[MIND'S EYE][Previous Mind’s Eye version selected.][»][Scanning through previous playback logs…][Search complete.][»][Log 108, Princess Core 2 selected.][Redirecting to compressed memory…][»][Function complete.] [PROCESSING…][PROCESSING…][PROCESSING…]“Frost! Frost… Frost…”
...
Rest for now, I’m sure you’ll be fine when you awaken. You can’t die, especially if you’re delving into my subconscious again. This time, I’m certain you’re searching for bits and pieces regarding my second life.
Unfortunately for your sake, this memory holds a connection to our present. Prepare yourself, because this one ends in agony I wouldn’t wish upon my harshest enemy.
…
I still held a great deal of naivety back then, but the moment my eyes opened to see the halls of my palace, I was changed. For the briefest of moments, I held no worries or cares. There was only a single thing in the entire world I wanted to do…
...
“HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!!!”
“…”
Stab stab stab! There wasn’t a single moment to waste when I opened my eyes; my heart was filled with anger, and I needed someone to vent my frustration on. Considering Morri was the first person I came across, what happened next was obvious.
An antique dagger sat on top of a fireplace, and the rest was history. People say revenge is bittersweet, and I’d agree.
However, those people vastly underestimate how sweet that feeling is…
“ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, MORRI!? FEEL MY RAGE!! HAVE FUN BURNING IN HELL LIKE THE SLITHERING SNAKE YOU ARE!”
“…”
“Just die, you disgusting animal! You must suffer!”
Any productivity inside the palace freezes from my “outburst”. Maids and servants gather around, watching on like I’m part of the circus. Knights try to pry me off her corpse, yet I continue plunging the knife deeper and deeper into her corpse. This must go on for an hour at least…
“Your Highness? Everything okay?”
I only slow myself when a familiar voice and hand prods me from behind. I’ve been enjoying my revenge for so long, knowledge has gotten out to the other palaces.
So much so, Father must’ve heard and sent Anna to help.
“D-Do things look okay!? I have t-to make sure she’s gone!”
I… don’t know how to react. Everyone else looks at me like I’m an insane mutt, yet Anna appears unaffected. If anything, she looks unamused, like this means nothing to her!
“Your Highness, would you like a hand? Or is this something only you can do?”
“I-I-I…”
Tears stream down my face, only to be wiped away immediately by her handkerchief. Why is she so nice to me!?
“I-I… don’t know a-anymore! S-She is evil! You b-believe me… right?”
“Of course... but that doesn’t matter for now. If you’ll allow me, I’ll sort out everything. All you have to do is give the word, and get off the trash you sit upon.”
“O-Okay.”
With my confirmation, Anna acts on my behalf while I sluggishly crawl away from the bloodied snake. All I can do is freeze and look down at my hands stained with her blood.
In a flash, Anna is ordering maids to retrieve cleaning equipment, sending knights to receive the palace coroner, and sending out advisors to my parents in order to cover this up. I can’t remember the exact lie that was given, but Morri's reputation as a dutiful maid was destroyed overnight.
If Morri’s story ended here, then this life could’ve lasted far longer than it did. Alas, every action has the potential to provide consequences...
For now at least, my closest ally kneeled by my side and wiped away any sense of pain and misery left within me. The blood is easy enough to remove, yet Anna always has a way of finding what needs to be helped the most.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be sure to put in a transfer request to His Highness. With all my years of service, there’s no chance he’ll deny my wishes.”
“E-Eh? You’re r-requesting to be sent over h-here?”
“Of course. If your personal maid has driven you into such a state, I dread to think how badly the others have been working over here. It is my duty, Your Highness…”
Two years. Two years of my life, reversed in the blink of an eye. It took a long and stressful conversation with Anna while she was helping me clean up to figure out exactly when I had been sent back. You’d think with this newfound knowledge, I’d spend my time being productive, potentially planning and investigating all those who could cause me harm.
But my naivety isn’t something that would disappear in a single lifetime. Today, visitors were arriving, and instead of sending them away after my “outburst”, appearances still mattered to me.
So, I decided once again to meet with my “friends” who are currently waiting patiently for my arrival.
However, in this life, not everything is the same…
“Garnet, you’re so late for our get-together! You’ve missed all the commotion!”
“Lucinda has gone mad. She keeps insulting us! And it’s not even those subtle digs she usually does. It’s horrid!”
While I was fighting my own battle, it appears another had been going down inside my palace. But these three have been glued together since childhood. Why would Lucinda turn against her closest friends?
