The Reincarnation Of The Poor Princess
The Seventy One (71)

"Sister."

A toddler called out to the girl sitting next to him. The room with its beautifully carved but elegant brown walls became the place of their current existence.

[Tell me what really happened.]

Barbiel's voice rang in Stella's mind. He hugged his arms to his feet. Hugging both of her legs, Stella buried her face between her hands. Rough breaths gushed from his mouth.

"Before that, I'd like to ask. What do you know about me?"

Although Stella learns that Barbiel has the ability to see one's past, she keeps asking questions, wanting to know what Barbiel's point of view is about her.

Sitting beside Stella, Barbiel tilted her head, her legs swinging.

[Hm. Perhaps you could say, you are the lucky one who came to this world to change someone's miserable destiny?]

"God."

Stella smiled bitterly. His eyes showed a very deep mocking lightning. He immediately sneered.

"Lucky what, this is bad luck."

"...."

Barbiel did not reply. She knew that Stella would continue, so she kept quiet.

Stella raised her head slightly, putting her chin resting on her hand. His purple eyes stared forward flatly. His face did not show any expression.

"Am I going to die at 15, just like Princess Stella in the fairy tale, but Xylia has changed for the better?"

[So, did you ask for my help?]

"If you can help me get home, then hurry up and do it" replied the sarcastic Stella.

His mood is bad right now. Anyone can be the target of his anger for the impingement, not least the good people on his side. Even Barbiel, who had been helping him lately, became the first victim of the impingement.

But Barbiel, who understands Stella's current condition, is not angry when Stella talks to him with the circus.

[Then what do you want me to do?]

"Not knowing."

"Huuu...."

Barbiel let out a long sigh, rolling his eyes. Even if the patience is still there, but it still feels annoying.

[Quickly tell me what really happened.]

This time Stella did not answer. She wanted to forget the events of today, which made her heart throb bitterly, but could not. All those words stuck to his head like glue, as if unwilling to leave from there.

However, Stella could not remain silent after being hurt by them. He had to figure out their cause like that. First of all, he must tell the problem to others in order to find a solution quickly. And the person worthy of helping him find a solution to his problem is Barbiel.

"I was abandoned."

[What do you mean?]

Barbiel immediately approached Stella with a curious face.

[Who left you?]

"My family."

[Why?]

"Because of Xylia."

"Well...." (What.).

Barbiel. He immediately bombarded Stella's mind with questions.

[He again? Didn't you break the controlling magic in her body? So how can it be?]

"I don't know either. Though Zhio said, the evil magic in his body is gone. I also broke the controlling magic. But suddenly...."

[Yes? Suddenly what?]

Stella did not continue. The curious Barbiel instantly shook Stella's arm while whining.

"Cey!" (Let's go!)

Barbiel's disturbing action was immediately stopped Stella. He continued his words.

"... I saw him hanging out with Ay―no."

Stella shut her mouth. It seems like he has to change their nickname now.

"I saw him hanging out with that Shavir and Dhemiel. They look very happy. Normally, they would invite me, given their warm treatment towards me lately. But it wasn't."

[As if they forgot about you?]

"Wrong."

Stella denied Barbiel's guess, then corrected in a cold tone.

"As if I didn't exist. They didn't forget, but assumed that I wasn't in this world."

His mind suddenly turned to the words of a man he had once called "Dad" back then.

"I don't have a daughter."

"There is no princess here. Did you see a girl who looked like me? You've been fooled, Xylia. He's a fake."

Then the man's speech overlaps with his speech of the day, which has the same purpose that he did not consider Stella to be in this world.

"That's great if you know your position. I never thought of you as my daughter either."

The words swirled in Stella's mind like a movie trailer, clinging to her head and never missing, even until now.

He bit his lips, trying hard so that his wet eyes did not spill the clear liquid again like that.

[Crying.]

Barbiel, who realized that Stella was trying to hide her sadness, raised her hand and gently patted Stella's back.

[I'm only here, so cry. Thats okay.]

"Heuk .. hik, hick...."

Stella did not want to cry, so she hiccupped as she tried to remove the tears that had gathered on her eyelids.

Barbiel's pat on Stella's back stopped. He shifted his eyes.

No, they're your family too. Princess Stella is you, and you are Princess Stella.

*(keyword: the title of this novel)

Barbiel wanted to say that sentence, which was already at the end of his tongue, but he could not do it. He didn't want to add to Stella's burden. He wanted Stella to know that fact with her own hard work.

If he could not accept his family, then how could he accept his identity?

Barbiel doesn't want Stella to get hurt any deeper. Her past was painful, perhaps more painful than what she was feeling right now. All Barbiel can do now is help Stella solve her problem so it doesn't get complicated.

However, unlike Barbiel's thought, Stella rubbed her eyes, then turned her head, looking at Barbiel.

"Barbiel, help me."

Barbiel turned her gaze towards Stella, smiling brightly.

[Tell me! I'll help you!]

"Take me out of here."

[What?]

Stella's words made Barbiel's bright face fade away.

[I told you, I can't take you home.]

He repeated emphatically, but that was not what Stella meant.

"Send me somewhere."

[What?]

"I want to disappear .. for a while."

It was better for him to clear his head for a while by leaving the palace without being noticed by anyone.

It was better than seeing Xylia together with King Shavir and Dhemiel every second.

―――

"Be careful on the road, Xylia."

"Y-yes, Prince."

Dhemiel escorts Xylia to the train with her father. He frowned after hearing the call Xylia had pinned on him.

"Why have you changed? You usually call me "sister"."

Xylia's green eyes were trembling. How could he possibly do that? He immediately made an excuse while smiling.

"Lately my mom taught me manners. I was asked to show courtesy to the nobility, especially the royal family. So thats...."

"That's great. I admire you!"

Dhemiel laughed widely, while Xylia smiled awkwardly. He quickly entered the car. The train he was riding immediately walked.

Standing next to her father, Dhemiel said as she looked at the carriage from Duke Fictin's residence slowly drifting away, "Xylia became strange."

"Yes" replied King Shavir with a frown on his forehead, but he did not think much of it. "Let's go in."

"Good."

As they were about to enter the courtyard of Evercius Palace, something lying near the gate took over King Shavir's attention.

"What's that?"

"Yes?"

Dhemiel, who heard her father muttering, became confused. His eyes followed the direction of the man beside him.

"Outcoat?" muttered the little boy.

"Is that yours?"

"No. I don't have a coat like that."

"Didn't that look like a woman's coat?"

"Father's right."

"Something left that here."

King Shavir stepped towards the mantle, followed by Dhemiel. A hairy coat in milky white entered his second view. Where the magic Stella left behind there made the father and son flinch. The grayish-black energy that stuck to their bodies disappeared.

The man's purple eyes immediately widened, as if he had just recalled something.

"It's Stella's coat!!"

"Dad's right! It's Stella's coat!"

King Shavir hurried to take the coat.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Someone called the man from behind. King Shavir turned around, looking at a woman with black hair and green eyes who approached him panting.

Suzy immediately asked anxiously, "Has the Princess already met you, Your Majesty?"

"What?"

"So the Princess said she'd ask you for permission to leave the palace."

While King Shavir did not understand the maid's words, Dhemiel replied innocently, "But Stella did not meet us."

"What?"

Suzy stunned. Her green eyes quivered, while her hands closed her mouth. His face looked pale, as if there was no life energy there.

"Yes God! Where is the Princess now?"

Bad premonitions soon creep in, surrounding King Shavir's heart when he hears his daughter is nowhere to be found.

――――――――――――――

TBCS!