Urgh… It feels like we’ve been walking forever! Why’s this thing so enormous?! Couldn’t they have just settled on a smaller one?? Although, the maid seems to be holding up well and her dark red ring is back to its stable slow state.

“Rosaline, don’t you feel tired after all that walking?” I ask, and immediately, her ring starts spinning erratically.

“The staff here are rigorously trained by the right hands of the king and queen themselves for their duties, princess–whether it’s cleaning, escorting, cooking, or combat. We’re assigned based on our performance in these fields,” The maid calmly explained, as she continues walking. Although she may sound calm and collected, her ring isn’t doing her any favours.

“Huh, that’s very interesting. Thank you for answering, Rosaline!” I reply, trying to cheer her up. And to mostly observe how the ring reacts…

“I’d be happy to answer any questions you have, young princess!” with a slightly cheerful voice, the maid answers and her rings, once again, return to normal.

So it IS tied to emotion and feelings. I wonder what else affects it? I really shouldn’t use poor Rosaline as a test subject, I’ve already stressed her out enough. And this job seems crucial for her.

I realise I haven’t even checked what my own rings look like. How could I have missed that? I should look now.

I glance down at my chest, squinting to see my rings. It’s quite difficult to see from this angle,but what I notice is three rings, each glowing a bright, radiant white. They don’t intersect almost like biblical angels, and they resemble something pure but strong. They spin rapidly, most likely reflecting my extremely anxious state. Very very interesting.

But what does having three of them mean? Do more rings signify stronger emotions? Or maybe they’ll merge into one as I age into an adult like Rosaline? Too many damn questions, so few answers.

Finally, after what felt like a beginner’s marathon, we arrived at what I assume to be the entrance of the dining hall. The hallway was lined with many rooms and with each room we passed, I was disappointed that we had to walk some more.

Right at the entrance of the dining hall stood another butler. His looks intrigue me a lot, not because they are unique but because they are so generic. White moustache, monocle, white gloves, and a neat tuxedo. He’s just like every butler you’d see in a fantasy story.

Let’s look at his rings and see what they have to offer, shall we? Hmmmm, two non-intersecting violet coloured rings. And that’s pretty much it, nothing more intriguing. Though, it’s still a new colour I’ll most likely have to keep it in mind for future reference. As I was examining his looks and rings, Rosaline stepped aside hastily to make way for me.

“Welcome to the dining hall, princess. His majesty, the king, is waiting for you inside. Unfortunately however, her highness, the queen, had some urgent matters she had to attend to which she’s currently taking care of.” The butler announces, but not before bowing first. He kept his head bowed down.

Urgh, again with the excessive respect. I understand why they do it but telling them to raise their heads every time will get annoying and tiresome.

Also, the queen, my new mother, had some urgent matters? I wonder what could be more important than family lunch… Well, hey! Works for me, one less, possibly dangerous person to deal with.

“You may raise your head.” I instructed the butler, and he proceeded to straighten his posture diligently with a slight nod, “Yes, princess.” In a swift movement he opened the door leading to the dining hall for me to go in, repeating, “His majesty is waiting for you, princess.”

With a deep anxious breath, I approach the open door. I am meeting the man who’s supposed to be my new father and the KING of this empire… to say I am nervous is an understatement. What’ll he be like? How will he treat me? What’s he gonna sound like? I have only had a father in my toddler years, I don’t know how a father should treat their child! Guess I am about to find out soon, whether I want it or not…

With bated breath, and my rings possibly freaking out more than me, I walk in. The manor’s dining hall is massive just like everything else, in the middle of it is a giant round table with what seems to be an unlit… campfire? Why on earth is this thing there? Anyway… There are many delicacies lined up on the table, but they are mostly focused on three chairs. Behind the table is a built-in fireplace, and right above it is what seems to be a huge goddamn dragon skull. Yep, that confirms it for me now, dragons definitely exist, woohoo…

On the ceiling, on either side of the roundtable, are beautiful golden chandeliers, even more beautiful and glowing than the ones I saw on my way here.

And finally… the guest of the day iis sitting on one of the very comfortable chairs away with his back turned to the chimney, he’s wearing a robe befitting a king, although missing the red robe. His hair shows a few grey strands, probably from ageing, but the rest is black. His face looks much more relaxed than his portrait, and his golden eyes are less threatening. That man is Cadel Chaser, the king and my new father. He seems to be lost in thought.

He finally notices me as the butler closes the door behind us. A warm, inviting smile spreads across his face. “Welcome back, Astaria. Please, come and sit. Let’s start eating,” he says in a deep but warm voice.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and walk over to the chair beside him. “Okay, Dad,” I responded, trying my best to feign a tone of calmness despite my racing heart.

As I sit down, the king's warm and calm expression shifts to one of concern. “Are you feeling alright, Astaria? Your heart is racing rapidly.”

