Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
“Our Chloe asks me to forgive her, so I’ll let her off the hook. Let the maid out of the palace and keep the attendant in jail.”
“Are you really forgiving her?” Mason asked with a surprised face.
“You asked me for leniency, but why are you so surprised?”
“That’s because you suddenly changed your mind…”
“Our Chloe didn’t like it, she expressed her intention, so of course I have to listen.”
Declan stroked my head with an exaggerated, loving smile. The unexpected generosity gave Mason a puzzled face.
‘Thank God.’
The maid and the attendant were relieved at the fact that they were safe.
‘I’m glad Mason and Noah didn’t know that I moved.’ I was forced to move, but I was nervous about how the two people would react. If they saw it, they would have suspected that I was a cursed doll. Wanting to live in peace, I didn’t want to be branded absurdly.
“Both of you, get out now.”
Mason and Noah politely greeted Declan before leaving the room.
“Is Chloe here with me?” As they left, Declan looked into my eyes and spoke kindly.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m not Chloe.’
It’s a very slim possibility, but if he sees me in person, will that really disappoint him? What should I do when that happens?
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have moved…’ I felt uncomfortable as it felt like I was torturing him with false hope for some reason.
…Don’t tell me he’s going to neglect or throw me away just because I’m not Chloe
I tried to subside my anxiety.
“Really, I wish Chloe was here.”
Declan gave a heartfelt gaze. “Anyway. Let’s keep it a secret that only you and I know that you can move. If others know, they’ll definitely make a fuss.”
‘But you were the person that asked me to move in front of Mason and Noah!’
I was dumbfounded and stared at him blankly.
“Others can’t do anything to you, but you shouldn’t be a target for no reason.” Declan took a quiet breath, trying to calm his overwhelming emotions.
“Let’s not talk about that anymore. You don’t have to worry about things that won’t happen.”
The sadness soon faded away, and he stroked my cheek tenderly.
“Chloe, I’m hurt today, can you blow ‘ho’ like before? Then, I won’t think it hurts at all.”
Unlike his usual appearance, unfamiliar and tender emotions filled his voice. His sad face just came to mind.
‘Yes, I think it was right that I did that. I saved the maid and the servant.’
What did Chloe do when Declan was injured?
[ ‘Please don’t let my brother get sick. I’ll blow it earnestly, so let the wound would heal quickly.’ ]
Recalling what Chloe had said in the original, I blew out ‘Ho.’ Suddenly, with a ‘beep’ sound, my view became dark.
***
After a while, the field of view became bright, and the room I saw for the first time became visible.
It was all decorated in pink and lace. I could see a girl with sparkling blonde hair and green eyes that were greenish like sprouts.
The girl was brushing the doll’s hair and had a worrisome face.
[ “Erica, my brother and I don’t know when we’re going to die.” ]
Saying so, the tail of her eyes drooped down.
[ “Because we don’t have anyone on our side in the Imperial Palace. I’m the only one who can protect my brother, but I am still weak.” ] She showed the doll her blistered hand.
[ “If calluses form in the area where these blisters appear, they can become stronger. When will that be?” ]
The little girl sighed deeply.
[ “Not too long ago, my brother’s food was poisoned.” ]
The girl stared into the air. [ “Erica, what if… if…if I die first. Then…” ]
She paused for a moment, engulfed in her feelings.
[ “You must protect my brother instead of me.” ]
Her eyes were watery as she held the doll’s small hands together tightly.
“If I die, my brother will be very sad. If that happens, you must tell him that it’s not brother’s fault. I’m sorry for leaving him alone.” ]
Her voice got dimmer and dimmer.
[ “And tell him that I love him, to stay alive and be happy.” ]
It was her ultimate wish. The girl hugged her doll closely.
At the end of her words, my view was dark again.
***
‘…What? What was that just now?’
My vision became fuzzy. I tried to look around, but the girl was not there anymore. It’s not enough with just black smoke, now it’s an illusion, too?
‘I don’t think I’m just going crazy.’
I recalled the illusion I had just seen. The girl who gazed at her doll looked to be around seven to eight years old, and called the doll Erica.
For some reason, I felt that the child’s appearance was similar to Chloe’s depicted in the original novel. She also mentioned that she had a brother and no one was on their side in the Imperial Palace. In addition, she also said that she was receiving murder threats from time to time.
