The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 43

Mathias, even as they parted ways, maintained his overly polite demeanor, bowing to Setz with the same formality as before. He didn’t forget to remind her once more that he would send someone with a letter the next day.

Back in her quarters, Setz found herself wondering why Mathias Karim was being so kind to her.

It must be because he feels sorry for me, she thought. He probably just pities me for being treated so poorly, for being ignored and dismissed instead of being treated like a princess.

Mathias seemed like the type of person who would act out of kindness for that reason alone. He was naturally a warm and considerate person, so it made sense that he’d be compassionate towards someone in her situation. Though the thought that he pitied her stung a little, Setz didn’t mind too much. What could she do? It was the truth. Setz wasn’t the kind of person to hold onto false pride. From a young age, she had always been keenly aware of her position in life.

Still, this was her first time connecting with someone from outside the palace, and she felt a small sense of excitement. Yet she didn’t expect it to last long.

It was just sympathy, after all. They would probably exchange a few letters, and that would be it.

But even so, Setz couldn’t help feeling a little thrilled. It was new to have someone she didn’t know all that well show such genuine interest in her.

As she passed the time with these thoughts, the night crept on.

Luna had gone to great lengths to prepare for the meeting. She even brought out a black cloak that Setz had never seen before. The hood was so large that it almost obscured her entire vision, but that was probably a good thing—it was better to be hidden than to walk around with her face exposed.

Luna accompanied Setz to Raytan’s quarters. It was late at night, and the area was so isolated that just as Luna had said, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

On their way, they passed by the old training ground. It was supposed to be long abandoned.

But something didn’t seem right. Although it was dark, Setz noticed a water bottle lying in the corner of the training area. It looked new, almost as if someone had used it recently.

Though it struck her as odd, Setz pushed the thought aside and focused on reaching Raytan’s quarters.

“Princess, you can relax and go in now. There shouldn’t be any servants around at this hour,” Luna assured her.

“Thank you, Luna.”

“I’ll come back for you before dawn,” Luna said with a reassuring smile.

After saying their goodbyes, Setz cautiously stepped inside Raytan’s quarters. Just as Luna had said, there really wasn’t a single person around—not a servant or a maid in sight.

The place was as rundown as she had expected.

Though it seemed to have been cleaned recently, the signs of age and neglect were still very apparent. It wasn’t very large either. It looked like it might be about half the size of Lize’s quarters—maybe even less.

…But where should I go now?

As Setz stood in the hallway, glancing around uncertainly, someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

“Kyaaa!” she shrieked in surprise.

“Why are you so jumpy?” a familiar voice said.

“B-Brother?” she stammered.

“Who else would it be?” Raytan asked, looking down at her.

Relieved to see him, Setz put a hand over her heart, trying to calm her racing pulse.

“I-I didn’t know where to go,” she explained sheepishly.

“Follow me,” he said, turning and walking away.

Setz quickly followed behind, taking quick steps to keep up with him. The air felt heavy, carrying a faint smell of sweat that she realized must have been coming from Raytan.

He led her to a small room that was supposed to be a library… but it was so tiny and sparse that calling it a library seemed generous. It was more like a storage room.

There were no impressive bookshelves or fancy furniture—just an old, worn-out desk and a long bench with visible scratches and dents.

“Sit,” Raytan said.

“Okay,” Setz replied, taking a seat at the desk as instructed. Raytan glanced around briefly before handing her a tattered blanket and saying, “Here, use this.” Then he sat down on the long bench.

Setz stared at him with wide eyes.

“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s nothing, really… It’s just that it’s strange to be here with you at this hour, in your quarters…” Setz said hesitantly.

“What’s so strange about it?” Raytan asked.

“I don’t know… how should I put it? It kind of feels like we’re sneaking around or something.”

“We are sneaking around,” Raytan pointed out.

“Really? I don’t think so. I’m here for my lesson, after all,” Setz said, smiling a little.

Raytan let out a small chuckle, brushing his sweat-dampened hair back from his forehead.

“Where did you go?” Setz asked.

“Just out front for a bit,” he replied.

“There’s only the training ground nearby…” Setz said, trailing off.

Raytan didn’t respond, but Setz was pretty sure that he had been at the training ground. His sweaty appearance and the water bottle she saw there earlier seemed like clues. Still, since he wasn’t offering any details, she decided not to press further.

“Why are you zoning out again? You said you came here for your lesson,” Raytan said.

“Oh, right. Yes, I did. I even did my homework… Here,” Setz said, quickly taking out her book from her bag and handing it to him.

Raytan looked down at Setz’s writing. He already knew, of course, but it struck him once again how much her skills had improved.

It wasn’t just her writing that had gotten better. Setz’s spoken Kazaki had advanced to the point where she could hold a conversation effortlessly, even if she were to travel to a Kazaki-speaking country.

