The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 65

There would be no more suffering. The poison she had consumed for decades would no longer torment her, and the horrific nightmares that had plagued her would finally cease.

Lize would be able to sleep peacefully. If her son fulfilled her final wish.

Raytan knew this.

“…Goodbye.”

With those words, Raytan stood up from the bed.

“Your Highness…”

As he opened the door and stepped out, Mari, who had been standing guard, looked at him.

“And Lady Lize…?”

Her face was composed as always, but her voice trembled slightly.

“She has passed away.”

Mari bowed her head slightly. She then gazed at the closed door behind him, silently paying her respects to her mistress.

“Make sure the arrangements are handled properly. You know what I mean.”

“…Yes. I’ve already disposed of all the medicine Lady Lize was taking. And…”

Mari lowered her voice.

“As you instructed, I made sure the other maids saw Lady Yerna’s visit.”

“And?”

“I’ve had food prepared to accompany the liquor Lady Yerna gifted. A maid will be here shortly. We’ve also brought a physician to testify that the liquor was poisoned. Of course, Lady Yerna wouldn’t have left any obvious evidence, but…”

“Bring an animal. Have it drink the liquor. That alone will be enough proof.”

“…Yes.”

Mari nodded in agreement.

Raytan turned and looked back at the now-quiet bedroom. Then, with a cold expression, he began to walk away.

Everything had ended. And now, everything had to begin.

When morning came, Mari would announce Lize’s death to the palace. The ailing Emperor wouldn’t care much about the passing of a favored concubine, but rumors would spread.

Rumors that Lize had been unjustly murdered by Yerna.

It would be a perfect justification. The agony Lize had endured would have been worth it.

And I, with that justification…

[Don’t disappoint me.]

“I won’t.”

Raytan murmured to himself, as if giving a belated answer to Lize.

“I was born for this… and only this.”

Don’t disappoint me. Don’t disappoint me! Lize’s final words echoed in his mind like a curse.

Raytan squeezed his eyes shut. Then, slowly, he left the bedroom.

***

The bedroom was cold, as if mirroring its now-lifeless occupant.

“…”

Eaton, who had been standing by the window, quietly walked over to Lize.

He sat on the edge of the bed and gazed down at her lifeless body.

She was even more gaunt than the last time he had seen her. The stench of poison lingered in the air. But that wasn’t just because of the poisoned liquor Yerna had given her.

[This… is poison. The kind that destroys the mind and ravages the body.]

Lize had been doomed to die. Eaton had known that from the start. In fact, it was a miracle she had survived as long as she had in such a state.

Eaton reached out and gently touched Lize’s forehead. But unlike before, the blessing he had once bestowed upon her did not appear.

[The blessing of the gods flows through our bloodline and will last forever. Remember that, Sharwhina.]

Lize had spoken the truth when she said that a divine force had kept her alive.

The only reason she hadn’t died was because of the blessing passed down through Eaton’s bloodline. Though only traces of it remained, it had been strong enough to sustain her life.

But it wasn’t meant to end like this.

“…Poor thing.”

Eaton’s dry lips barely moved as he spoke. He reached out and gently caressed her lifeless cheek.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside him. Was it because he was looking at the corpse of his descendant, or because Lize so closely resembled Sharwhina? Perhaps it was because of all of those reasons… Eaton couldn’t be sure.

[Did you want revenge? Against all those with blonde hair and blue eyes? Did you want to kill them all?]

Eaton recalled Belkiel’s words and let out a bitter laugh.

“…Yes. I wanted revenge.”

He murmured quietly to himself.

“I wanted to kill them all. Every last one. And yes, the reason you were able to survive this long is because of me.”

[What were you really trying to do?]

But what he truly wanted…

What he truly longed to see…

[From here to there, from there to somewhere else, and in the end, back here again… that’s all life is.]

The vacant look on Lize’s face as she muttered those words flashed through his mind.

“…You’ve come back here, only to end your life.”

[What does it matter where I came from or where I want to be? It’s not like I have a choice in the matter.]

“But this time, you chose your own way.”

Eaton smiled bitterly.

There were no words he could offer. He couldn’t express sorrow for his descendant, nor could he console her for her pitiful life. After all, it was he who had set everything in motion.

