I don't know how long I was asleep. It's hard to understand the passage of time when you're a baby, especially one kept in a room that seems to have no windows; or they're closed all the time, and without something like a clock.
Anyway, even if there were clocks, I doubted I could understand them. I didn't even know if this world has the same number of hours in a day or if they are measured the same way... other than the races that inhabit it, I didn't know anything else.
Sathalia only mentioned the races and the Higher Ones. Other than that, she didn't give me any more relevant information. Well, I felt it was better this way. The language is what I would have liked to understand the most from the beginning, but I think in the end it's better to learn it by myself.
It is also exciting to know absolutely nothing of what is in this world. Its inhabitants, regions, countries, cultures, and above all its history. And if we add to that the fact that there is magic here, then the number of things to learn is so great that a lifetime would not seem to be enough. Fortunately, I'm aware at such a young age, so I can start much earlier.
I was starting to get excited. And this time there wasn't a freaking headache and a bunch of emotions swirling around in my mind, so I was pretty happy. My nap helped me not only calm my thoughts, but it made me feel incredibly good. It's like I let a huge weight off my shoulders.
Oblivious to my happy situation, the two maids who were with me the first time, approached again, realizing that I had woken up. The head maid smiled at me, said something to the other girl, the one with emerald eyes, and then held me in her arms. This time, the girl didn't seem very happy with having to leave again and went grumbling out the door. No idea why, but it wasn't something I should be worried about... I hope...
Now, staying only with the head maid, I was able to observe her a little better. Without the surprise of the first time and with more detail, I realized that she was much more beautiful than I had thought before. I noticed two important things. The first, there was a small red mark under her left eye. A very small tattoo. It was in the shape of a short spiral, with a dot in its center. Below the spiral, a thick line in the shape of a crescent moon. On the right side, 3 points, and a dot in the two spaces between them.
Fiana was another success. She is exactly as I imagined her. I still plan to add the tattoo, but for that I have to edit it. I will do it in the future.
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHwwcIIW8AAB1oS?format=png&name=900x900]
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GBQby13XAAAah3X?format=png&name=240x240]
It might have some magical or ritual significance, but I had no idea. It looked pretty good on her, though.
The second thing I noticed was that the more I saw her... the more she reminded me of my new mother as if they were somehow related. Could it be possible that she was her younger sister or something like that?
The head maid just kept smiling at me and saying things that I had no idea what they meant. She began to caress my cheek tenderly. It felt very nice. But it was strange. She seemed to treat me as if she were my mother. Not like a servant, or an aunt, if my theory was correct, but like I was her child.
The sound of the door opening brought us both out of the atmosphere that had formed. To my surprise, there was a... How shall I put it? A demon standing in the doorway. He was very tall. Tall enough to almost hit his head on the door frame.
Penetrating and sharp eyes, of an intense green color. Contrary to the other maid's eyes, these had a darker tone, and, combined with his completely black sclera, made the tone of the iris stand out much more. Highlighting along with that, his skin color was a strange metallic copper, enhancing his facial features that made him look quite inhuman.
Standing out on his head, his short ash-colored hair, with a thin braid falling down his left shoulder, and two black horns growing from the sides and bent in a strange curve pointing to the front. And he appeared to have sharp fangs, as I could see them a bit as he smiled.
He wore a rather formal black suit, in an outfit that made him look like a late 19th century gentleman. Everything, from his kerchief with a bow to his vest, pants, and polished shoes, was the spitting image of a man of high nobility, added to his arrogant expression and superior smile.
His appearance was quite incredible and it was exciting to see something so out of the ordinary, different from what I could expect to see in my old life. Outside of anime and movies of course.
He approached with a hurried pace and stopped right in front of us. His gaze fixed on me. He kept a smug expression, just watching me. Then, without uttering a word he took me from the woman's arms, holding me in front of him. I felt like a certain lion cub, only that I did look up at the monkey holding me aloft.
His mouth curved into a strange, terrifying smile, as if he was assessing my price and knew I would be worth the investment. And just as quickly as it came, he handed me back to the head maid and was out the door, leaving me a complete blank.
Just, who the fuck was he?
Like me, the woman holding me kept a confused expression, but before long she seemed to conclude that there was no point in thinking about it, so she continued to cradle me as if nothing happened. Which left me even more confused.
The way he appeared so suddenly meant that this guy was also part of the family or someone close enough to come and go as he pleased. I thought he might be my father, but something didn't seem to fit that idea. It gave me the creeps to think about it and as such, I decided to do as the head maid did and ignore what happened.
