Chapter 1

“Your Majesty, there is no war.”

“It’s been only two months since the war was over. Though you want to start a war again.”

“Then, what are you going to do about the people’s resentment?”

“How will you pay for the money we need for the war?”

I stared blankly at those who were eagerly expressing their opinions.

‘Where is this? Who are those people?’

Today was my high school graduation, and I was going on a trip with my parents.

‘Where are Mom and Dad?’

As I looked around to try to find my parents, I saw a man sitting in a golden chair. His sharp eyes, the slender jawline, and his impression made everyone nervous. In addition, the green eyes, which can be seen under the fine silver hair, were indifferent and desolate, so it would be quite difficult to face him.

“Your Majesty.”

A blonde-haired man sitting right under the high ledge quietly called him.

‘Your Majesty?’

Are you saying that the silver-haired man is the emperor? What is he talking about?

At that moment, a scene passed like lightning in my head. A dump truck was interrupted by a sudden lane change, father’s surprised voice, and the screams of mother.

…And the enormous shock and terrible pain that followed.

I closed my eyes tightly at the feeling of suffocation, as though someone was choking me. A family trip to celebrate college enrollment… How did this happen?

That was the last memory of my life that I cried out desperately while looking at the back of my parents that were stained with blood.

“I need money.”

It was the low and cold voice of a man called the emperor who broke my train of thoughts. When I carefully opened my eyes, I saw him twisting the tail of his mouth.

“I conquered the Gemina Kingdom two months ago, so I can use the treasury money for the war. What’s the problem?”

“Don’t you bring the subjugated Gemina Kingdom into ruins? It costs money to rebuild it.”

The blue-haired middle-aged man answered with a stiff face.

“Lord Otien, have you forgotten that Gemina’s treasures came into our hands? That is a large amount of money. So don’t say painful things.”

Despite the emperor’s words and sarcasm, there was no change in the face of the man called Lord Otien.

“If we don’t have money, then we have more reason to go to war. We have land, we have labor, we have money. Why stop the good things?”

As the emperor’s face turned cold, those who had gathered began to glance at each other.

‘What, why is the atmosphere like this? What is that person doing?’ I glanced at the emperor without realizing. The atmosphere he exudes was so bloody that my flesh trembled.

“Don’t the people get killed and injured in war? Can’t you hear them cry?”

Another man appealed as if he was frustrated.

“There was always a burden on the forefront. We always win, and the number of casualties is far less than that of our opponents. What’s more successful than war?”

“Your Majesty’s achievements deserve praise, but don’t you know that no war is better than war?”

“Don’t I know? …Ha.”

The emperor laughed in vain, stunned.

“Count Nolan, are you trying to teach me now?”

His words hardened the bodies of those who had gathered there.

‘Where the hell are we, anyway?’

Moreover, such a choking situation. I couldn’t bear listening to it any longer, so I tried to speak carefully to the emperor.

‘Excuse me? Hello?’

However, he was staring horribly at only those in front of him as though he couldn’t hear me. ‘Excuse me? Can’t you hear me?’

That moment.

Suddenly, he turned his head towards me.

“What do you think? They are very conceited. They dare to teach me.”

‘That scared me. Why are you asking me?’ As soon as he saw me, his expression, which had been hit by the north wind, quickly became warm. Even a friendly voice flowed out of his mouth, which had uttered a drowsy venom.

‘Are, are you crazy?’

While I was flustered, the emperor once again gently asked, reaching for me with his hand.

“What should I do? What would you like to do?”

‘Uh, huh? Why are you approaching me?’ I instinctively leaned back in fear of an unknown reason.

At that moment.

‘What, what’s wrong?’

I thought I was moving backward, but the distance between the emperor was getting closer, rather than widening.

I took a desperate step back.

But still, the body didn’t move, and his hand came closer.

‘What, what is it! I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t even know where this is!’

I couldn’t stand the horror anymore and shouted desperately with my eyes closed.

‘Strange.’

I felt something touching me, but I couldn’t feel anything else over time.

‘What?’

