Kyril found himself at a loss for words. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening in front of him.
Father turned into a child? he thought. That shouldn’t be possible, but…
Kyril stared at the child incredulously. He had the same ice-blue eyes and silver hair as Feilong. Though his plump, childlike cheeks begged to be pinched, his sharp nose was the same as Feilong’s. When Kyril and Feilong met each other’s eyes, the rainbow luster deep within their irises wavered.
There’s no mistaking it, Kyril thought. This child is Father. In that case, what should I do…?
He looked back and forth between Feilong and Angelina. Both children were regarding each other dumbfoundedly, their expressions anxious. They appeared much frailer than usual. Unsure what else to do, Kyril squeezed his eyes shut.
Feilong was renowned for his cruelty and governed the enormous empire through his unparalleled might. If word of his powerlessness got out, vassal nations would seek independence, and surrounding nations would attack. Though Kyril had been named crown prince, he was still young and unrecognized in strength.
One small mistake could lead to war, he thought, his fingers trembling. I’m at a complete loss. What should I do?
All the while, his subordinates looked to him for a decision.
Regardless, I have to do something.
Kyril shook his head and steeled himself. He couldn’t let this situation become public knowledge, so he began firing off orders.
“Tomi! Put a gag order on this event for the time being!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Yuen! Interrogate the performers about their purpose and how to dispel the magic! Don’t let them commit suicide!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Junshi! I want you to personally study how to dispel the magic as well!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Fodder!” Angelina cried, dashing over to him.
In response, Feilong shook his head, terror etched upon his face. It was as if he didn’t recognize her.
“Fodder…?” Angelina called out again, overcome with shock.
Feilong took a step backward. His eyes darted around the area, searching for an escape route.
“Do you not recognize me…?” Angelina asked. “Did you forget who I am…?”
She was so overcome with shock that she could hardly breathe. As pressure formed in her tear ducts, her blue eyes began to water. She could start crying at any moment.
“Fodder!” she yelped. “It’s me—Lina! Angelina!”
As she approached him, Feilong shook his head again, his face still a mask of terror. “Don’t come any closer! I don’t know anyone named Lina!”
The tears finally spilled from her eyes. Father says he doesn’t know me…? she thought. Still, I told Father I didn’t even want to know him the other day. Was he as hurt as I am right now? That was a truly awful thing to say.
“Fodder,” Angelina said, holding out her hand to him again. “It’s me—Lina. Don’t you remember?”
“Get away from me!” Feilong shouted, swatting her hand away. “I’ve never seen you before in my life!”
Tears continued trickling down Angelina’s cheeks. I should never have said I didn’t want to know him, she thought. That was just a dumb lie. This is punishment for saying something so awful!
Prime Minister Tomi came to stand between Angelina and Feilong. Years ago, the previous emperor had abandoned Feilong. As his uncle, Tomi had raised him alongside his children.
“Do you recognize me, Master Feilong?” Tomi asked gently.
Feilong looked up at him with obvious relief. “…Uncle?”
Tomi swaddled Feilong in his oversized robes and picked him up. “His Majesty’s memories seem to have reverted back to his childhood as well.”
Kyril marched over to the troupe leader. “What the hell did you do?!”
The troupe leader looked over at Feilong with an aggravated expression. “I never expected him to shield his daughter from the time-reversal magic.”
“You were aiming for Angelina?!” Kyril roared.
As the troupe leader donned a self-deprecating smile, the rebounded magic smoldered and crackled around him. “To think the emperor loved her that much,” he said, his voice growing feeble and hoarse. “I never accounted for that.”
The other performers cried out in surprise.
“Sir! Why would you attack the Princess of Yule?!”
“Sir?!”
“Why…?! The Princess of Yule is our only hope!”
The troupe leader fell to his knees while bearing the criticism of the other performers. In the blink of an eye, his flesh started to wrinkle. When his face and body grew as desiccated as a withered tree, he began to crumble away.
“Don’t look, Lina!” Ryuho shouted while covering her eyes.
The surface of the former troupe leader peeled away flake by flake. In the end, only a wooden doll remained. Yuen furrowed his brow.
Overcome with shock, Angelina quivered violently. Her understanding couldn’t keep up with everything that had just occurred. Tears gushed from her eyes like water from a broken dam.
“…He wanted to kill me?” she asked, utterly confused.
If Feilong had shielded her from killing magic, he probably would have died. However, he’d turned into a child instead. By that logic, the troupe leader’s spell hadn’t been killing magic.
Father warned me against approaching strangers, but I didn’t listen to him, Angelina thought. Did he turn into a child because I misbehaved?
“Wh-What’s going on?” Angelina asked. “Why is Fodder so small? Is it my fault? M-My…?”
If that magic had struck me, would I have returned to before I was born? she wondered. What is time-reversal magic, anyway? Why did he need to reverse time in the first place? Do he and the Yulan people wish I was never born? Is killing me not enough? They want to return me to before I was born?
“Should I have never been born…?” Angelina muttered to herself.
