I’m A Doll, But The Tyrant Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 24

I didn’t expect Duke Otien would give such an expensive gift for the doll.

‘Well, putting that behind, he’s not someone to openly hate or insult.’

As I was recalling the character of Duke Otien as depicted in the original, he raised one corner of his mouth.

“The craftsmanship is also the work of the best craftsman in the Empire. I don’t know if the Princess is too young to appreciate the value.”

I looked at Declan reflexively with a tone that was subtly disrespectful.

His eyebrows were wriggling, as I expected.

‘His craftsmanship is sharpening his words. Declan shouldn’t be angry here.’

While I was contemplating how to comfort him, he glanced down at my neck before opening his mouth.

“Can’t you see the necklace Chloe is wearing now?

There was discomfort on Duke Otien’s face for a moment, although it disappeared quickly.

“Still, it’s a gift that the Duke prepared with all his heart, so accept it with gratitude.”

“…Thank you.”

The Duke of Otien bowed his head and withdrew. When he left, his gift was immediately removed at Declan’s gesture. After that, the gift-giving ceremony continued.

Checking the gifts, the curiosity I had at first disappeared, leaving nothing but bitterness.

“Are you bored?”

Declan, who knew how I felt, leaned towards me and asked.

“Ah, yes.”

That wasn’t the real reason, but I was getting tired of this presentation that showed no sign of ending.

“Is there any present that you like?”

I looked bitterly at the pile of presents piled up next to me.

“It doesn’t matter if I like it or not. It’s a gift for the Princess.”

Hearing that, Declan looked alternately at the presents and me silently.

I continued. “There’s no flower among the gifts. I’m sure she would have liked a ribbon headdress.”

All I knew about Chloe was the original story and the brief vision I saw. Still, it was easy to see that none of the piles of gifts were really for her.

‘Because they were all gifts tailored to the doll…’

I could see Declan’s expression softening.

“Of course, her favorite is Erica. Your beauty and cuteness are unmatched.”

At his words, I flicked my head back with my hand and raised my chin.

“Tsk.”

Declan’s laughter was heard.

“Your Majesty also likes me the most, don’t you? Appearance, intelligence. On top of it, personality? Whoa, where is this perfect being?”

Continuing my sentence, I got up from my seat and put my hand on my waist, and put an arrogant expression on my face.

Then, Declan chuckled a little.

I was relieved to see him shaking his shoulders from his laughter.

“It’s a big deal.”

Declan, who barely stopped laughing, suddenly made a serious expression.

“Why?”

I was nervous about where it was going bad.

“That excessive narcissism is definitely a disease.”

I opened my mouth in disbelief.

“Noah said it was an incurable disease.”

…No, who am I doing this for now?

“Oh, ho-ho. Your Majesty is living a healthy life, so I will have no problems.”

“What does that matter?”

“Oh, I’m Your Majesty’s alter ego, but I still have a long way to go to follow Your Majesty.”

When I answered the blunt answer, Declan smiled as if he understood what I meant. “Well. It’s true that I’m perfect, so it’s different from yours.”

The moment I heard that, I crumpled my face. Seeing that, Declan laughed again.

Meanwhile, the order of the Imperial nobles came to an end.

“Glory to the Burgundy Empire. Andre Este, Crown Prince of Ielo Kingdom, greets His Majesty the Emperor.”

The white cloaks of those kneeling in front of the Declan were engraved with a golden star pattern. It was the coat of arms of the original heroine Stella, the kingdom of Ielo.

‘Isn’t Stella here…? Mason said that only the Crown Prince would come to the Royal Capital…’

With that thought, I carefully looked at the delegation, just in case. Fortunately, no one looked like Stella.

‘Well, that’s good. After all, Stella comes to the Empire as a war hostage.’

Chloe’s birthday banquet didn’t appear in the original story, so I thought there might be a variable, but nothing happened.

“You must have worked hard to come a long way. Thank you for attending.”

Originally, it was the usual order for the envoys of other countries to bow first and then the imperial nobles to bow. However, Declan deliberately changed the order of the foreign envoys to the end.

To show that the Empire has the upper hand.

“No. I just want to thank you for allowing me to attend. I am honored to be able to congratulate this beautiful Princess on her birthday.”

Crown Prince Andre, who appears to be in his early twenties, pulled out flattering remarks with a flawless smile.

‘You are having a hard time, too.’

It was sad to see him, who had no choice but to kneel in a situation like a windmill that he never knew when he might be conquered by the Empire.

‘…I’ll try to stop it somehow.’

I muttered inwardly the consolation that I couldn’t convey to him.

“In our Ielo, we have prepared a treasure handed down to the Royal Family from generation to generation to commemorate Her Highness’ birthday.”

At that, the attention of those gathered in the hall focused on the word ‘treasure.’

“It’s interesting because it’s a treasure.”

Andre’s face brightened as Declan seemed interested. He then took a step forward and opened the old-fashioned box himself.

‘Well? What is that?’

It contained something the size of a palm-sized machine.