Wanting to know what was going on, I slowly opened my eyes after I gathered my courage.

‘Ugh!’ When I saw the emperor’s face right in front of my nose, I thought I was fainting. He rubbed my head with a lazy look.

‘Wait. You’re touching my head? But why can’t I feel anything?’

Feeling that something is horribly wrong, though I’m not entirely sure. However, the biggest problem right now was that my body wasn’t moving. Not only that, but it was also strange that I couldn’t feel anything.

Anxiety climbed up my spine.

The emperor, who had been fiddling with my hair, suddenly tilted his head and put his mouth in my ear. I was frightened. Still, I couldn’t get away from him.

“Is that so? You have the same idea.”

I didn’t say anything?

The emperor nodded his head as if hearing my answer and backed away. I couldn’t figure out why he was doing it, so I glanced at the people around him, and everyone was shutting their eyes tightly in a sense of tension.

Slowly rising from his seat, the emperor suddenly pulled out the sword he had placed next to his chair.

‘Hey, why pull out the sword?! Please calm down!’

I tried to reach for him, but my body didn’t move.

‘What, what the hell is this? I thought I wasn’t dead? But why is there someone who wants to dance swords in front of me!’ I wanted to run away right away though my body wouldn’t move. It was seriously killing me.

The emperor took his sword and approached the man who last spoke, not me.

I watched his behavior nervously.

The man was embarrassed and eagerly glanced at the man called Lord Otien to save him. Then, when he saw the emperor approaching, he bit his lips tightly. When only the sound of the tip of the sword scratching the marble floor was ringing, a blond man stood up and intercepted the emperor.

“Your Majesty, please show your mercy.”

The emperor paused and stared at the blonde man indifferently.

“Mason, get out of the way. I don’t want to hurt you.”

‘Mason? Is it that Mason?’

My eyes widened at the name.

‘Why does that name come out here?’

Again, I looked closely at the blonde man. Blonde, smart and serious-looking handsome man.

‘Oh my God.’

Recognizing him, I muttered powerlessly.

I know Mason.

Isn’t it the male lead of the romantic fantasy novel ‘Love Blooms in the Ruins’ that I’m a fan of? Only then, I realized who the man called, the emperor was.

Declan, a friend, and tyrant of the male lead.

‘Hah, does this make sense? You’re dead, but your eyes are open in the novel?’

Am I dreaming? If not, am I in a coma and wandering in my unconsciousness? As I thought of all the possibilities, my head was spinning.

Meanwhile, Emperor Declan was aiming his sword at the neck of the last speaker.

“Count Nolan, you, who had never been out to war and held a sword, dare to speak about war? That’s not even funny.”

Count Nolan couldn’t move, worrying one wrong move, and the blade would cut his neck. Yet he was looking straight at him as if he would not lose to Declan.

“If you’re thinking of teaching me war, go out to the battlefield and cut off the enemy’s throat. Then, you can tell me.”

I reflexively closed my eyes with the sword raising, cutting through the air.

I don’t want to see the scene where someone’s neck is flying!

“Or maybe you’ll have to be prepared to give your life.”

When I opened my eyes to see if it was all over, I saw Declan moving his sword.

‘Is he alive?’

At first glance, there was a red strip of blood on the neck of Count Nolan. As Count Nolan stared back at Declan’s body that turned around, his body trembled.

“Have you forgotten what happened a year ago already? How did I get to the Emperor’s position? Don’t test my patience.”

Declan spoke to his ministers.

I struggled to calm down and thought of the contents of the novel. Let’s see… If it had been a year since Declan became emperor, it would be the first half of the novel.

The story begins when he ascends as the emperor.

‘Then, what kind of person did I possess?’

If this wasn’t a dream and I really came into the novel, I would have possessed one of the characters in the novel. Still, was there a person who couldn’t move their body and couldn’t feel touch?

If the tyrant Declan is friendly, it is to only one existence…

‘No, no way. Perhaps?’

“Chloe, let’s go for tea. I prepared you a bunch of cookies you like.”

As I faced him, smiling like an angel, I fell in despair.

Chloe Staufen.

