The Tyrant's Beloved Doll

Chapters 17-18

Chapter 17: This Is How You Light A Fire And Cause A War (1)

"Are you going to run away?" Bern sneered. "People said you can't hide the shallow blood flowing through your veins. You're just like your wanderer mother, aren't you?"

Drip, drop...

The corner of the book had cut open Raytan's forehead, and dark, red blood trickled down.

The crimson liquid was the same, striking shade as his irises. Sezh dared to bet all her meager possessions that her half-siblings would later come to severely regret their actions.

One day, Bern will feel so sorry for what he did today. To be honest, if I were Raytan, I think I'd kill him first.

Bern, however, was oblivious to Raytan's true capabilities and knew nothing about the atrocities he would commit five years from now on. Because of his ignorance, Bern continued to jeer sarcastically at them.

"If you're going to run away, why don't you take your mother with you? She'll probably do some cheap dance on the street, so how about you beg for money alongside her?"

Bern's group laughed with him.

"Think about it, Raytan. You're not going to get any benefits from living in the Imperial Palace."

No... Raytan actually profits the most from living here.

He will gain a huge advantage from killing the emperor and all potential heirs to the throne, leaving himself the last man standing in the Imperial Palace... Of course, this time I'm not going to be among the dead...

Sezh racked her young brain as quickly as she could for ideas, trying desperately to figure out what she could do to defuse the situation.

In the meantime, Bern's blabbering was increasingly aggravating Raytan, causing the crimson-eyed prince to bite his lips until they turned bloodstained.

Sezh shook her head and willed herself to focus on the situation at hand. Worrying about her own well-being, which was all she had done in her previous life, was not the point now. If she had been the same twelve-year-old girl as before, she would have run away or cried already.

Instead, inside this small body was a more mature, seventeen-year-old Sezh, who had survived all this before and more. She would no longer flee or weep, no matter how intimidating the situation. Currently, she had only one thought on her mind.

I need to win big brother Raytan's favor now!

"Or maybe we should have you start rehearsing how you'll grovel for mercy before we turn you and your street-dancing mother out of the palace?"

"..."

"C'mon, get on your knees and beg. I'll make sure you won't regret asking for my forgiveness, because I'm a generous guy."

Bern smirked as he tapped Raytan's chest.

A turbulent mix of inexplicable emotions roiled behind Raytan's eyes, which burned as red as the blood trickling down on his face. His irises blazed full of life, though as far as Sezh could remember, he rarely fought back. Despite the vivacity and defiance in his gaze, he almost never retaliated no matter how bad the circumstances were.

If you hit him, he'll accept it. If you push him into a lake, then he'll just fall into the lake.

The same could have been said about past Sezh as well. Whenever people talked to or cursed at her, she would always seize up and stand completely still, just like a doll.