Chapter 2
To the Royal Palace (1)
Anastasia.
In the ancient language, it meant “resurrection,” a noble name reserved exclusively for royalty.
But to me, it was nothing less than a curse.
There was no doubt that this endless hell of regression existed because of the ill-fated meaning behind my name.
“…A p-princess? Her? Princess? Ana… what? Her name’s Asha.”
Andy muttered in utter disbelief.
“There… there must be some kind of mistake.”
My foster mother, too frightened to even come closer, cautiously spoke from a distance.
“W-What? That brat’s a princess? Hah! You barge in here saying such ridiculous—”
Even my foster father, his face pale from Phaeon’s overwhelming presence, tried to protest.
The moment Phaeon looked at him, however, he immediately fell silent.
“This was confirmed in Princess Beatrice’s last will.”
Phaeon’s voice was calm and icy.
“It states that Princess Anastasia was entrusted to the Windmild family and should be brought to the royal palace.”
“Impossible!”
“Princess Beatrice died years ago! She never even married! How could she possibly have had a child?!”
“In accordance with Santora’s Law of Absolute Primogeniture…”
His cold voice cut through the room like a blade.
“Princess Anastasia will inherit the succession rights of the late First Princess, Beatrice.”
“Until now, your ignorance of Her Highness’s identity may excuse your disrespect.”
“But from this moment onward, any further insolence constitutes the crime of insulting the royal family.”
The entire Windmild family flinched violently and retreated until their backs pressed against the wall.
Their mouths hung open as they stared between the two of us.
They still couldn’t believe it.
But instinct had apparently told them one thing.
Keep your mouths shut.
“Your Highness.”
“We must depart immediately.”
“Do you have anything you wish to bring with you?”
Of course not.
The only thing I owned was a cheap bronze locket I’d secretly hidden away from the family.
“…No.”
“Then let us go.”
Just then, my foster mother hurriedly shouted,
“W-Wait! What about the child support?!”
…
No matter how many times I heard it, the sheer audacity was astonishing.
“…Princess Beatrice did provide you with funds for raising Her Highness, did she not?”
“S-She did! But it wasn’t nearly enough!”
“Do you have any idea how expensive raising a child is these days?”
“And there was a war going on!”
“You may submit the amount to the royal household.”
“I will ensure you are reimbursed accordingly.”
With that, Phaeon turned away as though the matter were already settled.
His long white cloak swept gracefully through the air.
A smile of relief spread across my foster mother’s face.
A smile that practically screamed,
We’ve hit the jackpot.
Out of my previous nine lives…
In four of them, I had gone to the royal palace.
In the other five, I had run away from this house before even reaching the age of four.
Yet despite everything these people had done to me…
I had never once taken revenge.
Phaeon’s oppressive aura made him nearly impossible to approach.
More importantly…
I had always wanted nothing more than to leave this place as quickly as possible.
Normally…
I would have done the same today.
But this life was different.
Because now I knew…
He was my father.
“Don’t… give them money.”
I grabbed the edge of his cloak tightly.
He looked down at me in surprise.
“…What do you mean?”
“You can’t.”
“They always made Asha work.”
“They never gave me enough food.”
“They hit me.”
“They’re bad people.”
“…Is what Her Highness says true?”
“W-What?!”
“My… Princess!”
“What are you saying?”
“When have we ever done such a thing—”
My foster mother rushed toward me in panic.
I instinctively stepped backward.
Then I quietly lifted the oversized sleeve covering my arm.
“What about… this?”
Red bruises.
Dark purple welts.
His crimson eyes widened ever so slightly.
“Th-Those…”
“She fell while running yesterday.”
“She always loved playing outside.”
“Haha…”
“I think the Princess may simply be upset with us.”
“But we’ve truly done our best to raise—”
“Look… at this too.”
I poured mana into the stone I’d been clutching.
A faint light spread through the air.
An illusion formed before everyone.
The Windmild family screamed in unison.
It wasn’t surprising.
This was the first time any of them had ever witnessed magic.
Only a tiny fraction of people could wield mana.
Most of them were nobles or members of the royal family.
Ordinary commoners could easily go their entire lives without ever seeing magic once.
I’d known since my very first life that I possessed mana.
But I’d never lived long enough to properly learn how to use it.
After countless regressions…
I had finally managed to teach myself projection magic.
It was one of the simpler spells.
And while doing endless chores for my foster mother, I’d been lucky enough to find a mana stone suitable for recording images.
The illusion shifted continuously.
The inside of the house.
The world spinning as I was shoved and beaten.
Cruel insults.
My screams.
My crying.
Every act of abuse unfolded vividly before everyone’s eyes.
Finally…
One last voice echoed through the room.
“She’s the kind of woman who abandons her own child.”
“Bad blood never changes.”
Andy turned deathly pale.
His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor.
“N-No…”
“I didn’t know she was a princess…”
“Damn it!”
“She hid the fact that she could use magic!”
“That little devil!”
“She’s possessed!”
“I’ve always known she wasn’t normal for a four-year-old—”
Flash!
A blinding holy light swallowed the room.
Andy never finished his sentence.
He choked violently.
Foam spilled from his mouth as he collapsed.
It looked as though some invisible force had crushed him into the ground.
He struggled desperately.
He couldn’t move.
His parents screamed and rushed toward him—
only to be thrown backward by the same unseen force.
They crashed helplessly onto the floor.
So… this is another way Holy Power can be used.
