Chapter 2
Lephonia stepped onto a box to use as a stool and gazed at the face reflected in the mirror.
Five years old.
It was exactly as she had looked back when she lived in the poorhouse.
The silver, semi-curly hair that she used to press down with her palms because it would frizz in every direction whenever it rained.
The red eyes she had always disliked because they looked like blood.
Even the limbs, thin as withered branches from never having had a proper meal a day in her life, were identical.
"Wha' happened?"
Ah. This five-year-old tongue.
If she didn't put effort into speaking, her tongue would go limp, and her pronunciation would turn sloppy.
Lephonia buried her face in her small palms, struggling to find the cause.
Through the gaps between her fingers, she saw a tiny, empty medicine bottle rolling on the floor, with a faint trace of pink liquid remaining inside.
"…Shrinking Potion."
Lephonia furrowed her brows and gripped the empty bottle.
"This isn't a Shrinking Potion."
Lephonia forced strength into her tongue and muttered with clear, precise pronunciation.
"I definitely bought two blue potions back then."
The color of the potion she had purchased was undoubtedly blue. Lephonia shook the empty bottle, where the pink liquid still clung.
"Someone swapped the medicine."
Startled by her own muttering, Lephonia hurriedly scanned her surroundings. A bead of cold sweat trickled down her spine.
She felt a chill run through her entire body.
"No one is supposed to know about this house."
It was a house she had secretly purchased under the guise of a commoner man. There was no way anyone could know about it.
'If this had been poison…'
She would have drunk it without a second thought and dropped dead on the spot.
Reaching that conclusion, Lephonia jumped up and searched the house from top to bottom. She checked every possible hiding spot, but fortunately, there was no one there.
"Calm down."
I need to calm my tongue first.
'It’s not the Pope.'
If it were the Pope’s doing, he wouldn't have brought a potion that turns someone into a child; he would have brought actual poison.
'Then, if not the Pope, is it my siblings?'
Lephonia crossed her short legs and sat on the edge of the chair.
The Pope favored Lephonia because she was an honor student. That was why, even when she failed a mission, he made an exception and kept her alive.
His affection was power.
It was only natural that her siblings, who saw her as an eyesore, would be jealous and plot to kill or kidnap her.
"Haa."
If her siblings found out that Lephonia had turned into a five-year-old child, they would surely be thrilled to dance with their blades.
So, she had to hide her current state at all costs.
"Maybe I'll return to my original state after a day passes."
Lephonia bit her plump, soft red lips adorably.
"For now."
Lephonia clenched her two fists with resolve.
"I should change my clothes."
The five-year-old Lephonia hopped off the chair and trotted away.
* * *
"I'm ruined."
It didn't wear off.
This broken tongue wouldn't roll properly, either.
"Totally ruined."
My body didn't return to normal, either.
"Just how long am I going to be five years old!"
She had spent several days living in the cabin, full of expectation and watching the situation, but there was no sign of her body returning to normal.
Even though the wounds on the back of her hands had healed, her body remained the same.
On top of that, perhaps because her sickly childhood was being reflected, this body ran out of breath after running just a little, and her limbs lacked strength.
Even though she had scavenged and worn discarded clothes she found while wandering, they were still baggy.
She couldn't even handle a paring knife properly because she lacked strength in her hands, so she couldn't even peel an apple and had to chew it with the skin on.
While there were advantages—like her stamina recovering quickly after a short nap and her food costs decreasing because she felt full after eating only a little—this was problematic.
"I can't carry out my mission."
The original plan was to take the Shrinking Potion, confirm the location of the heirloom, and then get hired as a maid at the Kreitan Duchy.
The plan was to pretend to work as a maid, steal the heirloom, and run away, but…
'With a five-year-old body, I won't even be able to cross the entrance of the Kreitan Duchy.'
Who would hire a five-year-old as a maid?
Lephonia rested her forehead on her small hand.
'I could take a Nullification Potion.'
The problem was that the Nullification Potion was too expensive.
She had barely managed to buy the Shrinking Potion by emptying out all the assets she had saved up until now.
The Nullification Potion cost three times as much as the Shrinking Potion. Since she couldn't work in this body, there was no way to save money.
'I don't know exactly what kind of potion I drank, so I shouldn't drink any other potions recklessly.'
Lephonia bit her lip.
"Just let me catch whoever did this."
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door at that moment.
Was there anyone who would come to this cabin?
'Could it be the person who swapped the potions?'
Did they come to check on the situation since they had swapped the medicine?
'The person on the other side of the door doesn't seem to be my siblings.'
If it were her siblings, they wouldn't have knocked; they would have thrown a sword first.
Lephonia walked slowly toward the entrance.
"Who is it?"
Ah. My tongue, seriously.
Lephonia rolled her tongue and, putting firm effort into it, asked again.
"Who is it?"
