The Doll and The Prince - v2 Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Hiiro (7)
Naruhito doesn’t wake up. Even when the entire left side of his body was completely wrecked, he woke up in three days. This time, it should be just a fracture in his right hand.

"It's probably due to the influence of the orders. I've heard that Combat Dolls receive orders much stronger than ours. To restrain such power, strong restrictions are necessary. There might be damage to the brain."

Sai’s words made me pale.

"This child committed a violation of orders in front of the Commander. Considerable penalties might have come his way."

I had no time to watch him sleep the whole day, however, Naruhito’s breathing has stopped fluctuating, and it just looked like he was sleeping.

"Your Highness, if you've awakened, please do your work."

Hitachimaru stood by Naruhito’s bed. I haven't moved from there.

"... I did my best, didn't I?"

"It was amazing."

"I'll rest. I'm tired, so I'll take a break for a while. Just do the questioning of Sai.”

"... First, let's declare the end of the war. After that, please consult with His Majesty about the rest."

"Ugh~ darn it..."

I really couldn’t focus on work. And while I'm saying that, because everyone was noisy around me, I said I'll quit being the prince, and surprisingly, things went smoothly. If it was this easy, I should have quit earlier.
Well, if I had done that, I wouldn't have picked up Naruhito, though.
As a reward, I received a mansion and enough money to live comfortably. Even if I give up the prince's status, the fact that I am a 'hero' of this war won't change. Kill one person, and you're a murderer, kill a million people and you're a hero, right?

"The Combat Dolls I've seen so far were all small children."

Sai, helping me tidy up the documents in the office, muttered while working. As a dispatched civil servant, he was quite competent.

"How many years has this child survived on the battlefield, I wonder... Surely, he must be quite a competent one... even if that’s not a happy thing.”

"Combat Dolls, do they modify children?"

"I am a pure civil servant. Besides, my status is too low... I'm not very useful, and I apologize."

“Don’t mind it… did you have a family in the Capital? Are you married?"

Sai shook his head while touching his right ear. There was nothing there, and a piercing shone on his left ear.

"No, I am not married. My Father and Mother lived in the Capital."

"Do you hate me?"

"... No, I'm grateful."

If he had lived in the Capital, he would have probably died from the bomb I dropped. But Sai didn't seem to be lying.

"I'm sorry."

"Your Highness, I truly am grateful. Thanks to you, the people of the Empire have all ceased to be dolls. All of us owe you."

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