The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 11

“Yes, I’d like that,” Setz replied, smiling back.

While Lize ordered tea from a maid, Setz couldn’t help but wander around, admiring the grand library. The west library wasn’t small by any means, but compared to this one, as Berne had said, it seemed like little more than a storage room.

This library wasn’t just large; the quality of the books on the shelves was on an entirely different level. Even the desks and chairs were of the highest quality.

“Please, have a seat, Princess,” Lize said as she pulled out a chair for Setz. Even after sitting down, Setz couldn’t stop glancing around in amazement.

“Do you like it?” Lize asked with a gentle smile.

“Yes, very much,” Setz replied enthusiastically.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Lize said, smiling faintly.

Setz couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly in puzzlement as she looked at Lize. She wondered why, despite having access to such a magnificent library, Raytan always went to the west library.

“Is something on your mind, Princess?” Lize asked, noticing Setz’s expression with a calm look on her face.

“Oh, it’s nothing really…” Setz hesitated, feeling unsure of whether she should voice her thoughts.

“Please, don’t hesitate to speak your mind,” Lize encouraged gently.

“I was just wondering… Does Brother Raytan come to this library often?” Setz asked as diplomatically as she could. Lize remained silent for a moment, blinking her eyes a few times before answering in a slightly subdued voice.

“No, Raytan does not come to this library.”

“I see… I just assumed he’d come here often because he loves books so much…”

“Raytan does enjoy reading, yes. But he almost never sets foot in this library,” Lize said, her tone quiet and steady.

“Oh… is that so…”

Should I ask? Can I ask? Setz hesitated, unsure if she should press further. Just then, the maid arrived with the tea, breaking the awkward silence. She placed a warm cup of milk in front of Setz and a cup of black tea in front of Lize. Lize took a few sips of her tea before speaking again.

“This library was once used by His Majesty, the Emperor, and Raytan dislikes it because of that,” Lize said.

“……”

“He says it makes him feel uncomfortable.”

Setz bit her lip at the unexpected revelation. She knew that Raytan had a deep-seated resentment toward the Emperor, but she hadn’t expected Lize to speak so openly about it.

After all, Setz was the Emperor’s daughter, and Lize was his consort. Plus, Lize had just mentioned that she’d spent the previous night with him. Setz wasn’t sure how to react to this blunt admission.

Deciding to change the subject to something safer, Setz asked, “Lady Lize, you mentioned before that you came from the Iyont Empire, didn’t you?”

She remembered hearing that on Raytan’s birthday.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Lize replied. “Are you interested in the Iyont Empire?”

“Oh, well, I’ve heard that the Iyont Empire is a place with very active trade. So, there are always a lot of people coming and going, and… um… the climate is warm all year round, making it a very pleasant place to live…”

“It was a lovely place to live,” Lize said, her voice trailing off as she continued more slowly.

“I didn’t stay there by choice,” Lize said quietly.

“What…?” Setz blinked, confused.

“I ended up there while running away… over and over again.”

Setz’s expression turned puzzled. As far as she knew, Lize had been a dancer who had caught the eye of the Emperor during one of his visits to the Iyont Empire, which eventually led to her becoming his consort. That was the extent of what she knew.

“But in the end, I ended up here, in Denhelder,” Lize continued with a faint smile.

While Setz didn’t know the full story of how Lize became a consort, there was one thing she did know: Lize’s life had not been easy. She thought Lize might still long for the days when she lived in the Iyont Empire.

“At first, it was overwhelming, but now…”

“……”

“I believe that everything was meant to be. Even my coming to this place. So, it’s not so bad,” Lize said, her face reflecting a mix of emotions.

Setz didn’t know how to respond to that. Just as she was struggling to find the right words, the door to the room opened.

“Lady Lize,” a maid said softly, calling for her attention. Lize turned to the maid with a questioning look before responding, “Ah, I see. It’s fine, go ahead.”

The maid hesitated for a moment but then handed Lize a small glass vial filled with a light purple liquid.

“Please excuse me for a moment,” Lize said, taking the vial and drinking the liquid in one swift motion.

“Are you unwell, Lady Lize? That looked like medicine…” Setz asked, concerned.

Lize didn’t answer directly. Instead, she offered a small smile, one that felt different from her usual warmth. There was something cold and unsettling about it, a chill that seemed to seep into the air around her.

“Aren’t you afraid of Raytan, Princess?” Lize asked suddenly.

“Pardon?” Setz was caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic.

“You seem like you genuinely want to get closer to him,” Lize continued.

“Well, um…” Setz hesitated, unsure of how to answer. To say she wasn’t afraid at all would be a lie. Besides, Raytan was the one who would eventually take her life. Even if that event was still five years in the future, it was hard to forget.

But at the same time, he didn’t seem like a monster to her, not the way other people made him out to be. To be perfectly honest, yesterday, she had even felt a bit sorry for him. He had such severe bruises and no one seemed to care or offer any concern.

After a moment of inner conflict, Setz spoke cautiously, “I’m a little scared of him, but… I still want to get closer to Brother Raytan.”

“Oh, really?” Lize said with a knowing smile, taking a sip of her tea.

“You’re quite unusual, Princess. Most people won’t even look Raytan in the eye.”

“Well, I just thought that—”

“It’s probably because of the legend. And his name might play a part in it as well,” Lize said, cutting her off.

Raytan. Setz knew the meaning of that name. It meant “cursed one,” a name that the Emperor himself had given to his son.

“A name is like the first gift one receives from the world,” Lize continued. “It’s meant to be given with love, to carry a blessing. To name him like that… perhaps that’s where it all went wrong.”

