The Obsessive Male Lead Is Jealous Of My Doll - Chapter 35
18 — 1
“He’s a friend of mine from the temple.”
Stella’s expression hardened upon hearing Karentina’s sweet voice.
“Friend… If he’s a friend, why are you doing this to his head?”
“His head?”
Karentina tilted her head in confusion at the question she couldn’t understand.
“…I’m going back now.”
“Your Highness?”
At the sight of the child dropping her head with a crestfallen expression and turning her back first, her heart sank.
‘Did I unintentionally hurt Stella’s feelings?’
Even though she searched through her memory, nothing came to mind.
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Karentina became distraught when Gemma mentioned to her that Stella looked glum throughout her bubble bath. She only nibbled at her small thumbnail.
‘I don’t want to be hated by Stella.’
She waited for the child with snacks for her to eat.
After finishing her bath, the child appeared in the living room looking fluffy.
The light purple indoor dress looked so adorable that she wanted to bite her. However, as Gemma said, her complexion was dark, as though she wasn’t in a good mood. The child who beamed and said that Velda’s chocolate cake was better than the one made by the imperial palace pastry chef was only now poking at her favorite cake in front of her with her fork.
When Gemma briefly stepped away for a moment, Karentina asked cautiously.
“Your Highness, have I perhaps made a mistake towards you?”
Stella, with widened eyes, sighed and set down her fork.
“No…”
Not knowing what to do, Karentina watched as the child suddenly rose from her seat and threw herself into her arms.
“Your Highness?”
Stella spoke solemnly, squinting her eyes.
“Why don’t you stroke my head?”
“…Yes?”
Only then did she realize why the child was upset. It seemed that she had seen her stroking Eddie’s head earlier and was now pouting. Karentina barely suppressed her laughter as she locked eyes with the adorable Stella.
“It’s against etiquette for me to touch Your Highness’s head.”
The little girl shrugged her shoulders as if she knew everything.
“I know. But… no one except my brother ever strokes my head…”
Stella trailed off with a sullen expression.
The Empress passed away due to postpartum illness immediately after giving birth to Stella, and the Emperor, afflicted by illness, was unable to properly shower her with affection. Thinking of the child, who was born as a princess of the empire but grew up lonely, Karentina felt a surge of pity and sadness.
‘She’s at the age where she should be growing up receiving plenty of love from family…’
Her voice was filled with melancholy.
“Brother is always too busy, and I’m always alone. I like Joseph and Gemma, but they only see me as a princess.”
“Your Highness, you have the noblest lineage in the empire.”
The child puffed up her cheeks with a tone mixed with petulance.
“I don’t like it. I wonder if it would have been different if I were born as a commoner.”
“….”
Finishing her words, Stella abruptly turned her head and closed her mouth. Silence fell in the brightly lit drawing room.
“Your Highness, Eddie, whom you met earlier, is a child from the slums.”
“The slums?”
Stella stopped stomping her feet and turned her gaze towards Karentina.
“Yes. There are many lonely children, not just in the north but all over the empire, without anyone to care for them.”
“….”
“Those children sometimes go days without food and have to live in this cold weather wearing thin clothes.”
Karentina’s heart felt conflicted as she remembered Eddie’s thin clothes and frail body.
“Eddie’s parents passed away early, too. With no guardian, he was getting by with other children until the temple provided some help.”
Stella’s gaze wavered, perhaps because she thought Eddie was just an ordinary child who was loved and cared for.
“He was smiling so brightly… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“I’m not blaming you. It’s human not to know what kind of wounds lie behind a smiling face. From now on, we can learn one by one. I didn’t know Your Highness’ sadness either.”
Now five years old.
Karentina, feeling sorry for Stella, who must have felt lonely in the vast imperial palace, gently stroked the child’s head. Her fine, honey-like golden hair curled gently around her hand. The child’s red eyes sparkled like jewels, perhaps because she was in a good mood.
“I’ll be your friend.”
“Really?”
She whispered softly into Stella’s ear.
“Actually, it’s because you’re so adorable that I want to hug and kiss you all the time, but I’m holding back.”
At those words, Stella’s face flushed red like a ripe tomato.
“Karen. I’m so happy!”
When she then hugged her tightly, Karentina patted the adorable child’s back and chuckled bashfully.
“Shall we have some chocolate cake together?”
“Ung!”
Stella, who had just come down from her embrace, picked up the cake plate and hopped to sit beside her.
“I should eat next to Karen.”
Karentina watched with fondness as the little girl nibbled on the cake.
“Karen. Since we’re celebrating being friends, can you call me by my name too?”
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