Two months passed, and I turned nine years old.
But that didn't really change anything. Very few people still came to visit the Converta Palace.
Ray hadn't visited me since that day either. After becoming the Crown Prince and enrolling at Episteme, he seemed to be very busy.
I did get properly angry at him that day.
The image of Ray on the verge of tears flashed through my mind.
He probably hates me now. He won't come looking for me anymore.
Good.
Now all I had to do was endure living a good life without anyone getting in my way—
"Dorothy..."
...Except there he was.
Ray, whom I thought would never come again, stood awkwardly in the doorway, hesitantly looking at me as I sat leaning against my bed.
"I brought you a present."
He hovered near the entrance, too nervous to come inside as he watched my reaction.
Even after I yelled at him like that, how could he still think about coming to see me? Anyone else would have given up on me by now. Was he really that much of an idiot?
I stared at him in disbelief. Taking my silence as permission, Ray cautiously stepped into the room.
In his hands was a basket of tomatoes.
Tomatoes?
"I grew these myself! They're the first tomatoes I've ever harvested!"
Ray lifted the basket proudly, smiling brightly.
Tomatoes?
Did that mean the Crown Prince had been spending his time growing tomatoes?
Ray had officially begun attending Episteme and was already quite busy. Having only recently become Crown Prince, he surely had countless new responsibilities and lessons to learn.
Yet he had wasted his time tending a vegetable garden?
"Growing tomatoes is really fun! I planted pumpkins and eggplants too!"
Ray confessed that he'd secretly made a small vegetable garden behind Stipes Palace, the Crown Prince's residence, without Karnon knowing.
I already knew from my previous life that Ray liked gardening.
Back then, however, our relationship wasn't as good as it was now—though "good" would still be an exaggeration. Because of that, Ray had tried his best to keep it a secret from me.
He probably thought that if I found out about his garden, I'd destroy it.
He would have been right.
If he'd told me about it before my regression, I absolutely would have ruined it.
So I'd assumed his little garden had simply been a passing curiosity.
But in this life, because I'd accepted him a little more, he'd foolishly revealed his secret to me.
"...Don't tell me you've been growing these instead of studying?"
I looked at the tomatoes as I asked.
You're the Crown Prince. You attend Episteme.
Instead of focusing on your responsibilities, you've been absorbed in a hobby?
"If you're the Crown Prince, then act like one! Stop thinking about playing around and do the things you're supposed to do!"
Why had I shouted those words at him before?
A bitter feeling of betrayal rose inside me.
Unlike me, who had struggled desperately every day...
Ray had been enjoying his life.
And even so...
He still became Emperor.
While I'd thrown away everything, caring about nothing except surpassing him...
He could spend his time tending a vegetable patch and still remain the rightful Crown Prince.
"I've been studying whenever I had time."
Ray replied timidly after hearing my sharp criticism.
Whenever I had time?
I almost laughed.
It shouldn't have been studying whenever you had time.
It should have been gardening whenever you had spare time.
No—it would've been better if you'd spent even the time for gardening on studying.
His priorities were completely backwards.
He was already eleven years old.
He should have known his responsibilities by now.
So why was he still so innocent?
So immature?
Was it because everything had always come easily to him?
Because everything had simply been handed to him?
Do you know how hard I struggled just to obtain what you received for free?
I swallowed my anger and forced myself to speak calmly.
"...You won't become a good emperor like this, Ray."
Be kind.
Yes...
I have to live kindly.
Even while reminding myself of that, a selfish wish surfaced.
I don't want him to become Emperor.
Why him?
Why was he the only one who could see the Spirit of Light?
Greed began to rear its head again.
Remembering my own sins, I forcibly suppressed those feelings.
No matter what Ray was like...
The fact remained that I had failed to become a good Emperor.
"Ah... um... you're right..."
Ray's expression stiffened as he lowered his head.
"...You're right."
Was that all?
Compared to the turmoil inside me, his response was far too light.
Watching my expression, he quietly placed the basket of tomatoes beside me.
"But Dorothy... at least try one. They're really good."
Whether he'd understood my point or not, he kept talking about tomatoes.
I deliberately ignored the basket.
If I ate tomatoes grown by the great Crown Prince who neglected his studies for a hobby, I'd probably get indigestion.
Only after getting no reaction from me did he nod.
"I'll work hard at Episteme too. I'll become a cool older brother."
It wasn't reassuring at all.
I don't need a cool older brother.
That's not what I want.
Just take care of your own responsibilities.
The words rose to my lips...