The sound of the door opening interrupted my thoughts again. Another man had appeared. Just as tall as the previous one, and in some ways, quite similar. But he was very, very different.
He was wearing a very similar suit, but it looked much more expensive and with different colors. The pants were tight and brown. He wore a chocolate-colored striped shirt and a wine-colored vest. In one of his pockets stood out a chain, which I was sure was from a pocket watch.
Like the other man, he was also wearing polished black boots, with a gold buckle. They both looked pretty similar, but he was more... big. Even if he was wearing similar clothes, this guy was much more muscular. You could tell he had a body that was forged by very intense and strict training. His arms and legs were thick as logs.
His face was, although similar to the previous guy, evidently very different.
Black sclera with striking yellow eyes. Very different from the head maid who seemed to be made of molten gold. In it looked like pure honey, as if fresh from a beehive, and they shone so brightly that they looked like 2 bright suns.
A crimson beard, trimmed in muttonchop style adorned his face and gave him a gentlemanly style hard to come by on someone with those muscles. The classic pointed ears were there, a bit more elongated similar to the previous guy. His hair was somewhat long and a deep red color, much more so than Sarka's, tied in a small ponytail that fell down his back and swayed with every movement he made. And on the sides of his head, two bull-like horns, pointing forward and curving upward a bit. Most striking was his skin color. Gray. As if made of concrete or stone. It looked more like a golem in clothes than a person.
I want you to know one thing. When I imagined Halfred, I had a very clear picture of what he looked like. Maybe next to Tya, Hal was the one I had the best idea of what he looked like. This image is 99% accurate to how it was in my mind. I don't think an AI has ever done a better job than this in capturing what was in my head.
image [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHwwcIpWwAAfSwo?format=jpg&name=large]
He walked quickly, straight towards us. As he got closer, his presence felt much more oppressive, as if just being near him would crush you. It was quite a heavy aura.
As soon as he stood right in front of me, the mood immediately changed. A pleasant smile tugged at his lips. He spoke to the head maid in a soft, calm, and polite voice. It felt like they were old friends. The change of attitude was very sudden and scary... in a very different way than a moment ago with his crazy warrior aura.
He didn't try to hold me like the previous demon, but he was bringing his fingers close to me. It was very funny to see how just one of them was as big as one of my hands. I tried to grab them several times, but he immediately pulled them away. When he tried to bring them closer, I would try again to catch them, but he would pull his hand away again as if he were mocking me. But looking at his face, he seemed rather... nervous.
A silly thought crossed my mind. What if he was one of those people who avoid touching babies because they think they might hurt them? If so, let me tell you, he's a big dummy. One that I like.
I've always thought these types of people were, somehow, adorable. Whether they were male or female. It's a very sweet and cute thing to see actually. And it pretty much reinforces that Papa bear image he's giving me. If this guy isn't my dad, then I would be very disappointed.
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Thinking that, I immediately realized that the whole mentality I've had throughout my life had changed very easily and quickly. I went from being the type of person who felt abhorrence for parents, to someone who actively wanted to have them and enjoy their company.
I didn't feel an existential crisis because of it, but I did feel like a barrier had been broken. It was similar to understanding something that had taken you years of study to learn.
A touch on one of my cheeks brought me out of my thoughts. The big guy seemed to find enough courage to make a move while I was distracted. And he looked pleased at achieving his goal. This guy...he was a real goofball. I laughed at his actions and his face. And he immediately had a smile as big as himself. He looked like a little kid; it reminded me a lot of how Zenya acted when I took her hand. Now I seriously wished that this big papa bear was my father. My life would be very joyful with a dad like that.
We were "playing" and laughing for quite a while until my mother appeared out of nowhere, still being escorted by the same two maids as before, who helped her sit on the same couch as before. The big guy came up to her and kissed her, then sat down next to her and talked for a while. I was still in the arms of the head maid, who had sat next to the couple, to the left of my mother.
Now that I saw them like that, they looked really good together.
Really? Are they my new parents? They are so kind and good that I feel like it's some kind of deception or there's some trap in all of this. It was so unreal that my mind still couldn't catch up with everything that was going on.
Yes, I had gotten pretty excited about all the new things that were happening, especially since a lot of it was very positive for me. But that's precisely why it was so hard for me to accept it all.
I’ve gone from having a very difficult life, where every day was a constant battle for survival, to then being thrown out into the world with only the clothes I wear, while carrying my younger sister on my back. And when I felt that, after years of effort, things had calmed down and started to get better, I was killed. And now I am in a new world with a nice new family, where it seems I will be greatly loved and cared for.