Even after living so many lives…
Feeling the strength of the continent’s greatest Holy Knight firsthand sent chills down my spine.
“How dare you…”
Phaeon’s voice was colder than ever before.
“How dare you commit such atrocities…”
“…and still shamelessly demand compensation.”
I wondered if he was truly angry.
It was impossible to tell.
His expression almost never changed.
“You will be taken into custody and transferred to Juditium the moment we arrive in the capital.”
Juditium.
Santora’s largest underground prison.
A place infamous for its merciless interrogations.
The three of them sobbed uncontrollably, begging for mercy.
Andy had even wet himself.
“…Assuming you survive the journey.”
◇ ◆ ◇
The three of them were tied together like links in a sausage chain and forced to walk barefoot behind the procession all the way to the capital.
It was the middle of winter.
The frozen ground was hard as stone.
They might genuinely die before arriving.
Compared to the decades of suffering they put me through… this is nothing.
I made up my mind.
This life…
I would no longer be soft-hearted.
When we stepped outside, the other knights stole curious glances toward us.
I politely bowed to each of them.
After living through so many lifetimes…
I’d learned that a child with good manners was rarely hated.
So whenever I made eye contact with anyone, I always greeted them respectfully.
“Commander…”
“Is she really…”
“…the person we’ve been searching for?”
A few of the knights quickly saluted me in return.
Most, however, wore doubtful expressions.
It was understandable.
Who would look at someone like me…
and think I was a princess?
“Stop wasting time.”
“We depart immediately.”
Phaeon ignored the question entirely.
If I were a knight… I’d hate serving under someone like him.
“Excuse me.”
He carefully lifted me into his arms to place me inside the carriage.
So gently…
it was as though he were carrying a fragile glass sculpture.
Then—
“Ow!”
I deliberately cried out as dramatically as I could.
“…!”
Startled, he immediately adjusted his grip.
He looked painfully awkward.
It was obvious he’d never held a small child before.
“My apologies.”
“I touched one of your injuries.”
I seized the opportunity.
Wrapping both arms around him as tightly as I could, I buried myself against his chest.
“…It hurts.”
The moment I whimpered…
I could practically feel his panic.
With no other choice, he boarded the carriage while still carrying me.
“I shall heal you immediately.”
“However…”
The moment he sat down, he instinctively tried to move me away.
I was sitting on his lap.
His eyes briefly flicked toward the empty seat beside him.
He clearly wanted to put me there.
After all…
Healing with Holy Power required only the slightest touch.
I clung to him even tighter.
He hesitated.
Then let out a small sigh.
Finally…
He wrapped his arms around me again.
“You may find this sensation unfamiliar.”
“It is Holy Power.”
“Do not be alarmed.”
Warmth flowed gently throughout my body.
Long ago…
When I was badly injured in the palace, priests had healed me with Holy Power.
But…
It had been so long since I’d felt such warmth.
Or perhaps…
His power was simply incomparably stronger.
For a moment…
I thought I might burst into tears.
No.
Don’t be moved by something this small.
He’s only fulfilling his duty.
Anyone would heal a wounded child standing right in front of them…
I desperately tried to calm my racing heart.
Within moments…
Every ache throughout my body disappeared.
The healing was finished.
I could have let go.
Instead…
I pretended not to notice and quietly remained in his embrace, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
…So he really does have one.
Even knowing I was his daughter…
He had ignored me in every single lifetime.
Of course…
I understood that he was the Commander of the Holy Knights.
Our paths rarely crossed.
But the royal palace and the Grand Temple stood side by side.
Meetings.
Reports.
Banquets.
Ceremonies.
Prayer services.
Official events.
We had encountered each other countless times.
Yet…
Not once had he ever properly greeted me.
He must have known my reputation within the palace.
He must have known everyone despised me.
And still…
He never reacted.
That was no different from abuse.
I would probably never be able to forgive him.
How on earth did he and Mother ever fall in love?
He was famous throughout the continent as “the True Apostle of Lux.”
A man who lived solely for the god Lux.
Who never feared sacrificing his own life for divine duty.
Who abandoned every physical and emotional pleasure so he would never misuse the holy power bestowed upon him.
Yet he also bore another title—
“The Merciless Messenger of Lux.”
He relentlessly executed heretics and false prophets who threatened the people’s faith.
A man like that…
Had broken the sacred vow he treasured more than his own life?
And not with just anyone…
But with the princess of this kingdom?
How unbelievably reckless.
Perhaps Mother had been the one to seduce him first.
After all…
A face that beautiful was almost too much of a waste to spend an entire lifetime in celibacy.
Mother had always been hopelessly weak to handsome men.
Maybe she’d simply ignored little inconveniences like his personality…
or his devotion to religion.
Still…
If that were true…
Why hadn’t he resisted?
Could it really have been mutual?
That made even less sense.
Either way…
I decided to gamble on the possibility that somewhere beneath that cold exterior…
he still possessed a human heart.
Just once…
I want to live a proper life.
Not in the royal palace, where succession struggles constantly threatened my life.
Not wandering the streets alone in the body of a child.
I wanted to live somewhere peaceful…
where no one hunted me…
and no one searched for me.
If…
This man would stand on my side.
If, at least until I became strong enough to protect myself…
he would become the knight who protected me…
I cautiously raised my head.
Looking into his crimson eyes, I asked softly,
“Sir Knight…”
“…You’re an angel, aren’t you?”
