I KNEW I HAD DIED, BUT I WAS thankful that it wasn't a gruesome death or an accident like being killed by a truck. Honestly, I used to dream if I would get transmigrated and reborn into one of my favorite stories when I died, but I had no hope for it whatsoever. So, when I opened my eyes again and realized I was back to being a baby, I was momentarily happy.
That is until someone said my name and I realized in which world I had been reborn.
"It's a girl, your excellency," a short maid told the beautiful woman who I was staring at. "Do you have a name chosen?" She asked the also handsome teary man holding the woman's hands.
He looked at me with eyes full of love. "We have a daughter, my love. A beautiful daughter that has your eyes!" The man took me from the maid's arms. "Her name is going to be Amelie. Amelie Mhorgain Winter!"
And that was it. Closing my eyes, I cursed the Gods who did this to me. A life with a deadline, for fuck's sake, it's the worst. The man, who I guess it's my father, Duke Julius Winter, passed me to my mother.
When our eyes met, she was really incredibly beautiful. "Our Amelie," she chuckles softly. "You will be so loved, darling." She held me closer to her chest. "We'll give you everything you need, everything you want. You will live the life you deserve, my Princess!"
What for? If I'm going to die when I turn 21 anyways?! Is my soul destined to be reborn into girls with short lifespans? Because, fuck, first I died at 16, and now I'll die at 21. What a nightmare.
I decided to cry non-stop once no one would judge me because I'm a baby again. However, they thought I was hungry, so my mother, Duchess Beatrix Mhorgain-Winter, began to breastfeed me. It was strange at first, but then I felt as if my energies were all getting recharged.
···
A year passed in the blink of an eye. And you know what? It wasn't as boring as I predicted it would be. My parents were indeed loving, and opposite to the parents I had in my past life, they were easygoing and loved outdoor activities, and also loved to show me to everyone.
However, I lived in fear of meeting the Royal Princes, who were all six months older than me, being born on May 7th. Every time mom talked about how her sister, Queen Merilyn who's still alive, who's not only my aunt but also Godmother [info that, not surprisingly, wasn't on the damned game] wanted me to meet her step-sons, I used the crying card to make her stop talking about it. That's the good part of being a baby.
It was also apparent that I was already engaged to the future King, whoever that came to be, which was absurd in my opinion, especially because that's a dead flag to me. Because no one knew who the future King was going to be, the Queen wanted her sister to let me grow up around the Princes, saying that it would help me get closer to my future husband. However, I hated that.
Mom seemed to notice how I cried every time that was mentioned, so, she kept avoiding it. Saying that she would wait until I turned five years old to let me out of the Duchy. That made me love her even more. My dad was amazing as well because he didn't let anyone talk about my future marriage in front of him, so, I did my best to spend more time with him as possible.
And although I tried to avoid showing them I could already walk before I turned 1 year old, so, the day after my 1st birthday on November 1st, I got on my feet and ran to my mother. But I didn't know that the fact I ran to her would cause such a commotion. Mom must have loved that because she held me in her arms and cried.
I waited two months after that to show them I could already talk, and that, oh dear, cause a bigger commotion than me running to my mom. They began to call me a prodigy, a genius, and things like that. Which, although it was good to hear, it sounded like pure flattery. My dad even call a tutor to teach me how to read, and that was just a little hard because it was a different language.
Nevertheless, it took me seven months to learn that, thanks to my young brain being able to learn things is an incredible speed. In that meantime, the Princes turned 2 years old, and my parents went to greet them, but I didn't come with them, because I purposely caught a cold to avoid meeting them. That was enough for my parents to realize I was little against the Princes.
Two months after I turned two years old, they called me saying we needed to talk. Dressed in my lilac pajamas with flower drawings and hugging my big teddy bear I called Leo, I went to their chambers. After I knocked on the door, mom opened it for me.
When she looked at my hair, she smiled, "You learned another type of braid?"
"Mm-hm!" I hugged her leg and ran to my dad's lap. "Did I do something wrong?"
Dad caressed my chubby cheeks. "Not at all, darling. But we have to talk about something with you," he held me in his arms, got up, and sat me on the chair in front of them.
"Since you were younger, you seem a little hostile every time we mention the Royal Princes, darling," mom started, confirming my suspicions about what the subject was. "Do you have something against your cousins?"
Sulking, I looked at my hands. "Mommy, they aren't my cousins. They are only the King's sons with his mistresses. None of them have the Mhorgain blood, but I do. I'm afraid they will be wary of me and kill me for having royal blood, while they don't!"
They stared at me shocked. Then their eyes got watery and it seemed as if they were about to cry. "Darling," mom came to me and held me in her arms. "They won't kill you," yes, they will. "We won't let it happen. Neither will my sister."
Sigh. "But what if aunt dies? And when I marry one of them? You won't be able to help me!"
My dad stared at me helplessly, then he came closer and kneeled in front of me. "You are only two years old, why are you thinking of such horrible things, darling? How do you even know how to say most of those words? Did anyone say this to you?"
"No, daddy. I just came to the realization that this would happen. Aren't you afraid that if aunt dies, the King will feel threatened by us and will get me killed after I marry one of his sons?" Because it's going to happen.
"What can we do to make you stop thinking about that, darling?" Mom asked in pain.
"Can I learn martial arts from now on? I want to know how to protect myself. We don't know if someone will try to kill me when I'm alone," that's what I wanted all along, to be honest.
They shared a gaze. "Will that put you at ease?" Dad asked.
"Yes!" I exclaimed with a smile.
"Then we'll allow you to do it," he said. "But only if you promise us that when you turned 5, you won't protest meeting the Princes." That's not so good.
I bit my lip. "Eight!"
"What?" Mom asked confused.
"I won't protest meeting them, but only if it happens when I turn 8." I have to bet on this. "When aunt asks about it, just tell her about my fear. She's my Godmother, so I think she might understand me. Please, let me have more than 6 years away from them," I asked, using all of my cuteness to persuade them.
Mom sighed and turned to dad, "Just 3 years beyond what we agreed to before. They will still be able to kind of grew up together as Marilyn wanted to. And if we talk with her, she'll understand Lily's fear."
"Honestly, I didn't want to let her around them until she turned 15, so I totally agree with her," dad exclaimed, making me giggle. "If you are happy, I'm happy. And at least, if you learn martial arts during those 6 years, you will be able to beat them up if they try to bully you or anything like that!"
I love my dad, damn. "Love!" Mom reprimanded him. "Don't say something like that." She turned to me. "Don't listen to your dad. Do not choose violence, unless it's necessary."
"Don't worry, mommy!" I smiled to her and winked to my dad.