat high ranking criminals like that….

But since Severo tried to destroy the insignia, it must have been the highest treason to the wise men.

Suddenly Raha remembered  old rumors about her. The Princess with many chamber slaves. She had sadistic tastes. That was why many of them died.

What if the rumors were true? 

Raha sat down on the chair brought by the knight.

 “Please sit down, Princess.”

She looked at Severo for a moment and then excused the knight. The knight bowed politely and retreated.

While the thick iron door closed carefully, Raha did not take her eyes off Severo. The silent stare did not last long. Raha rose from her seat and removed the blindfold covering Severo’s eyes. Severo slowly lifted his eyelids. 

The elegant face of the imperial princess comes into his view. It was one of the two faces that Severo had been pondering in silence for the past few days. Blue hair. The same beautiful blue eyes. Skin glowed like snow, long, lush lashes. 

Raha del Harsa.

This princess would be the last member of the royal family that Severo would see alive. Karzen would not be able to come to see him as leisurely as Raha. 

The situation was easily foreseeable, not only because of the political burden, but because it was a tremendous risk.

So this was his last chance. Karzen must be sitting across one of those walls. Left? Right? It was impossible for Karzen not to know that Severo and the Princess would be conversing. And he would surely have asked the wise men to listen to the conversation in secret. It was a reasonable request, since Severo and Karzen had already drawn the line. 

Severo intended to leave a final message for Karzen. He had to tell him the story of how Raha had trapped him. How Raha had told him she wanted to die and was willing to destroy the insignia without hesitation. He had to tell Karzen that the vigilance they had until now was not enough.

It was a lost cause because the wise men had already captured him. He didn’t even have a moment to talk to Karzen.

In the midst of so many knights and nobles watching, even if he spoke a single word to Karzen, Severo’s guit would transfer to him.

Perhaps even now …… some nobles already suspected it.

“What’s wrong, Severo?”  

Severo’s eyes trembled at the sound of Raha’s voice.

“I understand your wariness of me. But I’m going to Hildes soon. What threat do you think I pose to Karzen when I’m going that far away?” 

The gag in his mouth prevented Severo from speaking.

“I was kind to you, and this was how you retreated me.”

“….”

“What if Karzen opposes my marriage because of you?” 

Raha spoke with a sad look on her face. 

“That would be very sad. The public opinion out there isn’t too good, Severo. The wise men are very serious.” 

Severo could not take his eyes off Raha’s face. Every single word she said was too perfect. He was the cruel man who had blackmailed the innocent and kind princess and tried to lead her to her death. That was what that imperial princess meant.

Her innocent eyes looked as if she was confused by his cruel actions. A sad smile.

“Hmp…”

Severo barely pulled the sound out of his throat. He wanted to remove the gag.

“Your gag?” 

“…”

“Are you asking me to release you, Severo?”

Severo was still in a tight position. His neck was also firmly fixed, so it was difficult to move. But he was able to nod slightly. Raha wouldn’t know the fact that Karzen was coming anyway. So, he had one last precious moment to tell her something before he died. It was useless to use his emotions to appeal to the Princess anyway.

But if he, the emperor’s closest aide, sent her a look as if he had a secret story to tell her alone, her interest would be piqued.

That was enough. He only needed his gag to be removed for a moment.

Just one word. 

“I don’t know why they gag you…”

Raha murmured, reaching for Severo. The soft hand that was going towards the gag stopped.

Severo’s breathing stopped along with it. 

Perhaps the Princess felt humiliated because he had managed to manipulate her.

“…”

“I can’t do that, Severo.”

“…”

“I can’t kiss you again like last time.”