97. Bollonico’s Doll

2024.01.05.

Yuan Pelliese’s daily routine had become extremely busy lately.

From morning, she would meet with Noel Euphris and help him practice speaking, in return receiving books or newspapers which she would read.

She slightly postponed formally inquiring about the Drietter Grand Duke family, the Selentina Ducal family, and the Marquis Companni family.

Although their relationship had progressed significantly, Noel had not completely dropped his suspicion or guard toward Yuan, so she had to be satisfied with asking just a little bit whenever she had the chance.

Among the materials Noel provided, what Yuan mainly read concerned who passionately followed the Emperor and Bollonico, aside from the three families mentioned above.

Those who followed the Emperor were families who had valued military power since his days as a Grand Duke.

This was information she already knew, but the peculiar point was that the actual warriors who could be called founding heroes of the empire had all died off, leaving only their sons barely maintaining their lineage.

Among those who now followed the Emperor, the few with real seniority were retainers rooted in the northern regions.

These were men who had assisted the Emperor during his Grand Duke days in monster extermination campaigns, possessing considerable military strength, and who had participated alongside Igor in crushing the “rebel army” when he ascended the throne.

Thus, although not ancient noble houses, they had received honors as meritorious subjects and moved from the north to the capital, now living comfortably and proudly.

Yuan began carefully identifying the people threatening Clade Euphris.

The truth she had heard was that the current Emperor had once attempted to kill Clade Euphris in order to seize the throne.

However, the commonly known version was that after the previous Emperor’s death, rebel forces gathered across the empire, marched into the capital Cielo, seized the palace, and even attacked the “Red Brick Mansion” where Clade resided.

It was said that the current Emperor Igor was the one who drove back these rebels alongside northern warriors, and that Clade, having lost both parents and weakened in body and mind, ceded the throne to his uncle and voluntarily stepped down from the position of Crown Prince, becoming an abdicated prince, according to records preserved from old newspaper clippings.

In this process, the abdicated Prince Clade was supposedly cursed by a foreign sorcerer skilled in dark magic among the rebels, and had since lived isolated from society—this seemed to be the accepted narrative.

It was not a story detailed in the history books she had briefly read as a child.

Upon reading this record, Yuan could not help but gasp in disbelief, because the reality she had directly observed and felt about Igor and Clade completely contradicted these few lines of seemingly plausible documentation.

If Hena’s testimony was true, then whether or not Igor had come to suppress the rebels, it was indeed a fact that he had personally attempted to kill Clade.

If Igor had cursed Clade, forced him to imprison himself, and then pretended to be a merciful uncle in public, the story would make a certain amount of sense.

‘Perhaps among the nobles who know the truth, there are some who resent such an Emperor. That might be why during the debutante ball, when the Crown Prince nearly died from poisoning, the Emperor executed all involved without mercy—to show them he was still a devoted uncle who cherished Clade deeply.’

While it was important to find Clade’s enemies and make them pay, it was equally important to identify those who would stand by Clade when he finally reemerged into the world.

Yuan believed that as long as more people could become allies of Clade even after her own death, she would gladly use her abilities to the fullest until her last breath.

Her distant gaze passed over Noel’s pale hand fidgeting with a medicine pouch, then settled on his eyes—eyes so similar to Clade’s.

‘Noel may not be entirely on Clade’s side, but he’s certainly not someone who would harm him.’

She had already determined that Noel Euphris was an exceptionally kind and reasonable person, incomparable to his older brother.

It had been shocking that his books were in Bollonico’s possession, and that there were clear signs he had diligently studied Pelliese, but she didn’t believe he had done so with the intention of harming Clade.

After all, many of the medical texts in this villa were also filled with traces of Noel’s presence.

The Empress, too, was a woman of the imperial household struggling to maintain her position, but she was not someone who acted as erratically as Bollonico.

Given that she had voluntarily walked into the tiger’s den, it was rather fortunate that she would encounter Noel and the Empress more often than the Emperor or Bollonico.

“I, I, I know this sounds shameless, but if this kind of medicine had existed, I, I would’ve been even more grateful if I’d received it earlier.”

Noel’s first impression after tearing open the medicine pouch Yuan had handed him that morning, as if he had made up his mind.

Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

“Even if we weren’t friends, would you have trusted me enough to take it right away?”

Noel’s soft cheeks flushed like ripe strawberries.

Instead of answering, he quickly popped the small pill into his mouth and chewed it down with water.

By the time his tightly furrowed brow, distorted by discomfort, relaxed back into place, he opened his eyes and stared at Yuan with the same colored eyes as Clade.

“F, f, friends—what’s such a big deal? W, who cares!”

Eyes trembling, unsure what to do, as if offering up a sliver of his own shadow.

Yuan faintly smiled, recalling someone else with such eyes.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Y, yes?”

“I like your eyes.”

“S, s, sorry, but I l, like Tasha.”

“Let’s practice that sentence.”

Yuan kindly suggested to a bewildered-looking Noel, like a gentle teacher.

“I’m glad you’re here. I like your eyes.”

