Dollhouse

They say, parents always do what is best for their children. But there is a very thin line between raising your child by protecting them or by controlling them. Ignis Blaqua knew the difference between these two very well.

His mother was the duchess Blaqua and the only princess of the empire. His father was a peak military commander and also the head of the only active duchy in the empire. From his birth, everything was already taken into consideration and had been decided. All that was left for him to do was play out the role his parents had decided for him.

In the beginning, it didn't matter much to Ignis. More like he didn't know that he had his own independent will. He just felt that his mother and father's words were absolute. Any child would if he is homeschooled for the first ten years of his life under strict supervision.

He didn't resent his parents much for controlling his life. What he resented them for was not doing it until the end. At the age of ten, a clueless child who only knew to follow orders was thrown into the battlefield called high society.

Ignis never stepped out of the duchy his entire life, he felt the duchy was the entire world. He would immediately kill any curiosity that grew in his mind from the books he read. Being left to the royal banquet in his father's place on his tenth birthday was the cruelest thing one could do to him.

Unable to comprehend the situation, he treated the strangers like he did his parents. He spoke as he spoke to them. He walked as he walked at home. He behaved perfectly normal as he would have done at home. He knew he would get punished after going home for displaying such manners to people. But what could he do, he could only do what he had learned to do.

But a very magical thing happened. Everyone started praising him for his perfect manners. They praised him for being mature and not being childish even though he was only ten.

Ignis was flattered. He could only respond with, "Isn't this how a child behaves, mam?"

To this, he heard even more praises like, "As expected of house Blaqua."

Ignis was very happy returning home that night. He couldn't wait to tell his parents about being praised. Oh, but he couldn't because that is not how a child should behave.

A shocking realization passed through his heart. He treated those strangers as he would treat his parents. And they liked it. Too much to a fault. Then had he been taught to treat his parents like strangers his entire life?

His entire body started shaking. He knew that parents were the most affectionate beings to their children. Then why was his mother and father's affection no different from a stranger's?

Ignis had his first fight with his parents that night after reaching home. He was disgusted at how they still only cared about his manners more than what he was trying to say.

He had been the perfect child. That met the ducal couple's high standards. But he couldn't afford to be anymore. He had no reason to be. The only reason he kept trying hard and harder to become a good child was to not lose his parents' affection. It was a soul-shattering truth that he never actually had it in the first place.

They kept going on and on about how he still wasn't ready to be sent out and that sending him to the banquet was a mistake. Ignis felt a deep void inside him. As if his whole life had been a lie.

"Do you even know what I like to eat?" he asked.

"Of course! I do! It's..." his mother couldn't utter another word as she realized that she really didn't know.

Ignis turned to his father, asking, "Do you know what I like to study most?"

His father was tongue-tied.

He kept asking them questions as they stood there in absolute silence. Ignis had somewhat hoped for them to answer, even if they told the wrong answer, he would've happily gone along with it and apologized. But there was no answer at all like they were as shocked as he was.

"I don't..." Ignis mumbled as he silently climbed the stairs to his room. "I don't want to see either of you ever again."

The heavy silence perhaps made it audible to his parents. The next day, his father went to the capital residency for permanent. His mother also moved out to a northern farmhouse that was three days' carriage ride away. It was maybe the last act of consideration they were showing to the son they had mistreated his entire life. But it hurt him much more than their cruel treatment.

Ignis thought that if he threw a fit, they would console him and love him as the parents of the other children at the party did. They just abandoned him in an empty large estate with servants. He wasn't hungry, he had the best quality clothes, a luxurious bed, and all the best things next to a king. But he didn't have what he wanted the most. Their love.

He was just a doll in their perfect dollhouse.

Sadness turned to anger, anger to resentment, and resentment to hatred. Ignis didn't contact or saw either of his parents for two years. He didn't want to for the rest of his life. He learned household management and business administration with the butler as he struggled to manage the household. He became the best swordsman in the duchy's knightage through hard work. Swordsmanship was mostly to vent out his frustration with his parents.