Because any normal person would have the same reaction knowing what she does…
“I’M HORRID!?! YOU TWO ARE REVOLTING!! Just looking at you makes me sick! Why would anyone want to be friends with you?”
Something snapped within Lucinda, as if an entirely different personality had taken control of her body.
“What’s the matter, Lucinda? If it’s stress you’re feeling, try some of my medication—”
“STOP OFFERING OPIUM TO PEOPLE!! I’ve seen you give it to children! What is the matter with you!?”
“I’ve told you before that stuff isn’t good for anyone, Penny.”
“DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON YOU!! I remember visiting one day… and that s-s-stallion w-w-was…”
Before she can even say what happened, the new and vastly improved Lucinda disappears down the endless halls of my palace.
“B-But… my medicine is good for me.”
“She’s clearly hallucinating… as if that’s even possible. Just the weight and size alone would be catastrophic. You’d need a specialised rig, and a stallion far less endowed than the others.”
And yet, in a later life, I investigated a blacksmith who made custom rigs for her family’s ranch...
‘I… think I’ll leave these two alone for now.’
I stood there perplexed, not really knowing what to say or do. I mean, who would want to associate with two people like this? For very obvious reasons, this was the last life I considered these two friends.
I’m not even sure why we kept in contact in the first place. As a child, my tutor once suggested I speak to girls my age to form connections. I guess when you have zero friendships, you cling to anyone, even those who are disgusting.
But regardless, I abandon these “friends” and follow along with the woman who has gone “insane”. Her banging and screams guide the way, till eventually I’m sneakily eavesdropping on her.
“Why God, why!? This has to be a dream, right? This can’t be happening!”
Bang bang bang! Lucinda is literally banging her head against the wall!
“Let me wake up already! This world isn’t supposed to be like this!”
I’m thinking she’s at her wits' end, about to break down and wants a shoulder to cry upon. Instead, she punches the wall and begins to scream again.
“THIS ISN’T HOW ONE OF THOSE STORIES IS SUPPOSED TO GO!! You don’t fuse two people into one! It mucks up everything!”
Heh, there is a certain attraction to “insanity”. You ever need to win me over, take note, Frost.
I… have no idea how to respond. She’s completely lost her composure, just like I did with Morri not so long ago.
But any response is meaningless, especially when she spotted me loitering long ago.
“I know you’re there, Princess. I guess I look batshit insane to you right now?”
“N-Not really… it’s been a long day. Are you feeling any better?”
“Do I look better? One moment, I’m chilling in bed on my phone. The very next thing, I’m thrown into this place! What love story begins alongside a woman who messes around with horses!? This isn’t romantic at all!”
Heh, whoever wrote that novel about this world really has a screw loose, don’t they, Frost?
I try to focus on everything she says, but that spark which was ignited when I handled Morri returns.
Except, this one manifests in pure excitement, rather than anger.
“Y-You… aren’t from this world? Does this mean you’re the same as me!? Did you die as well!?
I can relate to this woman! Or at least I hope I can. This world can’t be the same as the last, right? She’s living proof things are different!
“What? No, I didn’t die… I think? I don’t remember everything, but this world is completely new to me…”
…
So much talking, too much information for just a mere memory.
In the time it took for us to finish this conversation, our cups had been filled seven times, and the disgusting women were sent packing hours ago. Anna handled everything, giving me ample time to talk with this visitor.
She’d share bits of information regarding the world known as Earth, and all that knowledge was breathtaking. A world with towers that scrape the sky, one where hunger and slavery are close to extinction. All of it is mapped, with most places experiencing peace that lasts decades. And yet, all it would take is a power-mad leader to press a red button, and everything would explode…
I’d respond by telling her about this world, but my knowledge was next to useless when this woman realised where she had ended up. When I namedropped the royal family and the Bastard child I’d recently discovered, she knew of this place…
“The Saintess and the Bastard!? I’ve ended up in that novel? Why couldn’t it be something with a northern Prince!? I knew this place was shitty! This is why I can never gamble, my luck stinks!”
Thankfully, Lucinda can contain her shouting, but that excitement she gets is hard to replicate. In some ways, I kind of wish I were like her.
“Novel? You say we’re in a novel? How is that possible?”
“We’re in a world with literal magic, you just died and went back in time, and you struggle to believe this? Look Princess, it’s clear to me we’re not the same…”
“I’m not trying to sound rude, but you’re a badly written character, completely oblivious to the world around her. Heck, you didn’t even know about those two and their “tastes”!”
