The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 10

Raytan stood there, now with a torn shirt, looking completely dumbfounded.

“…I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“……”

“Really, I didn’t.”

“Ha…” Raytan let out a sigh, half in disbelief. Suddenly, Setz’s gaze drifted to his solar plexus.

“Oh my god…”

Setz’s face went pale. Raytan’s stomach was… covered in a massive bruise. No, it wasn’t just bruised; it was almost black. She had never seen a bruise that dark in her life. It looked like Berne had really put all his strength into that kick yesterday.

“You should’ve called a doctor if you were this badly hurt…”

“I don’t need one.”

“But didn’t the maids or servants say anything? If you couldn’t call a doctor, then at least some basic treatment…”

“There’s no one.”

“What?”

“No one’s there. No one to give me that kind of treatment.”

Setz bit her lip hard. She realized how foolish her words sounded. Luna’s behavior alone made it clear. Even someone as kind as Luna openly avoided Raytan, so it was no surprise that others would do the same. At least Setz had Luna, but Raytan had no one. There wasn’t a single person in the palace who would take care of him—not even for his injuries.

And yet, he still came to the library, to help me with my tutoring… Her guilt quickly turned into gratitude, and then that gratitude transformed into a deep sense of pity. Setz abruptly stood up and dumped the contents of her bag onto the floor.

Raytan looked at her like she was up to some nonsense again, but Setz ignored him, focusing on checking the bag’s contents. Luna, being as thorough as ever, had packed more than just cotton balls. Setz, too, had suffered a few scrapes and bruises, which was why Luna had included ointment, bandages, and other essentials.

Setz picked up the ointment and bandages, then stood in front of Raytan.

“Brother, could you please sit on the desk instead of the windowsill?”

“Why should I?”

“I want to put some medicine on you.”

“I don’t need it.”

“But I want to do it.”

Raytan fell silent for a moment. He stared at Setz with a look she couldn’t quite read, and then, to her surprise, he actually got down from the windowsill and sat on the low desk. It was unexpected.

“All right, I’ll start with the ointment.”

Setz scooped some of the white ointment and began to spread it across Raytan’s bruises. As she applied a thick layer of it, Raytan surprisingly remained completely still.

“……”

While she was rubbing in the ointment, Setz couldn’t help but frown slightly. Raytan’s body was covered in wounds, far more than she had expected. Aside from the bruises on his stomach, there were also various scars scattered across his torso, and a long, jagged mark near his ribs.

Oh, right. She vaguely remembered hearing once that during archery practice, Berne had shot an arrow at Raytan. That must be where that scar came from.

Damn those people. Setz swallowed her curses and started wrapping a bandage around Raytan’s stomach. Wait, should I even be bandaging a bruise? Can you do that? After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to go ahead with it. At least it might keep the ointment from getting sticky.

“All done with the bandage. Does it feel uncomfortable?” Setz asked, looking up at Raytan. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he looked down at the bandage tightly wrapped around his stomach with a baffled expression.

“Oh, come on. You have no skills at all. What makes you think you can treat anyone?” Raytan scoffed.

To be fair, he was right. Yesterday, she had turned his hand into a mummy, and today, it was his stomach’s turn. Well, if he didn’t like it, he could have said something. He always just sat there accepting it, only to complain later. Setz’s expression turned sulky.

“What about the rest of you? Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked. Even though his words were irritating, she thought it would be better to check for any other injuries while she was already treating him. After all, there was no one else who would look after him like this.

Setz looked over Raytan’s upper body, checking his condition.

Then she noticed something white peeking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. It was a bandage.

“…Huh?”

The bandage was wrapped around Raytan’s left shoulder. But something about it seemed strange. Did he hurt his shoulder too?

“Let me take a quick look at your shoulder. Since we’re at it, I might as well—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Raytan quickly swatted her hand away.

“Enough.”

“But…”

“Leave it alone.”

He had said earlier that he didn’t need help, but then ended up quietly letting her treat him. Why the sudden change in attitude now?

And who wrapped that bandage if no one else was supposed to be helping him? Did he do it himself? If he had the presence of mind to bandage his shoulder, he could have taken better care of the bruise on his stomach too.

“What are you staring at?” Raytan snapped.

“I’m just worried, that’s all…”

“I don’t need your concern. Now, sit down.”

“Yes, okay.”

Setz quickly sat back in her chair. Though she stole a few more glances at his shoulder, Raytan soon pulled his shirt up to cover it again.

The lesson resumed. Setz worked through a few more problems, but unlike before, she made two or three mistakes. Raytan corrected her errors one by one, and surprisingly, his explanations were clear and easy to understand. For a moment, Setz thought that maybe Raytan was actually quite smart.

As the sun began to set, Raytan spoke again.

“Starting tomorrow, come to my mother’s palace.”

“What?” Setz’s head shot up in surprise at his unexpected words.

“We’re changing the location,” Raytan said.

“……”

“If you don’t like it, forget it.”

“No! I don’t mind at all!” Setz shouted, almost desperately. She had been planning to ask about this anyway—to see if Lady Lize could help them move to a different place. Luna had mentioned yesterday that the princes and princesses might come by again, and Setz didn’t want a repeat of that.

But what really lifted Setz’s spirits wasn’t just the fact that they were changing locations.

