Chapter 1.1

#Episode 1. 10th birthday

“Assha! That’s all you can ever do, huh?”

Three and a half years have passed since that day. Yet the memory was still starkly etched into my mind. Now, I am a four-year-old girl who’s still extremely careless.

But despite my young age, these madmen who pose as my family would demand my help whenever they needed money.

“I’ve worked non-stop all day long at the same place…”

Now, I am stuck picking up various useful minerals from a large pile of stones. Even though I’ve been working on it for an entire day, selecting a handful of minerals was still a tough and time-consuming process.

Upon presenting what I had sorted out today, my adoptive mother got angry.

Yelling at me, “This is not worth your meal! Don’t you think you should start earning your own living? Now there’s nothing to eat tomorrow!”

My birth mother had given enough gold, silver, and treasurers to my adoptive family so that I would be able to eat comfortably for 10 years, yet this family was still so shameless.

This family has now been torn apart.

My adoptive father is obsessed with making money but does not go to work as it is hot during summer and cold during winter. The only son of this house often comes home late after playing with other local boys all day long, while also saying that he will carry out knighthood in vain. My stepmother, meanwhile, is busy blaming the misfortune of the entire family on me, often calling me a cursed child.

Mother, if you were going to leave me, you should have sent me to a more normal home.

Moreover, I’ve encountered this whole ordeal ten times as a result of having been reborn nine times.

The beginning has always been the same.

During Spring, a woman, whose face is completely covered up, would wrap me up in a small sack and take me to this terrible house.

However, the way my life ends is different every time. One thing that is always consistent is the fact that I always died before I turned 12. Although having faced death countless times, I can always barely remember how I managed to die. Not even from my ninth life.

“It’s because she’s lacking discipline! Discipline!”

Andy yelled, in response to my adoptive mother’s scolding as soon as I stepped into the house.

“You’re saying she can’t even pull her own weight? Where does she even get such laziness from?”

Walking away, I lightly shoved at Andy before I began to once again rummage through the pile of stones.

“It’s because of her real mother. Who else could it be from? It’s all bloodlines and genetics!”

I laughed silently. Genetics? As if your genetics are any better than mine. Just take a look at those ugly lips.

“What’s your problem? What do you even want?” I replied, clenching my hands into fists and raising my head.

“Why are you so upset? Is it because your mother left you behind? Do you still think that she’ll pick you up someday? Wake up, it’s already been three years. She’s never coming back for you.”

Stomping his feet, he grabbed the minerals that I had just sorted out.

“Even though you’re a cursed child who is causing my family to lose money and go down, we’re still nice enough to continue taking care of you. Now, I’m just going to kick you out. After all, we don’t need to be nice to you anymore. Nobody who has white hair like yours would ever be able to live normally anyways.” he yelled.

“Andy, are you feeling grumpy right now?” I asked him sarcastically. I have already lived through this nightmare ten times, there was no need to keep the cycle going.

“Don’t make me laugh. Even if you grow up okay, no one will be desperate enough to marry you, and you’ll just have to work for the rest of your life with that shabby body. You’re short, you don’t have muscles, you’re stupid, and you’ve got a big head. You’re never ever going to become the knight that you want to be.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Even if you were to grow up decently, there will be no one desperate enough to marry someone like you. You’ll just have to work with that weak body of yours for the rest of your life. You’re short, stupid, and you’ve got a big head. You’ll never become the knight that you dream to be.”

“…excuse me?”

“You’re so stupid! Don’t you understand? You’re a terrible knight. Becoming a knight takes a lot of training and handwork. So. You. Won’t. Ever. Become. One!”

“That’s just bullsh-!!”

Enraged, Andy kicked the stones that I had just sorted. I tripped. Falling right over another heap of stones.

The sharp piece of rock I landed on made my back throb in pain. The stones I had sorted all day long were all mixed up and were now scattered randomly on the ground.

All my hard work, ruined in a matter of seconds. That was enough to make me cry.

But I did not. I would not cry.

Because today is that day.

Tap, Tap, Stomp.

From a distance, I could hear the faint sounds of horse hooves against the rough and uneven dirt roads.

‘It’s about time for them to come…’

Tap, stomp, clack.

Louder and louder the sound grew, before long, everyone could hear it.

“What’s going on?” Andy asked, walking towards the window, completely forgotten all about me and his previous anger. Blowing away the dust from the window and wiping it clean with his sleeves, he could see a group of horses across the dim forest road.

Since this is a deep mountain valley, it is incredibly hard for a horse to reach here. Moreover, there was not only one, but dozens of military horses quickly approaching our cabin while protecting the unusually long carriage between them.

“Andy, what’s outside?” My adoptive father asked, folding the newspaper and approached the window.

