BVGW 28

chapter 28

Bang!

The moment he came to his senses, he had slammed the door shut without even realizing it.

His mind was in turmoil because of the blonde-haired doll quietly placed in front of his door and the letter it carried.

[Do you want to be friends?]

For the first time in his life, a hand of goodwill had been extended to him.

His heart pounded wildly.

‘…A friend?’

His mind went blank. He clenched both fists tightly.

Illay had been born a legitimate prince, blessed with immense divine power, and yet ultimately abandoned by his parents.

In such a life, there was no such thing as a “friend.”

‘Something so weak, childish, and useless—I don’t need that.’

He was alone.
And he would have to survive alone.

At that thought, something surged up from deep inside his chest. Illay forced it back down.

If he expected anything, he’d just be abandoned like he was by his parents.
If he expected anything, the moment people realized he was useless, they’d turn their backs on him instantly, just like the people of the temple did.
If he expected anything, no one would ever truly help him.

So he must not expect anything.

That was the wisdom a nine-year-old boy had learned in his short life.

[Did you not get my letter?]

“What the….”

But the other side was relentless.

Because he had told the duke and duchess that he wanted to eat alone, meals were delivered and set outside his door at the appointed times.

Of course, this was only after he had firmly refused the old butler’s offer to attend him.

He wasn’t part of this household. It would be an imposition to act otherwise. He had to behave appropriately and not overstep.

In fact, the room he had been given was far too good, which made him even more cautious. It was obviously for show, and if he acted without sense, they would surely dislike him.

So these solitary meals were something he had won for himself.

“……”

When he opened the door, there it was—the same blonde-haired doll, now neatly placed on the tray, carrying a little pouch stuffed full of plump bear-shaped gummies.

Illay bit his lip hard as he looked at the letter in the doll’s hand.

‘Why is she doing this?’

She must have known that he had already rudely refused. He couldn’t make sense of her intentions.

In the end, he gave up on eating and went back into his room.

Curling himself into a corner to keep the room from getting messy, he thought:

‘She’ll give up now.’

He had already rejected her twice. A proud young lady of a duke’s house—he assumed it must be a girl from the name and the doll—would surely get offended and quit by now.

He was wrong.

The next day.

[Hello! I’m Lilian Ersioni!]

The day after.

[What’s your name?]

The day after that.

[The gardener says he’s planting new flowers. He said they’ll be really pretty! Want to come see them together?]

And the day after that:

[Be my friend!]

Every single day, the doll came carrying a letter.

Illay blinked in disbelief at the doll sitting primly by the window with a letter, and beside it, a plump egg tart.

At some point, snacks always started accompanying the letters.

Bear gummies, macarons, chocolate chip cookies, egg tarts….

It was practically a bribe. As if to say: “Eat this and come play with me.”

“Why is she doing this….”

He muttered quietly.

Illay was going crazy.

He needed to live quietly, unnoticed by the duke’s household. But that doll felt like it was drawing everyone’s attention.

Maybe she just wanted to toy with him. Like playing with a doll.

‘Maybe if I let her play with me once, she’ll get bored and leave me alone.’

He sighed. That’s exactly what his mother had done to him.

The empress had paraded him around everywhere like he was her most prized trophy—
To tea parties, to balls, to salons.

Whether the little boy was exhausted or not, it didn’t matter.

His rare silver hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and doll-like prettiness made him something to show off. And once that value faded, she abandoned him.

Just as his father was an emperor before he was a father, his mother had been an empress before she was a mother.

A firstborn heir mattered more than a pretty, useless second son.

“…I hate it.”

He startled at the words that slipped out of his own mouth.

At the imperial palace, in the temple, he had always been used. No one treated him as a person.

So being made into the duke’s precious daughter’s doll wouldn’t have been anything new.

And yet… those words had come out.

Flustered, Illay ran and hid in a corner. That was all he could do now.

‘She’ll get tired and give up soon.’

That’s what he told himself, even as his eyes kept glancing toward where the doll sat—
As though checking to make sure it was still there.

“Illay, are you sleeping well?”

It was time for the regular interviews.

Illay knew perfectly well that these sessions only existed because his placement with the duke’s household was public.

At the duchess’s concerned question, he answered dutifully, like a stage prop in a play.

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem to eat much. Is it that you don’t like the food?”

Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but to him it sounded that way.

He stiffened nervously, flustered, his lips trembling.

“N-no, ma’am. Should… should I eat more?”

No adult liked a troublesome child.

So he had done his best not to make a mess of his room, and he ate as little as possible.

It was all for survival.

‘This place is much better than the temple. At least the bread isn’t moldy. The water is clean. I want to stay here as long as I can before going back.’

He had been half-starved for so long that hunger didn’t bother him.

The empress had hated when he ate too much, saying it was vulgar. The temple gave such meager rations that going hungry was normal.

So here too, he thought it was best to eat little.

‘That was a mistake. They only took me in for appearances. They need to show everyone that the Fifth Prince is doing well. If I eat too little, it won’t look good.’

‘I need to apologize. If I do, they won’t cast me out.’

He decided quickly and said:

“I’m sorry. I’ll eat more from now on. I won’t cause any trouble. Just… please don’t throw me out.”

The duchess’s expression hardened.

Of course—I acted foolishly, he thought, and lowered his head.

Would they lock him in solitary confinement?

He braced himself.

Still, the duke’s family was better. They didn’t hit him or lay hands on him.

If they had, the “foolish child” inside him would have burst out, screaming and fighting back. That would’ve been beyond his control. And he’d rather not go through that.

“Illay.”

“I’m sor—”

“You can eat as much as you want.”

He blurted without thinking, “…What?”

He shouldn’t have asked again. Adults hated that.

“If you want to eat little, eat little. If you want to eat a lot, eat a lot.”

“……”

“But promise me just one thing. Don’t ever starve yourself. And once a day, at least for ten minutes, go for a walk in the garden. Of course, it doesn’t have to be the garden. You can go anywhere you like. You’re allowed to go wherever you want.”

“I…”

Illay’s head spun.

In all his hard-won wisdom, he had no idea how to respond to words like these.

“I thought maybe you weren’t leaving your room because this place was unfamiliar to you. But perhaps I’ve been too neglectful. I’m sorry.”

It felt like his head would explode.

An adult… apologizing to him?

He had never once seen an adult apologize to him.

It was always his fault. Always because he was useless, unworthy.

He had believed it too.

‘If only I had been a more capable prince. If only I could have used my divine power….’

Would they have loved him then?

Illay pressed his lips shut.

Not because he didn’t want to answer—but because he had no idea what to say.

As he just sat there blinking in bewilderment, the duchess spoke again, her voice gentle.

“Will you promise me?”

“…Yes.”

In the end, that was the only answer he could give.