“If you need a nutcracker doll, you can take that one from earlier.”

Since he already knew the owner had been peeking inside while pretending not to look, Leo replied briefly without adding anything else.

“I’ll visit again soon, so please don’t sell that nutcracker doll.”

“Of course not. If you need any other dolls, I’ll include one. I can add any one more except the ballerina doll in the display case.”

“I’ll think about it then.”

Though it was ridiculous that he would only add one more doll considering the money he gave, Leo just nodded slightly and left the shop.

After the man left, the owner hummed while attaching a small ‘display only’ notice in front of the nutcracker doll. He considered putting it in a box ready to take anytime, but decided to leave the doll in place thinking there might be others who would buy the nutcracker doll for a large sum like the man who just visited.

After the owner finished organizing and went upstairs to have dinner with his family and go to sleep, the dolls’ night began again.

“Jayden, who was that man from earlier?”

Larien, who had turned pale, ran to Jayden as soon as the fairy dust was sprinkled. Her movements were so urgent they could be described as flying rather than running to where he was.

Though he too was confused about his friend becoming human, he tried his best not to show it as he comforted his pale lover.

“It was nothing. He just looked and left.”

Though he didn’t want to keep secrets from Larien, he held back his words thinking he should hear Leo’s story first.

“I was so surprised thinking he might take you away since he was looking at you so intently.”

Indeed. Jayden comforted her small trembling back earnestly, thinking how Leo bending down to examine him must have looked from her position.

Her heart was pounding so loudly he could hear it, so it took quite a while to calm her down.

Though it wasn’t even seven o’clock yet, they held hands and went up to the attic. Everyone had naturally come to accept the two disappearing every night.

Of course everyone was surprised at first, but since they were lovers so absorbed in their own world, they just let them be.

Once, when Alexander followed them, curious about where they were going, Jayden had scolded him severely, so only their going to the second floor was known while the rest remained veiled.

Even the creaking stairs to the attic had been fixed by Jayden so no sound was made when they went up together. The bed in the center of the room filled with leftover cotton was also made by Jayden from discarded lumber.

It was crafted so skillfully that even if discovered by the owner, it would be considered a dollhouse prop made in the workshop.

He pulled Larien close as she lay on the bed looking up at the floating canopy, and pressed their bodies deeply together.

Though there was plenty of time until midnight, he needed to make her sleep deeply even if he had to force her so he could go see Leo, as she didn’t want to be apart from him.

After reaching several climaxes from his rough movements, Larien fell into a deep sleep by eleven o’clock.

After stroking her head several times as she slept making small breathing sounds, he put on his clothes properly before the appointed time and went outside the shop.

Though it was a perfect, moonlight night to hide his movements, he moved through the darkest places as much as possible to avoid any potential gazes as he looked for the alley Leo mentioned.

Turning the corner, he saw the three wooden boxes he had heard about during the day.

Though the boxes were quite tall compared to his height, when he jumped up and stood at the very top, it brought him to about human eye level.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps headed straight for Jayden.

“Long time no see.”

Leo let out an awkward laugh seeing Jayden quickly dodge away when he tried to hug him in joy.

His swift movement hadn’t changed from their last battle.

“I’m glad to see you too, but not enough for a hug.”

Jayden waved his hand with a smile toward his friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. Then he immediately asked what he had been curious about since the afternoon.

“But what kind of magic is this? I guess in the Land of Dolls there’s magic that makes you look human?”

He expressed his doubt toward Leo, who looked so human-like, not just in height but in overall impression. Was it a different kind from the powder sprinkled on them? There was none of the uncanny feeling that should naturally come from a doll.

His friend whom he hadn’t seen in years somehow looked like a perfect human.

“Clara and I left the Land of Dolls. And it’s not about looking human — we actually became human.”

“What?”

His face, which rarely showed any change in expression, cracked with shock.

Becoming human? Was that possible?

And above all, why?

As far as he knew, there was no place safer for dolls than the Land of Dolls protected by the Queen.

Jayden too wanted to go to the Land of Dolls with Larien if he had the chance. But it was a place you could only go to after accumulating enough good deeds to defeat someone like the Mouse King who had tormented the toys last time, so they hadn’t met the conditions yet.

He couldn’t believe that they had left such a place of their own accord and become human, even though he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Noticing his confusion, Leo continued without hesitation.

“Clara, who had gone to the Land of Dolls, missed the human world terribly. But she was anxious about returning to live in the human world with me, who becomes a doll during the day. Seeing us unable to do either, the Queen hinted at a way toys could become human.”

“……”

“Though it was useless information for the dolls there since none wanted to become human, it was very useful for me. There’s holy water that fills a cup just once a year in the underground hot spring of the Grand Temple. They say humans use it for healing, but if toys drink it, they can become human. Only you should know this.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes. Of course it wasn’t easy avoiding the people guarding it with eyes like fire, but as you can see, I succeeded. Though I had to give up living an endless life. But as you know, what forever do toys like us have? We’re lucky if we don’t get broken and thrown away. I wanted to be with Clara even if I had to give up everything.”

Leo’s face as he spoke was incomparably brighter and more confident than before.

“That’s great. So you came to tell me that you became human? I thought I’d never see you again, but now I can see you often?”

Watching Jayden’s genuine joy, Leo lowered his voice secretively.

“That’s part of it, but there’s a real reason why I came to find you.”

At the mention of something more important than becoming human, Jayden’s face also tensed up. Leo glanced left and right with a serious expression and whispered in a small voice.

“You know Clara’s father is a merchant, right? Even though the empire seems peaceful on the surface, apparently things aren’t right inside. The nouveau riche are at their limit with complaints about the imperial family and nobles who make only them pay taxes.”

“What?”

The expressions of people coming to the toy store all seemed cheerful, so he couldn’t have guessed such circumstances. Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared about humans’ lives.

“Furthermore, in neighboring countries both large and small, monarchies are disappearing through revolution and worlds of equality for all are emerging.”

“Is that even possible? The class system that’s lasted for hundreds of years is disappearing?”

He was so shocked that the edge of the wooden board he was gripping crumbled to powder under his strength.

“Yes. Within a year, big things will happen in this country too. That’s why I need your power, Jayden. Can you help me?”

Given how complicated the human world seemed, and now that Leo had become human and was asking a toy like himself for help, he couldn’t readily agree.

Along with the thought that it was dangerous, Larien’s worried face came to mind first.

Still, he couldn’t flatly refuse his friend who had come to find him, so he decided to listen first and then decide.

“What kind of thing is it? Something that needs a doll’s help?”

“No. I need your help, not a doll’s help, Jayden. I desperately need comrades to fight together in this revolution. Let’s lead the revolutionary army together. You’re more brave than anyone, so I’m sure you’ll do well. If we succeed, we can become wealthy by sharing the remaining imperial fortune.”

“That’s nonsense. How could I, a toy soldier?”

Jayden looked up at his friend who was speaking nonsense with pitying eyes. How did Leo, who had been quite intelligent, end up like this?

Noticing the meaning in his eyes, Leo quickly shook his head and added,