The world outside was bright.
The sunlight spilled into the room through the window, golden where it touched the edge of my tea mug, pale where it faded into the wall. The flowers in the courtyard bent with the breeze & the fountain whispered it's low song. But beyond that glass.. she could not go.
Ancia sat on the velvet-padded chair. Her legs bound gently -but firmly. The ties didn't cut her skin but the message was clear : You say here.
Her hands were free but she didn't have anywhere to go.Because The windows didn't open The windows didn't open. The walls didn't speak. Only the mirror in front of her reflected her image—a pale girl with waist-length black hair, her eyes dulled from watching too much and feeling too little.
The doll was gone.
The prience had taken the doll to the academy today, like he always did. Her body might have been here, but her mind was partially there--tethered to the vessel that looked just like her.
She could hear through it. See through it. And on some rare days… feel through it.
Today was one of those days.
-'Oi! Stop harassing her! We have enough evidence to convict you'
Blue-haired. Loud. Impulsive.
-'You pushed her down the stairs yesterday!'
Another one accused her 'You're just jealous of her attractiveness! That she will get close to the prince that's why you're mistreating her.'
Their voices rang in her ears. Their words sliced into her. The girl they were protecting trembled delicately behind them, like a fragile lamb surrounded by wolves.
Ancia wanted to laugh. Or cry... Or scream!
She had never pushed anyone.
She had never even been there.
She watched—trapped in the doll's body—as they threw a soaked bag and torn notebook at her feet. She blinked slowly, and somewhere deep inside her real self, a small whisper clawed its way up.
'This is worng. What have i ever done to be treated like this! '
But no-one heard anything.
---
He arrived soon after.
Radiant. Regal. That ever-gentle smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
The Crown Prince.
And he walked past the trembling girl and right to the doll - to her.
-'What are you doning to my fiancee?'
The possessive warmth in his tone was terrifying. It wasn't protection. It was ownership.
She felt the ghost of his hand—real in the academy, cold and gentle on the doll's shoulder—like a phantom resting on her actual skin back in the palace. Goosebumps erupted.
And when they accused her again… when they threw "evidence" with confidence…
He smiled wider.
That smile never reached his eyes.
-'You're sure saying some interesting things...'
His voice was soft as falling snow. And just as cold.
Then came the twist.
The girl who had cried—now screaming about being the "main character of the world," her voice cracking with jealousy and rage. Her mask had slipped. And the Prince—he struck.
Not with his fists.
But with fear.
With truth.
With power.
Ancia, from the safety of her cage, watched it all. She watched as the mask of a perfect prince cracked for a moment. Just long enough for the world to glimpse the monster underneath.
And she?
She was just the doll.
---
Back in the palace, her real body trembled.She could hear his return. His steps were never rushed, nor they were loud. Always controlled. Always calm.
He entered her chamber, and she felt the temperature drop.
"Did you watch everything? He he asked softly, as though asking about a garden stroll.
" Was it enjoyable? "- He said again with a little simle on his lips.
She did not answer. She couldn't.
He walked over to the doll, carefully placed in its chair across the room. It looked exactly like her, except for the eyes—those were always a little off. Too flat. Too perfect.
"Your silence always comforts me, Ancia."- He crouched and touched the doll's cheek with devotion.
"But today… I thought I saw a flicker in your eyes at the academy.
Were you trying to speak through it?"
He chuckled, like a lover amused. "How adorable."
Then his gaze shifted. It landed on her—the real girl.
Still seated. Still bound.
"I only wanted to keep you safe," he said. "You know how cruel people are. How they'd rip you apart if they saw your tears. So I made a doll. I gave you a mask. I let them hate what wasn't you."
He came closer. Too close.
"I'm the only one who sees the real you."
Ancia didn't flinch. Her face remained emotionless.
But inside, something cracked.
A tremor. A breath of rebellion.
He didn't notice. Or maybe he did.
He stood, adjusted his cuffs, and turned away.
"Stay inside. Be good. I'll visit again after class."
He left the room.
And Ancia, sitting behind the glass, clenched her hands into fists beneath the silk restraints.
For the first time in years… her heartbeat felt like her own.