The Princess’ Bedroom Doll

The Princess is very lucky.”

 

One court official said in a whisper.

 

“Look at that.”

 

Today, the Duke of Winston’s servants headed to the Princess’s Palace with numerous boxes.
The famous designers of the capital and their assistants entered one after another.
If the imperial princess was going to marry, all the people prepared with excitement.

 

“Since Duke Winston succeeds in pushing the marriage, people seem to have mistaken that the Princess is his second daughter.”

 

“It is because Duke Esther has gone to fetch the wise men.
After all, she is a legitimate princess with the eyes of the heir.”

 

“How long has it been since the wise men left?”

 

One of the mainstays of the Delo Empire was returning after a long outing.
This fact alone was enough to keep many people in the empire afloat.
Every day new and expensive decorations were added to the main palace.
It was beyond splendid.

 

The nobles who entered and left the imperial palace every day were slowly infected by the atmosphere.
The time spent at Karzen’s victory banquet, shivering and unable to drink a single alcoholic drink, seemed like a long time ago.
There was also the hope that once the Princess with the eyes of the Heir was far away, and therefore no longer a threat to the imperial power, that brutality of the Emperor would ease a little.

 

The Princess would travel far away to Hildes and be happy, and the Emperor……..

 

“His Majesty is calling for you, Severo.”

 

Severo turned his head at the sound of Kingsguard Captain Blake’s voice.
The papers were stacked on his desk in high piles.
They were all materials he had collected as soon as he returned.
He had secretly researched public opinion in the Delo social circles.

 

“The future Empress is very clever.
I didn’t realize that she would use her friendship with the Princess so perfectly.”

 

“The social circles of Delo have always been under the Empress’s jurisdiction.
Get up without any small talk.”

 

“I shall have to continue after I get back.”

 

Severo turned over the papers and raised himself.
He looked at Blake, who was going the other way instead of going to see Karzen with him, and asked in a puzzle voice.

 

“You’re not going with me?”

 

“I have things to do.
His Majesty wants me to handle a painter.”

 

“Painter? Who is it?” The court painter?”

 

“No.The painter who painted the portrait of the 

Princess and gave it to the Duke of Winston.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Severo agreed.

 

“Of course he must be killed.
If it had not been for that abominable painter, the royal brother of the king of Hildes would not have come this far.”

 

“Yes….”

 

“By the way, Blake.
Shall I take this opportunity to naturalize in the Western Kingdom?”

 

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

 

“I’ve finally figured out the Princess’s taste.”

 

“What? She gets bored easily with anything, and more than once His Majesty has had trouble with it.”

 

“Both of the slaves she kept alive were from the western territories.
Hildes is also from the West, after all.”

 

“……?”

 

A small crease appeared between Blake’s brows.

 

“Come to think of it…I see.”

 

Never once had Blake thought about what such people have in common.
He just thought it was one of the Princess’s whim.

 

Severo kicked his shoe on the stone slab floor and said, 

 

“Isn’t it a little strange? Why has the Princess’s preference suddenly turned to men from the Western Territories? Do you know anything about that, Blake?”

 

“Well, no man has been particularly close to the Princess since you left.
….”

 

Blake stopped in the middle of the sentence.
There was one man the Princess was close to.

 

“Her old doll.”

 

“A Doll?”

 

Severo started to laugh.

 

“Does she still like dolls after they were taken away and slapped when she was young? I wish she had been autistic then.”

 

“You say you are going through the materials, but have you not looked around the Princess properly? There was a slave in the Princess’s palace in the previous season.”

 

“Oh, him.”

 

Yes.
Severo had heard that there was a slave who stabbed Raha’s shoulder and ran away.
Severo didn’t like the man near Raha and only skimmed over the information about him.
More important was the general public opinion of the Delo society.

 

“So that doll was from the Western Territories?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Severo sighed.

 

“You’re the one with only the sword on your head, aren’t you? Well, yes.
I understand.”

 

“Should I ask His Majesty? If the need arises, we must try to track him down in the Western Territories.”

 

“Why would you want to track down the one that got away?”

 

“I want to know what the Princess is obsessed with.”

 

“What is the reason for draining your mind and energy when she is leaving for a faraway place anyway?”

 

“Oh, yes.
It will wear you out a little.”

 

With Blake’s words falling on one ear, Severo continued the conversation.

 

“I think it would be a good idea to give the Princess a couple of slaves from the Western Territories.
Or …… yes.
Shall I present the Imperial Princess with some aphrodisiac medicine?”

 

“Why is the aphrodisiac?”

 

“I want the royal lord to see with both eyes that the Princess was sleeping with another slave.
He was stubborn about the fact that the royal lord is a normal married man, but only if he is angry with the princess will the princess have time to look outside…….”

 

Blake was soon fed up.

 

“Have you really gone crazy?”