I try to hide my anxiety, with a nervous laugh. “Oh, it’s just that the way here was really long, and I got a bit tired, that’s all,” I say, as my voice shakes and wavers.

The king’s concern gets worse. “It seems like more than just that. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Panic is now running through me. “I… I had a nightmare while napping!” I blurt out, my heartbeat quickening and sweat forming on my brow.

The king’s eyes narrow with worry. “We should see a doctor. Let’s have dinner later, after we make sure you’re alright.” He extends his hand towards me slowly but gently and firmly.

The memories of the alleyway crash back into my mind– that aggressive man's hands, the cold knife, the harsh words. A wave of fear overcomes me. “NO!” I scream, pushing his hand away while breathing very heavily.

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The king’s face is now filled with shock, his golden eyes wide open. Realising what I’d just done, I stand abruptly, my legs trembling. “I-I need to go!” I exclaim, my voice breaking apart with every word, and I rush towards the door.

“Astaria, wait!” the king called out, but I ignored him, and flung the door open with force.

“Rosaline! Where is Rosaline?!” I shout, my voice echoing down the hallway.

“Princess, are you alright?!” The butler who was standing right by the door asks.

The maid appeared, her face filled with a mix of confusion and concern. “Yes, Princess? I’m here–”

“Escort me to my room, NOW!” I cut her off, commanding her with a sharp tone.

“Y-Yes, Your Highness!” Rosaline responded immediately, her tone worried but compliant. She turns and begins walking swiftly, with me treading closely behind her.

Shit shit shit! It was my FIRST DAY and I’ve already fucked it up! Great job, Astrid! Got another chance at life by entering another girl’s body and you can’t even live it right!

I can’t do this for longer. Oh god… I feel extremely exhausted, my heart hurts, it’s as if my body is starting to shut down from all the mental stress I’ve experienced. I’m hyperventilating. The world is spinning around me, and my vision is getting blurry.

“Rosaline… wait…” I attempt to call out to Rosaline, but to no avail. She doesn’t hear me. I stop walking and I continue hyperventilating while also dry heaving. “Princess?! Are you okay?!” Someone calls out to me, but I can barely tell who it is.

And for the second time today, I collapsed onto the ground as my vision faded to black.

I wake up to a dark room, lit by only what seems to be the light of the moon. Ugh… my head hurts so much despite laying on something so soft but hard at the same time. Something like a hand is rubbing my head, brushing my hair softly.

“Are you okay, my dearest?” A very soothing, comforting motherly voice was spoken from right above me.

“Head… hurts..” was what I managed to utter through all the pain and trembling my body was going through. After I said that, the hand was taken away from my head and with my eyes closed I saw a blurry light blue glow with a deep yet comforting hum.

After a few seconds, my head started feeling much better now. The hand of the woman who spoke returned to my head, brushing my hair again. I open my eyes slowly and right above my gaze I see a woman: long midnight purple hair with a few white strands, the pupils of her eyes replaced with four edged stars stretching out beyond her irises, and a very warm smile that resembles a mother.

Minerva Zornitsa, the queen and my new mother.

“How are you feeling now, my dear?” She asks with her comforting voice.

“I’m feeling much much better… Thank you..” I answered her, with some pain in my voice.

“Did cadel perhaps say or do something that angered you? Or did the maids and butlers say or do something you didn't like?” She continued asking, one question after the other.

“No… But I’m afraid I might’ve done something that hurt them and would make them hate me..” I avoid her eyes while answering her, scared she might hurt or belittle me.

“How so, sweetheart?” The queen asks, to my surprise. There was no belittlement or snarky remarks. Only love and care.

“...Dad tried to help me when he noticed that I was exhausted and stressed… But I pushed his hand away. Same with Rosaline and the butler, I refused to explain to them what happened and I commanded them and ignored their help..” Now looking to my side, away from her eyes, I answered, still completely unsure of how I’m supposed to act or feel.

“My dear Astaria, they’d never feel hatred towards you and they’d never try to hurt you. Everyone under this roof loves and cares for you. Whether it’s the workers or your father and I.” The queen says, “So, would you please tell me what made you feel so stressed?” She continued.

Reluctantly, I started talking, “I… had a nightmare. A really bad one…”

“Mhm…” The queen softly responds.

“In the dream, I was kicked out of my own home… It was nighttime and I was walking down the streets looking for somewhere to rest for the night.” I start tearing up, recounting my horrible memories, “I ended up walking through an alleyway, thinking it’d lead me somewhere safe. But instead…” I could barely continue my sentence and I started tearing up.

“Shush… It’s okay, dear. You can keep going, you’re strong. I believe in you.” With her soothing words, I decided to continue.

“Instead, I was met by a man. An aggressive looking man grabbed me and threatened me, and when it seemed like help was getting closer, the man ended up hurting me… really badly..” I close my eyes and at this point, I’m just bawling my eyes out. Tears streaming down my face onto her thighs.

