The first thing he noticed was the light.

Not the weak gray light that sometimes filtered through the cave during rain, but warm sunlight.

It spilled across the room in pale gold, so bright that he had to squint against it.

For a moment, he simply stared.

He had almost forgotten what sunlight looked like.

Months in the cave had taught his eyes to live with shadows. Even before that, most of his life had been spent beneath cloudy skies, under bridges, or in narrow alleys where the sun rarely lingered.

The light felt foreign.

‘Am I dead?’ he wondered.

Then as if to answer his question, softness greeted him.

He was lying on a bed.

Softer than anything he had ever slept in.

The air smelled of fresh linen, carrying none of the dampness of the cave.

As his eyes got used to the light, he looked around.

‘Where… is this?’

He was in a room that looked like something from a storybook.

The walls were decorated with gold patterns, and shelves filled with books stood against one side of the room.

Everything in the room looked expensive.

Then he realized something was wrong.

Something about the way his body felt was awkward, so he looked down at his hands. 

“Wh-What is this?!”

He was so shocked the words escaped before he could stop them.

Only to surprise him more. His voice had changed.

His hands and voice were that of a child. 

Soft, round fingers and pale, porcelain skin.

Nothing like his rough hands which were covered in scars.

He pushed the blanket aside.

He saw two legs. Both fully intact, with no sign of hard work. The skin was soft and plump. 

A sharp breath caught in his throat.

He trembled as he wobbled towards the mirror by the corner of the room.

Staring back at him, was a child he didn’t know. 

Silver hair that sparkled where the sunlight hit. Deep purple eyes that looked like jewels. 

He looked like the kind of child people wanted to protect.

Only the surprised expression on his face told him that the boy really was him.

“Did I die and return to life in another body…?”

The boy frowned. He couldn’t understand. Then he remembered the mysterious child he last talked to inside the cave. 

“How does this answer my question…”

When the ball of light touched his forehead, he remembered everything. That wasn’t the first time that he lived his life as Mud. He couldn’t even tell how many lives he had lived.

The memories came in a flood… but one thing he knew for certain.

He died young in every one of them. 

From starving, drowning, getting stabbed, falling sick, falling off a cliff… 

The deaths seemed endless.

His head hurt from remembering. 

He remembered how each death had felt.

Each one was worse than the last. 

It made him feel sick.

Why was he stuck in a cycle of death?

And why was he given all those memories back now?

All he ever wanted was to survive, but in all his lives… he died.

Mud clenched his fists tight and looked at the mirror again. 

Who was this child?

He looked like a precious and important child. 

Too different from him.

The thought made him sick to his stomach. 

Knock knock

‘!’

“Yuan, I’m coming in.”

A woman’s voice came from the door.

Mud panicked. He looked around to find a place to hide, but it was too late. 

“You’re awake! How did you sleep last night?”

A woman with long silver hair walked in with a graceful smile on her face. She was the most beautiful person Mud had ever seen. She wore a simple white dress that complemented her pale skin, and the smell of flowers filled the room. 

Her hair looked just like the boy’s. The only difference was in her eyes. They were golden like honey.

‘…’

Was she this child’s mother?

The realization made his stomach tighten.

He was no longer the son that she knew. He was a stranger in her son’s body. If she realized the truth… he had no idea what she would do.

“Oh my!”

The woman knelt down in front of him, and reached out for his hands. Then, he realized he had clenched them so hard, the palms were red.

“Why did you do this? Does it hurt badly?”

The woman looked sad, as if she were hurting herself. She quickly opened the top of the wooden drawer that was next to the mirror, and took out a small jar. 

The sharp smell of the ointment pulled him from his thoughts.

She carefully applied the ointment over his small palms. 

“…It was an accident. Sorry.”

The woman looked up and met his eyes. She smiled. 

“Take care of yourself. You are my precious child.”

Mud looked away. For some reason, he couldn’t meet her eyes.