 

“Why? I thought you would like it.”

 

“What would you want to be such a bastard?”

 

“You don’t like the Princess either, Blake.”

 

“It’s a different matter from disliking her.
That imperial princess has enough without you being shallow and mean…….”

 

“Is it enough? Enough….the obsession of the Emperor?”

 

“Severo Crassus.
Watch your mouth.”

 

“Blake Duke.”

 

Severo said, extinguishing the smile he had been holding for so long.

 

“You tend to ignore the Princess too much.
No, are you pretending to ignore her?”

 

“…… what do you mean?”

 

“I assure you, Your Imperial Highness is more brutal than Your beloved Majesty.
She won’t even close her eyes when you pull a knife to pluck out her eyes.
It would be strange if there were such a person.
But I don’t think the Princess would even blink.”

 

“…….”

 

“Till that moment when the blade reaches the retina, yes.
Do you think it’s different? She is the kind of person who would stare coolly with her eyes open, even when her eyeballs are dug in.”

 

Even though it was a metaphor, there was no exaggeration.
It was Severo’s real thought.
Therefore, Blake’s naivety made Severo laugh.

 

‘He’s an idiot.’

 

Blake Duke hated the imperial princess.
He was sometimes wary of her because of her position, which could be the emperor’s opponent if the opportunity arises, but he actually didn’t understand the suffocating calmness.
All the warmth that the imperial princess wrapped around her was fake.
The way she pretended to be kind and smiled when she was bored was out of the category of the healthy person Blake knew.

 

The same was true of Severo himself, who seemed to be choking on the Princess’s calmness.
Oh, of course, he even loved her that way.

 

How could His Majesty have been born with such a twin?

 

Karzen and Raha were as similar as they were different.
In Severo’s opinion, there were only two feelings that a subject could feel for a perfect master.
Respect and fear.

 

That was why Blake feared the princess and Severo loved her.

 

“Blake.”

 

Blake actually didn’t hate the Princess, he was afraid of her.
Severo wanted so much to point out the essence of this to his best friend.
But he couldn’t really say it.
Because Blake’s expression would turn cold.
It was easier not to touch the high pride as much as possible.

 

Pride would be hurt.
The idea was to face the fact that he was afraid of the princess who lived locked up in a birdcage.Therefore, Severo told him in a roundabout way to make it a little easier to listen.

 

“It seems that the Princess has lived her whole life only devising ways to create protective colors.”

 

“…….”

 

“It was very successful.
If I had known this would happen, I would have sent you to the desert instead of me.”

 

“You have no say in His Majesty’s decision.”

 

“I’m just saying it because I’m sad.”

 

“Severo Crassus.”

 

“Listen to me.”

 

“Ha ……”

 

Severo, not liking this conversation very much, tapped Blake lightly on the shoulder as his brow narrowed.

 

“Kill the painter with your anger.”

 

* * *

 

“Princess.
Count Paltz has arrived.”

 

Raha, who had been looking at the papers, looked up.
Silent permission was given, and the door immediately opened.
Count Paltz entered with a gentle smile.
He was carrying a handful of beautiful flowers that he must have grown himself in the glass greenhouse.

 

“Isn’t it hard to bring flowers every time?”

 

“I promised the Princess, didn’t I? It is also an honor for you to accept them.”

 

She could give flowers to the servants standing in the main palace, but this imperial princess always accepted the flowers in person.
Raha buried the tip of her nose in the flowers given to her by the Count and then handed them to the maids.

 

 Count Paltz asked with a smile.

 

“You seem to be very busy.
Where is lady Jamela Winston?”

 

“She went out for a bit.”

 

Raha stood up from her chair.

 

“I’m sure it’s not like I to ask her to choose the dress she’s going to wear for the national wedding.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Raha took a step and Count Partz also moved quietly.
Many servants and workers hurriedly stopped their work at the sight of Raha and bowed deeply at the waist.

 

The Empress Palace, which had always been empty, was the most crowded it had been in years.

 

With a new empress coming in in a few months, they were busy sweeping, polishing, and taking down the half-abandoned areas.

 

Raha, who had always lived in the inner palace since Karzen ascended the throne, was the only one who did not touch the Empress Palace, and there were many places to take care of.

 

Raha asked the dressmaker, who had arrived earlier.

 

“What about the dresses?”

 

“I have them ready.”

 

The Delo Empire had particularly strict etiquette regarding the national wedding, and even the dresses worn by the new empress had to be checked at the empress palace.

 

Outside designers, specially selected by the Attire Department, each made one dress and brought it with them.
They were 20 of the most reputable designers in the entire empire.
The dresses were diverse.
They also fully complied with the rules as stated in the Imperial Law.

The attendants of the ceremonial department were kept busy.
As the blue silk with the Delharsa imperial pattern was placed over each dress, Count Partz quietly took notes.