Ch 02
When Remilien was five years old, after a severe fever, she made a shocking realization.
She was born in the world of a video game she had played in a previous life.
She also realized that her mother was Luna, the heroine of that game.
The original work in this world was a dating game called “Luna and the Secret Cage,” where players build romantic relationships with male characters to see different endings.
But the game was notoriously difficult and exhausting.
There were too many bad endings where Luna would roll, roll, roll, only to be imprisoned by a villain or die for various reasons. Reviews were filled with low ratings and swear words.
Remilien had started playing it in a previous life because the game’s notoriety made him curious.
Was it wrong to enjoy the destruction?
She was killed in an accident on the day she cleared all the game’s endings. …….
She was reborn in the world of Luna and the Secret Cage, in a typical reincarnation introduction.
So far so good, but there was a problem.
By the time Remilien was born, the original story had already been completed and a long time had passed.
After the tragic ending, when Luna was imprisoned by the villain.
A world after the bad ending, where there’s no room for twist or to turn the original.
***]
Remilien’s father and villain, Beris, was the king of the ‘Ellohes Kingdom.’ He did everything in his power in the ‘Ellohes Kingdom.’
Also he did everything in his power in the original work to get Luna in his hands. He was the main culprit that made this game difficult.
But Beris did not make Luna, whom he forcibly captured, his queen. Her position was that of a woman in the back room, unknown even to the known government.
Remilien, born under him, also did not become a princess.
No, Beris had never taken any interest in her in the first place; it was Luna who had named her ‘Remilien‘, and he never came to see her face.
Remilien’s life couldn’t escape the star palace.
A few servants taking care of them, and keep an eye on them everytime.
She fell asleep in her mother’s arms and woke up with her, always with her mother.
“‘Rien, shall we look at the night sky together tonight? The elves know how to read the stars.”
“Read the stars?”
“Yes. They can tell the weather tomorrow by the way the stars move.”
She sat Remilien on her lap and taught her what she knew.
The good smell of a mother’s arms, her warmth, her affection for her daughter.
Remilien remembered her previous life at the age of five and despaired of her current situation, but she considered herself lucky to have such a loving mother.
But this good fortune came at the expense of Luna’s misfortune.
Remilien‘s eyes opened to the reality of her former life when she turned five.
Her mother’s life in the palace was unspeakably miserable.
She was not allowed to leave her room without permission, and she had to be decorated from head to toe to Beris‘s exacting tastes.
And given the original movie, it was clear to see how much worse Luna would suffer behind her daughter’s eyes.
…… can’t go on like this.
If she continues to live like this, she’s going to become mentally ill.
And so would the child growing up under her.
She didn’t mind being poor and hungry, as long as she and her mother could get away from the crazy villain Beris.
‘Beris is the king, we have to run away to another country…….’
Remilien desperately recalled the knowledge of the original.
Luna was an elf, so she could use ancient magic, including teleportation.
But remembering the bad ending…….
she was described as being captured by Beris because she didn’t have enough magic power to teleport.
‘If it wasn’t for the Bad Ending path, I had a way to boost my magic power……. I couldn’t because I was captured by Beris.’
They were nothing more than a powerless woman and a child, trapped in a palace under the king’s watchful eye. The only way to escape was through magic.
Remilien chewed her nails and thought for a while, until she came up with an idea.
“……aah. I’m half elf.
Until now, she hadn’t had a chance to think about magic or enchantments.
But if you have magic running through your veins, you might be able to…….
maybe I could use my mother’s lack of magic to help me escape.
She snapped out of it.
A ray of light seemed to shine in the darkness ahead.
She began to formulate a plan to escape with Luna.
***
That night, Remilien held Luna in her arms and cried.
“……Mommy. Can’t we just live together?”
“What?”
“Just the two of us, away from…….”
“…….”
Luna looked down at her daughter with trembling eyes. Remilien spoke carefully.
“I only need my mommy.”
“…….”
“I want to go on a picnic with you, and see all the sights.”
Remilien‘s words made Luna look like she was about to cry.
Luna’s heart had been breaking all along, watching her daughter grow up without ever stepping foot outside the palace.
But to hear Remilien directly say that she wanted to go outside, she couldn’t help but feel upset.
“I’m sorry, Rien. It’s all your mom’s fault…….”
