The Tyrant’s Beloved Doll - Chapter 71

The imperial palace was in chaos.

Screams echoed everywhere, and the air was thick with the stench of blood. Piles of corpses were scattered like discarded trash.

The only saving grace was that, over the past few years, Setz had secretly gone back and forth between Raytan’s and Lize’s palaces, so she knew paths that were rarely used.

“Haa, haa…”

Before long, Setz reached her palace, but something felt off.

Her palace stood like an isolated island.

No screams, no sound of metal clashing—nothing. Not even a single soldier was in sight.

‘Could it be… that I’m too late…?’

Setz’s body trembled as she stepped inside the palace. But her worry turned out to be for nothing. The palace was eerily quiet.

“Kaen…”

Walking down the long hallway, Setz called out for Kaen. But there was no response.

Could she have fled somewhere else?

Or was she hiding somewhere…?

“Kaen… Please…”

As Setz looked around, fear gripping her face, someone suddenly grabbed her by the hair.

“Kyaaah!”

Startled, Setz screamed and fell to the floor.

She looked up to see who had dragged her.

“You… damn girl…”

It was Lilien.

“S-Sister…?”

She was a mess. Her hair was tangled like straw, and her expensive dress was splattered with blood.

She looked as if she had been running for her life.

“I knew it.”

“W-What are you talking about…?”

“You knew all along! You knew that bastard Raytan would do something like this!”

Lilien snarled, breathing heavily.

“I really didn’t—”

“Don’t lie!”

Smack! Setz’s head whipped to the side from Lilien’s slap.

“The entire palace is filled with people dying, and yet your palace is completely quiet—do you think that makes any sense?!”

“T-That’s…”

“You’ve been cozying up with that worthless scum all this time, so I bet he’s planning to spare you! That’s why he warned you in advance and told you not to leave the palace!”

It was complete nonsense. Setz had never heard Raytan’s plan firsthand.

“The palace is crawling with soldiers—except for your palace! All the escape routes, they’re all blocked!”

At that moment, Setz understood why Lilien had hidden here.

Setz’s palace, located on the outermost edge of the imperial palace, was very close to an escape route. It wasn’t far at all.

Lilien must have tried to flee toward it, only to find soldiers guarding the way, and then turned back, hiding in Setz’s palace. Since there wasn’t a single soldier in sight and no chaos had broken out, it made sense that Lilien would be suspicious.

“You ungrateful wretch!”

Lilien kicked Setz harshly in the stomach.

“I told them over and over again! We should have driven both you and Raytan out!”

“Ugh… urgh…”

Setz’s body lifted off the ground as Lilien grabbed her by the collar. Her face was flushed with fury as she spoke.

“You must have felt so confident, huh? But it’s over now! Soon, Brother Bern will come with the knights! He’ll come and chop off Raytan’s head, and yours too—”

Lilien couldn’t finish her sentence.

She didn’t even manage a groan as she looked down at her chest. Setz looked as well.

A sword.

The blade had pierced through her back and emerged from her chest.

“Guh… huh…”

Crimson blood began to spread like paint across Lilien’s chest. She looked like someone who couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“W-What… is this…”

As Lilien fumbled in disbelief at her chest, there was a sickening sound as the sword was pulled out.

A dark shadow loomed over Setz’s pale face.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if Bern did come with the knights right now, Lilien?”

“Urgh…”

“Then he could see you like this for himself, don’t you think?”

Raytan grabbed Lilien’s hair and dragged her like a discarded object. She tumbled across the floor, unable to fight back.

Soon after, she stopped moving.

Blood poured from her chest, soaking the floor, and the dark red pool began to creep toward Setz.

“……”

Blue eyes met crimson ones in the empty space between them.

“…Setz.”

“R-Raytan… Brother…”

“Where were you planning to go?”

Raytan’s voice was cold, just like it had been before Setz’s return to being twelve years old, when he had personally severed her neck.

“I asked, where were you planning to go?”

When no answer came, Raytan asked again.

“I… I was just…”

“You.”

[Where are you going?]

[B-Brother… I…]

[Where are you going?]

The conversation was exactly the same as back then.

Setz’s body trembled violently. It felt like her heart was about to explode. She was terrified.

So, does this mean… I’m next?

At that very moment—

The sharp sound of glass shattering rang through the air.

From far down the hallway, the sound of windows breaking echoed, followed by a fierce gust of wind whipping through the palace, carrying sharp shards of glass with it.

Setz’s hands trembled violently. Her entire body felt like it was burning up, and she was dizzy.

What just happened?

Before she could even begin to think of an answer, Raytan suddenly yanked her toward him.

Wrapping Setz in his arms, Raytan shielded her with his blood-soaked cloak, as if protecting her from harm.

“Secure the perimeter of the palace. Find out what’s going on,” Raytan commanded in a low voice.

The soldiers who had just entered nodded curtly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Let no one get close.”

“Understood.”

Setz’s blue eyes were clouded with confusion.

Wasn’t he going to kill me?

Like last time?

Maybe it was a foolish hope. After all, everything seemed to be unfolding exactly as Setz had known it would, according to the future she had foreseen.

“……”

Raytan said nothing more. He simply stared down at Setz, his expression unreadable.

Then, with a large hand, he cupped Setz’s cheek.

Setz flinched, but unlike before, Raytan didn’t slice her neck, nor did he slap her like he had done to Lilien.

Instead, he gently wiped the blood from a wound caused by the broken glass.

“Setz,” Raytan murmured, his voice low as he called her name.

“Were you… trying to leave? To escape the palace?”

Setz’s blue eyes, filled with fear, quivered slightly. It wasn’t the sudden touch that startled her.

It was his expression.

[Curse those blue eyes, curse that blonde hair. It’s not just you, Setz. I’ll kill every last one of those with blonde hair and blue eyes.]

Raytan’s face was completely different from back then.

There was no trace of anger or bloodlust. If anything, he looked… sad.

It was the same look he had when she once asked him if he would kill her too.

“Are you afraid of me now?” he asked quietly.

Setz could only stare at him, unable to respond.

Raytan, drenched in blood, smelling of death, just like the legends had said—the one who would ruin everything.

“…Yes.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper, so soft it was almost inaudible, but a deep despair flickered across Raytan’s eyes.

Of course.

How could she not fear him? She had seen everything with her own eyes—how could she not be terrified?

Raytan bit his lip, hard.

“……”

Setz was gasping for breath, unable to say anything more. And then… in her terrified, tear-filled blue eyes, the sight of Lilien’s lifeless body reflected back at her.

[These wretched creatures—they’re all the same!]

Lilien’s shrill voice echoed in her mind.

[Just die! Die already, along with that cursed monster!]

And then…

[Just knowing you’re breathing the same air as us disgusts me. It’s filthy. It feels like we’ll be contaminated. You lowly, vile things.]

Even Bern’s voice resounded in her ears.