The Tyrant’s Last Doll

***

Sigh.

The refreshing feeling didn’t last long, however.
The feeling of exhaustion quickly caught up to me as I ceased to a halt, panting and out of breath.
Staying inside the room not doing anything but eating and playing around had me easily worn out, and I didn’t even run that long.

The Emperor waited patiently beside me while I steadied my breathing.
I guess I have to exercise occasionally from now on, but I know it was a promise I wouldn’t be able to uphold since I could barely catch my breath as I heaved.
Few minutes passed in silence, the Emperor reached his hand out to me when he sensed that I finally regained my bearings, and flashed me a soft smile.
“We’re almost there, Lily.”

I took his hand and we slowly wound through the dense bushes.
He swept the bushes that were out of our way, the grass crunching beneath our feet and as we reached what seemed to be a dead end, we saw a huge shrub and we walked our way around it.

My breath hitched quietly at the unexpected view.

Foliage in all shades of green was generously filled with varying kinds of flowers, the colors all bright and elegant throughout the garden’s expanse.
It was a spectacular sight, made even more enchanting by the presence of a white, puffy cloud stretching across the clear blue skies, accompanied by the distinct sounds of birds chirping in their nests.

The tall shrubs encircled the garden, making it unseen from wandering eyes like it was a hidden paradise of little fairies.

“What do you think, Lily? It’s beautiful, right?”

The emperor grinned slightly, sporting the same expression I had imagined in the original novel.

For the assurance of my survival, every day I pay close attention to his moods and I could say that he had improved quite a lot the past few days.
Judging by the way he was behaving and the way he spoke in a gentle voice, sometimes meant that he wanted me, a doll, to respond to the conversation.

I immediately nodded in response.
He reached out for my hand, a wordless permission to escort me through the gardens.
“Would you like to walk with me?”

I placed my hand on his without a second thought.
It was what Liliana would have done.
He then flashed me a smile and held my hand warmly.

Not having the bonnet covering my face made me anxious, but I let myself relax since the emperor himself was right beside me.
I knew he would handle anything that might happen.

We began to slowly trudge the open space in the garden.
The lawn was well kept and it was clearly being tended to meticulously.
Wearing a long dress didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would have, the fabric softly brushing against the weeds under my feet.
Summer wind caressed my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but feel sleepy in the serene atmosphere.