It was the thought that, from now on, she wouldn’t have to worry about whether Raytan would show up or not.

“Why are you grinning like that?” Raytan frowned.

“It’s just… I’m happy that you’ll be helping me study again tomorrow,” she said, unable to hide her smile.

“……”

“Then I’ll check on your injuries again tomorrow. I’ll even ask Luna to teach me how to properly wrap a bandage!”

“I told you, I don’t need that, you foolish girl.”

“Oh, right! I’ll also bring some ointment that’s good for bruises! There was this ointment Luna used on me once when I fell—it worked really well. My bruise disappeared in just two days! If I use that on your bruise, it’ll clear up in no time!”

Setz babbled on, saying things that no one asked her to. Raytan didn’t even bother to respond anymore. Although he looked a bit annoyed, he didn’t tell her to “get lost” or “shut up” like he usually did. Just that small change made Setz feel like they were getting closer, and it lifted her spirits even more. In her own way, she felt like she was gradually achieving her goal.

***

Raytan turned out to be more meticulous than Setz had expected. He even assigned her unexpected homework, telling her to write the incorrect answers ten times each.

Setz thought to herself that this level of effort wasn’t really necessary, but she agreed to do it anyway.

Luna still seemed anxious. When Setz shared the news that Lady Lize had arranged a new study location, Luna was overjoyed, practically jumping with excitement. Setz was also looking forward to it and was curious about where in Lize’s palace they could possibly have a suitable study space.

Regardless of the location, the fact that Raytan was giving her homework made it feel like they were slowly getting closer. Setz pushed herself to do not only the assigned work but also some extra study in advance. It had been a while since she had really studied, so her head ached a little, but she also found it surprisingly enjoyable.

What pleased her even more was the way Raytan looked at her with a hint of surprise. Life can be so unpredictable. For years, she had studied diligently without anyone acknowledging her efforts, and now Raytan was the one finally noticing.

Early the next morning, Setz woke up, reviewed her lessons twice, then studied the new material three times before heading to Lize’s palace. The only annoying part was that she had another nosebleed right from the start. Just as Luna suspected, it seemed like her blood vessels were getting weaker. So, Setz had to leave the house once more with cotton stuffed up her nose.

She felt a bit self-conscious at the thought that she might run into Lady Lize. She didn’t want to look this ridiculous in front of someone as elegant as her.

“……”

As she entered Lize’s palace, Setz looked around uncertainly. She realized that she hadn’t been given a specific place to meet. They had only said to come to the palace. Thankfully, the guards didn’t stop her, suggesting that they had been informed of her visit.

But where exactly was she supposed to go?

Setz was standing in the hallway, unsure of what to do, when a familiar voice called out to her.

“Good morning, Princess Setz.”

Setz turned around to see Lady Lize.

“Oh, Lady Lize,” Setz greeted politely, bowing her head. Lize returned the bow with equal grace. Great, she had run into her. Setz felt embarrassed and awkwardly touched her nose, still stuffed with cotton. Then she noticed something different about Lize.

Today, Lize seemed a little out of sorts. Her usual elegance was slightly disrupted, her light purple dress looking a bit disheveled, and her face carrying a hint of exhaustion, as if she hadn’t slept well.

“Lady Lize, are you feeling unwell? You don’t look so good…”

“It’s nothing like that. I just didn’t sleep well last night,” Lize said with a gentle smile.

“Is there anything I can do to help…?”

“No need. It’s always like this when I sleep in a different place,” she replied.

Setz’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. So, she had slept somewhere else last night? Sensing Setz’s curiosity, Lize continued.

“I was up all night attending to His Majesty, then returned here only this morning.”

Setz’s face flushed. If she had been just a naive twelve-year-old, she might have taken that statement at face value, but at seventeen, she fully understood its implication. Lize was exhausted from spending the night with the Emperor.

“I-I see…” Setz stammered, trying to keep her composure.

“Raytan will be here soon. You don’t know the exact study location yet, do you?”

“No, I wasn’t told exactly where to go…”

“Then I’ll guide you there,” Lize said with a kind smile, motioning for Setz to follow her.

They headed in the opposite direction from where they had shared a meal last time. Setz tilted her head slightly in surprise at how large the palace seemed.

The palace they were now in used to be the residence of the current Emperor when he was still a prince. Being the only son of the previous Emperor, he was greatly favored, and the former Emperor had even built this new palace just for him.

This palace’s location in the deepest part of the imperial grounds was for security reasons, ensuring both safety and privacy. Now that Lady Lize occupied this space, it was no wonder that other concubines were envious of her.

Still, Setz hadn’t expected it to be this large, and her expression showed a hint of amazement.

“It’s quite far, isn’t it?” Lize said, noting Setz’s surprise.

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Setz replied quickly.

“This is the palace that the previous Emperor built for the current Emperor when he was still a prince.”

“Ah, I see…”

“And the place where you’ll be studying with Raytan is the library located in the innermost part of this palace. There, you’ll be able to focus on your studies without any disturbances.”

Hearing that they would be using the same library the Emperor used when he was a prince, Setz imagined how perfect the study environment must be. The thought of all the books and the quietness reassured her that no unwelcome visitors would interrupt them. She felt genuinely grateful for Lize’s thoughtful arrangement.

“We’re here. Would you like to have some tea while we wait for Raytan?” Lize suggested with a warm smile.