Chapter 4
I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids along with a pounding headache, as if my skull might split open.
“Where… am I?”
I rubbed my eyes, my vision still blurry. What I felt in my hands wasn’t rough doll fabric anymore, but the warmth of human skin.
So I’m still human.
A complicated feeling settled in my chest.
What on earth is going on?
The first thing that came into focus was a chandelier embedded with mana stones so expensive-looking that even nobles supposedly couldn’t afford to use them freely. I had heard mana stones of that quality were too valuable for excessive use.
“…This feels bad.”
A household wealthy enough to use such expensive mana stones even in a guest room without hesitation.
In the original novel where my favorite character, Calion Nacht, appeared… if there was a family this wealthy, only one name came to mind.
A chill ran down my spine.
But I couldn’t accept it immediately, so I carefully lifted my head a little more to confirm my surroundings.
And then—
“Ah—!”
Pain shot through my arms and legs.
It was severe enough to make me grimace.
That reminded me of the night I first met Calion. The rain that had felt unbearably painful right before I lost consciousness.
“Why did it hurt so much…?”
I slowly lowered my gaze and examined my limbs.
It hadn’t felt like rain at all. It had felt like dozens of needles were falling and piercing every inch of my body. It definitely hadn’t hurt that much at first.
When I was a doll, I didn’t feel any pain at all. It only started after I became human…
As I recalled it, the pain returned faintly, making me shudder.
I pushed those thoughts aside and carefully looked around the room first, checking if anyone was present. It had become a habit after possessing a doll’s body—moving around in secret.
Right, I’m human now.
I stared at my hand again. It was no longer a doll’s hand. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I scratched my head.
Then I stretched my human body for the first time in a long while—and froze when I sensed a presence in front of me.
“W-who’s there?”
Across from me stood a cute young girl.
I instinctively covered my mouth in shock.
But the girl did the same.
For a moment, I found it strange, but soon I grew irritated by how she mirrored my every movement.
Why is she copying me…?
And then, not long after—
I realized.
That girl… was me.
There was a full-length mirror on the opposite wall of the bed. That “girl” was my reflection.
“…That’s me?”
I pinched my cheek hard.
“Ow!”
It hurt. Really hurt. Tears almost came out.
After a moment of dazed silence, I crawled toward the mirror and sat at the edge of the bed. I touched my face repeatedly with my small hands.
Why am I so cute?
My doll body had been so ugly it couldn’t even be sold.
Golden hair that curled slightly, probably because it had been braided and undone. Slightly upturned eyes, ruby-like irises as if meticulously crafted, a small nose and delicate lips.
This is the human version of that ugly doll?
I had vaguely assumed I would look the same as the doll, but that wasn’t the case.
My peach-colored cheeks were faintly flushed, and the dimples that appeared when I smiled made my face even cuter.
On top of that—golden hair and red eyes.
It’s similar to the royal traits I heard about from the wooden grandfather doll.
The grandfather’s words came back to me:
“Not only royals have those hair and eye colors… but whoever made you must have been very interested in the royal family.”
Still dazed, I kept turning my face left and right, admiring it—until I suddenly snapped back to reality.
“Ah, this isn’t the time for this.”
I need to confirm whether my suspicion is correct.
I got off the bed to test the unsettling feeling I had felt since waking up. I tried speaking to objects, recalling the things I used to communicate with as a doll.
Objects know more than anything else when it comes to information.
I knocked on the bed, pillow, and nearby furniture, but got no response.
Knock knock.
“Hey? Can you hear me?”
The table, lamp, bed, and pillow—none of them answered.
I checked every object in the room, but nothing responded.
Eventually, I concluded I wouldn’t get any information here and carefully got off the bed.
The carpet beneath my feet felt incredibly soft. Even though slippers were provided, it was soft enough that I didn’t need them.
Even I could tell.
This carpet is extremely expensive.
From the chandelier to the furnishings, everything looked like a guest room—or even a room rarely used—yet it was all so luxurious.
I absentmindedly rubbed my feet against the carpet.
Then I realized I was acting like a child.
My body is a child, but my mind is an adult… seriously.
I touched my burning cheeks, kneading them lightly—then noticed the window.
Outside, a garden filled with lush red roses stretched out.
Yeah… I think my guess is becoming more certain.
A place with a garden full of blood-red roses, a household wealthy enough to waste mana stones…
That would be—
Knock knock.
“Eek—!”
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
My scream almost escaped out of habit, but I quickly covered my mouth with both hands.
If I stay quiet, they’ll leave, right?
But I had overlooked one thing.
This was clearly not a place where I was treated as an important guest. That meant I wasn’t someone they needed to be polite to.
As soon as I realized that—
Creeeeak.
The door opened.
I panicked, unsure of what to say, when someone familiar appeared.
“Are you awake?”
…I hadn’t expected my guess to be confirmed this quickly.
Yes.
This was the Button Duke House.
And that man was—
“It’s fortunate you woke up again. You should eat first.”
The knight I had seen that night.
He entered carrying a tray of food and placed it on the small table beside the bed.
It was an extravagant breakfast—far too much for one meal.
Steaming cream soup, eggplant dish, two boiled eggs, toasted bread with apple and blueberry jam, and cured ham.
But even in front of such food, my mind was uneasy.
I walked straight into a tiger’s den…
I clearly remembered the early part of the original story—how Henry, the future duke of this house, destroyed dolls and toys without hesitation.
I had once seriously worried about his personality.
And now I’ve ended up here?
At a time when I wasn’t sure if I was fully human or might suddenly turn back into a doll, I had entered the ducal household.
A dry laugh escaped me.
If I turn back into a doll again…
I die.
That simple conclusion sent chills through my body.
The knight handed me a child-sized spoon.
“This is what Sir Calion asked for. He said to bring food in case you woke up late. I’ve been coming since yesterday.”
“….”
“Fortunately, you’re awake today.”
I took the spoon, but I couldn’t focus on his words.
My eyes were drawn instead to the knight’s sword.
And more precisely—the ornament attached to it.
A key-shaped charm with a blue gemstone embedded in it, glowing faintly even without light.
I knew exactly what that was.
The item that reveals Calion Nacht is the grandson of the Grand Duke.
That shouldn’t be here.
It was called “Tear of the Goddess.”
A water mage who had once been a candidate for the next Tower Master had left it in Calion’s swaddling clothes when she abandoned him as a newborn. That truth was revealed later in the original story.
As I kept staring at the sword while holding the spoon in my mouth, the knight noticed my gaze and looked down.
Then he chuckled softly.
“You have a good eye for jewels, even though you’re young.”
“….”
“This was given to me by Sir Calion, asking me to help you.”
I understood immediately.
Calion couldn’t openly bring someone into the duke’s household, so he must have secretly brought me in and entrusted his men to take care of me.
“Uncle!”
“Y-yes?”
“Sir Calion is my benefactor, but so are you! So I’d like to know your name—”
I was laying the groundwork in case I needed to retrieve that ornament someday.
“How admirable.”
The knight looked briefly moved before composing himself.
“My name is Rian.”
…I see.
I know exactly who this man is.
