Once upon a time, two princesses were born in the Kingdom of Luville. A princess made from love and a princess made from a mistake.

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Over the large windows, the vast sky was like a canvas beautifully painted with pinks, purples, and yellows. Dawn is slowly approaching as another morning came. Soon sunlight enters and fills the room, giving color and warmth.

I released a sigh but it came as a yawn. Another morning.

That day, after falling asleep I woke up in an unfamiliar room.

It took me quite a while to accept the reality of what I have become. A baby. A mortal child to be exact.

I was once a Holy Maiden under the Goddess of Light, Cianna. And my gut tells me that she's behind all this.

Cianna is a peculiar goddess. All the years that I was with her she never once did her job as a holy being seriously, leaving all the work to her servants: the Holy Maidens. She would go to another world called Earth, having some sort of adventure and discovery.

Was I given a mission? If so, why did she make me a baby?

I raised my hand so I could see these small chubby fingers of mine. I no longer feel the magic within me.

Haisley entered the room after knocking and greeted me with a smile, "Good morning, princess." She then gingerly carried me out of my crib and placed me in the high chair where breakfast awaits.

At first, I thought that Haisley was the mother of the child I'm using since she's the only one I always see every day. From the gossiping maids, the mother of this child died after giving birth. Among all the servants Haisley was the only one who smiles genuinely at me and sometimes smiles as if she'll burst into tears, while all of them looked at me with pity.

"Princess, do you know what day is today?" Haisley asked as she feeds me.

I stared at her while munching the soft food then tilted my head in question.

"Today is your 3rd birthday," she said smiling. "Happy birthday, princess!"

I turned to look outside the window. I've been here for three years. Another day. Another birthday.

"Princess?" Haisley called. I turned back to her, thinking she's going to feed me I open my mouth. "Do you want to go outside?"

My eyes slightly widened. "Outside?"

Haisley looked a bit surprised at my reaction. I mean I couldn't blame her, I seldom speak or cry. I only sleep, think, eat, overthink, nap, stare at anything while deeply thinking, and work my muscle by playing.

Aside from basking in the sun on the balcony, I never went outside the room.

"Yes, your highness. Let's visit the garden after you finish your meal."

And so we did. Haisley carried me out of the room and out of the palace.

For a palace garden it looked ordinary, nothing special but it's something for me to appreciate. It wasn't highly maintained but it's clean. The vibrant green color of leaves and pop of red, yellow, and white flowers here and there filled my eyes.

Haisley lowers me to the ground until the grass was beneath my shoes. It would be great if I could feel the grass with my bare feet.

Suddenly a maid called Haisley in a panic asking for help. " Stay here, princess. I'll be quick and come back."

I nodded at her and started waddling towards the rose bush. Most of the roses haven't bloomed yet.

Looking at now blue sky, I asked myself for the nth time. What am I going to do now? I don't know why I'm here nor have no clue how I can go back. Should I just go with the flow?

Somewhere from afar, a gong of the bell resounded. Must be a nearby church.. or what is it someone being executed? Maybe because I'm in a mortal body that I suddenly got chills at thought of death.

Is this some kind of premonition?

Pushing the awful thoughts at the very corner of my brain I decided to do an exploration around the garden since Haisley was taking so long to come back. The garden was pretty small but since I was in a body of a child it took me quite a while for me to look around.

From then on, the garden became my favorite spot. A place where I can mull over what life has given me and life itself, even emote my predicament.

A perfect example of this predicament happened two years later, when I turned five.

I could say that my life is in danger. In thirteen years I'll die in the hands of my father. A father I never saw or lay my eyes upon, not even the end of his hair nor his shadow.

Haisley told me who I was once. Since she always called me the title that was given to me: princess or highness, I never had the chance to know what this child's name is until recently.

Princess Elaine Gwyneth Arias. That's the first hint that I got. Elaine... I have the same name as the princess.

The Kingdom of Luville was ruled by King Edmund Drishti Arias. At first, I thought the names sounded familiar but quickly forgotten about it.

Then yesterday the five-year-old me was minding my own business outside the entrance of the palace, when an unfamiliar maid approached me looking like I had just stepped on a dog poop and wiped it on her.

"If it isn't the Abandoned Princess," she greeted me with a sneer.

Right there and then I remember the book I've read, My Fair Maiden. It was the poorly written book that Cianna, the Goddess of Light, made.

I quickly ignored the rude maid because of my sudden dilemma causing it to anger her more and stomped away in irate.

After living in a world called Earth, Cianna told me about everything she'd done. She spoke of books she read, mostly about a person who got reincarnated into a character in a book or a game after dying in their previous life.

Perhaps that's why out of nowhere she suddenly wrote a book.