Setz felt a pang of discomfort. Lize was acting so differently today. First, she talked about the Emperor, and now she was bringing up these delicate topics with such a detached air, as if she were discussing someone else’s life.

“But I never thought the name was unfitting,” Lize said softly.

“Lady Lize…?”

“In fact, it suits him perfectly. That boy,” she added, her voice almost a whisper.

Lize’s smile twisted into a low, cold laugh, and there was something about her expression that sent a shiver down Setz’s spine.

“……”

But then, all of a sudden, Lize’s face contorted in pain. She clutched her chest, staggering slightly. Setz sprang up from her chair in alarm and reached out to steady her.

“Lady Lize!” Setz cried out.

“Ugh…” Lize gasped, her face pale and strained.

Lize was clearly in pain. Her face had turned deathly pale, and her body felt cold as ice. Setz knew she needed to call for help. But just as she was about to do so, a dark shadow fell over her face—it was Raytan.

“Mother,” he said in a low voice as he brushed Setz aside to support Lize.

“No, it’s fine,” Lize said weakly.

“But—”

“I just need to rest,” she insisted.

“Then let me take you to your room,” Raytan offered.

“I said it’s fine. Mari!” Lize called out firmly.

The maid who had brought the tea earlier re-entered the library. She moved with practiced ease, as if this scene were something she had experienced many times before, and immediately took hold of Lize to support her.

“Princess, I’ll have to excuse myself now,” Lize said, looking at Setz as she prepared to leave.

“Please, get some rest,” Setz replied hastily, grabbing Lize’s shawl from the chair and handing it to Mari, who carefully draped it over Lize’s shoulders. Mari also picked up the empty vial from the table.

“Well then, I’ll see you next time. Raytan, I’m heading off,” Lize said, her voice as calm as she could muster.

“Yes,” Raytan replied briefly.

With Mari’s assistance, Lize slowly made her way out of the room.

Setz’s eyes were fixed on one thing—the empty vial in Mari’s hand.

Is it medication for a chronic illness? If that’s the case, it should have made her feel better, not worse. But Lize seemed to be in more pain after taking it. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the thought of that vial kept bothering her.

“……”

Setz’s gaze shifted to Raytan. His face, as he watched Lize being led away, was difficult to read. It wasn’t the usual stoic mask he wore, but it also didn’t display any clear signs of worry or concern. Instead, there was something unsettling, something that didn’t quite fit. Both Lize’s actions and Raytan’s expression felt strangely out of place.

“Brother…” Setz started to say, but her words died in her throat as she noticed his clenched fist.

She stared at his tightly balled hand, veins bulging and knuckles white, then back at his face, twisted in an expression she couldn’t define. There was something chilling about it, a coldness that sent a shiver down her spine. And she couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but that feeling of unease seemed to deepen the longer she looked at him.

***

The only sound in the spacious library was the scratching of Setz’s pen as she wrote. Raytan, who had checked her homework, had given her a simple writing exercise. He sat quietly in front of her, staring out the window in silence.

Setz would write a few words, then steal a glance at Raytan, then write some more, and glance again. Although Raytan was never the warmest or most talkative person, today his demeanor seemed even colder and more distant than usual. He seemed even more silent and withdrawn than ever before.

Is it because he’s in a place he dislikes? Lize had mentioned that Raytan wasn’t fond of this palace. Maybe that’s why he seemed so gloomy. Setz was curious but didn’t have the courage to ask, so she just kept watching him out of the corner of her eye.

And then, to her dismay, her stomach growled loudly.

“…….”

The rumbling was so loud that Setz’s ears turned bright red with embarrassment. It was the kind of sound that could easily be mistaken for a ship’s foghorn. She was sure that if she could hear it, Raytan must have heard it too.

She shot a sheepish glance at Raytan, who was looking at her with a slightly exasperated expression.

“It’s just that… I didn’t have a proper breakfast…” she mumbled.

“……”

“I’m not usually like this, I swear…”

Raytan gave her a look that clearly said he found her excuses ridiculous. Then, without a word, he called over a maid. In less than five minutes, an assortment of delicious cakes and cookies was laid out on the table.

Setz’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t expected this from Raytan.

“Eat,” he said curtly.

“Oh, thank you—” she started to say.

“Just don’t make a racket.”

Ah, so it wasn’t out of concern for her well-being but rather to stop the noise. Of course. It wasn’t like Raytan to worry about whether she was hungry or not. Setz accepted this fact with a resigned sigh.

Still, whatever the reason, being given food was definitely better than not being given anything at all.

“Thank you, Brother. I’ll enjoy it,” she said, smiling awkwardly as she began to eat the warm cocoa and cake. The taste was incredible, far beyond anything she was used to. Even the strawberry on top of the cake was plump and fresh, nothing like the tiny, sour ones Luna occasionally brought her. The cookies were loaded with big chunks of chocolate, much richer than anything she’d ever had.

Being the favored consort in the palace must come with its perks, she thought. It suddenly dawned on her just how poorly treated she had been all this time. Compared to these treats, the food she’d been eating seemed like little more than scraps.

When she was halfway through the cake, she remembered her manners and looked up at Raytan. “Aren’t you going to have any?”

“Just eat it yourself,” he replied, as expected.

Fine, if he didn’t want any, she would just finish it all herself. Setz took another big bite, savoring the rich flavor, and then her gaze drifted to the cup in front of Raytan. He was drinking a dark coffee. For a moment, she thought, He’s acting just like an adult.