IUOD 001

-Prologue-

Devil, Fairy, and Baby

I am trapped in endless reincarnation.

Why this cycle of rebirth began.
Where my very first life started.
What I must do to end this repeating cycle.

I know none of it.

All I know is this: whenever memories of my past lives resurface, I die. Over and over again.

There was no pattern to it.

I would just live normally, and one day—suddenly—the memories of previous lives would return, and I would die.

Sometimes I killed myself. Sometimes I died because of external circumstances.

At first, when I died, I would think, “Why?”
But after a while, everything just became numb.

“At least this life lasted until I was about 17. That’s pretty long, I guess.”

Eventually, I even started wondering where I would be born next, and when my past-life memories would return.

“Next life… I kind of want to be born as an orphan, or into a family that suddenly goes bankrupt, or maybe abandoned by my guardian. Just… something miserable, I guess.”

Well, none of my wishes ever came true anyway, so I didn’t really expect anything.

And so, after remembering my past life and dying again, I opened my eyes—and I was a baby.

A newborn who couldn’t even speak.

“…Huh?”

And I still had all my previous memories intact.

“No matter what, isn’t dying as a newborn way too early?”

Normally, I would only regain my memories and identity right before death.

I looked at my hands with effort.

They were definitely a baby’s hands.

There was no way something this small and cute belonged to me.

“Uu, ah.”

Even when I tried to speak…

Hey! Is anyone there?

“Waaah!”

Even when I shouted…

No matter how much I squirmed…

I was clearly just a baby.

This has never happened before.

What kind of death was waiting for me that I had full awareness as a newborn?

As I trembled slightly in fear, thin arms suddenly entered my vision.

Someone wrapped me in a cloth and held me tightly.

Everything was dark, but I could feel we were moving quickly somewhere.

“Lili… Mommy couldn’t see you and it must’ve been frustrating, right? Should we just live together, just you and me? Mommy only needs you, our Lili…”

The woman kept talking to me between breaths, as if afraid I might cry.

Am I going to fall and die if she runs like this?

As I imagined that unsettling possibility—

“TI—NA!! STOP!!”

A voice echoed through the space.

Her movement froze instantly.

The woman holding me trembled violently.

“…How dare you.”

Footsteps approached.

“Just hear my explanation. Hmm?”

“Explanation? How many times have I told you? I don’t care if you use my blood for research, or use me for your plans, or hide the truth from me. I don’t care about any of that. But betrayal is unforgivable.”

“Tina, calm down. You’re too emotional. Give me the child.”

“My child.”

“Tina. I told you—”

“Stop with the imperial duty! Procedures! Human logic!”

Her breathing grew rough.

“I came here only for you, but you calculate everything. They were right. I should never have trusted humans.”

“Tina… we are married. We even made a binding contract. We’re husband and wife, remember?”

Oh. So this is a couple fight?

Am I the child getting caught in it?

“Wife?”

The woman holding me gave a faint laugh.

“You really don’t understand what it means to be a fairy’s partner. Or is it just humans?”

“Tina, we agreed not to speak like this—”

“I warned you. If you become my partner, you must not even look at, let alone love, another woman. Did you think that was just jealousy? Just meaningless nagging?”

“That’s—”

“That woman is about to become Empress, isn’t she? She already bore your child too.”

“That… that was just what the ministers said! You know I’ve been trying to make you Empress!”

“If that were true, I would have believed you. But you betrayed me by having a child with her.”

Um… excuse me, could you two maybe argue without me?

“Waaah!”

As I squirmed, the woman holding me stopped speaking.

And in that moment—

I felt my body suddenly lift.

“JAMES!!”

I was taken from Tina’s arms and into someone else’s.

A man—presumably my father—spoke firmly.

“Take the princess inside.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As I was awkwardly held, I tried to complain.

“Uu!”

I’m uncomfortable! I’m going to fall! Hold me properly! Hello? Can you hear me?

“Waaah! Uwaaah! Waaaah!”

Frustration at not being understood turned into crying.

“No! Lili is my child! Don’t touch her! Don’t take her away!!”

“Tina, I’m not going to harm our child. I’m just separating her because you’re too agitated. Trust me, my wife.”

“If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have placed a binding spell on me!”

“Because I was afraid you’d get hurt…”

“Don’t say such disgusting things!”

What a terrifying couple fight.

I cried, they fought—everything was chaos.

Meanwhile, I was carried back to the previous room.

Eventually, my embarrassment made me stop crying.

Baby emotions really swing wildly…

The room was elegant and antique-looking.

Princess? Fairy’s partner? Fairy child? This is… interesting, I guess.

But it didn’t matter.

With my past-life memories, I would probably die soon anyway.

I drifted off to sleep in an unfamiliar person’s arms.

That Night

In the early dawn, faint light seeped through the curtains.

A shadow fell over my small body.

My eyes opened instinctively.

Is this person here to kill me?

But—

“My baby… Lili…”

Not an assassin.

A beautiful but exhausted woman in a thin nightgown held me tightly.

“I just wanted you to grow up… normally… happily…”

She gently kissed my forehead.

Then—

BANG!

The door burst open.

Metal clashed. Footsteps rushed in.

Armed people.

“To capture a fragile woman like this…?”

“TI—NA. Come here.”

The father’s voice.

A glow appeared around her necklace.

“Tina.”

The light intensified.

“From this moment, I no longer recognize you as my partner. You will pay the price of betrayal—by the laws of the fairies.”

“Don’t joke around! Come here!”

Even as he shouted, she continued.

“You will die slowly, painfully. Only the Healing Fairy could break this curse… but I will die soon. It will take a long time for a new one to be born.”

“W-what…?”

“Survive if you can, human. The end of those who betray a fairy’s partner is always death.”

“Tina!! TINA!!”

Darkness erupted from beneath her feet and swallowed her.

Soon after, her body collapsed.

Even then, she gently placed me on the ground so I wouldn’t get hurt.

Her red eyes looked at me softly.

As her vision faded—

Ah. I’m going to die again.

That was what I thought.

“I name this child Larié. Please let her live happily… I will pay the price of the contract. Please protect her.”

At that moment—