The Tyrant’s Last Doll

ite often back in my previous life.
I forgot what it’s called, but it was a song I find myself singing whenever things get a little bit rough.

I turned my gaze and saw the emperor with his eyes closed, as if he was completely lost and entranced with my singing, a soft smile pulling his lips.

At the same time, a strange object caught my attention.

Huh? What’s this?

I thought it was a dandelion seed at first.
But upon closer inspection, I saw it was actually a small, fluttering particle of light.
I gently brushed it with my finger and it stuck to my skin before gradually disappearing.
It didn’t feel like anything, but it was still a nice sensation, like touching the rays of the sun itself.

Is it like a firefly?

Then as if to answer my question, the pavilion was instantly surrounded by the said particles of light, numerous in numbers like floating dandelion seeds breezing in the wind.
It was like a foam-like cloud of light slowly ascending up in the air, my mouth parting at the breathtaking sight.
I found myself asking if what I’m seeing is actually real, and not just a figment of my imagination.

It’s beautiful… Was the emperor behind this?

I turned to look at him and I noticed right away that he was flustered.
Mimicking my action, he also carefully stretched his hand out and touched one of the particles as it absorbed through his skin.
He took a closer look at his finger where the particles had disappeared.

“….
I hope to be by your side.” The song I’ve been humming drifted to an end.
By now the pavilion was surrounded by the particles of light floating atop the surface of the lake.
I was about to ask the emperor if he did this when I noticed the rigidness of his expression, making me shut my mouth.
Was he not behind this?

“Iona?”

“Yes, my Lord?”

“Are you hurt?”

I looked at him in surprise, “….No?”

“Okay, then everything’s fine.” I tilted my head to the side, confused at his unexpected question.
Was he trying to criticize my voice in a subtle way?

But judging from his still rigid expression, it didn’t seem to be the case and it appeared like something else was bothering him entirely.
His fists opened and closed at his sides as he stared at a far off distance.
Few seconds, minutes passed, and the particles of light eventually disappeared without a trace.

What’s going on?

The emperor kept his lips firmly shut, unwilling to share what’s on his mind.
The air between us now took an awkward turn, but the hardness in his features eased after a while as he poured me another cup of warm tea.

“Try this cake, too.” The cake he handed over seemed to contain seasonal fruits.
While it had a sweet taste, it wasn’t too sweet that it’s off-putting, synonymous to the time I was currently sharing with the emperor, I thought to myself as I chewed.

It… actually tastes good.

He kept his eyes on me the whole time I was eating the cake.
While being the subject of his rapt attention was quite uncomfortable, the majestic pavilion with the warm rays of afternoon sun made me breathless, and I shifted my attention to that instead.