Chapter 9
5. Men Who Are Serious About Dolls
Holding the Crown Prince in my arms, I froze. What if he deemed me disrespectful and ordered my head to be chopped off? My body, lacking a vibration function, didn’t even tremble.
“Estella, what are you doing? You said you’d take me. Was that a lie?”
His gentle voice prompted me to move my legs with a creak.
“I, I, I’ll escort you…”
The Crown Prince even rested his head on my shoulder. He was so tall that he didn’t quite fit in my arms.
With an awkward posture, I strode towards the Crown Prince’s chambers. The patrolling knights and bustling servants were startled and circled around us.
“Yo-Your Highness! What’s happening!”
“Ah, I’m on my way to see Lupin.”
The Crown Prince replied calmly to the servants trailing behind us. He was busy bending and twisting a flower stem he had plucked from the bouquet in my arms.
“Y-you! Who are you! How dare you carry His Highness!”
I couldn’t escape their aggressive curiosity.
“I…”
I tried to introduce myself, but the words caught in my throat. I was supposed to say I was a servant brought by Count Lupin Zepetto, but that would get me in trouble.
It would also be problematic if rumors spread that Count Zepetto’s servant had kidnapped the Crown Prince. While the “kidnapped” party seemed quite comfortable, the servants were a different story.
“Your Highness!”
“Please come down!”
“Your Highness!”
The faces following us were all yellow, blue, or red. It was a garden of emotions.
“Estella, keep walking.”
Sob, sob, this is awkward. But he was too high-ranking for me to ask him to get down.
Besides, the Crown Prince was barefoot and covered in dirt. I had no choice.
“L-look at that. The woman the Count brought is carrying His Highness!”
The number of people following us increased as we continued walking. Waaah, stop following me! Go away!
A strange procession formed, led by me carrying the Crown Prince. It was sad that I, a doll, couldn’t shed tears.
The Crown Prince, who had been quietly nestled in my arms, tapped my chin with his index finger and asked,
“You can’t smell the fragrance, can you?”
It was something I was most disappointed about as well. I replied, my voice filled with frustration,
“Yes, that’s right. I asked the young master to make me nostrils, but he wouldn’t listen. I’ll ask him again later. To give me nostrils. I love flowers so much, it’s so cruel of him. That’s why he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
Soon, we reached the massive doors where I had seen off the young master. The two horn blowers, who had been chatting, spotted us and their jaws dropped.
“Your Highness, Crown Prince Umbram! What brings you here in such a state!”
The elderly herald, a master of long-winded speeches, rushed towards us, speaking without taking a breath.
Instead of asking me to put him down, the Crown Prince leaned close to my ear and whispered,
“You can become human if you want.”
“Huh?”
Without further explanation, he smiled enigmatically.
“You’re saying I can become human?”
I stared at him blankly. Then, feeling shy, I looked away first.
Even though I was a doll maid, my heart was still that of an ordinary girl. Staring into the eyes of the beautiful Crown Prince was too much for my heart…
Wait, I don’t have a heart.
“What’s all this commotion!”
The heavy doors of the Crown Prince’s chambers burst open. The young master emerged from behind the booming knight. He must have been waiting in the Prince-less chambers.
“C-can I put you down now?”
I asked timidly. The Crown Prince didn’t answer.
“Your Highness Umbram?”
My gaze met the young master’s. His expression upon seeing us was indescribable.
His pale eyes, fixed on me, seemed to say,
‘I’m going to recycle you right now.’
Just as I wished I could melt into thin air, the Crown Prince patted my shoulder. It was a signal to put him down!
As I carefully lowered him, a nearby servant quickly produced a cushion from his pocket.
The Crown Prince waved casually at the young master, unfazed by the frozen atmosphere around them.
“It’s been a while, Lupin. I wanted to surprise you.”
I glanced at the young master, and his expression seemed even more grim than before.
Well, even I thought it was a bit much to show up carrying the Crown Prince…
“This child, is she the magic doll you created?”
The young master frowned and replied reluctantly.
“Yes. Although I’m not pleased with her behavior…”
His words, “not pleased,” stung. I wanted to approach him and ask why he wasn’t pleased and what I could do to please him.
That would definitely not be refined. I held back, remembering his words telling me to behave. I glared at him slightly, but it was no use because he wasn’t looking at me.
