"Your Majesty, we will take care of your children. In the future, he will become the greatest King after you."
My memories are coming back little by little as I grow up.
I did it...
I achieved the afterlife!
As a baby, I don't really do much. I don't understand a lot of things. The memories are only coming back when I reached the age of 1.
I am so happy..!
By the age of 2, the horror from my last life was reliving in my head. My fresh mind was tainted was again.
The numbness was returning. However, my instincts fought back against it. So I retained my once lost emotions.
By the age of 3, I remembered my mother, and only by the age of 4 did the horror of her death came back.
It hurts... now that I have emotions.
However, that is all in the past life now. If I ever see her, if I even know, I want to say thanks to my only family.
Speaking of family...
My parents only come to take care of me once in a while. By the age of 5 did I learn why, and at the same time, how sad my fate is.
"Goodbye, our Prince..."
That was the last time I saw my "parents" and how I first met my tormentors. They were the ones who taught me how better my previous life was.
"AAAHHHHH!!!"
That was my scream. A scream from pure agony.
"Burn him! Burn him!" there was a dense crowd in front of me while I am bathed in flames, Both my palms nailed to stakes.
These people who were jeering at me in unison all wear the same clothes. They all wore dirty white.
"I hope you die, worthless scum!""Unforgivable sinner, burn in hell!""You are the lowest of the low!"
"S-stop...!" my thin voice called out, "HELP ME! HELP ME!"
However, some just paused and continued to throw rocks at me. Just like the moderate flames enough to burn my skin, the rocks are small enough not to kill me but enough to increase the torture.
Why? Why are they doing this to me?
"He-help..."
I looked up and finally saw the bright blue ceiling. White things floating in it. In the middle was a bright ball that is hurting my eyes.
Connect?
I thought the lashes of the Outsiders scraping my fresh wounds was the most painful thing that could ever happen to me.
I am too wrong.
This is the worst. I don't even bleed at this point. Fire scorching its way up. Burning my everything.
It is worse than a thousand needles...
Connect?
Would I reach the next afterlife again?
Is there even a third life? Please... I don't want to die like this. I want to live a normal life!
Connect?
Connect!
But there's no point. I will never know. In my past life, I didn't even know that I succeeded. I only saw this scene above me. I just didn't feel it.
No point... the numbness is coming back, protecting me from this pain. My second will end just like that.
I looked up at the bright big ball in the far ceiling. I burned that image to my eyes. Haha...
I wish I could be that thing, free from this all. Having never-ending life. All it does is come up and then come down.
Wait, I know what that is. Mom said something like "san"? And the "Iskay"?
"Shan, why is the prince not responding?"
"No way..."
"What?"
"Keth... I think he broke..."
"Seriously, in his first day?! How?! From what they told us, this would only happen at least a month after! Take out the Sanity Recaller, Shan! We can't fail on the first day, we have to create the greatest King and Queen!"
"Here..."
Huh?
What is that?
I feel... huh?
Ha... haha...
"Hahaha.... HAHAHAHA!"
Why am I laughing like a maniac?
I opened my eyes and saw that they have a white object that has a weird shape. It's like a feather of a bird. They are... tickling me?
"HAHAHAHA!"
I didn't need to ask, I know why they are doing this.
No... the numbness! It's going away!
"AHHHHH--!!"
The pain, it's coming back!
Kill me now!
"Oh, he's sane again. That's fast..."
"Keth, what is happening to him? This prince got me worrying! Hahaha!"
"I think that's enough. The fire is already past his legs. He will suffocate at this point."
"Then put the water on him! Remove the flame! Call the Miracle-Worker and heal the prince!"
Heal?
Even though my skin was burned, when the water washed away the flames, I felt extreme relief.
I thought I was going to die.
Unfortunately, I didn't. How long will this last?
Four years later...
I am now nine years old. As usual, the suffering was still there. It never stopped. I bore a great, inextinguishable hatred towards my two tormentors; Keth and Shan.
However, it's fine since I have someone to take care of me. Her name is Lennie and she's my personal maid.
Lennie taught me everything.
Being a prince is harsher than a slave in this world. Because this world has [Karma].
Everything has an absolute price. Yet, it was ultimately unfair!
Kings and queens are vastly different from princes and princesses.
Because the King and Queen need a perfect life, great wisdom to rule the kingdom, and virtue to rule the kingdom.
When the first people of this world discovered the strange absolute [Karma], they created this method to have the perfect rulers.
How?
Simple, they pay it with another life - their parents, the generation before them.
In every kingdom, there are two royal families alternating the ruling of the kingdom. The one will have a king and a queen while the other will have a prince or a princess.
The queen will give birth to either a prince or a princess. Then a princess will give birth to either a king or a queen.
The prince will never be the king nor the king will ever be the prince. The same could be applied between the queen and the princess.
This arrangement was for the prince or princess to receive the harshest life possible. The [Karma] will then be passed to the next generation, the king or the queen.
Mock the prince so that the king will be revered.
Let the princess have nothing to eat so that the queen will be always full.
Torment the prince so that the king will have the pleasure.
Reject the princess so that the queen will be accepted.
The cycle goes on. The royal families only have this method so they can only have the perfect king or queen.
Politics did the rest to suppress those with great ethics and morals. They could never match the wit of a wise king or queen.
Meaning, once the princess bore the future King or Queen, we will finally be freed. The Karma had been passed, there is no point in keeping us here.
I'm glad that I didn't die...
This life can still change. Once I reach the age of fifteen, I will meet the princess. At the age of twenty, we will make the King and Queen.
After that, we will be set free!
"So do your best, prince." Lennie sweetly and gently, as always, placed me on my bed, "Once this is all finished, I will serve you forever. You will live the greatest life. So don't lose hope and persevere!"
After a day of hell, Lennie would read me some books, legends that made me fascinated and excited about this world. Then, she will let me peacefully sleep at night.
"Thank you, Lennie..." I smiled.
I always think that Lennie is my mom. But I think she didn't retain her memories or that she doesn't think that I am her son before.
In the future, I will tell her.
Lennie smiled back at me, "Goodnight, dear prince."
"Goodnight, Lennie... I love you..." I hid under a blanket. Although I am already a teenager last life, let me act like a child being taken care of again.
I need it.
Lennie paused, somewhat stunned, before answering, "I love you too, little prince."
The night is my haven. If Lennie is truly my mom from the past life, I will tell her I love her a hundred times a day.
Something that I didn't even know that I should say last life.
Even though I will go through hell again tomorrow, for Lennie and for the princess, I will go through it all!
Six years later...
"Hello, prince, this is your special day!" Keth said with his annoying loud voice.
"Congratulations for reaching this point, 43rd Prince..." Shan followed with his annoying low voice.
Keth and Shan looked especially happy today. How I hate how they smile...
"You will finally meet your princess!"
They brought me to an unknown place.
I was stunned at what they showed me...
My voice that is already rough and slightly mature quivered, "I-Isn't that a pig?"
"Hm? Yeah!"
"Time to lose your virginity prince..."
My vision went black at that instant.