Then sank back into my heart.
"But Dorothy..."
Noticing my mood darken, Ray quickly changed the subject.
"Don't you want to go outside sometime?"
"...Why?"
"You've never left the Imperial Palace before."
His words made me realize something.
Even though I was already nine years old...
I'd never once stepped outside the palace.
There was no one outside I wanted to meet.
Nothing that required me to leave.
Since I didn't attend Episteme either, there'd never been any reason to go out.
Everything I needed existed within the palace.
If I needed something, people simply came to the palace.
The tailor came to fit my clothes.
The imperial chefs cooked whatever I wanted to eat.
If I wanted a walk, the palace gardens were large enough to wander all day.
Besides...
I'd already ruled the Empire once before.
I'd traveled throughout its lands.
The outside world held no curiosity for me.
"Why don't you go out at least once? Staying inside the palace all the time must feel suffocating."
After starting Episteme, Ray seemed to have discovered the joy of going outside.
He excitedly described how crowded the streets were, how free everyone looked, and how many strange and unfamiliar things could be found outside the palace.
He spoke as if he'd discovered an entirely new continent.
He really thought I was ignorant.
Everything he described...
I already knew.
Ordinary sights.
Things that simply couldn't be seen inside this old-fashioned palace.
"I'm sure you'd have fun too, Dorothy. You're smart, so you'd notice all kinds of interesting things."
He smiled brightly.
"Maybe someday we could go together?"
"No."
I rejected him immediately.
Ray's shoulders slumped.
"Your Highness... don't you really want to go outside?"
My nanny asked quietly.
Ray's words seemed to have stayed on her mind.
Ever since he officially began attending Episteme, he'd visited me much less often, and she seemed genuinely worried.
According to her, Ray had been my only real friend.
Now even that was disappearing.
Since Ray was practically the only visitor to Converta Palace, her concern wasn't unreasonable.
Personally...
I'm grateful he's busy now.
It's so peaceful and quiet.
"You'll feel much better after getting some fresh air."
She kept trying to persuade me.
She'd been bringing up the subject every chance she got for the past two weeks.
"You might even find something you really like out there! There are so many amazing things to see!"
I wasn't curious.
But my nanny insisted that someone as intelligent as I was couldn't spend her whole life inside this small palace.
She wanted me to see more.
Learn more.
Experience more.
She believed those experiences would make me a better person.
After hearing the same speech for days...
I finally gave in.
She wasn't wrong.
Never leaving the palace once in nine years...
That was a bit excessive.
I wasn't some fairy-tale princess trapped in a cursed castle.
"All right, Nanny."
There was no reason to stubbornly refuse forever.
Taking my answer as a positive change, she happily prepared me for our outing.
"Just to be safe, let's only stay out for an hour or two."
She fastened a cloak around my shoulders.
That...
Was where it all began.
"Good. You gave that woman our terms, right?"
"Five large gold coins. One week. The Red Well."
A cloth covered my eyes as I listened.
Rough straw scratched beneath me.
Dry, dusty air filled every breath.
So this was...
"A rich little noble girl, by the look of her."
A kidnapping.
On my very first trip outside...
I found myself caught in something like this.
The moment we stepped into a deserted alley, there was a loud thud.
My nanny collapsed.
Immediately afterward, someone covered my mouth and nose with a drug-soaked cloth from behind.
I lost consciousness.
They'd brought me here.
Apparently they'd kept my nanny until she woke up, then sent her off to collect the ransom.
They didn't seem to realize I was the Imperial Princess.
I'd already regained consciousness, but the drug left me weak and drowsy, so I continued pretending to be unconscious.
Believing I was still asleep, the kidnappers kept talking.
"That woman kept screaming she'd rather die than leave the girl. So I told her, 'Then should we kill both of you? If you want the girl alive, bring the money.' She ran off crying. Maybe we should've kidnapped and sold her too."
The kidnappers laughed among themselves.
Seriously...
Life always found new ways to become even more miserable.
More than fear...
I felt anger.
I wanted to live a good life.
So why was everyone so determined to drag me into trouble?
"When should we kill the kid?"
"After we're sure we've got the money. Before then... she might still be useful."
"A brat wearing clothes worth more than my house. Makes me sick."
"People like that deserve to be burned alive."
Someone spat loudly onto the ground.
To think...
Someone who had once ruled as Emperor...
Would end up like this.
I couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the fact that I'd been kidnapped by such pathetic criminals.
What truly angered me...
Was that I had no strength to fight back against them.