The round metal had an arrow-shaped hour hand in the center. Two small circles were superimposed on each other and fixed in the center, and the top circle has holes in it, and unknown characters can be seen through them.

‘I’ve never seen that before…?’

No matter how you look at it, it was not in the official language of the continent.

“What is this?

Declan frowned slightly, not knowing what it was used for.

“This is a sacred treasure known only to our Royal Family and has existed since the founding of the country.”

“Sacred?”

The word ‘sacred’ caused admiration in the hall.

“It is called Mazvin, which is called the compass of the gods. It is a holy relic that tells the lost where they should go.”

It seemed that I was the one who got lost because I am an outsider who has fallen into the fictional world.

The relic looked like an ordinary metal, but somehow I couldn’t take my eyes off it. As I got closer and touched it, I felt strangely at ease.

‘I can’t feel anything, but it’s amazing… Is it because they say it shows the way?’

I thought it was my mistake, but it felt so good that I continued to caress the relic.

“I prepared this in the hope that the Princess would not lose her way and make her dream come true.”

Saying that, he looked at the doll with a burdened look in his eyes.

“How to use it?”

Curious, I raised my head to meet Declan’s eyes.

“Were you looking at me this whole time?”

Confused, I didn’t know why he was looking at me while he was talking to Andre.

“According to the record, it is said that God assists the owner of the relics when necessary.”

“Ha, you don’t know how to use it, so you’re just pretending to gloss it in the name of God, right?”

Declan smiled as he eventually turned towards Andre.

Even I, who had been looking forward to it, was disappointed with the answer that seemed too high in the clouds.

“Our kingdom has followed the will of Rohim thoroughly since its foundation. How can I tell a lie by using the name of a god?”

Andre, who replied straightly, seemed like he felt really unfair.

“No one knows of the relic except for the Royal Family, and its use is passed down only to the heir…”

Andre cleared his throat for a moment and continued. “…Nevertheless, I brought it here because I desperately want to be in a good relationship with the Burgundy Empire.”

There was a sense of urgency in those words.

“Your Majesty, please understand our sincerity. If you give us time, we will be able to get things to your satisfaction.”

It must be meant to propose a peace treaty through a private session. For them, this banquet will be their last chance to save the kingdom from war.

Though Declan didn’t answer. With a frown on his brow, whether he didn’t like the gift or whether he was bothered by the monologue from Andre.

‘It’s time for me to step in.’

I squirmed between the two of them and caught Declan’s attention.

“Your Majesty, I love this gift! Studying how it works would be interesting.”

“You are showing the greatest interest among the gifts you have ever received?”

Declan accepted my words with a displeased expression on his face.

“I want to say thank you, though I can’t see them.”

He let out a small sigh as I pleaded with him with his charming eyes closed.

“…Yes. I feel sorry for you today.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

He hid his insides and smiled softly.

I thought the atmosphere was strange, so I turned my head to see that the Ielo delegations were bewildered.

‘Why…?’

Curious, I looked at them and they were all staring at Declan.

They must have been surprised to see him talking to the doll.

‘They must have already heard about it, so what’s so surprising?’

Among them, only Andre skillfully did not show agitation. Still, his gaze on the doll was tenacious.

“After much effort, Chloe likes the gift, so I’ll grant you your special request.”

“…Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Not knowing how easy it would be to get permission, Andre had a blank expression on his face.

“Well, don’t expect too much.”

“I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

Despite his blunt attitude, Andre rejoiced as if he had had a chance to be saved.

“Give me that.”

Declan received the gift from his servant and put it on the doll’s lap.

“I’m glad you got at least one present that you like. That’s what I’m giving you. Take it comfortably.”

It was rather unfamiliar for him to speak at such an unusually long length.

‘Is it because of what I said earlier…?’

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

As I smiled brightly, a small smile appeared on Declan’s lips as well.

‘Smile a little brighter. Then, it would be prettier.’

Suddenly, there was the voice of a woman.

Her voice was as if she had poured cold water on me.

“Glorious glory to the Burgundian Empire, Jennifer Medicis from Tierra Kingdom will see the Empire’s Great Emperor.”

Red hair and black eyes…

I stared at the woman standing in front and froze.

‘No, why is she here?’

In the original story, Jennifer appears after Stella comes to the Empire.

‘Even if Chloe’s birthday banquet doesn’t appear in the original…’

I had a plan to block Jennifer from coming to the Empire. However, with this happening, I wanted to rip my hair out.

‘…This is not the time. We have to protect Declan first.’

I brushed off my confused thoughts and was wary of Jennifer first.

The image of a cat with eyebrows raised brightly went well with her red hair. She folded her eyes and smiled wildly, and she was a gorgeous beauty at a glance. In addition, her voluptuous breasts and her slim waist were also enough to shake the hearts of men.

‘I’m losing my mind… seriously losing my mind—’

Meanwhile, the guests who attended the banquet could not take their eyes off Jennifer.

‘Is Declan also enchanted by her beauty, not because of her magic?’

When I thought of that, I was nervous for some reason.