The following days passed in a blur, and soon enough, the day came when I would be introduced to the people—or was it demons? I still needed a term to refer to them. The whole spectacle felt like an unnecessary charade. Why couldn't they just leave the baby be?
I lay in my cradle, staring at the ceiling, when I heard the familiar sound of footsteps. My foresight had already shown me who it would be: my mother, accompanied by the elven girl with short gray hair and those unmistakable green eyes.
The elf, who usually assisted my mother with my care, was someone I was used to by now. Bathing and.. changing
Yes, it was strange, but what choice had I? My hands were too small to manage such things myself. Besides, it wasn't as though I could simply declare, "Pardon me, Miss Elf, might I relieve myself in privacy?" No, that would be quite the scandal.
Moments later, they entered the room with fresh cloths. After a swift and, for me, yet another embarrassing bath, they wrapped me in a soft white cloth. I had to admit, the material was comfortable, though I'd never say that out loud.
Mother scooped me up in her arms, and after what felt like an eternity confined to my room, we finally ventured out into the corridor. A surge of excitement rushed through me. Something new at last. Despite the morning hour, the corridors were dimly lit by candle light, shadows flickering along the walls.We made several turns before arriving at what appeared to be a grand balcony.
My father stood there, draped in a long khaki coat. For the first time, his face was not one of smiles and laughter. Beside him was my sister, wearing a flowing white dress, looking every bit the princess she was supposed to be, rather than the bothersome sibling I had come to know.
We drew closer, the elven girl—Lirein—falling back respectfully. My mother smiled, albeit more reserved than usual, and handed me over to my father. He nodded, his face stern, which was unlike him. Where was the bubbly man I knew?
Father moved to the edge of the balcony, holding me securely. A murmur of voices rose from below. A crowd, it seemed. A very large one. He lifted me high, so all could see, and with a voice that could rattle stone, he declared, "Behold, your prince!"
The crowd fell silent, a hush sweeping over them. Then, as if a dam had burst, applause and cheers rang out, a wave of sound that filled the air. I couldn't help but glance down. Below us stood a mass of beings—elves, demi-humans, goblins, and other creatures of various shapes and sizes. Their cheers resonated like a warm embrace.
For the first time, I felt...appreciated. In my previous life, the world had been so cruel, so heartless. But here, things were different. Here, I was celebrated. I let out a small, involuntary sigh of contentment and I thought:
"Farewell, cruel world."
『At the same time in a nearby village』
"Mother!" a girl cried over a lifeless body. No one was left anymore; the whole village was destroyed, reduced to ashes, to nothing but silence.
She looked around the ash for family, friends, anyone who might have survived. This all started about a week ago when fire began falling from the sky. Charlotte—the girl who is crying now—had gone out to play and gather some of her favourite berries when this all started. For a week she had to survive on her own, each day growing more terrifying than the last. Every day for the past seven days, fire would rain. However, today it didn't.
At first, the fire seemed to be too far to be a threat, as it rained somewhere over various mountains. Of course, some people were worried that it was a punishment from the goddess; those people left, fleeing to what they hoped was safety. The others, with nowhere to go, stayed behind and only hoped the infernal showers wouldn't reach them. However, the heavens had other plans.
Then about a week ago, the fire changed trajectory and came straight for the village, destroying everything. Houses, livestock, the people. Charlotte's home. Her mother, her father, and brother, all lost their lives to this hell.
She couldn't go back home, not with all the raining fire that was happening. At just nine years old, she had to survive on water, mushrooms, fruit, and various plants. There was no one to cook for her and no one to care for her. All alone.
Now she sits in the rubble and ash of her once peaceful village. "Oh goddess. What did we do wrong?"
She asked herself with teary eyes, unaware of the true cause of this catastrophe that had befallen them.