Declan’s one and only younger sister, and the princess of this country. The tyrant, Declan, loves and cares for her.

If I heard it right this far, I possessed a gold spoon… So, that wasn’t the problem.

‘But if Declan has been emperor for a year, then Chloe is already dead!’

Then, who is now called Chloe?

It’s what Declan gave as a gift for Chloe’s seventh birthday.

It was a ball-jointed bisque doll with blonde and purple eyes, made by the best doll company on the continent. Declan named this doll after his sister after Chloe’s death and always carried it with him wherever he went.

‘So, everyone in the novel said that he was crazy when they saw Declan. Because he treated a doll like a living person.’

Well, in the end, he lost his temper and went crazy, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.

But why? Why does it have to be me!

When I came into the novel, at least let me possess living things.

‘What is this, a doll, a doll! How do you do something with inanimate objects that are only fifty centimeters tall!’ Eventually, I couldn’t stand the frustration and cried out.

‘Sigh. What should I do in the future?’

I was depressed because I couldn’t see anything ahead of me.

“Chloe, I prepared tea time in the greenhouse today. Your favorite lilies will be in full bloom, and it would look very pretty.”

As I stared at the expectant Declan’s face in the distance, I opened my eyes wide at a sudden thought.

‘Oh right! He is eventually killed by the male lead!

Chapter 2

Mason, a friend since childhood, remained faithful to Declan even after he became a tyrant. However, Declan tried to endanger the entire continent as well as the Empire and kill Mason’s beloved female protagonist. So, he has no choice but to kill Declan…

‘Then, what happened to the doll?’

As I pondered, I was shocked. ‘After Declan died, it was cursed and burned!’ For others, this doll was like the tyrant’s alter ego. Hence, it was natural that the anger toward the tyrant led to the doll as well.

‘It’s a real twist.’

I couldn’t rub my head, so I only sighed. I can’t stay still like this. ‘I have to find a way to survive somehow.’ One year has passed since Declan became emperor, and in the next five years, he will die.

What if I can’t find a way in the meantime?

The curse will cause my soul to be trapped in fire forever and suffer terrible pain.

Or perish.

Whether I’m a doll or whatever, I have to find a way to survive first.

That way, I will be able to find a way to become a person.

‘What should I do? Is there any way? Why here in the first place! Did I open my eyes here?’

While suffering from my thoughts for a long time, I saw Declan holding me.

‘…Isn’t all I have to do is to make him survive?’

Suddenly, I shouted ‘Eureka’ in my mind. No matter how much of a tyrant he is, as long as he, who has the highest authority, is my protector, there will be no one who would harm this doll.

‘I have to save you first, for now.’ But how do I do that?

I thought about the content of the novel.

‘The fundamental cause of Declan’s death is war, right?’

It was because the war continued to ruin the country and continent.

So, what if we stop the war?

Wouldn’t Mason also remain loyal without defeating him? What’s more, it was a problem when Mason’s beloved female protagonist, Stella, was brought by Declan as a hostage, and he tried to kill her. The appearance of Jennifer, a villain who made Declan go crazy with magic in the future, was also due to war, right?

‘Uh. Anyway, we just have to stop the war.’

As I thought so, the moment I tried to exhale a breath of relief, the most crucial thing came to mind.

‘Oh right. I’m a doll.’

How do you save Declan when you can’t speak or move?

The feeling full of hope quickly fell into hell.

***

Declan arrived at the greenhouse while my mood was moving between hot and cold baths.

“Greetings, His Majesty the Emperor.”

Guards standing in front of the greenhouse entrance greeted Declan, bowing their heads.

“Greetings, Her Grace the Princess.”

Then, they politely greeted me.

‘They looked at the doll and greeted the princess.’ Asking them to do this ridiculous courtesy doesn’t mean that people will relieve their anger at the doll. Unlike me, Declan strode inward, looking satisfactorily at those who bowed their heads toward the doll.

As I went deep into the greenhouse, I saw flower beds of various flowers. In the center, there was a gorgeously decorated white tea table and chairs.

