The Doll and The Prince - v3 Chapter 80, v3 Chapter 81, v3 Chapter 82, v3 Chapter 83, v3 Chapter 84 (END)

Naruhito (76)
I had a fever.
How frustrating.

Ikumatsu scolded me, saying I shouldn’t overdo it, but I really wanted that glass goldfish.
The tears were because of the fever. I wanted to see the sparkle, but there weren't any marbles left, either.

“Don’t cry.”

Hiiro replaced the cloth on my forehead with a cool one. I let out a warm sigh.

“I’m… not crying…”
“Is that so.”

I didn’t need anything.
I’d just been living, following orders. Living with whatever was handed to me. If I was hungry, I stayed hungry. If I got hurt or felt sick, I just endured it. If I couldn’t move anymore, I’d simply die. If I didn’t follow orders, I’d die too.
That’s all there was to it.

… Candy.
The first thing I truly wanted might have been to taste candy one more time before I died. I still remember how I cried so hard when the candy I was holding was gone.
Maybe I’ve grown weaker again. I thought I couldn’t get any weaker than I already was, but apparently, there’s still room to fall.
It used to be just living until I died.

But my promise with Hiiro made it so I couldn’t die. Because it was a marriage vow, I wanted to keep it. I wanted him by my side. Just for a little while, I wanted to be with him. The one I loved the most. My wish came true, and I’m happy. I wonder if Hiiro was something I wanted, too.
I am so greedy.

I can’t stop crying.
I want the glass goldfish. I want a music box. I want marbles. I want to go buy candy again.
If I hadn’t known about these things, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way.

“What’s wrong?”

Hiiro lifted me into his lap as I sniffled and cried.

“Are you feeling sick?”

I shook my head. I was hot. But I liked being held. Does this count as something I want, too?

“If you want anything, just say it.”

Can I really say it? That would only make me weaker. I need to be strong so I don’t die.
It was hard to breathe.

“I’ll celebrate every birthday you’ve missed, all of them. I’ll give you so many gifts, you won’t be able to want anything else. Think about it when your fever goes down.”

In my hazy mind, I didn’t quite understand.
But right now, what I wanted…

“Ice…”

Hiiro carried me toward the refrigerator without putting me down.
Right now, it’s not about just not being allowed to die—I don’t want to die…
I want to live tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, right here.

----------

Naruhito (77)
"Happy birthday."

When I opened my eyes, there was Hiiro’s smiling face right in front of me. He’d been waiting for me to wake up, holding me under the covers.

“Th…anks?”

Still groggy, I mumbled my response, but Hiiro kept smiling and gave me a quick kiss.

"That’s the first kiss of your sixteenth year."
“Sixteenth year?”
“Yep. Each birthday adds a year, so you’re sixteen starting today.”
“Huh?”
“Naruhito, how old are you?”
“Sixteen?”
“Correct.”

After I got dressed and left my room, Grandpa was there, smiling brightly. It’s rare to actually see him like this.

“Master Naruhito, I wish you a happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”

With that, Grandpa disappeared again. Did he come just to say happy birthday…?
On the way to the dining hall, everyone I met said “Happy birthday.” As I replied with thanks, I started to feel a bit excited. I don’t really understand, but it feels nice. Rikimaru even walked into the dining hall saying happy birthday.

“I’m looking forward to the party.”
“Yeah.”

In the morning, I helped out as usual. Lately, Otoha has been helping with the dishes in place of Murakano, who hasn’t been feeling well. I also brought some warm tea to Murakano’s room.

“Are you alright?”
“Naruhito, happy birthday. I’m sorry I can’t help with the party.”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s not an illness. I just can’t seem to keep the food down.”
“You can’t eat? That sounds tough.”

When I’m feeling unwell, people worry most when I stop eating much. Isn’t this… not good? She’s sitting on the bed, sipping her warm tea, smiling and saying it tastes nice, but I’m concerned.

