Chapter 8 – The Prince and the Bold Little Girl
“What the…”
Still sitting on the floor, I looked up.
Across from me was a boy who looked maybe three or four years older than me — about eight, maybe nine.
He had also fallen over.
“You shouldn’t just open the door and jump out like that. I almost got hurt!”
He frowned at me, sounding more annoyed than actually angry.
I hurriedly stood up. A stinging pain ran across my palm.
When I looked down, I saw a bit of blood — the scab must have reopened when I fell.
The boy gasped softly.
“…Blood?”
I waved it off as if it were nothing and wiped my hand on my clothes.
Then I looked straight at him.
“Sorry. I didn’t know someone was outside.”
He looked completely baffled.
So I quickly added, “You’ll forgive me, right? But you should say sorry too. You were in the wrong as well.”
His eyes widened.
I pointed at the door. “You shouldn’t just open a door without knowing who’s behind it. That’s dangerous.”
“You—what did you just…”
“Come on, let’s both apologize! We can shake hands and make up.”
But before I could offer my hand, I tilted my head.
Wait a second.
Now that I looked more closely, the boy didn’t look ordinary at all.
His hair was sleek and black like polished silk, his eyes a deep, clear red.
His features were sharp — nose, lips, jawline — all perfectly balanced.
He’s beautiful… but why does he look so familiar?
He looked like a child born for portraits — someone destined to have a tragic story.
“You. Don’t you know who I am?” the boy asked suddenly, his voice low.
I frowned.
How would I know that?
Still, just in case, I studied him again from head to toe.
His clothes alone screamed “important.”
The fine silk shirt, the vest woven with gold and black thread, the silver decorations on the shoulders, pearl buttons…
And on his chest — a diamond brooch shaped like a holy grail.
Wait… the Holy Grail emblem… wasn’t that… the Imperial Family?
Then it clicked.
I whispered without thinking, “…Prince Tian?”
And then I froze, clapping my hand over my mouth.
Because right — in this timeline, he wasn’t a “former prince” yet.
***
Tian Lacteas Carilonia.
The only prince of the Taranta Empire.
But in my previous life, he never ascended the throne.
He was stripped of his title soon after the Empress gave birth to a second prince.
“It was bound to happen. He didn’t have anyone powerful to back him up.”
“But what about the Dowager Empress? I heard she supported him to the end.”
“Support from an old woman shut away in the palace? That’s no power at all.”
I remembered the conversation clearly — the day Prince Tian lost his title.
Duke Longton and his sons had raised their glasses, celebrating the news.
“Better for us, honestly. Maybe we should start cozying up to Queen Karin’s faction instead.”
Officially, Prince Tian was removed for being violent and hot-tempered.
Rumors said he’d killed a servant, that he was already chasing women despite being so young.
“‘Former prince,’ huh.”
The voice that cut through my thoughts was cold enough to freeze the air.
When I looked up, his crimson eyes glared down at me, shining like fire in the dark.
Uh oh.
Right. He was supposedly violent. Dangerous.
And if all those rumors were true, I was in deep trouble.
“I—uh…”
I barely opened my mouth before he stepped forward and grabbed my wrist, yanking me close.
His grip was shockingly strong for an eight-year-old. My wrist tingled painfully.
“You don’t know you shouldn’t say things like that?”
I shook my head furiously. Of course I knew! It had just slipped out!
Ever since I’d gone back to being a child, my mouth tended to speak before my brain caught up—
especially when I was hungry.
And my tangled memories from two lives weren’t helping.
“Sometimes,” he said, his tone calm but chilling, “a single wrong word can cost someone their head.”
Then he lifted his other hand suddenly.
What— he’s not going to hit me, is he?!
I shut my eyes tight.
But no blow came.
When I peeked through one eye, he was just closing the door with a click.
Then, without a word, he took my hand and pulled me further into the room.
He made me stand beside the bed, went to the window, looked out carefully, and pulled the curtains shut.
Then he turned back to me.
“How old are you?”
“…Huh?”
“I said, how old are you?”
I hesitated, then mumbled, “F-four…”
Tian sighed, pressing one hand to his forehead and the other to his hip.
With that perfectly sculpted face, he almost looked cute doing it — almost.
“You didn’t say that to anyone else, did you?”
“…”
“I’m talking about what you just called me. ‘Former prince.’”
My eyes widened.
“You realize you can’t say that to anyone, right? Doesn’t anyone teach you these things?
Even a kid your age could be executed for that!”
He lowered his voice, glancing toward the window.
“Of course, I know what people are saying. That I’ll lose my title soon.”
“…?”
“But until that happens, I’m still the Crown Prince.
So you should be careful. Imagine that — a little kid getting executed. Hah…”
At first, I didn’t get it.
But then I realized—
He’s scolding me because he’s worried.
“You getting executed would make everyone happy, huh?
Me too, probably,” he added with a sigh.
My mouth fell open in disbelief.
He was supposed to be cruel and violent, yet somehow… he didn’t fit that image at all.
***
“So, you were just hungry and on your way to the kitchen?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered with a nod, chewing on the dried meat he’d given me.
Tian looked oddly embarrassed, clearing his throat.
“Then I guess you’re thankful I gave you a snack.”
I blinked at him.
Did he really just say that?
He looked ridiculously proud of himself, as if feeding me had been an act of heroism.
How on earth does a kid like this grow up to be overthrown?
It made no sense.
Something about the history I remembered didn’t add up.
After thinking for a moment, I finally asked the question that had been bugging me.
“Why are you here, Your Highness?”
He turned his head away, staying silent for a while.
Then, at last, he murmured, “It’s nothing important…”
Just then—
“Your Highness! What in the world are you doing here?!”
The door burst open and an elderly man in servant’s robes rushed in.
He was clearly a royal attendant from the palace.
“We’ve searched every wing of the mansion—east, west, everywhere!
How could you run off like that over a minor scolding?!”
He grabbed the prince’s arm and yanked him up roughly.
I stared in shock.
“Do you have any idea how furious Queen Karin is?!
And how disappointed His Majesty will be when he finds out?!”
My jaw dropped.
“Come along at once! Because of you, I’ll be the one punished again!”
“W-wait, wait a minute!” I finally shouted.
The servant froze, apparently noticing me for the first time.
I glanced at Tian.
The confident, teasing prince from earlier was gone.
He looked pale and stiff, his head slightly bowed, his whole body trembling.
What’s going on?
He was four years older than me — so eight.
And the Empress had died three years ago…
A horrible suspicion crept up my spine.
I clenched my fists, stepped between the servant and the prince,
and glared up with all the fierceness my small face could muster.
“Grandpa! What do you think you’re doing?!”
