"Luther..."
"Luther..."
Huh?
"LUTHER!"
Cold water splashed over my face. I jolted awake, shivering like a leaf in the wind.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?!" I shouted, glaring at the girl towering over .
"That’s for ignoring , peasant."
The girl’s pink dress was so frilly it looked like it had fought and lost against a peach tree. Her blonde hair was tied into twin bonnets, and she wore a smug little glare like she owned the place.
Peasant?
I’ll show you who’s the peasant.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the bucket beside , still half full of water, and dumped it right over her head.
"Ahhh!" She shrieked, dripping wet.
I doubled over laughing. "Hahaha! You look like a peacock! No, wait! a soaked chicken! The sun’s not coming to dry you, little birdy!"
I clutched my stomach, tears in my eyes from laughing.
Her pout deepened, and then
"Ahhhhh!" She let out an ear splitting wail. "I hate you! Mummy! Luther poured water on !"
She sprinted toward a nearby house, crying like I’d committed war cris.
I stopped laughing, blinking in confusion.
...Wait.
Why is she so small?
I looked down, expecting my usual adult sized shoes. Instead, tiny, dirty little feet poked out of ragged cloth. My hands were thin, my arms scrawny, and my whole body grimy.
"WHY THE HELL AM I SMALL?!"
In a panic, I stumbled back, only to smack my head against a wooden pole. Pain shot through my skull.
Okay, okay, think, think... I was about to storm off to kill that stupid author... tripped and fell, then. Oh, right. The kettle.
If I was knocked out, shouldn’t I have woken up on my kitchen floor? Or at least in a hospital with third degree burns?
Instead, I was surrounded by people in dieval style clothes. So flaunted jewelry; others looked plain. The buildings were old, worn stone, like sothing out of the 15th century. Definitely not my neighborhood.
Where the hell am I...?
Before I could piece it together, a voice cut through the crowd.
"Mummy! There he is!"
The peach dress girl was back. This ti dragging along an older woman, pointing straight at .
"Oh crap."
Forgot about her
I glanced left. No escape.
Glanced right. Still no escape.
So, naturally, I chose the most rational option:
I ran.
"Get back here this instant!" the woman shouted, releasing the girl and chasing after .
I darted around a corner into a narrow alley, legs pumping, but... yeah, there’s a big difference between adult stamina and a kid’s body. Spoiler: I was the kid.
I skidded under a wooden crate, only to feel rough hands grab by the scruff and lift into the air.
"Finally got you, brat!" The woman sneered and smacked my cheek. Pain flared hot and sharp. "Thought you could outrun with those twig legs? You’re lucky I didn’t send the dogs after you!"
Stupid woman. Just shut up.
"Ahhh!" she yelped, clutching her hand.
Yeah, I bit her.
"You little—!"
Too slow. I wriggled free and bolted, this ti toward the crowd.
Alleyways are too easy to get cornered in. If I’m small, I should use it to my advantage.
So I threw myself straight into the busiest part of the street.
The woman stopped, glaring. She was too big to force her way through quickly, while I slipped between legs, carts, and luggage.
"Out of the way, brat!" a noble barked as I squeezed past him.
"Whose kid is this?!" soone complained.
"Coming through!" yelled a woman balancing luggage bigger than . I dodged her, only to tumble into another alley.
I slumped against a wall, chest heaving.
I’m... so tired...
This body is too weak.
My stomach growled like a dying beast. I looked at my frail arms, my bony legs.
How long has this body gone without food?
I stumbled forward until a glint caught my eye. A broken shard of glass. I picked it up with both hands and stared at my reflection.
Silver hair. Navy blue eyes that shimred like gems. A face too thin, too young, too malnourished.
I let the glass drop with a sigh.
Great. Just great.
The kind of thing that only happens in novels finally happened to .
I pinched myself.
... Yup. Not a dream.
Which only ant one thing.
"Wait... If I’m here... does that an I’m...?"
The realization slamd into .
"I’m dead."
Bang!
Darkness swallowed whole as I collapsed, unconscious.
---
The wind hushed, birds quieted, and the sun dipped low.
It was dusk.
A groan escaped . My eyelids fluttered open as hunger roared through like an angry beast.
Oh... my head hurts.
I clutched my forehead, then my stomach, as the grumbles grew relentless.