“…At least you won’t have any more nightmares.”

The image of her mother’s charred body, the monstrous creatures that plagued her, and the mangled head of Munid… they would no longer appear.

Lize was finally at peace. Only in death.

Eaton’s hand returned to her forehead. A faint red light appeared, and it slowly seeped into her skin like a mist.

It was a blessing.

A prayer for peace.

He knew it was pointless to leave such a blessing for the dead. Especially in a time when the power of the blessing was weakening.

But this was all he could do for her.

Eaton slowly withdrew his hand. Then, he suddenly recalled Lize’s words.

[Who are you? What kind of nightmare is this?]

[…It’s just a dream. One you won’t remember when you wake up, when you open your eyes.]

“It’s just like before. Everything was nothing but a nightmare. And when you wake up, you won’t remember anything—just another forgotten nightmare.”

Her life had been a nightmare itself. Now that her life was over, the nightmare was too.

“When you open your eyes, those you love will greet you, and they will be with you forever.”

Eaton looked at Lize with sorrowful eyes.

“…The nightmare is over now, Lize.”

With a voice cracking from emotion, he whispered his final goodbye.

***

Lize’s funeral was small and quiet.

There were very few attendees. Bern and Lilien didn’t even make an appearance, and though Yerna, Yuria, and a few other concubines showed up, it was more out of formality, or perhaps to avoid raising suspicion.

There was no one who truly mourned her death. Perhaps the Emperor did, but no one knew for certain. It was only something Kaen had mentioned in passing—that early in the morning, the Emperor, frail and unwell, had briefly paid his respects.

“…”

Setz crouched alone behind Lize’s palace. Cold winter rain dripped onto the hem of her dress, but she didn’t move, staring blankly at the ground.

[Did you… did you drink it? No, right? Please tell me you didn’t.]

[No. I didn’t drink it.]

“She said so… Her face looked the same as always…”

Which meant only one thing: Lize must have drunk the poison after Setz had left.

But…

[What kind of liquor did my mother give you? I have to take it with me.]

Lize had given her the poisoned bottle.

A blue bottle. Setz remembered the sour smell and the red wine swirling inside as she took it.

None of it made sense.

[Princess, shall I… tell you a secret?]

[A secret…?]

[Yes. If you’ll allow it.]

…Even Lize’s final words remained a mystery.

Setz lifted her head and gazed up at the dark sky, heavy with storm clouds and pouring rain.

“In the end… I couldn’t change anything.”

She couldn’t make sense of it. But one thing was clear—nothing in the future had changed. Setz could no longer deny it.

The path may have been different, but the result was the same. Luna had still been hit by a carriage and killed, and Lize had still been murdered by Yerna.

And now, the only thing left was…

“Setz.”

The sudden voice startled her, and she turned around.

“What are you doing here…?”

Raytan approached and draped a cloak over her shoulders.

It was the one he had gifted her just a few days earlier.

Setz fiddled with the cloak, then looked up at Raytan.

He looked just as he always did.

When Luna had died, he hadn’t wept, nor had he shown any sorrow.

Now, too, he wore the same cold expression. Just a little colder than usual.

“Stop sitting out here like this. Go back to your palace—you’ll catch a cold.”

“…Brother.”

“What is it?”

Raytan stared at her, but Setz couldn’t continue. She just bit her lip.

That night, in Raytan’s palace… Setz had tried to say it. She had tried to tell him to stop everything. To warn him that Yerna was going to kill Lize.

But Raytan had cut her off. He told her to close her eyes, cover her ears, and see nothing, hear nothing.

And hadn’t she also briefly wondered? Wondered if all of this… was part of a scheme Lize had devised?

To give Raytan the justification for his coup.

What could she possibly say now?

That she was sorry for not stopping Yerna even though she knew Lize was going to be killed?

That this, too, was her fault?

Setz hesitated for a long time before she finally spoke, her voice trembling.

“Are you… okay…?”

Even if everything had been predetermined from the beginning…

She couldn’t help but worry about Raytan. Strangely, absurdly.

Raytan was silent for a moment. His long lashes, casting shadows over his crimson eyes, seemed especially sorrowful today.