Chapter 46

What kind of madness is this?

Tristan threw the rabbit hat for dolls that had been placed on his head against the wall. This cursed child’s displays of affection were getting worse by the day.

Putting such a ridiculous rabbit hat on a cat doll!

‘…Damn it.’

The problem was that the child had been intrigued when the maids suggested dressing up the doll. He had to endure wearing dresses, one-pieces, and even doll underwear with this doll body.

The feeling of being forced into a fashion show with cute, adorable clothes he thought he’d never have anything to do with in his life.

“At least something like formal attire would be better!”

He tugged at the knots of the fluffy doll underwear. With the doll’s stubby hands, he couldn’t untie the tightly knotted underwear.

Not underwear, anything but underwear.

After wrestling with the strings, Tristan gave up and flopped down on the floor. He should have left the child’s side last time instead of thinking about just going back.

‘How was I supposed to know there would be a dog outside?’

This magical tool had no function other than allowing him to possess it with his consciousness. Unlike spirit-inhabited magical tools, using magic with the doll’s body was impossible.

That meant he had no choice but to endure the terrible time of being caught by the black dog.

“Woof, woof woof!”

“Damn it. Don’t bite! Where are you licking?”

“Woof!”

“Damn! You filthy dog!”

Though he couldn’t feel pain, he shared basic sensations. He shuddered, recalling the terrible sensation of his body getting soaked with saliva.

‘I couldn’t even cut off my consciousness.’

To escape from the dog, he had to maintain the possession. As if instinctively knowing he was trying to escape, the dog’s surveillance was persistent.

When sleeping, it wrapped around the doll so he couldn’t slip away, and when awake, it bit, sucked, and licked him.

‘This is hopeless.’

Should he just abandon the magical tool he had worked so hard to create until his confinement was over? Once his house arrest ended, he could come get the doll himself.

He just wanted to check one last time if the doll was damaged.

When he reconnected his consciousness with the doll, he saw the child with tears welling in her eyes.

“You’re back!”

The child jumped out of her father’s arms and fearlessly approached the dog that was bigger than her. She didn’t seem to consider that the sleeping dog might wake up and attack.

‘This friend game will soon be over.’

Though the limbs hadn’t been torn off, the doll’s body was covered with teeth marks. Children were especially sensitive to visual things.

If she properly saw this dirty appearance, even the child would throw him away. But the child embraced him without the slightest hesitation.

“Were you scared? It’s okay. I’ll protect you by staying by your side from now on.”

“…”

“Because you’re my precious friend.”

The child, speaking with a voice full of relief, rubbed his dirty body against her cheek. She seemed completely unbothered by the smell of dog saliva.

‘Is she stupid?’

Even if a fairy had inhabited it, would it be such a dirty doll? You who cherish and value me as special just because our eyes met.

I couldn’t understand.

Everything was beyond his comprehension.

Discovering what looked like traces of tears on the child’s cheek, he carefully moved his arm. There were tear stains on her reddened eyes.

‘Weak little crybaby.’

The unidentifiable emotion he felt toward the child resembled irritation. As he was trying to pinpoint this unknown feeling, he was shocked by the sight of the empty room.

‘All this commotion happened just because of a doll?’

The room was bare without furniture, and knights were helping the maids clean. It was surprising that they had dispatched knights just to find a doll.

Moreover, his father, who disliked changes in his environment, had allowed the room to be turned upside down.

“Then let’s go take a bath.”

Tristan stopped thinking and stiffened in the child’s arms. Fortunately, the bath the child mentioned was washing his dirty body.

“Will the Grand Princess wash Mr. Daebak herself?”

“Yes. I’ll do it myself because he’s a precious friend.”

The child’s touch as she stroked the parts that had been bitten by the dog was extremely careful. The places where the child’s hand touched tingled with a sensation he had never experienced before.

‘Strange look.’

Tristan, who had infiltrated in the form of a doll to find the child’s weakness, soon realized.

The child’s weakness was himself (the doll).

She would bawl if I disappeared.

That would be quite pathetic and amusing. Tristan mocked the overly gentle child.

On the other hand, a curiosity he had never felt before raised its head. If you give your heart even to a mere doll, perhaps…

‘Will your affection last forever?’

Before losing his mother and young sibling, he had been surrounded by abundant affection. His taciturn but kind brother and his father, who hovered around the family.

Renowned as a genius, he could easily get what he wanted.

“Brother, what are we playing today?”

“How about playing heroes? You liked that game before.”

“I’ll be the demon lord. You be the weak hero.”

The solid everyday peace collapsed so easily. His changed brother and father no longer reached out to him.

I wonder how you would be.

Tristan decided to test the child on the day his confinement ended.

