Chapter 4

"Troublesome. Why can't you, a noble lady, understand such simple manners?"

In my childhood.

In one corner of the palace, I was having tea with Prince Elder.

The Holy Maiden is supposed to live in the temple until she gets married.

Therefore, the few times a year when I had tea with the prince were very precious times for us to deepen our bond.

However, even during such a precious tea party, my hands were trembling, and I ended up overturning the teacup.

The prince looked at me as if I were a mouse and said,

"Presea. Even if you make a mistake, you should leave all the cleaning up to the ladies-in-waiting. Picking up a cup that has fallen on the floor is a very unseemly thing to do."

He sighed as he looked down at me, who was sitting on the floor.

"Why are you so uncomposed? Your hands are always shaking. I think you should also improve your expression. You hardly ever smile."

...Because my whole body hurts.

It feels like I'm being pricked with needles from the inside.

Still, the High Priest told me not to show any pain on my face. That's what it means to be the Holy Maiden.

It hurts so much that I can't even smile.

But at least, I always try to hide the fact that I'm in pain. This is the best I can do.

I felt sad and pleaded with the prince,

"My body hurts. Please, Your Highness, take this off..."

It hurts. It really hurts.

I don't want this anymore.

Every day, I can't even taste my food. I can't sleep well and wake up every few minutes.

Still, I am the Holy Maiden, so I have to continue maintaining the barrier.

If I don't, the people of this country will be in trouble.

So at least, please take off this circlet...

"You're being dramatic."

Prince Elder chuckled and sighed.

"There's no way the circlet could hurt you that much, right?"

"But..."

"My mother never said anything like that. Being from an orphanage is no excuse for not knowing manners or not being able to study."

The prince continued, "You've been here for years now."

"That's because the princess didn't have any magic..."

When I whispered this, the prince's eyes narrowed.

"To become the Holy Maiden and my fiancée from such an impossible background, how fortunate are you? And yet, you still use your lack of magic as an excuse... Isn't that just being spoiled?"

"Spoiled..."

"Why are you the Holy Maiden?"

The prince muttered this, looking down at me with a disappointed expression. His cold eyes told me more than anything that he didn't recognize me.

But, Your Highness,

I didn't want to be the Holy Maiden.

If I had to live with such pain, I would rather have lived a poor but free life.

I want to go back to the orphanage where everyone is waiting for me.

I want to see my teacher...

We probably can't understand each other.

You think becoming the Holy Maiden is an honor.

You believe that becoming the Holy Maiden and the mother of the country is a happy thing, without any doubt.

I also want to protect people.

So, I want you to take off this circlet.

My whole body hurts.

Just for a moment,

I want to be a child again, free from pain and responsibility, playing around freely.

I want to do many fun things, like when I was in the orphanage...

◆

"Oh, human children are so cute! Their cheeks are so soft and squishy!"

Squishy.

My consciousness slowly rose from the dream as my cheeks were poked by someone.

"Hmm...?"

What...?

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling... or rather, the ceiling of a canopy bed. A beautiful constellation made of silver threads was sewn onto the ceiling.

What is this?

Where am I?

My body won't move properly.

What was I doing...?

"Oh! You're awake!"

As I rubbed my eyes, someone peered into my face, and I let out a strange sound in surprise.

"Huh?"

A beautiful woman with long hair in a ponytail.

She was wearing a uniform different from the one in Orlassion Castle, which I had never seen before.

But that wasn't what surprised me.

It was the small, shiny horns that protruded from her head.

Her hair and eyes were amethyst-colored.

Clearly, she wasn't human.

"Oh my! What beautiful eyes!"

The woman sighed in admiration as she looked into my eyes.

I've never been called beautiful before...

After blinking a few times, I forced my heavy body to sit up. She had been looking at me with sparkling eyes, but she quickly helped me sit up, as if realizing something.

"How do you feel? Is there any part of your body that hurts?"

"I'm fine..."

But what was I doing...?

I remember, on a morning when it looked like it might rain, I was executed...

Ah, right, I fell into that valley!

I hugged myself, and the terrifying memory came back.

The vivid memory of falling into the darkness that opened up before me made my spine shiver.

