Chapter 21

Chapter 21

“Yes?”

Mason stood still, his mouth wide open.

‘Did he end up going crazy…?’

But, more than ever, Declan had his eyes clearer and even calmer.

‘…Did he have the poison problem last time? No, who cursed him? Can we find a remedy?’

With that thought, he frantically searched through the information he knew, though he had no idea where to start.

“I know what you’re thinking. Though it’s not a curse.”

Mason quickly smirked and urged him.

“Your Majesty, we still need to check. Could the food be enchanted? Or, maybe there’s something wrong with the doll.”

At that, Declan let out a small sigh and looked at the other side.

“Erica, can you go inside the doll for a moment? It must have been hard for Mason to believe.”

Mason’s face went dark as he saw Declan talking directly into the air.

“Mason, take a look.”

In an instant, the doll stood up, put its hands in the middle, and bowed politely.

“Heuk—”

Mason swallowed his breath and froze.

It was a better response than Noah, who sat down on the floor and stuttered his words. Nonetheless, he couldn’t utter a word.

“Now, you know that I’m not deceived or crazy about something, right?”

“…Did the doll really move?”

“Yes. Do you want to double check it again? Erica, one more time, please.”

This time the doll waved both hands.

“That, that doll must have been cursed!”

Mason ran and tried to grab the doll, but was immediately blocked by Declan. He opened his mouth slowly.

“Mason, no matter how close we are, I will never forgive you for touching Erica.”

A sharp, unrefined energy emanated from Declan.

Pale and tired, Mason couldn’t stand the energy any longer and withdrew from the doll.

“Your Majesty! No matter how much this is Her Highness’ cherished doll, you can’t keep such a dangerous thing by your side.”

“You said you’d definitely try to believe it. Don’t react emotionally, try to be calm.”

Declan said, capturing the sharp energy.

Realizing that he was agitated, Mason took a deep breath and calmed his emotions.

Declan was right. This wasn’t something to be emotional about.

“…Your Majesty, on what basis do you think this doll is not afflicted with black magic?”

“The poisoning incident that has not yet been identified.”

Mason frowned at the mention of poison from his mouth.

“You know, it’s the first kind of poison you’ve ever seen. If Erica hadn’t told me, I would have died on the spot.”

Mason couldn’t speak any longer and had no choice but to shut his eyes as he continued to listen to Declan.

“I thought it was strange. How did she find out that it was poisonous?”

“That’s right.”

“If Erika had black magic on her, would she have told me that it was poisonous?”

“It may be a self-made play deliberately made to win the favor of His Majesty.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

Mason clasped his head and made a groaning sound.

“I have no idea what it is”

“Me, too. Besides, I was hoping it wasn’t Chloe.”

As Declan grinned bitterly, Mason raised his head and looked at him. “Erica said don’t treat herself like Chloe anymore. She’s not Chloe.”

The last words spit out like resignation lost its strength.

For several months after Chloe’s death, Declan did not leave the room. He did not eat or drink even when Mason visited, he wept and begged. Then, after a few months, he came out with that doll in his arms. His face, skinny with the eyes of the dead, looked very precarious.

Knowing that the doll was his only support, he couldn’t take it away. Treating the doll like Chloe was indescribable.

Without it, Declan would die.

Since then, today is the first time that the doll has been referred to as ‘doll’ rather than Chloe.

‘Speaking separately of Chloe from the doll.’

The change made him feel anxious, though at least slightly hopeful. It made him want to believe that this situation, which he could not possibly accept in his head, was real.

‘Can we just wait and see a little more? So far, that doll has not caused any problems.’

He paused the thought of disposing of the doll for a moment, giving reasons he would not normally have tolerated.

“Is it because of this that you told me to find the puppet master?”

“Yes.”

Declan waited for him without saying a word.

“We’ll see until we find a puppet master. Whether or not it’s harmful to His Majesty.”

“Yeah. If you find a puppet master, you might find a clue.”

Mason agreed with his words and finally nodded his head slightly.

***

“Huh, I thought I was going to be dragged around?”

Mason left, and I came out of the doll, wiping my chest.

When he tried to take me, thinking I was a doll with black magic, it was really dark in front of me.

“Is he going to let me go? It seems like he doesn’t have faith in me… The chancellor is a close friend of His Majesty. I thought he might listen to your will.”

“Even close friends don’t listen to things that don’t make sense. I don’t intend to let him do anything in the first place.”

Seeing his determined face, I felt relieved.

“By the way, what should I do if you are in trouble because of me?”

For some reason, after I possessed the doll, it seemed that his reputation as a mad tyrant only increased, so I sighed.

“Even if it’s not you, people think I’m crazy.”