Hold on a minute. I died...?

How in the- who killed me? Cianna?

Why?

Did my harsh critique push her to kill me?

"Princess? Are you alright? Should we go back?" Haisley asked worriedly. Ever since yesterday when the revelation had dawned upon me, I became more absentminded making Haisley agitate for my being. "Your complexion doesn't look good."

I shook my head and then stared at the blank paper on my lap.

"How about I get some treats from the kitchen? I heard the chef was baking some cookies."

A leaf landed on my paper. "Okay." I nodded.

When Haisley left I looked up at the canopy of leaves, it swayed with the cool afternoon wind. I still have thirteen more years which was enough for me to save some money and escape this place.

My Fair Maiden was a shitty story. It mainly focuses on the heroine and the "villain". The villain was never a villain, she was just a lonely girl who wanted to be loved by her family and was falsely accused of murdering the heroine's mother, but she did attempt to murder the heroine.

...Uhh. Maybe she did become a villain in the end for attempted homicide. But then again she was manipulated into doing it.

Argh! I still couldn't believe I was in a book. Moreover a crappy one.

The hedge across from me moved with the sound of leaves rustling. I watched as a head appeared from the hedge. It wasn't an animal but a child. A boy with big gold eyes and blonde hair.

His innocent wide eyes turned to glare. "Why are you here?" He said with hostility. The boy looked about two years older than me.

"This is where I live," I answered as I set down the paper and crayon.

He seemed to know me.

"You shouldn't be alive!" The boy shouted.

And he was definitely mad at me to have him say those words. But I don't recall doing anything to this child or even seeing him.

"Why?" I asked walking towards him.

The hedge shook. Frustration visible on his face as he stayed stuck in the thick hedge. "Then my mother wouldn't die because of you."

I stopped walking. This child was the crown prince who despises the Abandoned Princess-now me-for taking the person he loved the most. There were events that his feelings towards the princess worsened but I couldn't remember any of them. Five years was enough for me to forget most of the small details of the story.

Staring at the small prince snarling at me I couldn't blame him for resenting the person who took away his mother, I mean he's just a child who loves his mother so dearly. Who wouldn't right? But then to hate your only sibling until you grow up is just pure stupidity.

I sighed.

Might as well change his feelings towards me, perhaps it may give me a tiny bit of a chance of surviving this story.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Bring my mother back!"

"Then should I kill myself? Is that what you want?"

Taken aback by what I said his glaring eyes were gone. "N-no."

"Should I disappear so you wouldn't be angry at me?" I knelt down in front of him staring at his confused gold eyes.

"I... I don't know! Don't ask me!" He tried getting out of the hedge again but still failed. Voice cracked and eyes full of loneliness and guilt, the prince then continued, "I- I just want to see mother. Even for a minute..."

This child.. Something must have happened between the mother and son.

I placed my hand on his head patting him.

"What are you doing?! Take your hand off me!" He shook his head vigorously that I had to remove my hand and placed it back whenever he stops.

We both kept doing it until the prince gives up from being exhausted.

"I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you," I said and gave him a sad smile. "I never wanted this to happen, to leave us alone without a mother's love." Pausing I stared directly at those gold orbs making sure he understand the words I will say next, "You know, she's also my mother."

The anger and hatred in his eyes vanish and tears flowed down his face like a gushing river as his emotion stirs within him.

He was about to say something but I continued, "You really love her so much."

It wasn't a question but the boy still answered between his sobs, "Ye- yes... I miss her."

"I'm really sorry."

I pulled out my handkerchief and started to wipe his tears after he stopped crying. He got shy when I told him to blow since his nose was clogged with snot.

His shying away was adorable to see that it brought me to a smile.

He eventually did it after I told him I won't help him get out of his current position. In a panic I pushed his face, earning a yelp, to where he came from when we heard someone calling him.

"Princess Elaine, what are you doing there?" Haisley came back with freshly baked cookies and milk.

"I found something cute," I said and walked back to the tree where Haisley was at.

"Cute?"

"Yes. A bunny with gold eyes."

The next three days were raining that I had to stay indoors. I smiled in satisfaction after I perfectly drew the prince being stuck in the hedge.

"Oh my! You're amazing at drawing, princess," Haisley praised as she looked at the paper making me puff my chest in pride. But then when she looked at it closer she recognized the person in the drawing. "Is that Prince Aiden?"

"Prince Aiden," I copied Haisley and wrote his name with a yellow crayon. So that's his name.

"Have you met him, princess?" Haisley worriedly asked.

I nodded and gave her my paper. "He got stuck in the garden days ago."

"Stuck?!"

I yawned and decided to take a nap again even though I just woke up an hour ago. Since I have nothing to do might as well sleep.