“Wait, that’s… that’s the flag of the Knights!”

Wiping his eyes with his grubby hands, Andy inched closer to the window, until his face was so pushed up against the window that his nose was fully crushed.

“Wait! I’m pretty sure that symbol was in that book about knighthood that Rudy had shown me! They’re coming this way, right? Right? They’re heading towards our house! Oh my god! What’s happening?” He exclaimed enthusiastically, smitten with joy and overwhelmed with a mirage of emotions, stretching out his hands, and ran towards our mother.

“I took the test of knighthood last month! I’m must’ve passed it with flying colour!! They’re coming to get me! Mom, this is the result of my hard work! It’s the beginning of happiness!”

All of his excitement was freaking me out, but I swallowed calmly. Even though I’ve experienced it many times, I’m still shaking from pure nervousness.

All of his excitement made me feel slightly terrified, but I swallowed calmly. Even though I’ve already experienced it multiple times, I could not help but shake nervously.

He’s finally coming.

This life was especially hard because it seemed as if time was passing very slowly, but it has finally come to that day.

“Andy! Oh my God! Are you certain? Did you really take the test? Why didn’t you tell me!”

“Well… that’s because if I were to fail, it would’ve been very embarrassing. So I was going to tell you should I succeed and pass. But I didn’t know a group of knights would come to pick me up! Oh my! Do you think I managed to get first place on the test? Maybe that’s why they’re coming to pick me up? Oh no! I’ll need to quickly change right now! Do I not have any decent clothes, Mom?! We can’t possibly greet the knights like this!”

As they were jumping around in excitement, happiness, and pride, the carriage arrived in our front yard.

A man with the largest, most beautiful, silver horse that was leading the group of knights jumped down from his horse and walked towards the cabin.

Thump! Thump!

Andy popped out like a spring at the knock on the door.

Popping out from the door upon a knock, Andy greeted the visitor.

“Oh… hello? What business do you have here?”

Greeting the visitor with a bright smile, Andy hardened as he noticed the man standing outside the door.

He was shockingly handsome. With dazzlingly vivid gold locks of hair that reached his shoulders, and a smooth, slender face which reminded me of marble statues. He had perfect features and was a noble surrounded with a holy aura.

However, what made Andy freeze at his spot were his icy red eyes. Eyes that looked down on us and made us want to fall to our knees and beg for our lives even though we did not do anything wrong.

Furthermore, his attire was also something to gawk at. He wore a white cape that was stained with a color similar to the vividness of his eyes. The smell of blood was not overwhelming, but it was definitely there. However, the color and the brightness of the red made it seem as if he had just stormed out of a bloody war.

Furthermore, his outfit was eyecatching. Behind him was a white cape stained with a color similar to the vividness of his eyes. You could faintly smell the blood, but it was there. Moreover, the color and brightness of the red made it seem as though he had just stepped out from a bloody battlefield.

“Oh uh…I’m very pleased to meet you. I-I really am,” Andy stammered after a moment of silence under the intense gaze from the man.

“Is this where the Windmill Family resides?”

“Yes! That’s right! I’m Andy Windmill”

“Where’s the princess?”

“You said… a Princess?”

Andy was dumbfounded upon hearing the man’s words. Brushing past Andy, the strange man strode straight into the cabin and began to search, Walking past the dusty, dense thread of cobwebs, worn-out tables and chairs, he headed straight towards the corner. Where I was standing.

I could not make a sound. But I continuously prayed in my heart.

‘I hope he feels sorry for me when he sees me in such a state. I hope his heart aches in compassion for me. I hope he feels guilty for allowing his princess to live in such a poor manner for a long time.’

But in his red eyes were devoid of emotion.

“Here you are.”

He walked towards me, knelt down, and saluted. Even when he was kneeling down, he was still taller than me. Lifting my head up to look him in the eyes, he too studied me.

A head full of dishevelled, tangled, shaggy white hair, wobbly emerald eyes, a dirty face covered in soot. Overall, a pitiful appearance paired with tattered garments.

I have been waiting all this time for someone who will come to save me.

My heart was pounding so hard, it felt as if there was something stabbing me.

“Princess Anastasia, I’m pleased to meet you. I am the Commander of the Knights of St. Veritas, Phaeon Parsiel.”

Phaeon Parsiel is the war hero of Santra. He’s achieved a lot from the last three years’ war and is a man who gained a reputation in the Great Land of Tranquillum for being the strongest knight.

It was only in this life would I, later on, find out that he is my biological father.

“Your name is Anastasia Entimoss,” he continued.

He turned around, sparing a glance at my adoptive family, who were just standing there, mouths agape.

“The First Princess of Santra.”