All of that was similar to that of Chloe and Declan’s childhood.
‘But why did I just see Chloe? She is already dead.’
The illusion before was like a glimpse of the doll’s memory? ‘Is that possible? How can a doll have a memory, though.’
All of a sudden, my spine was feeling stiff, and I got creepy chills. In the original story, the people said the doll must have been cursed. If that was not a misunderstanding and they were right, then what’s going to happen to me?
When I imagined the sulfur fire of hell, my eyes closed without my knowledge.
“Chloe, are you listening to me?”
It was Declan’s voice that lifted me from my panic.
As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw him with his eyes bent. The sharp and bitter feeling slowly disappeared. I could see a clear look, and his deep eyes stood out.
‘I thought he was scary, but when I see him, he is really handsome.’ I stared at his face. Perhaps, if I had been in the form of a person, rather than a doll, I would have blushed.
“Chloe, if it’s difficult to blow ‘ho’ to me, then move like before.”
Declan peered in and spoke a short distance away from me as if he was uttering an order.
‘No, what kind of person is this? What else do you want me to move for?’
I gazed at Declan’s face to understand his intentions. His face was overwhelmed with anticipation and curiosity, but on the other hand, there was a sign of anxiety.
‘What are you nervous about?’
Maybe he was worried that Chloe’s doll was a cursed doll?
Is that why? If he had thought so, he wouldn’t have said so calmly before.
‘Does he think that he has mistaken me moving…?’
I didn’t move even when he called, so for some reason, his face seemed nervous. ‘Do you really think Chloe is here? Are you afraid that Chloe’s arrival might be an illusion?’ Somehow, things seemed to get bigger than I anticipated, so my head hurt.
‘Shall we not move? Then, Declan will give up.’
I thought it would be better, so I stayed still without moving. Opposite to what I thought, sadness continued to grow on his disappointed face.
Why is it so uncomfortable to be watching that sad face?
‘What if he misunderstands that it’s Chloe? However, even so, it would be nice if Declan wasn’t going to be a tyrant.’
Having made up my mind, I once again focused on my right hand.
Tuk.
As Declan’s hand was weakly struck, his face lit up all at once. He could feel a lingering momentum as he touched the area where my hand had touched him.
“Thank you, Chloe. I think it’s all better now.”
His voice was slightly thrilled.
“Chloe, you must have been surprised today, so let’s rest in the room until dinner. Shall we read a book?”
Declan spoke as he turned to the bookshelf while holding me. The shelf was filled with age-appropriate books ranging from children’s books to easy-to-learn books.
“What books would you like?”
He glanced through the titles of the book and thought deeply about it.
“Today, let’s read interesting books instead of liberal arts books.”
The book he picked up was titled ‘Wish.’ Seeing the title of the book, I sighed. ‘I finished the SAT, but here I am, reading a fairy tale book again…’ It felt as if I was living the second episode of my life, so I exhaled a stretch.
All of a sudden, I was curious as to whether I could read the letters here. Even though I understand the words they are saying, I never read anything since I came here.
Declan sat me down on his lap and began to speak out and read the book.
‘I can read it. I can read the letters!’ I don’t know what happened, but fortunately, the letters were readable.
“The girl took her mother’s hand and shed tears. Her mother was facing her death.”
His calm and low voice was very soothing to hear.
“’God, please save my mother.’ The girl prayed earnestly.” The skillful voice modulation made me laugh. Like a person who had told a lot of storytelling, his acting was not awkward at all. ‘I can’t even imagine reading children’s books when I look at my usual actions. ‘
Declan’s attitude difference between dealing with Chloe’s doll and other people was too significant. I might have been fortunate to have possessed this doll in some way because I’m the only one he treats kindly.
Soon after reading the entire story, he turned to me.
“How was it? Was it fun? Would you like to read another book?”
I moved my hand again, to express gratitude.
With a weak sensation hitting his arm, he raised the corner of his mouth and laughed.
“…Okay. Let’s read another book together, shall we?”
***
Next day.
“Your Majesty, Allen has arrived.”
When Noah came in and delivered the news, Declan nodded to let him in.
‘If it’s Allen… Was it the exclusive designer Declan was talking about?’
Somehow, the story was unfolding around the main male lead, so the detailed figures on Declan’s side did not appear in the original novel.
Wondering what kind of person he would be, I glanced at the door.