The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 41

Raytan’s large hands gently smoothed her hair. The way he handled it wasn’t that different from how Luna did, yet her heart kept pounding for some reason.

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, though. In fact, it was quite nice. She liked the careful way he gathered her hair and the warmth of his touch as it lightly grazed her scalp.

…But why is my heart racing like this? Setz thought suddenly, a touch of panic creeping into her mind. She remembered the old duke who had died of a heart condition. What if I’m like that, too? she wondered. Isn’t a racing heart one of the symptoms of a heart problem? Just like what I’m feeling right now.

“……”

The sensation of Setz’s silky hair slipping through his fingers was almost vivid to Raytan. He slowly began tying her hair, his voice soft as he spoke.

“From now on…”

These were words he knew he had to say. From now on, there will be no more lessons. Today is the last time. So, don’t come looking for me anymore.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“From now on?” Setz prompted, glancing back at him with curiosity.

When Raytan didn’t continue speaking, Setz prompted him, “Raytan, Brother?” He bit his lip, unable to find the words.

His gaze fell to the bracelet on his wrist. It was the emerald bracelet that Setz had made for Lize years ago. Setz had adjusted its length so that it now fit Raytan’s wrist perfectly.

It had originally belonged to Lize, but he had somehow ended up taking it back. I don’t know, Raytan thought. I don’t know why I kept this bracelet, or why I can’t bring myself to say that today will be the last lesson.

Even though he knew he should.

“Raytan, Brother?”

“From now on… come to my quarters instead of this library,” he said, the words that came out of his mouth entirely different from what he’d intended.

“Huh? Your quarters? Why all of a sudden…?”

“Mother is… quite ill. It would be better to avoid any unnecessary disturbances,” he replied.

“Oh, I see… I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that…” Setz said, looking genuinely apologetic. When she thought about it, what he said made sense. If she stopped visiting Lize’s quarters daily, Lize could rest and focus more on her recovery. After all, Lize’s health had been declining recently. Setz felt guilty for possibly being a burden to someone who was already unwell.

“Just make sure… to come early in the morning. Or very late in the evening. Make sure no one else is around. If people see you coming and going, there could be strange rumors,” Raytan said.

Considering how unpredictable the palace could be, it was wise to avoid drawing attention. If word got out that Setz was frequently visiting Raytan’s quarters, there was no telling what kind of trouble might ensue.

In a way, this worked in Setz’s favor. This morning, Yerna had firmly told her to stop taking Kazaki lessons, after all. Since Yerna knew that the lessons took place at Lize’s quarters, it would be easy to pretend to comply by simply stopping her visits there. Of course, that would only work if Yerna didn’t find out that the lessons had moved to Raytan’s quarters instead.

Still, Setz knew that this deception couldn’t last forever. Soon, she would turn seventeen, come of age, and… many things would inevitably change.

But at least until then…

For as long as she could, she wanted to hold on to these small moments of happiness.

“Okay! I’ll come to your quarters starting tomorrow,” Setz said with a bright smile.

“…Good,” Raytan replied softly.

This way, he thought, he could delay things for a while longer. He had bought himself some time. He wouldn’t have to push Setz away right away, just as Lize had ordered him to.

For the first time, he was disobeying Lize’s command. And it wasn’t for any grand reason—just for Setz.

A strange sense of guilt began to creep up on him. Don’t disappoint me, Raytan. If you do, everything will be meaningless. Lize’s words, which had always sounded like a curse, echoed in his mind.

Yet he didn’t regret what he had said to Setz.

For once. Just this once, he wanted to do what he wanted. To follow his heart.

Severing ties could wait… just a little longer. There was still time.

For now… Just for a little longer… this is fine.

Raytan kept repeating to himself.

“But why did you suddenly decide to teach me how to fight?” Setz asked, breaking his thoughts.

“…Just because.”

“Just because? There has to be a reason,” she insisted.

“Well, so that… if someone bothers you again, you can handle it on your own,” he said.

…Even without me.

Raytan swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Setz tilted her head slightly, hearing a hint of sadness in Raytan’s voice. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he might leave her soon, just like Eaton had. It was as if he was preparing her to be on her own.

On my own? Why do those words hurt so much? Setz wondered. It was such a simple thing, really. Of course, they would have to part ways someday. She knew that, and yet…

Setz’s expression went blank for a moment before she forced a smile and spoke in a light-hearted tone.

“You saw earlier, didn’t you? How good I am at throwing punches,” she said, trying to act nonchalant.

“……”

“I think I could take on both Brother Berne and Sister Lilien at the same time. No, I’m sure I could beat them! You said yourself that you were hurt, right? That says it all,” Setz said confidently.

“……”

“So, don’t worry about that,” she added with a smile.

“…Alright,” Raytan replied, a faint smile appearing on his face. It was a bittersweet smile, full of unspoken emotions. Unfortunately, Setz, who was sitting with her back to him, couldn’t see that expression on Raytan’s face.

A short while later, Raytan announced that he was finished. Setz turned to look at her reflection in the window instead of the mirror.

To her surprise, Raytan’s handiwork was actually pretty good. No, it was more than good—it was impressive. Although it was a little rough compared to how Luna did it, it was far better than anything Setz could have managed on her own.

With her hair neatly tied up, the redness in her flushed face seemed even more pronounced.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like it?” Raytan asked.

“No! How could I not like it when you were the one who tied it up for me?” Setz replied quickly.

Feeling self-conscious, she kept touching her cheeks. She thought that if Raytan asked why her face was so red, she would just blame it on scratching her skin.

But Raytan didn’t ask about her flushed cheeks. Instead, he gently patted the back of her head, where her hair was tied up, almost like he was ruffling her hair.

