Vivian was silent for a few seconds before speaking with difficulty.
"When I was a child, I loved to listen to bedtime fairy tales. I wanted to become the protagonist in the stories, wearing the most beautiful dress, a crown, and marrying the handsome Prince. Once, I went to pick mushrooms in the woods outside the village, weaving a crown from flowers and grasses, pretending to walk in the light-filled hall at the top of the Light Sacrifice Tower, listening to the Archbishop's blessings on marriage. But..."
The images from the past appeared before her.
Malicious kids from the same village surrounded her young self, screaming and throwing stones and mud.
Bastard without a father! Get out of the village!
They tore apart her wreath and pushed her into the stream. The icy water washed over her eyes, and the children's faces twisted into malevolent forms.
"I was laughed at too."
Her right ear tingled faintly.
The monster hidden in the earring emitted a strange, hoarse laugh.
