The Tyrant's Last Doll

Is this what Ridrian looked like as a child?

The face underneath the hood seemed a little unfamiliar, but it was definitely his. His face was younger and sharper, his frame smaller and thinner, and for a moment I couldn’t help thinking he looked like a girl.

His childhood! Even in the original, this had been shown only as a flashback. I could feel myself getting excited.

“Did I hear it wrong?”

The boy frowned and looked away again. He looked mature for his age, likely due to the depression in his eyes.

“Who would come to the burning temporary palace? All the servants probably ran away.”

Suddenly, it dawned on me where I was. No, not where. When. I could feel myself coming down.

Is this when Yuria took her own life and the crown prince set the temporary palace?

The memory of one of the most tragic scenes in the original flashed through my mind, and I pressed down on the hem of my dress. It fit his age as well. When he was in his mid-teens, Lilianna went missing, and Ridrian and his mother had been blamed. He’d locked himself up in the temporary palace, still in shock after having lost his mother, and one day there had been a fire no one could explain.

But…why didn’t he leave? Why did he come down to the basement? Even if you’re little and don’t know much, you should head out if there’s a fire!

I tried to shout at him, but I had no voice. This was only a dream. One that felt impossibly real. I could feel my frustration growing, remembering the crown prince’s personality.

Right. Knowing him, he probably hid soldiers or assassins outside of the palace and waited until Ridrian came out.

I bit my lip. Although I knew it was a dream, the sight of the smoke coming in filled me with anxiety. The basement was wide, but it was only a matter of time before he suffocated.

“Ah!”

I spun at the sound. Ridrian was clutching his arm, his features twisted in a grimace.

Had he gotten hurt running away? His pale hand was splattered with blood. I could feel myself growing flustered. I’d never seen Ridrian hurt before. Instinctively, I reached for him, trying to help him, but my hand went right through him.

I…I’m in a dream.

This was the past. Of course I couldn’t touch him. This was nothing but a lucid dream.

The sound of coughing reached my ears. The smoke had gotten worse. Ridrian rose to his feet, his face pale from the bleeding, his dark hair slick with sweat.

“At this rate…”

His eyes scanned the basement. Now and then, he stumbled, and I felt my heart thump in my chest, but he continued searching the place. I could feel my impatience rising with the smoke levels.

“This is…”

He sank to his knees, like I realized he’d found something. It was a small stick, so small he wouldn’t have seen it if he hadn’t been looking so thoroughly. The stick was rooted to the ground, unmoving.

Is that a handle?

What was the point of a handle in the floor?

“It’d be nice if it led to a basement channel,” he said, “but—”

He broke off, coughing, and looked around cautiously, frowning as though wondering whether to proceed. The slightest mistake could lead to his death in this situation. But as the smoke got thicker and he continued coughing, he seemed to realize he didn’t have much of a choice. There weren’t many options for a boy who was yet to have his power.

“No choice.”

He pulled the handle. The door was made of stone, so he faced some difficulty at first. Then, slowly, he managed to open it. He looked around the basement one last time, then ducked into the opening and closed the door behind him.

Ah. I should go in as well!

I’d moved through a person, but wasn’t sure if I could phase through objects either, so for a moment I stood anxiously before the door.

Well, here goes. I closed my eyes and jumped. If I went through, I’d go down. If not, I’d be standing on the door.

Feeling nothing, I pried one eye open.

Did I go through?

I opened both eyes slowly, and my gaze landed on another dark door. My attempt must have worked. Clearly, my body could move through objects as well as people.

Since there were nocturnes here and there, this place seemed brighter than the basement. But this was a much smaller room. It even seemed old.

It feels bad.

A shiver went up my spine.

“It’s over.”

A sigh escaped him in that moment. He groped the wall, despair and fatigue in his tone, and my heart sank. There was no emergency exit underneath the basement. All I could see was a closed-in room.

The young Ridrian tousled his hair. It was something he did when things weren’t going right. It meant he was really concerned.

But unlike him, I wasn’t about to let go of hope. To be fair, I’d met him in the future. He couldn’t have died here. And this is just a dream. Whatever happened here would lead straight to the future.

Then something must have happened here, I thought. Or he would’ve died of suffocation.

Smoke began billowing in through the door, and I realized the basement was full of smoke. Whatever fire must be burning had to be massive. It must be hell on the surface.

Looking disappointed, he leaned against the wall and sat on the floor.

Rian.

I hugged my knees and sat next to him.

“Haha.”

He looked even worse. The wound on his arm must be bigger than I’d figured. Blood trickled from his arm to the floor. He pressed a hand against the wound, but that didn’t seem to stop the bleeding. His lips were turning blue already.

If something’s going to happen, let it hurry up!

At this rate, it was starting to seem like things will even be worse.

“Mother,” Ridrian groaned. “Lily…”

In such a short period of time, he lost two people who meant the world to him. And in the worst possible way.