The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 15

“You’re not as adorable as I thought,” Eaton chuckled. Then, as if to prove a point, he spread his hand wide open.

“Whoa, wait!” Setz cried out as a flame burst forth from his palm with a soft whoosh.

“I can,” Eaton said simply.

Setz’s eyes went wide with shock. Controlling fire was a skill reserved for the most elite mages, and from what she’d heard, there were no longer any mages in existence capable of such magic.

“Believe me now?” he asked, his smile growing.

“But… but I have no talent for magic. I’ve heard that only chosen individuals can wield it…” Setz stammered, still trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

“That used to be true. But now, even you could do it. If I taught you, you’d become quite proficient,” Eaton said confidently.

“I… I’m not sure…” Setz said, clearly torn.

“Well, at least you’re not entirely uninterested,” Eaton said with a grin. He then turned his head toward the closed door.

“Someone’s looking for you,” he said.

“What? Who?” Setz asked, startled.

“Seems like it’s your brother,” Eaton replied with a smirk.

Setz strained her ears to listen but couldn’t hear anything at all. She was completely lost, unsure of what was happening.

“Time for you to go,” Eaton said, nodding toward the door.

“But I don’t even know where I am… I just wandered into this room,” Setz protested.

“Just open the door and leave. That’s all you need to do,” he replied.

Open the door and leave? As if that wasn’t already obvious! Setz felt a little annoyed but simply nodded and stood up.

As she reached for the door, Eaton spoke again.

“See you tomorrow, Setz. And don’t worry about running into anyone on your way here. Only you can come to this place.”

“Huh?” Setz blinked, confused.

“Oh, and make sure you keep this a secret. It’d be best for you. Goodbye,” Eaton added, his tone light but with a hint of something mysterious.

What on earth is he talking about? Setz sighed in exasperation as she opened the door.

“…What?”

She looked around in shock. It was a familiar corridor—one she had been wandering through just moments ago, lost. And right ahead of her was the library.

What just happened? Setz turned around to look back, but the room where Eaton had been was gone, as if it had never existed. It felt like she’d just been in the presence of a ghost.

“Where on earth have you been?”

“Brother!” Setz exclaimed.

Raytan came running toward her from the opposite direction, his face glistening with sweat. It was clear he’d been searching for her, just like Eaton had said.

“Do you even know what time it is, you silly girl?” Raytan scolded, panting slightly.

“Uh, uh…?” Setz stammered, still in a daze.

“What did you say?” Raytan asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Why am I here? It’s so strange… so weird…” Setz muttered to herself.

Raytan stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. But Setz was too distracted to notice his bewildered gaze. She kept mumbling to herself, “Weird… it’s so strange… I’m telling you, it’s really weird…” unable to make sense of the bizarre events she’d just experienced.

***

Throughout the lesson, Setz couldn’t focus. Her mind was somewhere else entirely, filled with thoughts that had nothing to do with her studies. Of course, Raytan was quick to notice Setz’s distracted state.

“Hey, you idiot,” he snapped.

“Yes? What?” Setz replied, startled.

“What on earth have you been thinking about this whole time?” Raytan said, holding up the test paper that was covered in red marks. Her score was truly dreadful.

“If you don’t want to learn, just quit. Do you think I’m doing this because I have all the time in the world?” he added, irritation evident in his voice.

“No, it’s not that! I really want to learn…” Setz waved her hands frantically, trying to refocus her thoughts. Raytan stared at her for a moment, his expression darkening slightly.

“Then what’s the matter with you?” he demanded.

“…”

“Did someone hit you again?”

“Huh?” Setz blinked in confusion.

“It’s Lilien’s doing, isn’t it?” Raytan said, his face twisting with annoyance.

“No, no! I didn’t get hit today,” Setz quickly replied.

“Then what is it? Just say it straight,” Raytan insisted.

Setz hesitated, her gaze drifting toward Raytan’s bright red eyes—the same color as Eaton’s. She was lost in thought for a moment before she carefully voiced her question.

“Um, Brother… there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“What is it?” Raytan said, his tone sharp.

