CH 2

“So annoying. How come you don’t even know such simple manners?”

Young days.

I was having tea with His Highness Elder in a corner of the royal palace. The saint is supposed to live in the temple until she gets married. 

That’s why the tea party with His Highness, which happens several times a year, was a very precious time for us to interact with each other.

However, even though it was such a precious tea party, my hands trembled and I overturned the teacup. 

His Highness looked astonished at me, who was flustered. 

“Presea. Even if you mess up, leave everything to the court ladies. Picking up a cup that’s fallen on the floor is rude.” 

Looking down at me sitting on the floor, His Highness let out a sigh. 

“I wonder why you’re so restless. Your hands are always shaking. Besides, I think you should improve your expression a little more. You smile too little.”

…Because my whole body hurts.

It’s like being stabbed with needles from inside.  

Nevertheless, the high priest told me not to show pain on my face. That’s what a saint should be. 

It hurts and I can’t laugh.

But at the very least, I try not to pretend that I’m in pain, so I’m always trying to make up for it. This is my last effort.

I became sad and asked His Highness. 

“My body hurts. Please, Your Highness. Please take this off…”

Hurt. It hurts. 

I don’t want to do this anymore.

I don’t even taste food every day. I am a light sleeper and wake up every few minutes. 

Even so, I’m a saint, so I have to keep putting up barriers. 

Otherwise, the people of this country would be in trouble. 

Then at least, remove this circlet…

“You’re just exaggerating, aren’t you?” 

His Highness Elder smiled wryly and let out a sigh. 

“Just wearing a circlet shouldn’t hurt so much, right?” 

“But……”

“My mother never said anything like that. Just because you’re from an orphanage can’t be an excuse for not being well mannered or not being able to study, you know?” 

His Highness says that it has been many years since I entered the royal palace.

“That’s because Her Highness didn’t have magical powers…” 

When I muttered that, His Highness’s eyes narrowed.

“In truth, you became a saint and became my fiancée from a position that was completely impossible. Do you know how fortunate that is? Isn’t that spoiled?”

“Ah, eh…”

“Ah ah, I don’t like it. Why do you have to bring such vile blood into the royal family?”

His Highness let it out.  

Those cold eyes looking down at me with a disappointed look on his face. More than anything, those eyes told me that he hated me.

But Your Highness. 

I didn’t even want to become a saint.  Rather than live with this kind of pain, I wanted to be poor and live freely rather than your wife.

We probably don’t understand each other. 

His Highness considers it an honor to become a saint.

Because I have no doubts that becoming a saint and a mother of the country is a happy thing.

I have pain all over my body.

I wish I could play around freely like before, as a child with no responsibilities, instead of having a body like this. 　

Saint’s training, etiquette lessons, and studying.

I want to throw everything away and have a lot of fun—–.

◆

“Ah ah, human children are cute~! Her cheeks are ponyo ponyo (so soft)!”

Ponyo Ponyo. 

My consciousness slowly emerged from my dream as someone pecked my cheek.

“Hmm…?” 

W-what…? 

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling…or rather, the ceiling of a bed with a canopy. 　

A splendid silver thread constellation chart is sewn onto the ceiling.

What’s this. 

Where is this place? 

I can’t move my body. 

What was I doing here…

“Ah! You are awake!” 

As I rubbed my eyes, someone peered into my face. 

I’m startled and let out a strange voice.

“Eh?”

A beautiful woman with long hair in a ponytail. 

She’s wearing a different type of outfit, different from the one in Oracion Castle.

But that’s not what surprised me.

It was because something was growing on her head. 

A small, twinkling horn that shines.　 On top of that, her hair and eyes are amethyst colored.

Clearly she wasn’t human. 

“Oh my god~! What beautiful eyes you have!” 

The woman looked into my eyes and let out an enchanted sigh. 

I-I was told I was beautiful… 

I’ve never been told that before.

After blinking my eyes, I whipped my heavy body and managed to get up. Her eyes were sparkling, but she suddenly helped me to get up.

“How’s your body? Do you have any pain anywhere?”

“I’m fine…”

But what was I doing… 

If I remember correctly, he was executed in the morning on a day when it looked like it was about to start raining…?

Ah ah, yes, I fell into that valley!

I instinctively hugged my body. 

It brings back scary memories.

The memory of falling into the darkness with my mouth gaping gave chills down my spine. 

……But now, my body is firmly here. It’s not transparent like a ghost.

Why am I still alive…?

“Um, what is this place? Why am I here…”

After blinking her eyes, the woman made a concerned face. 