The servants and the knights treated him the same as the master of the house. And the butler felt pity on that child who had never known what it's like to be loved. A maid almost cried when they first gave Ignis a cup of hot chocolate. He said he never knew such a sweet drink existed. A good child should always drink tea, no matter how bitter.

As he grew under the care of the household servants and knights, they all could see that he was only but a genius. Even they started questioning the ducal couple who had treated such a brilliant child so badly.

On his twelfth birthday, exactly two years after his parents left him, he received a letter from his father summoning him to the capitol. His mother was there too. He had no reason to refuse. Though the thought of seeing those people again disgusted him. He was also curious about what could've made them call him after all this time.

His curiosity taking the best of him, he left for the capitol immediately. He had grown quite much since the last time he met them. By traits, he had his father's silver hair and golden eyes, but by looks, he was the spitting image of his beautiful mother.

The capitol was a mesmerizing place for a child like Ignis. He didn't go to the estate house straight, he got off in the middle of the famous capitol square he had heard so much about from the knights. From store to store, he walked around looking at all those fascinating things until he reached a library. Brooklyn library.

An advent reader he was, he entered the library. It was a magical place like it was just made for him. To read and get lost in the book's world. He skimmed through the shelves, finding it hard what to read first.

"Is this your first time here, sir?" a voice came from behind him. He turned around, it was a girl around his age. Plain brown hair and eyes, she looked like any average person on the street outside.

"Ah yes, You are..." Ignis replied.

"I work here sometimes. Just call me Lucy," she said. "May I recommend you a book for first-time reading here?"

Ignis silently nodded. He watched her tap around the shelves looking for a specific book. She finally got hold of it and handed it to Ignis who had been following her closely. It was a fantasy travel book called 'The little elve's magical adventures'. A classic bestseller.

"Why this?" Ignis asked opening the first page.

"You look like you want to run away," the girl said as she showed him the mystical reading room further inside the library. Sitting in front of the fireplace as it rained outside, Ignis read the book. It seemed more like he had entered the book. Hot chocolate was served in the reading room by the girl called Lucy. It was the best hot chocolate Ignis had ever in his life.

He fell in love. With the place and its people. It was nothing like the dreary library back home. It was warm and full of fuzziness. He felt like he could live his entire life there. But he had to leave.

From that day onwards, the Brooklyn library became his sanctuary. His refuge from his life. And another affection filled his heart. He had fallen in love with the girl who maintained his sanctuary.

His parents were the same as before, they just didn't scare him that much anymore. He was supposed to attend the academy for a year there. He had thought it would be foolish to even expect an apology from those people, but it was still disappointing to see them act like nothing happened.

Instead, he focused all his free time other than the academy on Lucy and the library. Half a year passed like that. But Ignis had to always worry about Lucy as many men tried to harm her. She dealt with much ease to his surprise, but he couldn't help but worry. So he posted a guard outside the library.

It was a mistake to do so. His mother found out about it and banned Ignis from going to the library. Having his only refuge endangered, Ignis flipped out and threatened to run away or kill himself.

His mother offered him a deal.

"You will go to Behmuth as an envoy of Alkezar," she said.

"Isn't a member of royalty who is not crowned supposed to go as an envoy?" Ignis asked.

"You ARE an uncrowned member of royalty, Ignis," his mother said implying that she was royalty so her son counted as one. "Once you come back from Behmuth, become the crown prince, then I'll let you marry the girl you wish for."

It was a simple deal. It turned out that the girl at the library was the younger sister of Marquis Shuzar. His mother immediately settled a deal with the king for this engagement in return for her going to visit him every month after the marriage was done.

Ignis had no reason to refuse. He conveyed his regards to his beloved and prepared to go to Behmuth. He finished his academy earlier with an early exam. He went to Behmuth with hopeful wishes. But these wishes soon turned sour.

On his way to the palace of Behmuth, he was attacked and taken hostage. By no other but the Duchy of Whitlock.