Noel twitched as if he had choked on the medicine.

Y, y, you want me to say s, something so embarrassing?”

Noel crumpled the medicine pouch in his hand, then scratched his head.

Yuan quietly crossed her arms.

“Then think of another sentence. I stayed up all night making medicine for the Crown Prince—surely you’re not refusing to practice?”

“N, not that I won’t do it—I—”

Noel, his neck turning red, awkwardly wiped his face, and finally surrendered to Yuan.

“O, of course I’ll do it. I’ll think of a different sentence!”

“Take the medicine twice daily, morning and evening. You can receive a new dose each time you come to me. You should gradually improve, so don’t neglect your practice. But don’t be too tense either. You can even think of it as singing a song.”

“W, wait and see. At this time’s title ceremony, I, I, I will definitely apologize to Tasha.”

Yuan smiled brightly and handed Noel a list of books she wanted brought next time—along with another medicine pouch.

“I, I won’t miss a single dose.”

Noel said firmly, with strong determination in his voice.

Yuan’s dark eyes briefly curved unnaturally, then slightly veered past Noel’s sharp gaze, lowering downward.

The medicine she had given Noel was an ordinary supplement she had prepared herself. Noel Euphris’s problem was not physical, but psychological. It was never an issue her abilities could resolve in the first place.

She was helping him purely because bringing in books and newspapers through him would prevent unnecessary suspicion from falling on her regarding Bollonico.

At the title ceremony, Yuan planned to subtly inquire about the Drietter Grand Duke family, the Selentina Ducal family, and the Marquis Companni family.

Noel, about to leave the parlor with an armful of books Yuan had returned, suddenly stopped. His face peeked out from behind the stack.

“T, thank you. F, f, friend.”

The parlor door slowly closed completely, and Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood she had been holding back.

Only after wiping the blood that had messily stained her lips could Yuan weakly smile.

Friend. Friend.

Had there ever been someone Yuan Pelliese could call a friend in her entire life?

Was it luck or misfortune to have found someone she could call a friend before her life ended?

‘Everyone else does it. You should live and do it too.’

The crystal water glass, emptied cleanly by Noel, was mercilessly shattered in Yuan’s hand.

Damn it.

Damn it, Clade Euphris.

The luxurious parlor. The lavishly adorned Yuan Pelliese collapsed helplessly at the sudden, thunderous sound of Clade’s voice.

Clutching the embroidered arm of a sturdy armchair, she pressed a blood-soaked handkerchief to her mouth, stifling a sorrowful sob.

I miss you.

I want to hear you.

I miss seeing you, I want to hear your voice.

Every time this forbidden emotion seeped out and threatened to burst forth, Yuan felt the pain that tormented her open up again, choking her breath.

The title ceremony was tomorrow.

Tomorrow, at last, she would see Clade Euphris—the one she longed for so desperately, yet simultaneously dreaded seeing.

***

Yuan had spent nearly the entire night awake.

When the dawn sun peeked through the wide gap in the curtains, Yuan wiped away cold sweat under the streaming light.

Under the golden bedding, the white inner sheet was soaked with sweat from her restless night.

Her smooth, slender legs, slightly plump with flesh, extended out from under the covers.

Wearing golden slippers, Yuan staggered to pull open the heavy curtains and pressed her feverish forehead against the windowpane.

Her ragged breath, still unable to recover from the night’s aftermath, repeatedly formed white mist before her eyes, then faded away.

Beyond that hazy view, past the elegant curved roof of the Empress’s palace and countless similar rooftops, the imperial palace’s main gate appeared faintly in the distance.

From early morning, colorful flags were being arranged in neat rows, clearly preparing to welcome guests.

Clade might have already arrived in the capital early this morning.

The moment she thought of Clade, her heart ached as if being squeezed.

It felt as though the pain that had gnawed at her all night in place of Clade had returned, knocking at the door once more.

Struggling to steady her increasingly unstable breathing, Yuan quickly pulled out a handkerchief.

A small clot of blood greeted her on the white cloth with a soft “cough.”

Soon, the Empress’s maids and Bollonico’s attendants would arrive, descending upon her to dress her up like Bollonico’s doll.

The clothes were uncomfortable and not to her taste, but if wearing them allowed her to stand beside Bollonico and face his people, she didn’t mind at all.

‘The title ceremony is an opportunity to further test my powers.’

She had experimented with transferring the pain she absorbed from Bollonico’s paradise back to Bollonico himself, but the results weren’t always good.

On some days, attempting to transfer the pain would instantly cause her nose to bleed or make her vomit blood.

She couldn’t keep using fatigue as an excuse forever.

She had to admit it.

Her newly acquired ability was unstable and still not strong enough to inflict terrible suffering or death upon others.

She needed more practice. And her practice targets had to be Bollonico and his people.

“Do you like it, Your Highness?”

“Was this all decided by the First Prince?”

“Yes.”

Yuan stood among the people who had rushed in the moment she burned the blood-stained handkerchief, gazing at her transformed self—a perfect doll.