The Tyrant’s Last Doll

ed by some mental disturbance.”

Ridrian was at a loss for words.
He didn’t know what to think. Mental reasons?

On her first day at the palace, he gauged her strength by intimidating her, followed by a raid on the promenade and on the same night, her life was threatened because of the intruding assassin.
Then to make matters worse, she was pushed by her maids and rolled down the stairs causing her to sustain injuries.
She even showed up at his study to stop him from running wild.

And two days ago, the emperor himself threatened her with his intimidating stance that she could not breathe properly.
He recalled how she appeared then, stammering, ‘I didn’t run away, Your Majesty.’

Ridrian’s face paled.
He hoped that the woman who had gone through so much would be okay.
This slender yet strong woman had endured a lot of hardships in her life.
He felt like he was the one who cornered Iona to face such misfortunes, making him feel awful.

It felt like he was the one who pushed her to her limits.
If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be here unconscious and beaten.
There were some things she came to know about, but she never minded anyone’s business.

At best she was a doll, the woman he had been with for three months.
Whenever he was with her, he felt at ease and comfortable even though something strange was stirring inside him.
He couldn’t understand why he was so anxious.
He used to remind himself that she’s just a doll, one that he could push away should there be any problem.
He admired her perseverance through it all, and he felt ashamed for not bothering to improve her situation.

Guilt washed over him like a tide.
He neglected her all this time.

Two days ago, he returned to his bedroom without telling anyone to rest his mind and body.
When he got there, Iona was nowhere to be found.
 The hallway and bedrooms were empty and he was just so shocked.
When he woke up, she was already clutching his forearm.

But even if she couldn’t stand it and ran away, there was nothing left to say.

He grabbed her violently and she lost consciousness, and the emperor couldn’t quite feel his body anymore.
All the dolls that have escaped so far had lost their lives from his very hands.
But when he thought Iona ran away, he even wondered if she’d cut him off with her bare hands once he reached her.
Ridrian closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them once again.
Sighing, he rubbed his face as he came to a realization: he has no intention of letting her go.

He rubbed his dark eyes with his palms before calling his half-brother, “Lavis.” It sounded weak, and Lavis could only guess what he’s about to hear was not going to be pleasant.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”