***

Yerna’s promise to check whether Setz had stopped the lessons wasn’t an empty threat, after all.

The next morning, a maid sent by Yerna arrived, perfectly timed to the hour when Setz usually left for her lessons. It was as if the maid was there specifically to spy on her.

Of course, Setz lied and said that she really had quit the lessons. She even pointed out that if she hadn’t, she would already be on her way out. Luna also chimed in to support the story.

The maid left with the words, “I will report this to Lady Yerna,” before departing.

Setz, however, confided the whole truth to Luna. She told her that Raytan had been the one to suggest moving the lessons to his quarters, and that she had agreed to it.

Setz expected Luna to worry, as she always did. If Yerna ever found out that they had lied, Setz would surely be in for a harsh punishment. And knowing Yerna, it might not stop at just a beating—it could be something even worse.

Still, Setz was determined to convince Luna. She didn’t want to lie to her, and since they spent almost all their time together, it would be impossible to hide the truth.

But Luna’s reaction was completely unexpected.

Luna simply said that she understood. She didn’t try to stop Setz or even suggest that she think it over.

“Luna, are you really okay with this? I mean, I’m going to do my best not to get caught, but honestly, I thought you’d try to talk me out of it…” Setz said, surprised.

“To be honest, I am worried,” Luna admitted.

Luna slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“If Lady Yerna finds out, there will certainly be trouble. But I also know that the Kazaki lessons are the only joy Her Highness has in the palace.”

Setz had been stuck in the palace every day, burying herself in books. With Berne and Lilien always bullying her whenever she was in sight, Setz couldn’t even freely go outside. She rarely smiled, and she had never wanted to do something as much as she did now.

“And now I also understand. I know that Prince Raytan truly cares for you, and that you really look up to him.”

Luna was genuinely grateful to Raytan. He was the only one who took care of Setz when even her own mother didn’t. Naturally, Setz had come to develop a bond with Raytan as well.

Knowing all of this, Luna couldn’t bring herself to tell Setz to quit the lessons.

“So, I won’t try to stop you. Your happiness is the most important thing to me. How could I stand in the way of that?” Luna said, her eyes welling up with tears.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you, so you don’t need to worry about anything, alright?” Luna said with a determined look on her face.

But then Setz suddenly realized something—she had no idea where Raytan’s quarters were. She hadn’t thought to ask him.

According to Luna, Raytan’s quarters were in the most secluded part of the palace. It was an area that had been neglected for years, even before Raytan was born, and there were all kinds of ominous rumors about it. The emperor didn’t care about Raytan and had basically abandoned him, banishing him to such a remote corner of the palace.

The location of his quarters was at the far right end of the palace grounds, with only an old, unused training ground nearby. That area had been deserted for a long time, with almost no one passing by.

Apparently, even the staff at Raytan’s quarters was kept to a bare minimum, and they only entered the area at designated times. This was actually great news for Setz—it would make it easier for her to come and go without being noticed.

When Setz mentioned that Raytan had asked her to come either early in the morning or late in the evening when no one was around, Luna suggested, “It’s better if you alternate between morning and evening so that you don’t create a predictable pattern. Otherwise, there’s a higher chance of getting caught.”

Setz agreed with Luna’s plan, and they finished their discussion. By late afternoon, Setz was feeling restless. Since the morning had already passed, she knew she would have to wait until night to visit Raytan, but time seemed to crawl, making her feel like she was going crazy with boredom.

“Sigh…”

Setz let out a small sigh as she sat on the bed. She thought about taking a nap to pass the time, but sleep wouldn’t come. Besides, she didn’t want to bother Luna since she had work to do.

Rising to her feet, Setz walked over to the window and opened it. The cool autumn breeze gently played with her hair, and she found herself thinking about the way Raytan had tied it up earlier.

“……”

Even after she returned to her room, she kept looking in the mirror over and over. Luna had praised Raytan’s work, saying, “Who would have thought that a man, especially Prince Raytan, could tie hair so well?”

Of course, the hairstyle was nice, but what really made Setz happy was the fact that Raytan had done it for her himself. It made her feel like he truly cared for her.

“Yeah, it’s something I never would’ve imagined before,” she thought out loud.

If anything, she would have expected Berne or Lilien to yank her hair instead of tying it gently.

“Hehe,” Setz giggled to herself, running her fingers through her hair, her cheeks flushing red once again.

She wasn’t sure if it was because of her original resolve to “win favor to survive” after her regression or if it was something else entirely, but every time she realized how close she had become to Raytan, she couldn’t help but feel giddy.

What puzzled her the most, though, was how vividly she remembered the moment when her eyes met Raytan’s. That image seemed to keep coming back to her mind, more clearly than anything else.

Setz recalled the way Raytan’s eyes had trembled slightly as he looked at her, a gaze that seemed to have softened and quivered, just for a moment. The library’s atmosphere had felt unusually calm, filled with a strange, unfamiliar tension.

Her face flushed bright red, and her heart began to race. Am I really coming down with a serious illness or something? Setz thought, clutching at her chest as she tried to take a deep breath.

“It’s so… hot. I guess it’s just because the weather is warm,” she muttered to herself, blurting out an excuse that no one had asked for. Yes, that must be it. It’s because it’s hot. She wanted to feel some cool air.

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Setz cautiously extended her hand.

Soon, a strong breeze began to flow in through the window. A satisfied smile spread across Setz’s face.

Ever since Eaton had disappeared, Setz had diligently practiced her magic. Although she couldn’t summon the same powerful wind that he had once helped her create, her skills had improved significantly compared to when she first started.