In other words, she didn’t really need his tutoring anymore.

“…Setz,” he said softly.

“Yes? Did I get something wrong?” Setz asked.

“No, you got it all right,” Raytan said, handing her book back.

“I think you’re good enough to handle this on your own now. So why do you still want to keep taking these lessons?” he asked, his eyes fixed on her.

It was true that he had gone to the trouble of changing the location of their lessons and hiding them from Lize, but he couldn’t help wondering why Setz still seemed so determined to continue them.

“Well, I just…” Setz hesitated.

“Just what?”

Setz fidgeted for a moment. But then she thought, Why bother hiding it? It’s not like I have bad intentions or anything. So, she decided to be honest.

“I enjoy learning Kazaki, but… I like spending time with you even more,” she said softly.

“……”

“I know it must be a bother for you, though,” she added.

Raytan didn’t say anything in response. He just lay back on the long bench, raising his hand to rest it on his forehead.

“Should I… should I go?” Setz asked hesitantly.

“Just do the exercises,” Raytan replied.

“But you look so tired…” Setz said, her concern clear in her voice.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said firmly.

“Okay,” Setz said, giving in. She picked up her pen and started working on the problems.

The quiet sound of her pen scratching across the paper filled the small room.

When they used to study in the library, Raytan would sit beside her, watching as she worked through each problem. But now that he was lying down, Setz couldn’t help but wonder if he might have fallen asleep.

She glanced over at Raytan carefully.

Then, out of nowhere, Raytan finally spoke again, as if responding to a question from earlier.

“I’m not bothered,” he said.

“……”

“I was at first, but not anymore,” he added, closing his eyes.

Then he fell silent again.

Setz almost said, Thank you, or I’m glad to hear that, but stopped herself.

His voice had sounded so exhausted that she didn’t want to keep talking and prevent him from getting any rest.

Still, she felt happy. Despite his gruff words and attitude, Raytan always ended up looking out for her. Yet, she’d still worried that she might be a burden to him, that maybe she was just annoying him.

She remembered the very first day, four years ago, when he’d reluctantly agreed to tutor her.

From “If you’re not going to take this seriously, then get out of my quarters. I’m not doing this because I want to” to “It’s not a bother.”

From “Stupid girl” to just… Setz.

Setz smiled to herself, then turned back to her work, focusing on solving the problems.

“Brother,” she called out after finishing her exercises, but there was no reply. It seemed that Raytan had dozed off.

“He must be really tired…” Setz murmured as she looked over at him, suddenly curious about his daily routine.

For the past four years, right up until just a few days ago, he had always been there to help her with her studies from morning until late afternoon or early evening.

And after that… he must have gone to the training ground. Setz didn’t know much about swordsmanship or combat, but she was aware that mastering such skills didn’t happen overnight. It required consistent practice.

Has he been coming back at this hour every day? she wondered. But it was so late. Even if he slept now, he’d barely get enough rest before their early morning lessons.

When does he ever rest? Does he ever get any real downtime?

Setz quietly put down her book and turned her gaze to Raytan. His hand, which had been resting on his forehead, now lay slack on the floor. His breathing was even and steady, signaling he was truly asleep.

In the past, she might have felt frightened by this sight. She might have thought, See, he’s training secretly to stage a coup, just like I feared.

But now… what she remembered more vividly than the metallic scent of blood from the moment he had once threatened her life was the faint smell of sweat that now lingered in the air. And instead of recalling his face twisted in scorn and hatred, all she could see now was his expression, simply exhausted.

Maybe the whole idea that Raytan was “training for a coup” was just a prejudice, a bias she’d held onto for too long.

All the princes were expected to train in combat. Raytan hadn’t been treated like a proper prince, so he didn’t receive formal training… but perhaps he envied the other princes.

Maybe, just like how she had envied Lilien at the debutante, wanting to attend that event herself, Raytan had wanted to learn on his own, in his own way.

She remembered the political and strategic books she’d seen him reading in the library years ago, but she chose to push those thoughts aside.

It’s going to be okay, she told herself.

I’ll stop it. I’ll prevent Lize from being poisoned by Mother. I’ll prevent Brother from leading a coup… I’ll stop it all.

Setz quietly stood up from her chair and crouched down next to the sleeping Raytan.

“Brother… Are you really asleep?” she whispered.

Raytan, who usually woke at the slightest movement or sound, didn’t stir this time. Whether it was because he was truly exhausted or simply sleeping deeply, he remained motionless.

Setz gently poked his cheek, just a little nudge, but he didn’t react.

With a soft smile, she took the blanket Raytan had given her earlier and carefully draped it over him.

“Good night, Raytan. Sweet dreams,” she whispered.

Raytan’s lips curled slightly, forming a faint smile, but Setz didn’t notice.

***