"Hmm. I came because I have something to ask, but is there no adult here?"
A polite question came from beyond the door.
'An adult?'
I suppose I have to open the door.
Lephonia tilted her head and carefully opened the door.
Beyond the door stood the neighbor lady she had encountered while scavenging for clothes, along with a knight.
Perhaps because she was looking up from the perspective of a child, her shoulders instinctively hunched.
"…Who?"
Lephonia asked, rolling her eyes.
"Hello."
The knight greeted her with a gentle voice and waved his hand. At the same time, he scanned the inside of the house with a sharp gaze.
Lephonia closed the door slightly with a wary expression. The knight hurriedly masked his gaze and smiled brightly, meeting Lephonia’s eye level.
"Is there no other adult inside?"
"Why?"
"Did they perhaps go out?"
Lephonia shook her head.
'They're trying to check if I'm hiding a wanted criminal or a fugitive inside.'
Having been chased by the capital's security forces before, Lephonia realized the knight's intention at once.
Whenever a criminal escaped, the security forces would check every house to see if anyone was hiding them.
'Not a chance.'
Lephonia shook her head, smiling brightly like a child.
"I live here all by myself."
At Lephonia’s bold answer, the knight and the neighbor lady exchanged bewildered looks.
"You can come in and check. There really is no one else here but me."
Lephonia lifted her chin, smiled, and boldly opened the door wide.
"What about your parents?"
"I don't have any."
"Where did they go?"
"I never had any to begin with. I didn't have them since I was born. They abandoned me."
"Is there no guardian coming and going? Any relatives or adults nearby?"
"No, that's right. It's always just me here."
The more she answered, the more pity appeared in the eyes of the two people.
"See, I told you it looked like a child was living alone. I was right, wasn't I?"
…Huh?
"Hmm. I suppose so."
Huh?
They reported it because it looked like a child was living alone?
'Don't tell me this… is about me?'
Lephonia’s eyes wavered.
"This house seems to have been empty for a long time. …I suppose since the house was empty, the child must have moved in and lived alone."
No, the owner who leaves the house empty for a long time is me.
"Thank you for reporting this. We will take this child into protective custody. …Child. It’s dangerous to live here alone. Bad people might come, and there’s no one to help you even if you get sick."
Things seemed to be taking a strange turn.
"…I'm fine, though?"
"You might feel fine right now, but that’s absolutely not the case. You are still a child and at an age that requires a guardian."
Lephonia furrowed her brows. When she had truly needed protection, there hadn't been a single person to reach out a hand, so why were they doing this now?
"You're meddling."
Lephonia firmly refused. Of course, it didn't work.
"Come here. I will take you to a safe place."
"Where is the child going?"
The lady and the knight talked to each other, excluding Lephonia.
"First, we will take her to an orphanage and verify her identity and parents. I will keep an eye on this, so don't worry."
Lephonia’s head snapped up.
Just now, where did they say?
An orphanage?
"There is an orphanage with good facilities nearby. The director is known to be a good person."
Right now, they're sending me to an orphanage?
That hell, I’m… going back in?
"I—"
At the child's voice, which trembled unseemly, the two lowered their heads.
"I'm not going."
"Oh my, you must be very startled. Dear, it's okay. This knight is trying to take you to a warm place with lots of friends."
No. How could that be a warm place?
"I'm not going. Don't touch me."
"You're startled, aren't you? It's okay. It's alright."
The knight smiled and reached out his arms toward the startled Lephonia. She tried to dodge quickly, but it wasn't easy to avoid a knight's hand with a five-year-old's body.
"Let go! Let me go! I don't need it!"
Lephonia struggled with all her might, hitting the knight with her fists, but he didn't budge. The knight thanked the lady, then walked away while holding the thrashing Lephonia.
"You were lonely by yourself, weren't you? If you go there, you'll have lots of friends, be able to eat plenty of food, and live warmly."
"Put me down. I said I'm not going! This is kidnapping."
"It's alright. We're really trying to help you."
"I don't want to go there!"
That place, that hell.
Recalling the things she had suffered when she was five, she struggled desperately.
Lephonia tried her best to escape the knight's arms. But his hold was so firm that it wasn't easy at all.
'I'm in a five-year-old body right now.'
With a five-year-old body, she couldn't escape the arms of a formal knight.
'If I scream here, will someone help me?'
Lephonia bit her small lip.
No.
There was no way they would help.
People were, unexpectedly, not interested in other people's business.
If there had been someone to help.
When she was truly five. When she screamed for help while running away from the orphanage.
When she cried out for someone to save her while being beaten in the poorhouse.
Someone would have helped her.
Perhaps it would be better to just go to the orphanage as it is, and then run away again…
"What is all this commotion?"
Just as she was planning her escape from the orphanage, a shadow fell over her head, and an indifferent voice was added to the air.
0 Comments