I need food. If this frail little body collapses, that’s it. Ga over.
With the last scraps of strength I had, I staggered back into the streets. The once busy crowd had thinned; vendors were packing up for the day. I scanned every corner, desperate for even a crumb. One look at my ragged clothes told the truth: this kid had no one taking care of him.
A sharp ding caught my ear.
I turned. A small tavern stood at the corner, its wooden sign swinging in the breeze. Outside, the owner laughed with a departing custor.
"That ad was sweet!" slurred the drunk, leaning on his companion. "C’mon, Jobin, tell your secret already!"
The burly tavern owner chuckled, brushing him off. "If I told you, you wouldn’t co back every night to drink it, would you?"
The drunk pouted. "It’s not like it’s a family secret..."
Jobin waved him off, laughing as the man was dragged away.
My throat tightened. My stomach growled so loud I was sure he’d heard it.
Screw pride. Pride won’t keep alive. Food will.
I tugged at the hem of my filthy shirt and looked up at him with wide, pitiful eyes. "E-Excuse , sir..."
Jobin turned, blinking down at . "Well now. What’s this? Hello, little one." He crouched, eting my gaze. "What can old Jobin do for you?"
"C-Can I... get sothing to eat?" I asked, forcing my voice small and timid.
My stomach rumbled right on cue.
Understanding dawned on him. He sighed. "Listen, kid. I can give you food... but nothing’s free in this world. You’ll have to work for it."
"I can work!" I said too quickly, too desperately.
Jobin blinked, then smiled. "That’s the spirit."
He scooped up one handed like I weighed nothing. My dignity shriveled on the spot.
Being carried like this is humiliating. I’m still an adult, damn it.
"Are you alright up there?" Jobin chuckled, adjusting on his shoulder.
Inside, the tavern buzzed with life. The sll of ad hit like a brick wall. People laughed, argued, and danced to a fiddler in the corner. The noise was overwhelming.
"Hey, Jobin!" A drunk called. "What’s that on your shoulder? Got yourself a kid?"
"Didn’t know you were married! Who’s the lucky wife?" another chid in.
The room erupted in laughter.
"Pipe down, you lot!" Jobin barked, holding tighter. "You’ll scare the boy."
Scare ? Please. I’m shaking because it’s freezing in here, not because of your hare brained jokes.
One man squinted at . "He doesn’t look anything like you..."
"Maybe he takes after his mother," another slurred.
"Yeah! Who’d want to adopt Jobin anyway?" Laughter again.
Thud! A mug clonked one of them on the head.
"Ha! Laugh all you want. My size is perfect," Jobin declared, proudly patting his belly like it was a trophy.
The laughter only died when my stomach growled again.
"Jobin, feed the poor kid already!"
Jobin grinned sheepishly. "Right, right. Mari!"
A woman with an apron appeared from the back, giggling as Jobin turned red.
"What is it, sunshine?" she teased.
He coughed. "Get this boy so food and a wash. He’ll be your new apprentice."
Apprentice?! I thought I was just washing dishes.
Mari raised a brow but obeyed. She handed a plate of beans and bread.
I dug in only for my face to pale.
"Oh no."
I bolted for the back door, dropped to my knees, and retched until there was nothing left.
"Ugh... This body went too long without food. Even a little’s too much..."
My stomach whimpered again, empty and raw. I groaned, slapping it in frustration.
"You’re hungry again? After puking everything up?" I rasped.
My vision spun. I reached for the wall to steady myself when.
Clank.
A tal can rolled to my feet.
"...A stray cat?"
But the faint glimr of blood on the stone made my stomach twist.
"Injured...?"
Curiosity, or maybe sheer stupidity, pulled deeper into the dark alley. My steps were slow and shaky, my hand trailing the wall. The cold bit into my skin as the moon rose higher, silver light spilling across the cobblestones.
I stumbled against sothing. tal rattled.
"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t an..."
A groan.
I froze.
The moonlight shifted, revealing a figure crumpled on the ground. Blood soaked her dress, her long hair tangled and matted.
Recognition hit like a slap.
No. No, no, no. It can’t be her.
But there was no mistaking her.
Liliana Fiorie.
One of the main characters of that cursed book.
Bleeding out. Right in front of .
"...Damn. I’m screwed."
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