“Chloe. How are you? Isn’t it nice to come to the greenhouse?”

It hurts me to see him, who was so easy-going, burning inside. He carefully placed me on the cushion he had brought and sat on the chair opposite.

On the table were cookies, as well as cakes and sandwiches.

“Chloe, this is your favorite butter cookie. It will be delicious because it was made by a famous patissier.”

Declan put the cookies on the plate in front of me.

‘I’m a doll, how can I eat this?’ Still, I’m depressed because of the dark future, and all I could do was just stare at my favorite desserts.

“It’s really soft. It’s just the taste you’ll like. How’s it?”

Declan, who put a cookie in his mouth, looked exaggeratedly impressed.

‘Why tease me? Ha, I like cookies, too.’

I can’t feel the hunger, but I know what the butter cookie tastes like. Sadly, I couldn’t taste them.

“Now, drink this milk as well. You can’t drink tea because it’s bitter.”

I looked at the mug he had placed in front of me.

‘He treats a doll like a real younger sister.’

When reading the original story, I was sorry for the love he had for his younger sister, but when I saw it, it was rather bizarre and terrifying.

‘Crazy guy. Though his face is fine and handsome.’

By the way, how old is he now?

According to the original, Declan became emperor when he was twenty years old. So, he must be twenty one years old now…

‘What, have you been carrying a doll for seven years?’ Since Chloe’s death, he had been living with the doll, so that must have been that long.

‘It’s worth calling him a madman.’

I sighed with a tired face.

“Chloe, I think I will have to go to the battle again sooner or later. Would you like me to fit you in a suit of armor?”

His tongue struck with a truly sour sound.

“Steel can be heavy, so should I make it with leather? Whenever I put you in the barracks and leave to battle, my mind wasn’t working.”

‘Did you take the doll to the battlefield? This is really something.’

I knew he was a crazy guy, but I think this was just too much. What kind of guy would bring a doll to the battlefield?

“Let’s match a thick coat and a marten coat. Would you like to wear a knightly uniform? Chloe, you said the knights were cool.”

At that moment, his eyes turned sad for a very moment, but he returned to his original state quickly.

Perhaps it was a memory of Chloe in the past.

***

[ “Brother, I want to be a knight. I want to become a knight and protect brother.” ]

The reason the princess, Chloe, tried to become a knight was to protect Declan and herself.

According to the original story, in the Burgundy Empire, both the emperor and the empress had the right to choose who to succeed the throne, and no successor to the throne was determined between the prince and princess.

Eventually, one of the princes wanted to become the crown prince and began to kill all the princes and princesses who were born from the other empresses.

[ “Ke, Keugh. Declan, please be Chloe’s strong brother…” ]

Declan’s mother was killed shortly after Chloe was born.

Also, his father, the emperor, did not bother with his children’s struggles for power.

No, to be precise, it was on purpose.

Because he doesn’t need a weak successor.

All he was interested in, was who was the last survivor.

***

The only family left to Declan was Chloe.

However, she couldn’t achieve her dream and she was killed by the prince. That’s why Declan always wore sad expressions when referring to Chloe.

“This time, let’s wear the same uniform and hold the ceremony. Would you like to stand as a knight? It was your wish.”

He wanted to make her dreams come true even as a doll.

I think I could understand how deep the longing for his younger sister was, so I felt a little bit sorry for him, who just looked like a madman.

“Your Majesty.”

Shortly after, I heard the sound of footsteps coming this way, and Mason appeared.

“Your Majesty.”

When Declan didn’t look back or answer him, Mason eagerly called him again. Only then did Declan turn his head away from me and look at him.

“If you’re here to nag, get out.”

“It was too much to threaten Count Nolan.”

“That again. Do you have to talk about this every time?”

“Even if you don’t want to hear it, you should listen. In other words, do you know how many men have died while you have ruled for only one year?”

As I listened to Mason’s story, a sigh came out.

How to revive such a tyrant who wanted war.

“There are many nobles and men who will fill the vacancy.”

“Isn’t it the position of the emperor you wanted so much? But why do you keep trying to buy the people’s resentment?”