This is all very complicated and hard to digest. I don't even know if... no. Let's stop here. I was beginning to realize that my mind was turning negative very easily. If I wanted this new life to be better, I had to change my way thinking.
I decided to put all those thoughts aside and just enjoy the time with my new family. Well, I say enjoying, but all I could do was watch them interact or be made the center of attention as they carry me or play with me hoping I would give them a laugh as a reward for their efforts.
Things were going very well. Until nature did its thing. Constantly thinking about complicated things and experiencing new things make me forget that I'm a newborn. As a newborn, I need a constant intake of breast milk, lots of sleep, and... lots and lots of diapers.
The first to notice was, unsurprisingly, my mother. She tried to get up to take charge, but the head maid immediately stopped her. Considering how my mother looks like, I understand why she would do that. Well, that and because normally in families with servants, this is their job. Assuming I'm not mistaken and she was some kind of a maid.
The golden-eyed girl led me to a nearby table and began her work... work that felt like a psychological attack on me. After undressing and cleaning me, she brought out a container of what looked like baby powder. That... was something I definitely didn't expect to see here.
Normally when you change a baby's diapers, you make sure of several things, the first is to clean them properly, and the second is to make sure that their skin is well, for that is the use of talcum powder and creams to prevent the diaper hurt them. Then you lift the baby slightly, put the diaper underneath, and finish putting it on completely.
Well... this is where I realized my situation. The head maid took me firmly and carefully by the legs and lifted me to apply the powder and put on the new diaper. That lapse of time when I was placed in a position that allowed me to see my bottom was enough for me to realize.
Oh, I... I’m a girl.
Indeed. I was now a girl... well nothing I could do. You would think, maybe I should have a bigger reaction, but I don't feel uncomfortable with this. I didn't know how to explain it, only that boy or girl I was still myself. My personality won't change, even if my body does, so it wasn't as big of a shock as it should be. I even find it funny. It feels like when you're on a Gacha special banner, and you want an SSR character so bad that you save everything you have just to throw for it, and even though you spend every penny you just don't get it. But by divine grace you get another SSR you've wanted for a long time. Basically, "It's not what I wanted, but It’s worth it." (This is me pulling for Eula and being rewarded with Mona. Yes this chapter is that old... I still don´t have Eula :'c).
Of course, things are much more complicated than that. Being a girl now comes with its fair share of problems. Things like menstruation, some growing pains, and the possibility of being short; although with this father, and the way Sarka is, I doubt it will happen, although I'm fine if it does.
Closet choice, which I also don't mind, and now have some expectations. And the only one that would cause me conflict...men. I will never let a man touch me for any damn reason. NO.FUCKING.WAY. I like girls and that will remain true even with this body.
This could turn out to be the biggest obstacle in my life.
If I am correct, my family is quite wealthy. Taking that into account and the fact that we seem to be in a quasi-Victorian era; and surely possessing a house name, arranged marriages are very likely to exist.
Ugh, now this just became a real pain in the ass. Now I'm forced to find a way to evade a possible forced marriage to some random guy. And I have no idea how to do that.
To get past an arranged engagement, there is only one way... well actually there are others, but killing the fiancé or making the other family want to call it off is not a good "A" plan.
The only non-lethal way; or one that won't damage my family's reputation, is to get power, power, or money. Both works.
Since these engagements are usually made at young ages the "power" itself is not a great option, which leaves me with money. I have to find a way to make money on my own, and once that goal is achieved "buy" my freedom.
Sure, all this is easier said than done, but I have one power. The power of an internet user and the mentality of a man… uh… woman, who knows how to squeeze every last cent.
In my time on earth, to make as much money as possible I learned to make many things in a "handmade" way to sell it. Products like soaps and perfumes. I also learned to make jams, butter, different kinds of dressings, and various pastries and I am even good at pottery.
My first goal is to learn the language, after all, I need information. It's even possible that in this world they don't have that tradition and I'm just worrying about nothing, but it's better to be safe than sorry, and I need to find out if something is missing in this world that I have the knowledge to recreate. Next on the list is finding a partner in crime...I mean, a reliable business partner. After all, a girl can't go into business and I need someone to speak on my behalf. After that, I need to hide the money I accumulate so I can use it when the situation arises.
…
…
I rambled on too much, sorry. I guess I was more shocked than I thought I would be... although for completely different reasons than anyone would have imagined.