“Your Majesty is very strange.”

“What?”

“Why do you take it for granted that other people think your Majesty is crazy, uh, no, bad?”

I can’t say he’s crazy in front of the person in front of me, so I vaguely glossed over it as a bad person. However, Declan laughed as if he realized that.

“Because other people don’t understand. They don’t even want to understand.”

The bitter words were directed towards Declan himself.

“It’s the place where I climbed up after killing my father and my brother.”

Words of self-help fluttered in the air and disappeared.

Declan raised his head and gazed at me.

“So, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Even if you say that…”

How can I pretend I don’t know when I look at those empty eyes?

The self-proclaimed villain looked so lonely that I couldn’t stay still. Why are you just trying to handle it all by yourself…?

“What’s with you? I’m not blaming you.”

Yeah. What can I say?

I’m just a doll, anyway.

Even if I’m nothing to him, I hate that I don’t like it.

“I just don’t like it.”

Is it because the pain turns out to be much deeper and painful than I thought? …Or, is it pathetic to see him cry every night calling Chloe’s name?

I do not know.

“I do. I want Your Majesty to become a beloved emperor.”

Even though I don’t know exactly why I wanted him to be loved. So, was my sincerity being conveyed to him to be happy?

Declan’s green eyes, which had been locked, began to glow very faintly, harboring an unknown emotion.

“I am an alter ego of His Majesty, so if you become a revered Emperor, won’t I be able to receive the love of the people of the Empire?”

I am not a cursed doll.

He muttered to himself as if he was talking to himself with a little hope.

“Who? My alter ego?”

Declan, who understood the words, asked again.

“You didn’t know? Everyone said that.”

“You don’t even look like me. What kind of alter ego?”

Although his tone was blunt, there was no sign of displeasure on his face.

“Why? I’m an alter ego. I never separate and stay next to you.”

“…Is it?”

Hearing that, Declan, who was quietly listening to me, muttered a little.

“That’s why I want your Majesty to live a long and healthy life. Only then can I, your alter ego, live for a thousand years and ten thousand years.”

I thought he would snort as usual, but he just stared at me without saying a word. With eyes deeper than ever.

Since then, I have lived a similar life.

On the day of the meeting, I went to the conference room, and on the other days, I went to the office. I also took occasional walks to learn the geography of the Imperial Palace and even had tea time in the greenhouse.

After spending a few days like that, I learned one thing.

That my soul goes back into the doll after a day has passed since it came out of the doll.

And, only about an hour later, I was able to get out.

‘Is it like charging a cell phone…?’

A month passed, and the day of Chloe’s birthday banquet came.

“Hmm. I had to adjust the dress.”

While eating breakfast, Declan had a dissatisfied expression on his face.

‘If you had a normal eye, you wouldn’t have suffered like that.’

The thought of wearing a dress that he might have picked up made me cry out.

‘Oh, just thinking about it is terrifying…’

The tip of my nose wrinkled at the thought of the sweat when trying to persuade Declan over the past month.

“We got your dress tailored before.”

It was an excuse that he had constantly been using up against him.

“It’s not a birthday banquet dress.”

Declan, who didn’t know what was going on inside me, spit out his words.

“Is there anything special about a birthday banquet? No one cares what the doll is wearing in the first place.”

That’s what he said, but I knew people’s eyes would be drawn to it. Aside from not trusting his eyes, I was also concerned about spending money like water to buy doll clothes.

“Your Majesty has already bought me a lot of pretty new clothes. I’ve chosen the most glamorous and prettiest of them, so I can get enough attention.”

I never want to be noticed.

“It’s because it doesn’t fill my heart. And…”

Declan glanced back at me without saying a word. His gaze was puzzled, and I looked down at the clothes I was wearing now. A dress that is less glamorous than a banquet dress but still has a lot of decorations to be called casual wear.

“If the doll’s clothes change, my appearance will change, too.”

…That’s why I kept begging you to buy clothes.

If the doll changed clothes or had a different hairstyle, it was applied to me, the soul, as well.

“Yes, but you’re not even reflected in the mirror.”

“It will be a change of mood, though.”

A corner of my chest tickled at the unexpected consideration.

“Thank you for thinking of me, but I already have enough clothes to change my mind, so I won’t stop.”

“For once, this season, I’m not going to concede that much later.”

He sighed as he spoke as though he had conceded a lot to others.

“That…”

Declan continued to speak his words, hesitating for a moment, and then looked at me with deep eyes.

“Today, I know it will be uncomfortable, but please take care of me.”

I was nervous about him making a bombshell remark, though I couldn’t help but panic because I felt sorry for him.

“Maybe this will be the last time.”

A complex feeling was felt in his voice as he spoke of the last words.