While I was listening to Mason’s constant dissatisfaction, Declan suddenly became serious. Seeing so, Mason just glanced at him with a slightly nervous face. I also held my breath.

“Yeah, it was the place I was hoping for. I have to punish those who killed Chloe.”

The fire in his eyes, which burned quietly as if everything else was meaningless, disappeared as soon as he quietly shut his eyes and opened it again.

Mason, who was watching him with a stubborn expression, looked at him with a sad glance.

“Will Chloe do the same? Chloe was a gentle and kind child.”

“Chloe.”

Declan’s face collapsed for an instant but soon turned stiff.

“She would have told me to do whatever I want. Because she’s a child who thinks everything her brother does is right.”

He stroked my hair and gave me a sorrowful look. As I faced his eyes, my heart shook strangely. Mason gently closed his eyes and glanced up with a serious expression.

“I can’t stand to see your Majesty do this anymore. I want to proudly say if I meet Chloe later, that I’ve protected her brother.”

Declan glanced at him with a complicated look.

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“Please recall your order of war,”

“Did you not say enough at the meeting? War is necessary for our empire to become stronger.”

At Declan’s words, Mason replied with his eyes lit up for a moment.

“…That’s just an excuse, isn’t it?”

Declan glanced at him.

‘Huh? Are there any other reasons for having a war? Wasn’t he just doing it out of resentment?’ I was confused by the atmosphere that seemed to have a deeper meaning.

“The Imperial Palace reminds you of Chloe, so you wanted to go to the battlefield to escape?”

Surprised by Mason’s words, I looked at Declan.

In the original story, Mason was the main character, so the story was narrated around him. For this reason, the real reasons for why Declan was waging war were not given in detail. It was only emphasized that he was a tyrant and was portrayed as an epic villain that Mason had no choice but to kill him.

‘He wasn’t just going crazy.’

When I knew what was going on inside of his mind, I was heartbroken.

“Declan. Stop feeling guilty now. You’ve done enough.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re going to say something useless, get out right now.”

Despite his yelling, Mason didn’t leave.

“Since then, you haven’t been to the hunting grounds. You haven’t been holding a hunting competition even though you were crowned the emperor.”

Declan looked at him with a bitter glance at Mason’s soft words.

‘What is the connection between the hunting ground and Declan’s guilt?’

In the mysterious mind, I thought about the contents of the original work and opened my eyes wide.

Chapter 3

‘Yes, Chloe died during the hunting contest.’

In other words, although Chloe couldn’t fulfill her knight’s dream, she achieved her goal of protecting her brother.

She was killed by arrow shots that aimed at Declan, attempting to save him.

“It’s not your fault. It’s because of Maxion who tried to kill you.”

Maxion was the name of the prince, who was the culprit of all the problems. During the empress’s rise, he tried to become a crown prince, after killing all his half brothers. However, in the end, he couldn’t achieve his goal and became a dead body in Declan’s hand.

“It’s all because of me. If I was with Chloe that day or if I was stronger, I could have prevented her death.”

He muttered powerlessly with a darkly sunken face.

“Declan, you were fourteen at that time. No matter how strong you were, you couldn’t escape the trained archers in ambush.”

“…”

Declan couldn’t hide his sullen expression and sighed heavily. “Stop, Mason. No matter how much you say, I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Although there were so many more things he wanted to say, he just squeezed his mouth shut unwillingly, greeted Declan again, and left. Even after Mason left, Declan didn’t open his eyes for a long time after. It seemed as if he was holding back his tears, which made my heart ache.

‘It’s weird. I couldn’t feel any sensation as a doll, so why is this feeling so vivid?’ When I faced Declan’s guilt in person, I felt desperate at how big and deep it was. Perhaps that was the reason why I couldn’t just blame him for treating dolls like humans or for running around the battlefield like a maniac.

“Chloe, I’m sorry.”

After a while, he opened his eyes, and Declan stroked my head with a dry touch. Glancing at his blurred eyes, it seemed that the tears were going to run down anytime soon.