She’d asked herself that question many times while looping over and over again. If she hadn’t been born, her mother wouldn’t have died. So, why had she been born? What was the meaning of a life that didn’t bring anyone joy? Her current, happy life had finally answered those questions. Her father and brother cherished her, after all. Likewise, she’d made friends such as Ryuho and Hisame. I’m glad I was born, she’d finally been able to believe.
But now, there are people right in front of me who would give up their lives to turn back time to before I was born.
Being confronted with that truth made it difficult to breathe. “…Maybe I really shouldn’t have been born,” she murmured.
“Don’t be stupid!” Ryuho shouted, grabbing Angelina’s shoulders and turning her to face him. He grabbed her head and pressed her face into his chest. “Listen to me! If you keep talking like that, I’ll get really mad! I won’t forgive you! I won’t be your friend anymore!”
“But Fodder turned into a toddler because of me.”
“That wasn’t your fault!”
“But—”
“It was the troupe leader’s fault—he’s the bad guy here!” Ryuho declared. “You didn’t do anything wrong! Not a single thing! The people who do bad stuff are the ones to blame!” As Ryuho hugged Angelina with all his might, her face sank deeper into his warm chest. “I’m here because you saved me, Lina! I’m here because you were born! If you hadn’t been born, I wouldn’t be here right now!”
Ryuho’s breathing grew ragged as he continued yelling.
“Ryuho…” Angelina mumbled, squeezing his rising and falling back in her arms.
“So don’t say stuff like that. Don’t say you shouldn’t have been born. If you say that, I’ll… I’ll—”
Ryuho burst into tears.
Angelina was so stunned that she had difficulty knowing what to say. “Please don’t cry, Ryuho.”
“You’re the one who made me cry,” Ryuho scolded her through his sobbing. “If you weren’t here… If I searched the entire world and couldn’t find you, then I would… Then I would—”
He couldn’t imagine a world in which Angelina hadn’t been born. After all, he’d decided they would be together forever and ever.
“Then I would die of loneliness!” he howled plaintively.
“I’m sorry, Ryuho!” Angelina cried. “I’m really sorry!”
His wailing caused her chest to ache. I never knew anyone would be this sad if I disappeared, she thought.
“Sorry won’t cut it!” Ryuho shouted. “Stop saying weird stuff! I hate it!”
“I’m sorry, Ryuho. I’ll stop talking like that.”
“Is that a promise?”
Angelina nodded. “It’s a promise!”
“And no takesies-backsies?”
“No takesies-backsies!”
“You better pinky promise then,” Ryuho said, gazing at Angelina while sniffling. “And I won’t be your friend anymore if you break it!”
Angelina held out her little finger. “Yeah, it’s a pinky promise.”
When the two children wrapped their little fingers together, Feilong regarded them with an envious expression, as he had no friends. Noticing that, Tomi patted him on the back.
“Uncle Tomi, where’s Mommy…?” Feilong asked.
Tomi jolted in surprise. Though Feilong’s memories had reverted back to his childhood, his mother had died a long time ago. Tomi couldn’t decide if he should thrust this cruel reality onto a child.
“Ryoui left on a short trip,” he finally answered. “You’ll be staying here in the meantime.”
Angelina and Ryuho looked up at Tomi, who seemed rather troubled.
That’s right—I’m not the only one who’s feeling uneasy, Angelina thought. Father is in a much tougher position than me. He might have forgotten I’m his daughter, but he’s still my father. After wiping away her tears, she raised her head and squared her shoulders. More importantly, he sacrificed himself to save me from that magic. So this time, I’ll be the one to save Father!
Angelina took a deep breath and steeled herself. “Mishter Prime Minister,” she said.
Tomi bent his knees while holding Feilong.
“L’il Feilong,” Angelina continued while smiling at him. “Would you please be friends with me?”
“Friends…?” the boy repeated, blinking in surprise. While staring back at Angelina, he noticed the rainbow luster sparkling in the depths of her eyes, causing him to gasp. “Are you my older sister by any chance?”
The rainbow luster was proof that someone belonged to the royal line.
Angelina smiled and showed Feilong a glimpse of her Inverted Scale, neither confirming nor denying their relationship. Since Feilong had reverted back to his childhood, he had neither the scale nor the scars from attempting to tear it out. He was still a toddler, ignorant of despair.
“Princess?” Feilong asked.
“Please call me Angelina.”
“And I’m Ryuho—Lina’s best friend!”
Feilong looked at Tomi with a troubled expression. Members of the royal family hardly ever interacted with their half-siblings. They shared no brotherly or sisterly warmth, as they were essentially rivals.
“Feel free to call them by their names,” Tomi responded with a smile.
Feilong cocked his head hesitantly. “…Lina and Ryuho?”
The sheer cuteness of Feilong’s apprehensiveness caused Angelina’s heart to skip a beat. As a man, he always presented himself as powerfully majestic, but now, he was just a helpless child. Angelina could sense his humanity in this brand-new side of him. He seemed more of a kindred spirit than ever before.
“It’s nice to meet you, L’il Feilong,” Angelina said with a smile.
The boy responded with an awkward nod.