“Is there… anyone else in the palace who has… um… red eyes like yours?”

The moment she mentioned his eyes, Raytan’s expression hardened. It was no surprise; his red eyes were a sensitive subject for him, a source of shame. Realizing she might have touched a nerve, Setz quickly backpedaled.

“I mean, no one else could have such… um… beautiful eyes like yours, right?” she stammered.

“…”

“I’ve always thought so, you know. Your eye color is just so… um… beautiful,” she added, her voice faltering.

“…”

“They look just like rubies…” Setz mumbled, throwing out whatever compliment she could think of. She was surprised when Raytan didn’t immediately lash out at her. She’d half-expected him to yell at her for saying something so ridiculous. But instead, he remained silent, simply staring at her intently.

“What do you mean my eyes are… what?” he finally asked.

“Well, uh, they’re… red?” Setz offered cautiously.

“Not that,” Raytan said, his gaze narrowing.

“They’re… beautiful?” Setz repeated hesitantly.

Raytan’s eyes narrowed even further.

“You’re spouting nonsense,” he said, his voice flat.

Setz flinched slightly.

“Well, I mean… I wasn’t lying…” she muttered.

She truly meant it. Before, when people had constantly whispered about Raytan being cursed, Setz had been terrified of him like everyone else. But now, things were different.

Though he still frightened her a little, he no longer seemed like a monster to her. His red eyes really did look like rubies, gleaming and full of depth. If it weren’t for the old legends, Raytan wouldn’t be treated the way he was now.

“I’m sorry if I offended you…” Setz said softly.

“You didn’t,” Raytan replied.

“What?” Setz blinked.

“There’s no one else in the palace with red eyes. It’s just me,” Raytan said, his tone firm.

“…I thought so,” Setz murmured.

So who exactly is Eaton? His eyes were the same vivid red as Raytan’s. Does that mean Raytan really doesn’t know about Eaton? Setz tilted her head in confusion.

“Everyone in the palace has blue eyes, like they were all cast from the same mold,” Raytan had said to her a few days ago.

[Blue eyes and blonde hair. The people of the palace are all cut from the same cloth. Like inbred mongrels, that’s how they look to me. You know how the rest of the palace views us. And you’re no different, are you?]

“….”

[I hate people like you. I hate you even more than you all hate me. So much that I could just kill you!]

So, does he feel the same about me? Does he find me as revolting as the rest of the people in the palace? Feeling dejected, Setz bit her lip slightly.

“Do you…,” she began hesitantly.

“What?” Raytan replied.

“Do you dislike me as much as you hate everyone else?”

“….”

“But I like you, Brother,” she said softly.

Raytan froze, his eyes widening slightly.

“I don’t know about the others, but I like you, Brother. I’ve never thought your eyes were ugly, and I’ve never thought of you as a monster, like in those legends…” Setz continued, her voice trembling a bit.

Raytan was silent for a moment. Setz, who had been speaking with her head bowed, glanced up at him nervously.

He had a strange expression on his face, a mix of confusion and something else that she couldn’t quite place. Does he not believe me? Determined to make him understand, Setz decided to hit him with the most honest words she could muster.

“You’re my favorite person in the entire palace, Brother. Well, except for Luna,” she added quickly.

“Luna?” Raytan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“My maid,” Setz clarified.

“…Are you comparing me to a maid?” he asked, his voice cold.

“No, no! Of course not,” Setz said, shaking her head frantically. There’s no way I’d be crazy enough to treat him like a maid!

“Anyway, the truth is, you’re one of the only two people in the palace who treat me kindly—Luna and you, Brother. So, you’re the only two I like. I don’t care for anyone else,” she said earnestly.

It was a calculated statement, carefully crafted to win Raytan’s favor. Though, it wasn’t entirely untrue—it was half a ploy and half genuine. Even though, in the past, Raytan was the one who had taken her life, he had been treating her relatively well over the past few days. Sure, he still called her names like “idiot” and “foolish girl,” but he’d also shown her a side that wasn’t entirely hostile.

“What about your mother?” Raytan suddenly asked.

