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Chapter 16
[Core?]
What on earth were they talking about?
[Pfft. Don’t tell me—you don’t even know what you are?]
The rabbit doll spoke with an unbelievably vile tone on a face as innocent as a fairytale character.
‘Wow, how annoying?!’
Just as Piani gritted her teeth, the cat doll spoke.
[Meow-meow.]
Piani frowned.
[What’s that supposed to mean.]
Ahem.] The bear doll cleared his throat and defended the cat doll. [That’s the only sound he can make.]
[Anyway, I was captured by the North Goblins for 300 years. His Grace buried my mummified body and placed my core into this doll!]
When the rabbit doll said that, the bear doll added:
[If I’d been turned into a magic tool, my power would’ve been forcibly drained until I disappeared… I really can’t help but be grateful to His Grace.]
Then the rabbit doll snapped:
[Hey. Only you get to use a term like “personality,” wizard.]
[Ah, sorry. Fairy.]
A memory turned into a core? A wizard? A fairy?
Piani didn’t understand a single part of this conversation, but she decided to ask the most pressing question.
[What is a core, anyway?]
The rabbit doll burst into mocking laughter.
[You don’t know that? Wow, she’s really stupid. Where did His Grace even find such an idiot?]
[What! It’s possible not to know!]
As Piani shouted, the rabbit laughed even harder.
[Kya-ha-ha! A pure core needs at least a hundred years to form a consciousness like ours. If after a hundred years you still don’t know what you are, you’re definitely an idiot!]
Led by the rabbit, the bear and cat dolls began teasing Piani relentlessly.
[Heehee! Even an idiot gets smart after a hundred years! It’s an honor to meet the biggest idiot in the history of the Roroa Empire!]
[Idiot, idiot~]
[Meow~ meow~]
Piani, who had always been praised as cute and clever all her life, felt her pride take a heavy blow.
[I am NOT an idiot!]
[I yam not un id-yut~]
The rabbit mimicked her voice in an infuriatingly mocking tone.
Piani clenched her fist. The moment when new targets were added to her revenge list—previously containing only Delis and Lea.
‘I swear I will beat all three of these brats to a pulp.’
With a haughty look, Piani vowed bloody vengeance.
‘But for now… maybe I should keep talking.’
She didn’t want to talk to these dolls, but they were in a similar situation; maybe they could answer her questions.
‘Swallow your pride for now. I need information.’
It wasn’t easy. Piani was proud—and seriously, what had she even done wrong to be called an idiot out of nowhere?
‘But I can do this. No matter what they say, I’m still smart!’
After calming herself, Piani said:
[Listen. I think you’re misunderstanding something—I’m human.]
[What?]
The bear doll asked in a grave tone. That reaction gave Piani hope that they might actually listen to her.
[Not long ago, I was attacked by some stranger and suddenly turned into a doll! Before that, I was just a beloved, adorable young lady living happily with my parents!]
The moment her words ended, an uncomfortable silence fell.
‘What’s with this atmosphere?’
It was the rabbit who broke the endless silence.
[Pfft… Puhahahaha!]
Piani trembled with fury at the rabbit’s laughter.
[Why are you laughing?! You don’t believe I was adorable? Fine, go check! Ask the Count’s family of East Rive—]
The rabbit cut her off without even pretending to listen.
[You? Human? Say something that makes sense!]
[Seriously. This is the funniest story I’ve heard in my whole life—or doll life.]
[Meowww. Meeoowww.]
Their laughter grew even harsher.
Already furious, Piani gritted her teeth.
[I mean it! I lived as a normal human for eighteen years!]
[H-Huh?]
[Didn’t you understand? Not seventeen! Not nineteen! EXACTLY eighteen years! Eigh! Teen!]
When she emphasized each syllable, the rabbit said:
[Uhh, don’t most people say “I’m eighteen years old,” not “I lived eighteen years”?]
[I ALWAYS said it like this! I lived! eigh! teen! years!]
She even emphasized “years” this time.
The dolls flinched at her intensity, but quickly tried to play it off.
Ahem.] the bear said. [Anyway, we’re not talking with someone too stupid to even understand what she is.]
[Yeah. You should go play by yourself.]
[Meow-meow!]
At the sudden declaration of exclusion, Piani scrunched up her cute little face. Honestly, she didn’t want to play with them either. Especially since they were clearly clueless.
But then…
[His Grace is truly amazing. A man blessed by the gods indeed.]
[He must have endured all those years just to meet His Grace. I wish I could be useful to him someday, but that’s probably impossible…]
Listening to them giggling with each other was unbearable.
[Hey! Stop talking among yourselves and explain it to me! It’s not like talking will hurt your throats!]
The rabbit snorted.
[Hmph! We said we don’t talk to idiots~]
[You little—!]
Just as Piani’s anger shot to the heavens, Chris returned—completely clean and dry, though he had only been gone for a short time.
“Baby, were you having fun?”
To Chris, the room seemed utterly peaceful. But in the dolls’ world, Piani’s enraged voice was echoing everywhere.
[Oh good, Your Grace! Put me next to those brats! I swear I’ll beat them up!]
The rabbit doll yelped in fear at Piani’s furious roar.
[H-Hmph! Even if His Grace puts you beside us, you can’t move a finger anyway!]
[I’ll find a way! Somehow I’ll beat you!]
Of course, Chris couldn’t hear any of this. Instead, he hugged Piani and lay down on the bed.
[Let go! I am NOT in the mood! I won’t calm down until I rip their stuffing out!]
Chris gazed lovingly at her face and smiled. Such a trivial little face. No craftsman in the world could replicate this trivial adorableness.
“You’re too cute.”
[Stop stating the obvious!]
“How can anyone be this sweet and lovable?”
The dolls screamed:
[Your Grace! Don’t be fooled! She’s not sweet!]
[She’s an idiot!]
[Meow-meow!]
Piani yelled back at them:
[I WILL KILL YOU ALL!]
The dolls flinched—her cry was that ferocious—but of course Chris didn’t hear it.
“If everyone in the world were like you, how wonderful it would be.”
He gently stroked her face and murmured softly:
“All the useless scum should just die.”
Piani instantly became polite.
[Uh?]
She asked in a small, innocent voice, but Chris didn’t answer. He simply hugged her tighter.
Her face was pressed into the opening of his robe, against his firm chest.
[Ugh!]
With her face squished, Piani thought:
‘Wait… he’s NOT a good person?!’
So the rumors she’d heard—were they all true?!
“Lord Chris?”
Johannes reentered Chris’s office, fully prepared to risk his life—but found the room completely empty.
“What? Where did he go now?”
Chris was a man obsessed with work, second only to his obsession with finding the doll. He often spent several nights here finishing documents.
‘Maybe he’s at the training grounds?’
Training was his second obsession. Although gifted with divine strength, his impressive muscles and beautiful physique came from relentless self-discipline.
Johannes strained his ears toward the training grounds. Whenever Chris went there, there were always strange noises—breaking things, screams, or some unidentifiable masculine shouting.
‘But I don’t hear anything today?’
Puzzled, Johannes reconsidered.
‘Did he go out again?’
No… unlikely. Chris rarely left the estate. Today had been an exception—a desperate outing to search for “the doll.” Now that he finally had the doll in his arms, why would he go out again?
‘So where is he…?’
He was getting annoyed. He had papers that needed approval!
Johannes frowned as he turned to leave.