At the moment, I unknowingly stretched my arms around his eyes, but obviously, I couldn’t do anything with a body that wasn’t moving.

“I’m glad you were there, though. Now, I have you with me, the one thing that Chloe always carries in her arms.”

The small murmurs clearly yearned to the doll Chloe always had with her and his sister separately.

‘Does he have any idea that this is just a doll?’

“The only thing that she always kept and cherished was you, so I can’t let you go.” As if answering my thoughts, he spoke quietly.

“I would have gone crazy without you. Well, of course, I’m still not sane.”

A pale smile was visible on his face, repressing sadness. That self-contained smile appeared awfully painful.

‘If only I could move, I would be able to comfort you a little…’ At the urge that suddenly pushed my gaze, I looked at my small hand.

‘I wish I could move a little, even just a little bit.’

The moment, I wished so earnestly.

“…Chloe?”

With my eyes wide open, Declan muttered blankly as he looked at me.

‘…What? Did I just move?’

Even though it was a slip of moment, my arm definitely moved and touched his face. It wasn’t an illusion. Clearly, if it were an illusion, Declan wouldn’t have made that expression.

‘I can move?’

Once again, I focused my energy on all nerves on my hand, but unlike before, it didn’t even budge. ‘Hold on, is it not possible? Then, how did I move earlier…?’

Declan was still touching his cheek with a puzzled expression. Slowly, he moved my arm and stared at it.

“It seemed to have apparently moved…”

Unable to find anything strange, he narrowed his eyebrows.

“Am I just seeing things now?”

He smiled in vain. Yet, Declan looked at me meaningfully, still touching his cheek with his hand.

***

That night, I was lying on his bed.

As in the original story, he laid the doll on his bedside and covered it with a blanket that specifically made for the doll before falling asleep.

‘Wow. It’s really jingling.’

I was staring at the ceiling distantly for a while, flagging my devotion to the doll.

‘Because I’m a doll, I don’t think I can fall asleep…’ Rather than feeling tired or drowsy, the room was quiet, so my head became clearer. As I kept blinking my eyes, the things I went through today passed like a kaleidoscope.

The death of me and my family. To be left alone in a strange world.

This is my reality now.

The sadness of not being able to meet my parents rose up again.

‘Should I live as a doll like this?’

The emotions I had endured leaked, and a cry broke out. But soon, I realized the fact that my tears did not flood down with regret.

‘Why do I have to live this way?! I hate it. I can’t accept this!’

Eventually, I couldn’t stand the situation and shouted, still the fact that even this was inaudible to no one, I fell into deeper despair. Moments later, I was only able to calm down after screaming until I ran out of energy.

Nonetheless, since I was able to scream to my heart’s content, my heart felt a little lighter. ‘I won’t cry now, not until my problem is solved.’

After making up my mind, I squeezed my heart tightly. It was enough to be sad and tormented once. Since it didn’t seem that this situation would change, it would be wise to somehow find a way to survive now.

‘I’m not going to sit here and be sad like this, wasting years and years away.’

The only way I could live is to save Declan.

“Ughh.”

Suddenly he tossed and groaned whilst I was lost in my thoughts.

Though I wanted to see him because I was curious and wondering what was going on, I couldn’t exactly find him because he was lying down.

“…Chloe, Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”

Amidst sleeping, he agonized and called out Chloe’s name.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you.” His voice was repeatedly shouting sorry.

‘Is he crying?’

The sadness and longing Declan desperately endured and held in, in order to not express his feelings in front of others seemed to be pouring out only after he fell asleep.

It was purely me who can try to change his fate from the original story. However, now, I sincerely desired for him to be free from all the guilt he was facing because I understand the sadness of losing a family.

‘If only I’m not a doll, then maybe I can help you…’

The moment I thought so, suddenly, my head was throbbing. Although it was strange, I couldn’t feel pain, but it felt as though my head was being poked, similarly to when I had a migraine.

‘What is this? What’s wrong with me?’

I couldn’t exactly figure out what was going on because I didn’t understand how I possessed this doll in the first place. Since I couldn’t even ask anyone for help or medicine, so I just had to endure the pain.