“This is the demon king’s castle in the demon world. I don’t know the details, but it seems that you were saved by the demon king when you fell from the human world.”

“……Huh?”

Here it is again.

What are you saying with such a serious expression? 

There’s no way a real human can go to the Demon King or the Demon World.

“My name is Tiara of the Demon Race. By order of the Demon King, I will be taking care of you.” ”

“Take care of me?”

Even when I was in the temple, I took care of myself… 　

“I don’t know the circumstances, but His Majesty has ordered you to rest here for a while.”

Eh, eh ~, what the hell is that? 　

I still can’t believe I’m in the Demon World or the Demon King.

Tiara frowned and said. 

“But, uh… you have a place where you used to live, right?”

Of course it is, but I never want to go back. 

As soon as I shook my head, Tiara stopped saying a word as if she had guessed something.

“…I don’t know the circumstances, but it’s the worst to leave such a small child alone. Your body is so thin…”

Tiara looked at me painfully.  

A small child… I’m already 15 years old. 

I’m an adult.

When I thought about it, I noticed that my gaze was lower than usual.

I feel like my voice is a little high too…

If I look down, I can see your hands. Perhaps someone had changed my clothes, I was wearing a good-quality nightgown with cute frills on the sleeves. 

It looks so classy. I wonder if I should wear something. 

The problem isn’t there. A small, fluffy hand sticking out from the hem.

….

…..!?

“Huh huhhh!?”

My hands are so small! ? 

I put my hand on my cheek.

It’s kind of funny.

It’s super soft.

“Don’t worry. There are lots of cute stuffed animals and delicious food here!”

Tiara, wondering where she got it from, holds a fluffy rabbit and stuffed bear in both hands and shakes them. 

I thought that her face was somewhat dejected and looked just like the face I saw when I saw a puppy or a kitten.

“Look, it’s Usa-chan and Kuma-kun~”

No, no, stop it, stop it!?

It’s tough for a 15-year-old adult girl!

That’s what I thought, but suddenly my eyes stopped at the glittering jewels sewn into the rabbit’s eyes.

Reflected in the jewel is the face of a stupid child.  

She must be about five years old. 　Somehow, it doesn’t look like the old me…

“Eh”

No, no way. 

When I put my hand on my cheek, the little girl inside the jewel also makes a similar gesture.

“Ehhh!?!?” 

“I’m getting smaller—-!” ?

◆

“Yes, because it’s hot. So let me phew phew for you ~”

I was sorting out what had happened so far in my head while looking at Tiara, who cooled down the risotto with a broken face.

①First of all, I am Presea, the former saint of Oracion. Fifteen years old. ②Since a real saint came from another world, I was fired. 

③So, for bullying the saint, I was pushed into the “Valley of the Return of Time” and executed.

④ I intended to escape with flying magic, but in the end I couldn’t use magic at the last minute, and I just fell. 

⑤ When I woke up, I was a little girl. On top of that, this place seems to be the demon king’s castle in the demon world…

“Come on, Ah~”

⑥ And the risotto is delicious.

The above is what I actually experienced.

Ha phew ha phew while eating hot cheese risotto (third bowl), I think.

It seems that this place is really magical. 

Somehow, I could tell from the air. “Miasma”, which is considered evil in the human world, drifts thickly in this world. I’ve been putting up a barrier for many years, so I understand the feeling of miasma.

Besides, the appearance of Tiara is clearly different from that of a human. Tiara was fine with using magic.

To heat the risotto, she created something like a small flame and ignited a special tool――a magic tool, apparently. 

In the human world, people with magical powers never use magic in front of strangers. 

This is because you may be reported and placed in a detention camp.

Above all, when I saw strange creatures (it seems to be called dragons…) flying around outside the window, I got the answer that this is not the human world…

“Well, this sister Tiara will take good care of you! If you eat a lot and sleep a lot, your body will get better soon.”

Tiara wipes the grains of rice off my cheeks.

As a little girl now, I can’t even tell if there’s a grain of rice on my cheek. 

I also have a dull feeling in my hands and have become much more clumsy than before. Perhaps the letters and pictures would be childish if I wrote them now.

Aaah…why is this happening? 

There was a legend that the Valley of the Return of Time leads to the demon world, but I never thought it was true…

Maybe it’s because of the valley of the clock that I’ve become so small.

I mean, what was the Demon King’s intention in helping me?

Many questions arise. 

At the same time, a large amount of cold sweat broke out.

The human world and the demon world are on very bad terms. 

I was told that if the barrier were to disappear, the demons would immediately invade the human world and take over.

……This is dangerous, if the people of this world find out that I am a former saint, right?