By the time I came out of my reverie, I was completely changed and in my mother's arms...or so I hoped, but I'm actually with Papa Bear. He was looking at me and making silly faces... come on... is there such a guy? I'm sure... I'm sure this guy wants to kill me with tenderness. I could only laugh, not because of his face, but because he was too cute to keep a serious expression.
After perhaps about 2 hours of "family fun" and being fed, sleep was hitting me again. Papa Bear had already left and it was just my mother, the maids who were always with her, the head maid, and me.
My mother said something and the 2 maids went away, leaving the 3 of us alone. I started to feel a strange atmosphere, which immediately cut my sleepness.
My mother and the head maid started chatting happily. They even sat close together on the couch. No, I mean, they WERE sitting very close to each other. The head maid rested her head on my mother's shoulder, they held hands and looked very... affectionate with each other.
Okay...what's going on here?
Right now, they don't look like mistress and maid, they look like... lovers. Even the head maid looked a little flushed. And just when I thought that my mother kissed her on the lips.
Damn... now I don't understand anything. Is she cheating on Papa Bear or is this normal here?
While I was asking myself that question, something else happened that made my head explode. My mother put her hand on the tattoo under the headmaid's eye. Instantly she began to release intense light that covered her entire body mowing me down for a couple of seconds. By the time I regained my vision, there was now a completely different woman where the head maid used to be.
Her hair was honey-colored, incredibly shiny, and long, eyes were slanted and the same color as before. Her skin was a light shade of caramel, just slightly darker than the other emerald-eyed maid. Fangs protruded slightly from her lips, which were a beautiful cherry color. But the most important thing was missing. Two fluffy, soft, amazing, wonderful, long, beautiful, divine fox ears on the top of her head. The fur covering them was the same color as her hair, and they had a little black tuft at the tips.
They both seemed to have noticed my surprise because they started laughing in complicity. Just like that, the head maid had turned into a fox woman. A Teriante from ear to tail. Which I could barely see, but there she was, swaying, seducing me with her fluff to go for her.
The head maid brought her hands close to me. They were real fox girl hands. And I say authentic because they had a very different shape than human hands. Her palms and fingers had little pads and where her nails should go, there were somewhat sharp claws. She very gently placed her hands on my cheeks and stroked them with great love and care, while repeating words similar to those my mother had said to me before. Then, just as my older sisters had done, she repeated a phrase.
“Driki Nita, Ib Fiana, makila ale.” She repeated that phrase 3 times while pointing to herself. Then she touched me on the forehead with one of her fingers and said clearly, “Nibi Orinthya Nita” Then she pointed to herself and said "Fiana makila, Orinthya misha alania.”
Put this way it was very hard not to catch what she was trying to tell me, although it could be a bit confusing. Since Sarka, Zenya, and Mother said the same word, I can be sure. I don't know what the other words mean, but there is no doubt that "Orinthya" is my name.
Orinthya. This is me, the "me" who has a chance to start over. And now that I can name the new me, it feels more real than before. I still have to see my new appearance, though. But that will probably take a little longer.
Next is "Fiana makila" and that one I don't have a clue about. I know it's her name, but I don't know if it's her full name or just one of both words. I'll just put that aside for when I understand the language and use both.
After Fiana makila finished her "presentation" it was my mother's turn.
"Orinthya, Ib Irlana, mami Irlana."
And just like that, I had just discovered that "mami" is the same in both worlds. Mami Irlana. It feels strange to say but in a good way. And with that, I can confirm once more, that that was my name. Now I can stop using "titles" with them and use their names. Well, in the case of Mami Irlana, I'll just call her Mommy or Mom and that's it.
Fiana makila... it's still too much to say everything so I'll stick with just Makila. Anyway, Makila kept her hands close, which I took advantage of so I could play with them. And let me tell you, they were incredibly soft. Like... a lot. If you've played with a cat's paws, I can tell you that Makila's are 100 times better. But my biggest desire is to pet her ears and tail.
Despite my attitude in playing with her, I was conflicted. On the one hand, there was this feeling of aversion to infidelity, which made me see them in a rather negative light. Even to the point of making me feel disappointed in both of them. And on the other hand, seeing them both smiling so much and acting like a couple in love gives me diabetes. They look so cute together, and so happy that I just can't say anything against it. My only hope is that this is normal and that my mother is not having an affair with Makila. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me to get along with them.
Leaving those problems for the future, I decided it was best to just pretend I didn't see anything. At least until I learned the language and understood what they were talking about. For the time being, let's continue to enjoy the feel of these soft hands.