Eventually, we’d get around to discussing the novel’s events at great length, but for now, I’d remain a naïve side character. This visitor was the first person who showed me a way forward, a light to a better existence from the weak Princess I am.
“B-But… you’re the only person that knows who I am.”
I can’t quite describe it, but the excitement this woman lets off is infectious. Even as she’s grabbing a hold of my hands, my heart races faster and fills with confidence.
“Must you look at me as a pleading puppy might!? Don’t take my words as abuse! Rather, take them as inspiration!”
“Show some strength, Princess! You’re the key to making sure this story has a better ending!”
“I-I’m the key?”
“Of course! I’ll tell you everything I can remember, but you have to be strong to do this! You’ve gained two years of knowledge over everyone else. Plus, you know what the future holds!”
“We can cheat this novel and turn this shitty story into a better— oh my! I’ve gotten so excited, I’m getting dizzy!”
I don’t get it! Her energy is even causing me to let out a little smile now!
“But first, I must do this. This lowly visitor greets the Princess of the Koenig Kingdom, Princess Ashia. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness.”
Out of everything this stranger could do, she takes the time to formally greet me, even going about to do a little curtsey!? Sigh… I miss her.
“Hehe. Is this really necessary?”
“Of course it is! We’re in a romance novel after all! The romance may suck, but I won’t allow my dream to die this easily!”
“But I digress! This lowly visitor’s name is Lucy, and I’m here to make your job a whole lot easier!”
“Your name is Lucy? Isn’t that too similar?”
“I suppose it is! But maybe there’s some kind of fate or destiny about me taking control of this body!”
I really wish there was, but considering this is life two out of seven, she was only a visitor. A passerby in this doomed existence I find myself in…
How might one improve their mental strength? When you are so weak, even just a slight hop into the unknown can be terrifying. So, on my adventure to be strong, the next step was to get out of my shell.
It’s humorous. I struggle with showing and experiencing excitement throughout my entire life. Yet, I remember this being the most exciting night I can remember…
…
Days fly by in mere moments, and before I know it, things are changing! I’m meeting Lucy most days to discuss the future, and I’m even able to cancel all our get-togethers with those disgusting women!
Sure, I made up a lie saying father doesn’t approve of them anymore, but I did make up the lie myself at least!
I’m not sure where my confidence comes from, but just hearing about that gigantic other world and the adventures Lucy has been on, it makes me want experience my own life. This kingdom has already killed me, so I’m due for some time off. I won’t slack off for the entire two years, but I’m taking time off, gosh darn it!
So, what is the next step in my newfound confidence? Sneaking out of the palace, of course!
Heh. I really was so innocent…
‘I can’t believe I’m really doing this!’
I love Anna and all, but I couldn’t have her knowing about this. The amount of time and preparation it took to tie all those bedsheets together, then climbing down from the second floor, it was exhausting! She may be protective, but this is something I must do. I can’t spend every living moment inside those walls!
After I managed to get outside, what came next? Bribery, of course! All it took was a few golden coins for the guards to open the gate, and next came bribing the carriage driver. It was so easy sneaking out and getting here, it really makes me think just how lax I’ve let the security get.
But tonight isn’t for work, it’s for experience. An underground bar in a shady district, what better place to step out of my comfort zone? If I’m not careful, I could even get in a barfight!
But thankfully for my growing stress, this place is really nice. Men and women from all sorts of backgrounds visit, most with smiles and all stinking of booze.
There are even bards singing or playing the lute in the furthest corner. This place is like a storybook!
The first thing I’ll do is order something, ideally something weak to start, then see how I’m feeling later on. Ah, can’t forget to drink lots of water as well. The last thing I want is to end up drunk in a ditch. But then again, that could be an experience of its own!
This cocktail is full of colour, and tastes divine! But before I can finish it, people are bumping me, calling great attention to themselves.
“Here thee, here thee! Hear my voice, ya lousy fucktards! Anyone wants a free round, get off ya fat hides and dance with me!”
“You can tell he’s just been paid.”
“*Sigh*. I guess we’re not eating meat this month.”
The crowd is full of drunken joy, and before I know it, I’m being swept in as everyone gets up to join in with the merriment!
I dance. I sing. I drink. I party. The hours pass by in a constant blur, and the entire time I’m smiling. It’s not even like I’m drunk, I’ve only had a couple of cocktails!
Life is great!
To be continued…