“……Can’t we go far, please?”
“Mommy, don’t have enough magic. I can’t take Rien far…….”
“Well, what if you could?”
“Huh?”
“I’m your daughter, don’t I have magic power too?”
Remilien insisted, clasping her mom’s hand.
“Even with my magic, you can’t go far?”
“…….”
Slowly, Luna’s pupils dilated.
For a brief moment, a range of emotions flashed through her eyes.
Hope, anxiety, fear, and affection for her daughter…….
Remilien knew her mother would not make this decision easily.
As an elf, Luna was ignorant of the outside world.
She wondered if they could really get away from here and live together.
“But, Mom. If we stay here, it will only get worse.
Remilien pleaded as she pushed her mother’s back in distress.
“Come with me, Mommy. I want to.”
Luna finally broke down and cried at her daughter’s words.
“……hhhh. I’m sorry, Rien, I hesitated because I was scared, and I shouldn’t have done it for you…….”
“No……. Mom, don’t cry. It’s okay, I’ll learn magic too, and I’ll help you.”
Mommy’s tears drew Remilien to her and she sobbed.
“I’m really okay, Mommy.”
Remilien thought of her past life. She was an orphan, and even then, she didn’t have much.
Poverty can make a person miserable, but it has its own magic.
Even if she suffered as a child, she would be able to support her mother when she grew up and got a job at a magic tower or academy.
‘I’ll protect her.’
Just as Luna had protected her daughter by facing Beris alone in this terrible star palace.
That night, the two decided to escape.
No matter how many times she thought back, Remilien never regretted her decision.
……even if the end was tragic.
Remilien and her mother took advantage of a lapse in security to teleport away after gathering up what they thought would be metallurgical money.
Luckily, their combined magical powers allowed them to reach across the ocean in the Kingdom of Elohes.
It was because Remilien‘s magic power was so great that Luna was in wonder.
“Thank goodness.”
Remilien was relieved. She felt confident that if she studied magic properly, she would be able to support her mother.
Once they were far enough away from Elohes’ kingdom, the first spell they used was illusion.
Their hair was emerald blonde, a color that didn’t match the rest of the world. Naturally, they couldn’t help but stand out.
Remilien‘s blood was diluted with human blood, but Luna had pointed ears.
And what about Luna’s otherworldly face, which was beautiful, but nothing good could come from the appearance of a poor young woman with only a daughter.
So Luna disguised herself with illusionary magic to look like a seemingly normal mid-thirties woman.
Remilien, too, changed her appearance to that of a modest-looking black-haired girl so as not to get her tail stepped on.
Of course, there were many twists and turns after the escape.
They fled to a country that spoke the same language as the continent, but had a huge cultural difference.
Luna had been imprisoned there for many years after being awakened by Beris.
She was ignorant of the world except for what she knew secondhand from books.
Sometimes she was almost scammed, and she suffered because she wasn’t very good at helping out with errands.
‘It would be nice to have the protection of the tower like in the original story…….’
Unfortunately, it was currently impossible for the two of them to reach the Matap without being seen by Beris.
Remillien promised herself several times to grow up quickly and wait until the day she could safely protect her mom.
For that future, she studied hard. She even learned to sew to help her mother.
Luna, too, was clumsy at first, but she gradually got the hang of it. Her hands became rough, but she smiled every time she saw her daughter.
The warm climate meant that food was cheap, so they never went hungry, and although the room they stayed in was shabby, they never complained.
In fact, I was glad that the room was small and I could cuddle up with my mom on the same futon at night.
Sometimes we would take time off work and go to the forest to play together. We’d lean against a tree, take a nap, share a homemade sandwich, and chat.
Luna loved being close to the trees, perhaps because of her elven affinity for nature.
Remilien, with her human blood, didn’t feel the same way, but she was happy to see her mother so at peace.
“You know, Rien. This is the happiest moments I’ve ever been since I was born.”
“Me too, Mom!”
She cried out, sincerely and loudly.
In all her life, she was happiest now, living with her mom and relying on each other.
……Who would have ever thought of such happiness?
Or was it a tragedy that fate had decreed for the heroine, Luna, who met a bad ending?
Their happiness didn’t last long.
Three years passed, and Remilien turned eight.
Beris’s evil hand was upon them.