“Shush shush… you’re safe now, dear. We are all here for you. I promise you, no one–and I mean absolutely nobody can hurt or threaten you as long as I am here… we will all protect you and take good care of you. You’re our dearest child and you deserve safety and our utmost care. We love you, sweetheart and we forever and ever will.” The queen comforts and reassures me with her soothing voice.

These words… I’ve always wanted to hear them. I wanted to hear them so so badly. These words that I would’ve killed for, done anything for. I spent so many years yearning for them, for someone to tell me that I’ll be protected, be taken care of and finally… finally I heard them…

Despite my entire life being spent with my former mother, I’ve very rarely heard these words. Even when I helped her, cleaned things up for her, took care of the cooking and shopping, and even showed her my good grades. I never received her love even when I acted like the best child I could be, I still never heard them…

But now. It’s different. I have finally heard them and they are so very nice and warm, so soothing and comforting. This might be the best feeling I’ve ever felt so far in life.

I look at her eyes, my mother’s eyes, while crying deeply. And yet she doesn’t judge me, she doesn’t berate me for what I did, she doesn’t belittle me or control me through fear. The only thing I see in her is love and compassion. For me, someone who just caused chaos and took her away from her urgent matters. She stayed and took care of me.

I cry a lot harder at the realisation, snot even coming out of my nose. I adjust my posture to where I am facing her but still laying down, I wrap my arms around her and cry in her warm embrace, her silky smooth robe touching me and bringing me closer.

When was the last time I’ve done this? I can’t even remember… she didn’t push me away but instead she brought me closer, hugged me tighter. Ohhh… she’s so warm and loving…

My mom hummed light and calm melodies while I continued crying and my body trembling. And for once. Everything felt at ease...

We must’ve stayed like that for about an hour, despite all of that I wasn’t tired but mom probably was.

“Thank you for staying the night with me and taking care of me, mom. I love you.” I answer her, anxiously awaiting her answer.

“I’d do that for you every night, my dearest. You are, after all, my precious lovely child. I love you, too.” She pats my back and rubs the back of my head, still hugging me tightly.

I slowly remove myself from her embrace and wipe away my tears. I’ve really messed up her royale dress it seems. “Sorry, mom… I ruined your clothes.” I say to her, feeling ashamed of myself.

“Oh, this? Don’t worry about it! I can get a million dresses but I cannot get another you.” She laughs lightly while looking down at her dress.

How does she keep doing it? Every word she says is so warm and comforting.

“Are you feeling better now, my beautiful Astaria?” She asks. And now that I look at her, I can see her exhausted eyes, with dark eyebags. She must’ve been really worried. And despite all of that, she pretended to be fine, just for me…

“Yes, mom. I’m feeling so much better thanks to your care. I should apologise to everyone when they are up and awake in the morning.” I answer her, with a hint of shame in my voice.

“They’re all currently awake, worried to death about you. But you should head to bed for now, sweetheart. I’ll tell them you’re fine and doing well to ease their concerns.” My mother says, as she gets up from the bed.

“Thank you again, mom. For doing all of this for me.” I thanked her, again, as if the other hundred times didn’t get through.

“I’d do this a hundred times for you. Now, head to bed, my dear, and we’ll talk more tomorrow when you wake up. I love you, Astaria. Sleep well.” She says, softly as she heads towards the door and lightly opens it, letting some of the light come through.

“I love you too, mom!” I answer her and with one final loving smile, she gently closes the door behind her.

I lay back in my new bed, looking up at its ceiling. My clothes aren’t so tight anymore.

I raise my hand and look down at my clothes. It appears she even changed my clothing.

Do I even deserve all this love? All of this care I’m receiving from her? I know that I didn’t intentionally take Astaria’s body, but I can’t help but feel bad for it…

Did Astaria give her body away to me? Nono, what am I saying, how could a child do that so simply.

I should stop thinking so deeply about it for now.

There are so many questions I still have, like how did mom cure my headache? Was it through that warm light blue glow? Could it be related to magic? I should look into it more through that book I had with me under the tree.

My thoughts soon drift to my old life…

Esme. shit, just thinking about him made me tear up. How will he react when he finds out the news about my death? He’ll be left all alone, to go through school by himself and eat in the cafeteria, alone and without me.

I’m gonna be honest here, I miss him a lot. I wish I had him here with me or at least said goodbye to him.

I truly hope nothing but the best for him. He was, after all, one of the only good things about my previous life.

I wipe off my tears with the back of my hand. I hope he’ll be fine and I wish him a great future.

I’m feeling so sleepy all of a sudden, all of this crying and thinking really did a number on me after thinking it didn’t.

As I close my eyes and slowly drift to sleep, my last thoughts were of Esme and my new second chance in life.