Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I managed to gather up the courage that scattered like sand and squeezed my voice out quietly.

“Excuse me… can you bring the doll over here?”

“Why?”

“I can’t turn the book and I can’t ask Your Majesty every time.”

As if he didn’t like what I said, his eyebrows went up.

‘I’m not doing this to annoy you. Can’t you cut me some slack?’

Displeasure appeared on his face that seemed to be angry, and his eyes seemed to be getting more and more bloody, so I secretly avoided his gaze.

“Okay. I’ll just read the same page.”

Still, the displeasure did not subside, so I rubbed my mouth and rebelled timidly.

‘Is it my fault that I’m a soul? Whom are you trying to blame? Ugh, he also owed me.’

When I was inside the doll, I thought it would be nice if I could just talk to Declan… ‘Yeah, it’s something to be thankful for. Let’s not complain.’

As I scolded myself and turned my gaze back to the book, my right face was very stinging.

I frowned and glanced up to see Declan staring intently at me.

“I won’t disturb you. So, go to work.”

…No, are you staring at me like you were going to kill me for asking that? Although I was annoyed, there was nothing good about going against him, so I held my feelings in.

“Can you turn the pages when you enter the doll?”

An unexpected question arose.

“It will take some time, but wouldn’t it be possible because I can move my hands a little.”

He gazed at the doll and me alternately, pondered for a moment, then suddenly got up and approached me.

‘What’s wrong with him again?”

Declan’s eyebrows narrowed as I snapped my body back in an instant, instinctive fear.

“Ha.”

He grinned with an astonished expression on his face. He looked at me once, before walking back and placed the book I was reading on the edge of the desk.

“Look at it here.”

“…What?”

“Can’t you understand me now?”

I felt like I couldn’t go against him any longer, I stumbled up. Still, I couldn’t understand the situation clearly.

“Uh, you didn’t want to stop me from reading the book?”

“Why would I?”

The look on his face was as if I was babbling nonsense.

“No… Well, I thought it was because Your Majesty took the book with such a frightening force…” Embarrassed, I glanced away and muttered quietly.

After a brief sigh, Declan softened his expression a little.

“Read it over there. I’ll turn the pages for you.”

At his words, I couldn’t quite grasp what his intention was, so I stared at him. Declan stared at me and sighed again.

“Just read it when I say I’ll do it.”

I stood in front of the desk, bewildered, wondering if he might change his mind. Seeing that the page I was reading had turned over, I glanced up at Declan. He already sat back in his chair and focused on the papers in front of him again.

‘If that’s the case, he should’ve done it from the beginning.’

Even though I was grumpy, I felt grateful.

‘His appearance is truly crazy.’

Declan had a cold and stiff expression, but the elegant lines on his face were masculine and charming.

All of a sudden, he peered up as if noticing my gaze that was on his face with a stunned look, I hurriedly turned my head away. ‘Crazy—What if he noticed that I was staring at him like that?’

I glanced to see if he noticed, but he was still looking at the paperwork.

‘Whoa, that’s a relief…’

If he had known, Declan would have teased me all the time now.

After reading the whole page, I peered at him again. Even if he said he would turn the pages for me, I wasn’t certain if I really could ask him.

Then, suddenly his arm reached out and he silently turned over the page.

“How did Your Majesty know?”

“I felt a groan.”

“You feel it? But, you didn’t even look at me?”

Hearing my words, Declan took his eyes from the documents and stared at me.

“It’s strange that you don’t know when it looks so obvious.”

“No, I’m in a spirit state.”

“You didn’t know that I’m a swordmaster?”

I couldn’t really understand what he was trying to say, but it wasn’t a lie that he felt my gaze. If not, how would he have turned over the page right away without looking at me?

‘No, he has such a great sense… how did he even fall for Jennifer’s magic?’

The more I pondered about it, the more I couldn’t find an answer.

Even after that, Declan turned over the pages to me as soon as I finished reading all the pages. As it was repeated continuously, I was able to naturally immerse myself in the contents of the book again.

Then, at some point, I felt a hot gaze.

And when I raised my head to see what was going on, his brow was narrowed as he was dissatisfied with something. As I turned to where the documents were placed, there were only a few left.

‘It seems that his work is almost over, but what is the problem…?’

Declan’s unpredictable behavior today was frustrating.

He did that for a while before pulling the rope next to him.

“Your Majesty, did you call?”

Noah entered the office and gazed carefully at the book I was reading.

“Bring me a chair.”

“Where are you going to put it?”

At Declan’s command, Noah asked carefully.

“Here.” He said, pointing to where I was standing.

‘What’s with the chair all of a sudden?’ I looked at him bewildered and realized later that I was still standing there.

‘Is it because of me? Is this when the sun will rise from the west?’