“Should I go call Ikumatsu?”
“Oh, no, it’s not an illness. This is morning sickness, so I just have to put up with it for a while.”
“Morning sickness?”
“There’s a baby in my belly. And it’s the baby’s way of telling me, ‘I’m here!’ They say that if I acknowledge it and promise to take care of it, the feeling subsides, so I’ll be okay.”

Huh?
A baby?
In her belly?
I don’t really understand, so I’ll have to ask Aoba about it later…

----------

Naruhito (78)
After waking up from my nap, I gathered with everyone in the dining hall. I already knew what was going on, having experienced it once for Rikimaru—a party, a birthday party. And it was for me!
Today, the table was piled high with dumplings, along with the usual red bean soup, kinako powder, mitarashi syrup, and fruit syrups. This was the main event, my birthday party.
Everyone raised their juice glasses:

“Naruhito, happy birthday!”

The loud chorus filled the room.

“Thank you!”

I answered in a loud voice too. This was so fun. It made me so happy. After I drank some juice, Hiiro handed me two beautifully wrapped gifts.

“Two gifts?”
“Go ahead, open them.”

Not wanting to tear the lovely wrapping paper, I carefully peeled the tape. It was tricky with just my right hand. Everyone was watching. I felt a little nervous.
The larger package was a box that played music. I think it’s called a music box. It was decorated with a butterfly pattern. When I opened the lid, music started playing. This must be really expensive!

“Where did you get this?”
“It’s yours, a birthday present.”
“But it’s so expensive.”
“I’m making money, so don’t worry.”

Is it really okay? This thing is seriously pricey.
I decided to open the smaller package too. Inside was a glass goldfish!

“A goldfish…”

A sparkling goldfish.

“Hiiro, it’s a goldfish.”
“That’s a present too.”
“But…”
“This is when you’re supposed to say thank you, right?”

I was overjoyed. I’d wanted a shiny, sparkly goldfish, and now it was right in my hands.

“Th-thank you.”

I was so happy I sighed with relief.

“It’s unfair that His Highness bought both of the things Naruhito wanted most.”

Rikimaru complained, gently moving the glass goldfish aside to place a different package in my hands.

“Here, this is my present. I wanted to buy the goldfish, you know, but His Highness insisted on getting it, so I let him.”

The package contained ten marbles in a beautiful box. Whoa, there were so many! And they were all different colors, so pretty.

“Thank you!”

Otoha gave me colored pencils, and Hitachimaru gave me a coloring book to use them with. Aoba gave me a large book of animals, like an encyclopedia. Gramps gave me a big, swirly lollipop on a stick. The colors were so pretty, but if I ate it, there’d be no room for dinner! Grandpa gave me a glass cup with a picture of a goldfish on it. It was so beautiful! Sai’s gift was a puzzle. And other people gave me more candies, one after another. It was amazing, just amazing. I couldn’t say thank you fast enough. My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much.
A white box was placed in front of me with a polite “Excuse me.” When I opened it, I found ice cream nestled in bags of ice, each container with a lid. I looked up, surprised, to see Shizuku’s maid standing there.

“This is a gift from Her Majesty the Empress.”

She bowed and turned to leave, so I quickly spoke up.

“I’ll come thank her tomorrow.”

The maid smiled just a little and replied, “Yes.”
At the mention of ice cream, Hirosue came running over, and everyone in the room took just a taste, marveling at how delicious it was.

“This might be something Little Murakano could eat too, right?”

At Aoba’s suggestion, we all crowded into Murakano’s room to watch her taste the ice cream.

“It’s delicious.”

Murakano said with a smile. Apparently, she hadn’t felt any nausea like she usually did when faced with food.
It was the best birthday ever!

----------

Hiiro (59)
Holding the glass goldfish, Naruhito grinned happily. I’m glad I didn’t let anyone else buy it—I was determined to be the one to give it to him.
We piled his mountain of presents onto a cart and brought them to his room. The first thing he reached for, as expected, was the glass goldfish.
I wasn’t the only one watching what had caught his interest at the shop. Up until then, none of us could think of anything Naruhito wanted besides candy. So, in that general store, we all held our breath as we observed what drew his gaze. Colored pencils, a music box, a glass goldfish—he had been transfixed by the glass items.