The moment I longed for this pain to end,

[ “Cooommmeeee…Hereeeeeee…” ]

Someone’s voice was heard in my head as if the radio was crackling.

Even though I tried my best to understand what it was saying because of the severe headache, I couldn’t catch the words properly. As the pain continued, I shut my eyes closed tightly, and the voice stopped. Eventually, the headache gradually disappeared.

‘What?’

Fortunately, the pain had gone away, but the anxiety rose up instead because I couldn’t figure out why it happened. Besides, there was no law mentioned that this should not have happened.

Even if I tried my best to recall what the voice was saying, I had no recollection in the slightest.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

I had the illusion that my heart was pounding, not in my anxious mind. ‘Is this doll really cursed? If not that, then there was no other explanation as to why I heard that strange voice.’ While I was wondering if there was something paranormal going on, I eagerly rolled my eyes around, but even then, I couldn’t find anything suspicious.

‘Hah. I really can’t live at this rate…’

I sighed deeply, feeling exhausted.

‘All right. Let’s just put that issue aside right now. First, I need to start thinking about how to protect Declan.’

Hm, what happened after he was crowned emperor? Even if there was nothing that could be done right now, it was still necessary to think about the original content in the novel as thoroughly as possible and organize the situation.

‘After Declan had been on the throne for about a year, he would go out for a second war. What country was it again…?’

As I remembered which kingdom he was against, I trembled with surprise. It was the Kingdom of Elo, the kingdom of female lead!

‘If I can’t stop this war, it’s likely that neither Declan nor I would be alive.’

Oh god, realizing so, I wanted to cry. It was a moment when my determination to not cry again was about to collapse in front of the tragic reality. Even the dreaming of becoming a human being and finding a way to communicate with him seemed to be hopeless.

What’s more, he already declared war!

‘I have to find a way, but how…’ As I squeezed my head and rattled my brain, worrying, the morning sun rose quickly.

“Chloe, have you slept well? Let’s wash up and have breakfast.”

He rubbed my cheek gently, jumped up from the bed, and pulled the fluttering line. Then, the chief staff entered the room.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Are you tired of asking the same question every morning, Noah?”

“It gets boring sometimes, but Your Majesty’s good night sleep is very important to me. And I am the only one to greet you in the morning, right?”

Even at Declan’s scolding, Noah smiled and continued.

“Who dares to talk back to Your Majesty? They’re scared and couldn’t even make eye contact.”

‘You…you’re going to die.’ I watched his eyes staring straight at Noah’s courage. However, Declan only frowned for a moment as if he was familiar with Noah’s demeanor.

“Tsk, you’re trembling again.”

“Of course, I’m trembling. How dare I go against Your Majesty. My life is precious.”

However, his face, trembling with fear, had a playful smile painted on rather than fear.

‘Even though it was written in the novel that Noah treated him comfortably, I didn’t expect it to be this much.’

He met Declan on the battlefield. As the empress and Maxion sent Declan to the battlefield, it was mandatory for each family to participate in the war. Although the families that actually participated were mainly powerless families.

Noah also joined the war as one of them, though he always faced a life and death situation since he couldn’t handle his sword very well. Every time, thanks to Declan, he was saved. So, Noah pledged allegiance to him and remained by his side to this day.

“Stop saying useless things and just do your job.”

“Yes.”

Noah smiled and prepared his washing water. When Declan was done, he was staying next to him and handed over a towel.

“I will prepare breakfast.”

Before long, attendants came in one after another and set food on the table. All the steamy foods looked delicious, but I couldn’t smell any scents in my nose.

‘I can’t feel my sense of smell either.’

Although it seemed to smell savory, I couldn’t sense anything, so it felt as if I was just watching a food video.

Declan placed me on the cushion specially made for the doll on the opposite chair.

“Now, Chloe loves omelets, so brother will cut it for you.”

He took a plate of omelets, cut them to bite-size, and placed them in front of me.

‘I’m glad I don’t have appetite or hunger.’

I muttered as I stared at the food blankly.