With the exception of Chloe, it was quite unusual for an indifferent person like him to be so considerate to anyone else. Besides, who would ever think of bringing a chair for a soul?

‘Noah seems embarrassed, too.’

He tilted his head, staring intently at the book I was reading.

“Is the chair you are currently using uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Noah looked at Declan and pondered for a moment, then made a face that realized something.

“Ah, you must have been bored looking at the documents. So, to read a book in the middle. No matter how, you don’t need to move…”

Declan was about to say something, but Noah kept talking.

“Do you think you’re not getting enough exercise or do you perhaps have anxiety, Your Majesty?”

“Just get out.”

Giving strength to his teeth, Declan gave orders, and Noah shrugged his shoulders and went out quickly.

“…Is that what he was supposed to be like?”

In the original story, Noah was quite popular as a servant who was loyal to the end.

‘Though actually, it felt like a screw was missing in his mind…’

“Originally, he was like that. Even on the battlefield, he wandered around ignorantly. It was pathetic.”

After losing Chloe and being driven to the battlefield, I wondered why he saved Noah. How absurd and pathetic he was, it was astonishing how he caught Declan’s attention when nothing would come to his eyes usually.

“He looks like a perfectionist who doesn’t see a single hole in his looks.”

“Is there any problem with your eyesight? Will he be able to get married in that state, Tsk.”

Declan clicked his tongue annoyingly.

His affection for Noah was felt from that action. I smiled softly. Witnessing the sincerity he sometimes showed toward the puppet and his vassals, it seemed that he was originally a kind person.

‘How hurt must such a person be to become a tyrant.’

…Again, I felt sorry for him.

After a while, the attendants came in with a chair and left it next to Declan.

“Sit here and read.”

“Thank you.”

I grinned a little and sat down on the chair.

It wasn’t difficult to stand there, but I liked his consideration for treating me as a human being.

When I returned to focus on the book, he turned over the pages in time. After reading the book for a while, I suddenly glanced up at a strange feeling and met eyes with Declan.

“Huh? Are you done with your work?”

“Yes.”

The papers piled up on his left were all gone.

“Oh, when?”

“Looks like it’s been a while ago.” He said, taking the watch out of his pocket and checking it.

“But, why didn’t Your Majesty say anything…?”

“Because you’re concentrating on the book.”

Are you waiting to not disturb me now?

I don’t know how many times I’ve been surprised by Declan in a few hours.

“Just tell me. Your Majesty is making me feel sorry for no reason.”

“It’s kind of fun.”

Declan frowned and straightened his posture.

‘What was so fun? Is your hobby simple labor?’

“Have you read enough?”

“Ah, yes. Well, I’m not going to read it all in one day.”

The history book I was reading was as thick as an encyclopedia. If it’s an interesting novel, I’d read it all night long, but I didn’t want to be so enthusiastic about it.

“Then, let’s go back.”

***

After returning to the bedroom and having dinner, Declan went straight into the bathroom. Meanwhile, I sat down on the chair and stared at the doll on the table.

“What the hell happened to you? You look just like a normal doll.”

Chloe’s doll had a round face and soft eyes.

The dense and long eyelashes seemed to have elasticity to the touch, so I was intrigued. As I reached out my hand with the desire to touch it, it passed through.

Seeing this, I got depressed and fell down on the table before muttering softly, “I have no idea what happened. Do you know? Why am I here?”

Staring at the unanswered doll, I sighed.

“That’s an unusual hobby. Talking to your main body.”

Declan was seen leaning against the bathroom door and gazing at me with a puzzled look.

“It’s just weird to see a doll that looks just like me.”

“I guess so. I feel the same as well.”

At that, he strode over and sat down on the bed.

“Are you sleeping, too?”

“No. No matter how much I tried to sleep, I just couldn’t…”

“Then, what have you been doing all night?”

“I just couldn’t move, so I was staring at the ceiling or thinking about miscellaneous thoughts.”

“Oh, you must have been bored.”

Bored?

There was so much to think about that I didn’t even realize it.

“Now that I can move around, I can do something else.”

Hearing my words, Declan looked at me once and spoke again, “You still have nothing you can do.”

“I know it well even if Your Majesty doesn’t confirm it like that.”

The words came out bluntly with a look of disregard.

“Where will you be while I sleep?”

“I know. Where should I be?”

“Don’t leave the room.”

“Why?”

“You don’t even know the geography of the castle, do you?”

“Can I go out once I learn the geography?”

Declan bit his mouth tightly.

‘I knew it.’

He was the one who never took the doll away from his side for a moment, so he must be anxious if he can’t see it.

‘I’ve barely been able to move around freely, but I can’t let this great opportunity be wasted.’