“What is that?”
At Eden’s question, the child closed the lid of the pocket watch they were holding.
“The time you promised has ended.”
“I asked what it is.”
Even when the question was asked again, in a voice that seemed almost damp, the child didn’t burst into tears.
Instead, with a bright face, the child put the pocket watch back into Eden’s inner coat pocket and asked,
“Do you feel like you have a reason to save me now?”
“Answer my question first…”
At that moment, without warning, a small hand intruded again.
“!”
The warmth was as tiny as the size of a leaf. But it was enough to freeze all of Eden’s movements.
Thud.
The pocket watch fell heavily into his coat pocket.
Without realizing it, Eden held his breath and stiffened.
It was a strange feeling, one he couldn’t quite define. An unnamed, unfamiliar danger instinctively made him wary of the child.
“Never touch my body without permission again, peanut.”
He roughly swatted the hand away.
If it were an ordinary child, they would probably cry out, but that wasn’t the case.
The child instead smiled like spring flowers.
“I’m not a peanut.”
Eden looked at the child.
The child also looked at him.
The crescent-shaped blue eyes were warm.
“My name is Luna.”
“…I didn’t ask.”
“I don’t have a last name. So you can just call me Luna.”
The child’s voice, chattering away without regard, continued to echo in Eden’s ears.
Such an annoying little human.
Though he thought so, he didn’t cut off the child’s words.
“Normally, wouldn’t you introduce yourself?”
“….”
“Well, it’s fine. I already know who ‘Backjack’ is. I’m a prophet of dreams.”
“Sure, whatever.”
Whether Eden snorted or not, the child continued to speak cheerfully.
“Ryanhatu. Eden Ryanhatu Backjack, right?”
The child laughed. The sunlight that had entered through the window scattered over the child’s white, innocent face, where the smile bloomed.
Eden, almost mesmerized, took in the picture-perfect moment with his eyes.
“…Who said you can call me by my name?”
“Tch. No one said I couldn’t.”
The child pouted her lips, her sulking expression not entirely unappealing.
She was truly a strange child.
Lost in his thoughts, Eden soon noticed the approaching sound of footsteps and turned his gaze. Richard, who had completed his reconnaissance, was coming back from beyond the carriage window.
Knock. Knock.
After a short knock, the carriage door opened.
“Your Excellency.”
“Cut to the chase.”
“There are people gathering nearby. They seem to be looking for that child…”
Richard stopped in the middle of his sentence, glancing at the child. Eden’s gaze shifted to the child as well.
“I’m glad you seem to have no appetite.”
“I believe I said unnecessary words would be carved on my tombstone?”
“Anyway, Your Excellency…”
Richard suddenly leaned in closer to Eden’s face.
“What’s with your expression?”
“What?”
“Why are you smiling so… oddly?”
When did I?
Eden was about to ask but realized that, without even realizing it, the corners of his mouth had slightly lifted.
He quickly turned his head the other way.
“It’s noisy.”
“I spoke in a very quiet voice.”
“One more word…”
The threatening tone hung in the air without finishing. Instead, Richard was holding the small child in his hands.
“Send her back to where she came from.”
“Huh?”
Richard’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘Does he really intend to send her back like this?’
If it were the usual Eden, he would have quietly dealt with things to avoid any trouble or threatened them.
But he was letting her go this easily.
Though his eyes were filled with many unspoken questions, Eden didn’t give any answers.
Instead, he added,
“Put a night rat on her. I need to check something.”
This only piqued Richard’s curiosity about the child even more.
“Goodbye, Hatyu Backjack.”
The child gave a firm farewell, and the scent of grass she carried slowly faded as she walked away.
Eden watched the small figure for a long time, unable to take his eyes off her.
‘Luna.’
The fact that he quietly repeated the name in his mind was a secret he could never tell anyone.
Later,
I followed Richard across Prima Forest to the orphanage.
“See you later, young lady.”
Richard disappeared before anyone else could arrive. He would likely spend the night hiding somewhere, waiting.
‘Well, I’ve gotten through the immediate crisis.’
Perhaps it was because I had been so tense during my one-on-one meeting with the world’s most powerful villain, Eden.
As soon as I entered my room, my legs gave way, and I collapsed onto the floor.
“Luna!”
A familiar voice echoed.
It was Noah, who always followed me around like a clingy little sibling.
“Did you get hurt?”
He rushed over to me, his face filled with worry.
“I’m fine.”
“Let me see.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“I’m the one who isn’t fine.”
When I saw his serious expression, the reality of my situation hit me again.
Noah Diller.
‘Right, you’re the one.’
The protagonist of this story, my childhood friend, and the reason my life was in danger.
The only reason I ended up as a sacrifice was because of one thing.
‘I’m Noah’s first love.’
A line from the novel vividly flashed in my mind.
<The world wanted him to be unhappy. Therefore, everything he loved had to die.>
The heat in my head suddenly cooled.
The fact that I was dead.
And the fact that I had reincarnated into a novel I had read before…
In the midst of all these nonsensical events, the ability to quickly become composed was probably the survival instinct of someone standing at the crossroads of life and death.
“Luna, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help you prepare for our pretend play.”
“Today was the day we were going to the temple with Sister, right?”
“Still…”
“You came back safe and sound, so it’s fine.”
“Prima Forest is dangerous to go through alone. If you had run into any wild beasts, it could’ve been bad.”
Noah, with a gentle touch, grabbed the hem of my clothes.
“Anyway, we’ll prepare the pretend play together from now on. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
“Promise.”
We pinky-swore.
“You haven’t forgotten about us making a wish for the New Year tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. We all said we’d do a Happy New Year.”
In the Eden Empire, there is a tradition of making wishes with family during fireworks at midnight, transitioning from the last day of the year to the New Year.
‘I didn’t know a few minutes ago that it would be the scene of my death.’
When Noah turned six, a great fire broke out at the orphanage where he was living.
The only survivor was Noah.
In other words, all of us, including me, would die.
It was no accident.
‘It’s all his doing.’
My fists clenched involuntarily.