She stood back up and held out her hand.

“Are you ready?”

Ready for what? He had no idea.

She tilted her head, confused. 

“Did you forget? We’re going to see your father today.”

The boy froze.

First the mother, and now the father! It was an obstacle one after another. 

“…Can we see him next time?”

Mud attempted to avoid seeing the boy’s father today. He needed time to gather information and organize his thoughts.

The woman’s eyes widened with surprise. She reached down and held the boy’s hand—careful not to press his wounds. 

“I’m sorry, Yuan. You know we can’t go against your father’s wishes.”

She smiled sadly. 

Before the boy could escape, she was already guiding him out of the room. 

The hall was grand. Just like his room, the whole building was covered with ornaments and decorations.

This wasn’t an ordinary noble family.

They were incredibly wealthy.

He thought,

‘At least I won’t starve to death in this life.’ 

By the entrance of the mansion, maids and servants waited in a line. A butler who looked the oldest, stepped forward and slightly bowed in front of the woman.

“Milady, the carriage is ready for you.”

They followed the butler out the mansion through the grand doors. The garden was filled with roses. From the outside, the boy turned back to see the building. It looked like a palace from fairytales that children read at night.

‘Does this child’s father not live together with them?’ he wondered.

The woman and the child sat across from each other inside the carriage, and it began to move once the woman allowed it.

It was Mud’s first time riding a carriage. He had only ever seen them occasionally, and none of them were as luxurious as this.

The carriage swayed gently.

The seats were even softer than the bed he had slept in as Mud.

He looked out the window as the scenery changed.

“…” 

The woman looked at her son. 

There was something different about him today. He was always a quiet child, but today he seemed… brighter.

No, that wasn’t quite it.

More childlike?

She wasn’t sure.

Still, she thought it was a good change.

“Yuan.”

The boy finally looked away from the window and towards the woman.

“How do you feel about seeing your father? You haven’t seen him in a very long time…”

The boy tried hard not to show how troubled he felt on his face.

He didn’t respond for a while. 

His mother thought maybe the question hurt him, but the truth was, he didn’t know what to say.

‘I know nothing about this body!’

Mud felt frustrated by his situation. In the end, he chose to say what he thought most children would say. He believed that would be the safest choice.

“I’m scared. What if father isn’t happy to see me?”

“…”

The woman tilted her head, confused. Her son was clearly acting strange today. He was using words he had never used before. 

‘…Scared?’ She thought. 

Mud could tell from the woman’s reaction, that he chose the wrong words. Thankfully, the woman didn’t fully realize that he wasn’t her son.

“Your father may be bad at expressing his emotions, but he loves you very much.”

“Hahaha…”

Mud decided to save his words as much as possible. He forced an awkward smile.

He never truly smiled much in his past life, but he knew how to fake one. It was one of his skills for survival. 

Unfortunately for Mud, the woman’s reaction was much worse this time. Her eyes widened and she even placed a hand over her open mouth. 

‘Why is she more surprised?!’ 

He felt like he was going crazy.

Before the woman could say anything, the carriage came to a stop. 

“Milady, we’ve arrived.”

“...Thank you.”

Lady Elara still looked puzzled as they stepped out of the carriage.

In front of him stood a mansion even larger than the one they had come from. It stretched so far that he couldn’t see where it ended.

While the boy silently admired the building, a butler from inside came rushing out towards them. 

“Lady Elara, his majesty and the court are inside.”

His majesty?

The boy thought he misheard for a second. 

The woman’s steps faltered.

“Already?”

“Yes Milady…and…”

The butler looked to the sides, making sure no one else was around to hear.

“The great seer is also in the grand hall.”

The warmth left the woman’s face. She looked down at her son and held his hand.

“Let’s go, Yuan. Time to go see the king.”

Mud held the woman’s hand, but his mind was already elsewhere.

The king?

So wait… I’m a prince then?