Hannah got sick.
It wasn’t a physical ailment but a mental illness with no cure.
Kathia didn’t want anyone to know about this. This secret should be dealt with alone, so she clenched her mouth shut and began to take care of Hannah by herself.
The only good thing was when the Emperor was sleeping with Hannah, there were no reports of her sleepwalking, this kind of behavior only came out when she was at ease around Kathia.
“Mom, what are you looking at? Is there anything in the pond? I don’t see anything.”
“…”
“I’m talking about this pond. It must be really deep and cold, right?”
Of course, there was no answer.
As Kathia encountered her mom in this kind of state, she often felt sad and nervous. Perhaps she was thinking about the worst-case scenario.
What if- What if mom left her alone and…
Unnecessarily worried, Hannah, like always, stumbled and walked far away from the pond back today. Kathia finally sighed in relief and supported her while walking back to their room.
Now, it was her turn to tuck Hannah back into bed and tidy up.
Kathia cleaned her and her mother’s soiled feet, as well as the muddy footsteps in the hallway and the floor of their room. Lastly, she folded the blanket Hannah had and placed it back on the sofa.
After accomplishing her task, Kathia lay by Hannah’s side and frowned. She was worried about the wind becoming more harsh.
What should I do during winter? Even if I wrap a blanket around her, the cold winter night would be tough to handle.
“Good night, mom.”
‘Even then, it’s fine. As long as I have mom, I’ll be happy.’
‘Mom too, right? That’s why you keep returning to our room, right?’
Kathia calmed her uneasy mind and embraced Hannah. It was warm and soft.
A doll could never replace this kind of warmth and the scent of skin.
The precious hug even in her sleep brought her great comfort…
It’s good. This is enough. In any case, I’m still happy. Kathia kept telling herself every night while awaiting the sun of tomorrow.
Before she knew it, seven years flew by and became the season when the leaves of the year fell.
Born in late autumn, Kathia turned 18-years-old, completely unexpected from what she imagined when she was younger. It was the beginning of an extremely long and cold winter.
* * *
She had a bad dream.
‘Why did it have to be on such a good day too?’
As she awakened from her sleep, Kathia blinked. She had a vague expression that was neither happy nor sad.
With both her hands underneath as support, she lifted herself up. A quiet, sickly groan escaped her.
Her body was heavy, as she was sleep-deprived.
She normally didn’t get much deep sleep, but lately, it’s been getting worse.
Madam Murphy, the lady-in-waiting, mentioned Kathia’s immune system weakening, so she prepared nutritious meals for each and every meal. She never forgot to add a teaspoon of nagging too.
Because of Madam Murphy’s efforts, the bellies of her body and mind were going to be stuffed full again today.
She felt uneasy, but the moment she glanced at something on the sofa, Kathia smiled as if nothing happened.
“Good morning.”
Pink yarn hair and light blue buttoned eyes.
Kathia blankly looked at the ragdoll that resembled her somewhat poorly, and she stepped forward.
She rushed to wash her face and after having Madam Murphy’s nutritious meal, she planned on heading out. Not just outside her quarters, but out of the imperial palace.
The reason being, she would finally own her doll shop today!
It’s been almost half a month since Kathia’s innocent wish had been granted. It was nearing the end of preparations now.
That day, she planned on letting Deon, Jean, Hughes, and Madam Murphy know about her plans. She assumed that they would be surprised, but their reactions were simply lackluster.
They were indescribably impassive, as if they knew the day would come. They even split up tasks to help Kathia leave the palace.
It was Hughes’ role to find a place to open up the doll shop at. There was a time when he asked Kathia what kind of home she wanted. Kathia without hesitation answered as such,
“A two-story home that’s not too big, nor too small. It should have rounded corners, be comforting and cute – I don’t want an awfully aristocratic mansion. Also, it would be nice to have a quiet place… Ah, it needs to be an old home, not a new one.”