***

As the time for Tristan’s confinement to end approached, Lucas visited more frequently. Lucas seemed to believe that Tristan would harm me.

“This is not something to take lightly, comrade.”

“Yes. I know.”

I earnestly agreed with Lucas’s words. On Lucas’s knee sat that muscular bear doll with the small head.

Seeing me always carrying a doll around, he seemed to be trying to match me in his own way.

“Did something happen between you and Tristan before?”

It didn’t seem like he was giving such warnings because of the fight with Tristan in the drawing room.

Lucas, who hadn’t mentioned why Tristan was dangerous, took a big gulp of tea and opened his mouth.

“I don’t want to make you anxious, but you should know what you need to know.”

“What is it?”

“Besides Lord Kashian, I used to like various things in the past. Of course, Lord Kashian was always the best. Anyway.”

“You don’t like those things now?”

“They were broken. All of them.”

And the person who broke them was none other than Tristan.

“From some point on, whenever I showed interest in something, he would find it and break it.”

Favorite books, flower petals carefully picked in the early morning, and dried—all were destroyed. Tristan, proficient in magic, easily found what Lucas cherished and made it irreparable.

As such incidentswere  repeated, the once amicable brotherly relationship deteriorated to the worst.

“And then you appeared.”

The meaning of those words…

Golden eyes that didn’t hide concern for me gleamed gloomily. The shadows cast over his handsome face created a sorrowful impression.

‘I’ve become precious to him.’

The feeling was mutual.

I liked his beautifully shining silver hair and his eyes that resembled the Grand Duke’s but weren’t cold.

‘I was grateful that he liked Kashian.’

Thanks to Lucas, I could shake off lingering attachments to the past. That’s why I gladly accepted his invitation to become Kashian’s comrade.

I asked him, pretending to be calm.

“Am I precious to you, Lucas?”

“Yes.”

“Even though I’m not family?”

“Yes. You’re the first comrade I’ve ever had.”

At that moment, his always straightforward gaze felt like a knife piercing me. I closed my eyes briefly and then opened them, feeling a throbbing pain in my chest.

Unable to overcome the impulsive self-loathing for deceiving him, I opened my mouth.

“Lucas, I want to stop.”

I shouldn’t have become your precious person when I’m not even a princess.

“What do you want to stop?”

“Being your comrade.”

You should have seen me just as a conversation partner, a toy.

Lucas rolled his eyes while eating a chocolate muffin. He looked awkward, avoiding my gaze, pretending he hadn’t heard what I said.

Forcing a smile, he offered me a cookie from his basket.

“If you don’t like the muffin, how about trying the cookie I brought?”

I spoke clearly so he could hear me properly, as he still didn’t understand.

“I’m tired of you and Kashian.”

Lucas’s face crumpled, and his expression disappeared.

“…You’re lying, right?”

A pitiful look, hoping I would say it was a lie even now. I tried my hardest not to avoid his wavering eyes.

‘This is right.’

Our relationship was all about Kashian, so I just needed to cut that off.

Thinking about how his feelings for me would turn into resentment made me uneasy. I had always feared being hated by someone.

For the sake of the future hurt he would feel, I had to be brave.

“Take care of yourself, Lucas.”

If my thoughts were correct, Tristan didn’t dislike Lucas as much as Lucas thought.

‘Rather, he likes him.’

That’s why he tried to break things that received his brother’s attention out of jealousy.

After a long silence, there was the sound of a chair being pushed back, followed by a quiet voice.

“I’ll do as you say.”

When I raised my head after the footsteps stopped, Lucas was gone. I hadn’t wanted to end our relationship this way.

“Finish the muffins before you go.”

Chocolate muffins were Lucas’s favorite food. And the chocolate cookies Lucas had brought were my favorite food.

We had somehow become familiar with each other’s preferences.

‘I’m sorry, Lucas.’

Feeling considerable mental fatigue, I went to bed early that day. By the time I lay down, I had completely forgotten Lucas’s warning.

Sen told me in a regretful voice as I lay in bed.

“The Grand Duke said he couldn’t come today because he’s busy with work.”

“Yes, I know.”

The maids carefully checked that no windows were open before leaving the room. At that time, I thought it was nice that the Grand Duke wasn’t around.

Time passed, and it became midnight.

The dull sound of something hard hitting the window woke me up.

“Who’s there at this hour?”

The sound, similar to knocking, continued without stopping. Finally, I got up from bed, hugging the doll, and headed to the window.

When I opened the window, a soft wind rushed in, making my red hair flutter.

“Hey, kid.”

Amethyst-like purple eyes curved with mischief. Snow-white skin was visible between the loosened front of his robe.

Tristan sat on the windowsill with a languid gesture.