“If you’re not pleased with her, can I have her?”
The Crown Prince suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him.
“Uh, uh?”
I was dragged to the young master in an instant. The Crown Prince was beaming. Behind him, the servants cried out, “Your Highness is barefoot!”
“I really like this doll.”
“Wow, thank you for the compliment.”
When I expressed my delight, the young master’s eyes sharpened. I pretended to zip my lips shut, just like before. I thought I saw him chuckle.
“I apologize, Your Highness, but I can’t give her to you. Come here, Estella.”
The young master beckoned me with his finger. I tried to follow him, but the Crown Prince was still holding onto me.
“I want her.”
“I can make you another magic doll if you need one. Tailored to your specifications.”
The young master said soothingly.
But I could see it. He was on edge.
His lips were twitching, the shadows under his eyes had darkened, and the muscles in his face were strained as he held back a sigh.
“What do you think?”
The Crown Prince didn’t seem interested in the young master’s opinion. He was still smiling cheerfully, and his hand was still gripping mine. His whispered words tickled my ear.
“Don’t you want to become human?”
It was a tempting offer. To become human. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t tempted. I couldn’t be completely satisfied with my current state, unable to smell fragrances or be acknowledged as Anna by the young master.
But I only had one choice.
“Estella, come here.”
Even if he didn’t call me Anna, it was enough that the person I loved was looking at me again.
I was fine with being a doll if it meant staying by his side.
In fact, it was better!
I could lift heavy objects and touch hot things without getting hurt, so I would be even better at serving him.
“I don’t want any master other than the young master.”
I put on my most apologetic expression. Did it get through? I hurried to the young master’s side.
I was worried that I might have run a little too carelessly, but he didn’t scold me. Instead, he placed his hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer.
“That’s a shame. If that’s Estella’s choice.”
The issue of my ownership was quickly forgotten.
“The reason I visited today is because of the proposal you made earlier.”
“Have you made a decision?”
“Yes, I was thinking it would be good to introduce Estella to you.”
The young master sighed briefly.
“Me?”
“Indeed, it would be better to discuss this inside. Would it be alright for Estella to join us?”
The Crown Prince smiled brightly at me.
“Will you carry me again this time?”
No…
The reason the Crown Prince had summoned the young master was because of the zombie problem that had reached the capital.
“The suburban search party reported seeing skeletons with no flesh left, creaking and moving.”
“That’s horrifying.”
“Corpses moving? It’s impossible, logically speaking. After summoning doctors, scientists, and magicians to investigate, it appears that dark magic is involved.”
The young master’s eyes lit up at the mention of magic. He looked so cool like that. Of course, it must have been my bias, but I was always impressed by him when he was immersed in his favorite subject.
The problem was that he often forgot to eat and missed out on dates with beautiful ladies when he was like this.
Ha, will our young master ever get married…
“I’ve also reviewed the search party’s report. It’s highly likely that necromancy, a type of dark magic, is involved. If we could accurately identify the mana manipulation, we could be more certain.”
“Hmm, what would you need to confirm that?”
“Zombie samples, movement reports, information on their appearance patterns, and so on.”
“You’ve forgotten the two most important things.”
The Crown Prince smiled playfully and tapped his head and body.
“A brain that can analyze information, and a body that can retrieve it.”
“…Ha.”
The young master sighed and glanced at me. I haven’t done anything yet! I did nothing wrong!
Feeling unjustly accused, I retraced my actions since entering the Crown Prince’s chambers.
Hmm, no matter how hard I tried to remember, all I did was stand quietly beside the young master and smile…
“So that’s what you meant when you asked me to bring a physically capable servant. In your letter, you only mentioned wanting me to handle the zombie research.”
“Fresh research data. If you need it anyway, wouldn’t it be easier for you to collect it yourself? It would be better that way. You’d be free from the meddling of the old geezers at the Magic Society and the scientists.”
The Crown Prince crossed his legs and smiled slyly.
“Lupin Zepetto. I hereby appoint you as the Special Investigator for the zombie outbreak. The doll lady beside you will accompany you as your assistant.”
“Understood. I will fulfill my duty.”
“I’ll give you your first mission. Go to the cemetery in Sector 43 and find the zombie’s core.”