“What?” Setz’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is your mother not included in this?” he pressed.

Setz blinked, caught off guard by the question. She knew that Raytan was well aware of how her mother, Yerna, treated her. It was no secret in the palace that Yerna looked down on Setz, treating her like an outcast. Why is he asking about this now? After a moment of hesitation, Setz decided to answer honestly.

“I… I don’t really like my mother,” she admitted. “Because she doesn’t like me, either.”

“….”

Raytan remained silent, his gaze unreadable.

“Well, right now, there’s nothing I can do, but when I come of age, I really want to leave the palace,” Setz said softly.

“Leave the palace?” Raytan repeated, looking at her with a mix of surprise and skepticism.

“Yes. When I come of age, I’ll ask for permission to leave. I did some research, and apparently, it’s not unheard of for princes or princesses to leave the palace once they become adults. So, if I make a good enough case for myself…” Setz trailed off.

“That’s ridiculous,” Raytan interrupted bluntly.

“Brother?” Setz looked up at him, a bit taken aback by his sharp tone.

“You have no idea what your mother is like, do you? Do you really think she’ll let you go just because you’ve come of age? She’ll probably try to marry you off to some rich noble family instead,” he said with a piercingly accurate assessment.

His words were harsh, but Setz knew he was right. Raytan’s insight came from his years of experience and understanding of the cruel ways of palace politics. At seventeen, Setz had never imagined such a scenario, but Raytan had already seen it coming.

However, there was one thing Setz hadn’t told Raytan. One of the main reasons she wanted to leave the palace was actually because of him. In her previous life, her execution had occurred not long after she had come of age.

Setz’s plan was simple: she was assuming that Raytan would eventually lead a coup. Although the future might change, it seemed safer to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Raytan would lead a coup. When? Right after Setz came of age. And what would Setz do? She would run—she would escape before Raytan had a chance to carry out his plan. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about being caught in the middle of it.

The only problem was that Raytan might still hunt her down afterward, intent on eliminating her as a threat. Her efforts to get closer to him now, to gain his favor, were meant to avoid that very scenario. If they could develop some kind of bond, even a small one, maybe he wouldn’t bother to chase her down when the time came.

Of course, the issue of how she would actually escape the palace remained entirely unresolved.

“Still, I’m going to find a way to make it happen. I have five years left to figure it out…” Setz said determinedly.

“…”

“And if worse comes to worst, I’ll just run away!” she added, puffing out her chest confidently. Well, if all else fails, she could always sneak over the palace walls. It’s not like anyone would come after her anyway, because by the time she made her escape, Raytan would have already staged his coup.

What happens to the people of the palace doesn’t really matter. As long as she could get away, that was all that counted.

Raytan stared at her, his expression unreadable, as she smiled at her own determination. Finally, he spoke in a low, quiet voice.

“So, the annoying girl is planning to disappear. That’ll make my life easier,” he said flatly.

If Setz were to disappear, she would no longer be a nuisance to him. It would be a good thing for both of them, Raytan thought. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t shake the frown that kept creeping onto his face.

“Brother, are you feeling alright? You look upset,” Setz asked, noticing the strange look on his face.

“Mind your own business,” Raytan snapped.

“How can I ignore it when it’s right in front of me…?” Setz muttered, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Raytan didn’t reply. He simply grabbed his cup and gulped down his coffee in silence.

“Brother, are you that thirsty?” Setz asked, tilting her head. If he was thirsty, why didn’t he just drink water instead of downing all that coffee?

Raytan slammed his cup down on the table with a sharp thud and looked at her. “So, why did you suddenly ask me that question?”

“What question?” Setz asked, momentarily thrown off.

“About whether there’s someone else in the palace with eyes like mine,” Raytan clarified, his tone suspicious.

“Oh, that… well…” Setz hesitated, unsure of how much she should reveal about Eaton.

Setz’s expression flickered with indecision. Should she tell him? Could she even do that? Eaton had told her to keep their meeting a secret, that it would be better for her not to mention it to anyone. But the truth was, she couldn’t shake her unease about it.