He lifted the goldfish to the light, letting it sparkle. I suppose he must really like things that shine. That glass cup with the goldfish design that Murashige gave him was a stroke of genius. I feel a bit disappointed I didn’t get to be the one to buy that too. I want to be the one who gets him all his gifts. But then, seeing his pile of presents makes me realize how loved he is, and that makes me happy in a way that surprises me.
This was his first-ever birthday celebration. I’m glad he enjoyed it.
Even my Mother’s daring move of sending ice cream became a big hit, and it was a relief that Murakano could eat it too. With her severe nausea, she’d barely been able to keep any food down, and had grown noticeably thinner. Even if it isn’t an illness, it seems difficult to bear.

Hirosue probably already has an idea of how to make that ice cream. After seeing the real thing and taking a taste, he should be able to replicate it. He’s a man who rose from a nameless commoner to become my chef purely through his keen palate and skillful hands—he’s no ordinary cook.
I’ll give him permission to make it. As long as it’s just within our household, there shouldn’t be any issue. This place, too, is part of the royal family’s domain.

“Whose birthday is next, I wonder?”

Naruhito murmured as he gazed at the glass goldfish with a dreamy expression.
It would be difficult to celebrate everyone’s birthday like we did today. Perhaps we could gather everyone with a birthday that month and have a party once a month. I considered this as I pulled Naruhito close.
I never imagined we’d ever have such peaceful days.

“This is happiness, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”

----------

Excerpt from Naruhito's Diary
April: Himari came, asking to be hired as a live-in worker. The young man started as an apprentice cook in the kitchen. When I mentioned I was sixteen, he didn’t believe me and exclaimed, “No way, you’re older than me?” Rikimaru also began working.

May: Mikumo came, asking to be hired as a live-in worker.

June: Prince Akemi and Akari’s wedding took place. It was my first time seeing a wedding, and Akari looked incredibly beautiful. Hiiro suggested that we should do it too, so we held our own wedding ceremony in front of everyone at the villa. Hearing everyone say “Congratulations” made me happy. The white kimono was heavy.

July: Himari and Mikumo started living in the same room.

August: I went to a summer festival for the first time. Food stalls were lined up beside the castle, and everyone wore yukatas. I wore a jinbei. Seeing so many little goldfish swimming was a surprise. Goldfish scooping was difficult, but I managed to win a can of candy at the shooting gallery. The strawberry candy was incredibly delicious. I wanted to try an apple candy too, but it was too hard to bite. Fireworks were beautiful, though the noise was a bit much, so I covered my ears.

September: Murakano’s belly is so swollen it looks like it might burst. I wonder if she’ll be okay. When I touched it, I could feel little kicks from inside. It’s amazing to think there’s really something in there.

October: A tiny human emerged from Murakano’s belly. It really came out! It cried out with a loud, healthy wail—a baby boy. Hirosue was crying too; I’ve learned that people cry when they’re happy. It was a joyful day, overflowing with congratulations. I think I understand why we say “Congratulations” on birthdays now.

November: Sueyoshi is small, soft, and adorable. He cries, drinks milk, and falls asleep.

December: Sueyoshi has grown a bit. He stares at his little clenched fists and sometimes puts them in his mouth. He even smiles occasionally.

January: Sueyoshi lifts his head when he’s on his stomach and laughs joyfully. When he gets tired and collapses, he cries.

February: Sueyoshi can now roll over on his own, but he cries when he can’t roll back. He puts everything in his mouth, licking and tasting. He’s not ready for candy just yet.

March: My second birthday celebration. I turned seventeen. When Hiiro sulked from all the attention I gave to Sueyoshi, I told him, “You’re my favorite,” and gave him a kiss.

The End

--------------------------------

This is the end of the main story.

I won't be continuing the rest of the story as it unfortunately doesn't hit the mark for readership, which is surprising since it's the highest rated/most read BL novel on all of Alpha Polis.

Your suggestions for another BL/GL novel to translate are welcome.

Thanks for reading & your support!

-Shinsori