...But now, my body is firmly here.

I'm not transparent like a ghost.

Why am I still alive...?

"Um, where is this? Why am I here..."

The woman looked concerned.

"This is the Demon King's Castle. I don't know the details, but it seems that you fell from the human world and were saved by the Demon King."

"...Huh?"

Come on, what are you saying with such a serious face?

There's no way a human can go to the demon world or meet the Demon King.

"I am Tiana of the demon race. By the Demon King's order, I will take care of you."

"Take care of me?"

Even when I was in the temple, I did everything myself...

"I don't know the details, but His Majesty has ordered you to rest here for a while."

What, what is this?

I still can't believe the demon world and the Demon King.

Tiana frowned and said,

"However, you do have a place where you originally lived, right?"

I have, but I absolutely don't want to go back.

Tiana seemed to understand something and didn't say anything more.

"...To abandon such a small child is despicable. Your body is so emaciated..."

Tiana looked at me with pity.

Small child... I'm already fifteen years old.

I'm an adult.

Just then, I realized that my line of sight was lower than usual.

My voice also seemed slightly higher...

When I looked down, I saw my hands.

Someone had changed my clothes, and I was wearing a high-quality nightgown with lots of frills. It looked expensive. Is it okay to borrow this...?

But that's not the issue.

The small, pudgy hands that peeked out from the hem...

...

...!?

"Huh!?"

Are my hands this small!?

I touched my cheeks.

They felt soft and squishy.

"Please rest assured. There are plenty of cute stuffed animals and delicious food here!"

Tiana held up a fluffy rabbit and bear, shaking them.

Her face looked like she was seeing a puppy or a kitten.

"Here, it's the Bunny and the Bear~"

No, no, stop it!

That's too much for a fifteen-year-old adult girl!

But then, my eyes caught the shiny gem sewn onto the rabbit's eye.

The face reflected in the gem was that of a silly child.

About five years old.

It kind of looked like my younger self...

"Huh?"

No way.

When I touched my cheek, the child in the gem did the same.

"Wh-What!?"

I've become a little girl!?

◆

"Here, it's hot, so let's blow on it~"

As Tiana blew on the risotto with a smile, I organized my thoughts in my head.

1. First, I am Presea, the former Holy Maiden of the Holy Kingdom of Orlassion. Fifteen years old.

2. A real Holy Maiden from another world came, so I lost my position as the Holy Maiden.

3. I was pushed into the "Time Reversal Valley" and executed for bullying the Holy Maiden.

4. I tried to escape using flight magic, but I couldn't use it in the end and fell.

5. When I woke up, I was a little girl, and this place seems to be the Demon King's Castle...

6. And the risotto is delicious.

This is what actually happened to me.

While eating the hot cheese risotto (my third bowl), I thought.

It seems that this is really the demon world.

I could tell from the air.

This world is filled with "miasma," which is considered evil in the human world. I can sense miasma well because I've maintained the barrier for years (but when I experience it, it feels somewhat pleasant. Maybe it's not that bad...).

Also, Tiana's appearance is clearly different from that of a human.

Tiana used magic casually.

She created a small flame to warm the risotto and ignited a special tool—called a magic tool.

In the human world, people with magic never use it in front of strangers, as they might be reported and taken to a detention center.

Most importantly, I realized this isn't the human world when I saw strange creatures (called dragons) flying outside the window.

"Here, I, Tiana, will take good care of you! If you eat a lot and sleep a lot, your body will get better soon."

Tiana wiped the rice grains from my cheeks.

As a little girl now, I can't even tell if there are rice grains on my cheeks.

My sense of touch is dull, and I've become much clumsier. I'm sure if I tried to write or draw, it would look childish.

Oh... Why did this happen to me?

I heard that the Time Reversal Valley was said to connect to the demon world, but I never thought it was true...

Maybe becoming so small is also due to the Time Reversal Valley.

But why did the Demon King save me?

Many questions came to mind.

At the same time, cold sweat poured out.

The human world and the demon world have a very bad relationship.

We were taught that if the barrier were to disappear, the demons would immediately invade the human world and take over.

...If they find out I'm the former Holy Maiden, it could be dangerous...