'I was born yesterday.'
Never, in my thirty years of existence, would I have ever thought I would speak such a phrase — or even think it.
'I guess these things can never be predicted,' I surmised.
The bright sunlight smeared against my face and forced me to open my tired eyes, but in a squint.
The biting feeling in my tummy didn't allow me to properly contemplate the result of my rage-fueled actions of the previous day before I screamed at the top of my lungs again for someone to come feed me.
But regardless, I was torn. I remember that although the vampire nun slashed Mother's back, she might have been alright if she had been treated early enough. In addition to this world having many mysteries, who said there was no way to heal such terrible wounds in an instant? And I didn't even give her that chance.
'Yeah, I screwed up big time,' I told myself and increased the volume of my wail.
"Screwed up" wasn't the proper term to use after killing your mother, but I didn't want to cripple myself more with guilt.
Why did I let the rage consume me so much? Did I really make the wise decision in accepting that Dragon's offer?
As I cried, I didn't even notice when Rhena peeked her head into my crib and asked with teary eyes, "Baby, why are you crying?"
'Wait, did I just understand her?' I thought in shock and tried to control my hungry cries.
She took me up in her arms and hugged me with the awkwardness of a little girl carrying an infant for the first time.
"Baby, don't cry. Mother won't want to see you cry," she said, barely holding back her own tears.
Seeing Rhena's innocent face, the guilt I felt from killing our mother suffocated me even more. But there was nothing I could do.
However, since she was trying to be strong for me, I would do the same for her.
I raised my stubby and muscular baby hand and gently patted her head. I tried to say "I'm sorry", but all I did was make baby noises.
Rhena's face expressed her shock before blooming into a smile.
Although I may not have liked the circumstances of my being in an unfamiliar world, she was still my new family here. And the last thing I wanted was for her to cry because of me.
"Baby, are you hungry?"
Rhena carried me up in her arms and went over to the wide bed. I observed the slightly spacious area and quickly figured that I was most likely in her room. I was brought here after I had slept off.
"The maid will come and feed you soon. My name is Rhena. Can you say my name? R-h-e-n-a," she pronounced.
'Kid, stop joking around. Tell me about what's going on outside.' I tried to speak, but my words still didn't translate as anything coherent.
"You're so little. Uhmm… I will call you Little Willie," she chuckled and wiped the corners of her eyes of the drying tears.
'Little what?! Sigh, kid, that's not what I asked you…'
"Your red eyes are so beautiful, but they say it's that way because you're cursed…"
'I'm cursed? In what way?' I wondered and hoped there wasn't a severe stigma in this world that would put my life in jeopardy. I couldn't say it was accepting the Will of Destruction because from the reactions people had, my eyes were already that way before my rage called me to the Dragon's domain.
"I keep on asking everyone why you're cursed, but no one wants to tell me. Jorn acts like he knows, but he doesn't know anything, that's for sure. Father has been very unhappy and angry, and w-what happened to mother... I think it is all my fault. They all say I like to disturb them with my stupid questions," she complained while kicking the air.
I just stared at her and smiled. There wasn't much I could do to uplift another's spirit from my current predicament.
Rhena pouted. "Little Willie, are you laughing at me?"
I had a radical thought and tried my best to twist my palm in an attempt to gesture "No".
She instantly smiled and exclaimed, "Little Willie, you can understand me?!"
"Rhena!"
A voice immediately came from the door before I could answer her.
"Yes, Father?"
"Go and have your breakfast; your brothers and sister are already at the table," Father said, his voice deep and authoritative.
"But who will—"
"No questions, Rhena! Out! Now!" he yelled.
"Y-Yes, Father."
Rhena put me aside and sprinted to the door with tears already forming at the corners of her eyes.
Father caught Rhena by the shoulder before she could zoom past him and patted her head.
"I didn't mean to shout at you. I will look after the baby."
Rhena smiled, nodded, and said before she left, "Yes, Father! And Little Willie can understand you. He is very smart."
"Yes, dear," Father said flatly and watched her leave before entering the room and shutting the door behind him.
And as he walked towards me, all I could think of was how foolish I was to show Rhena I understood words already, forgetting children literally had no filter.
Father walked till he stopped before me as I remained lying on the wide bed. His demeanor was different from the last time I saw him. His black and properly coiffed hair was scattered and unkempt, and the stern gaze in his eyes wavered with distraught and confusion.
'Oh, Rhena, why did you have to leave me with a man at the edge of his mind?' I lampooned and cursed my luck.
He stared at me with shaky eyes and gritted teeth, and I stared back, looking as innocent as I could.
"You… You evil bastard," Father uttered and brandished the knife he had hidden behind him!
'I'm a bastard? So you're not my father then?' It all made sense now.
"You are a stain to both House Stern and House Solman, and all you will bring to our families is misfortune! Only a cursed and evil child could kill their mother, my beautiful Macbetha, the day you were born…" he said and picked me up with one hand while raising the knife in his other.
'Uh, dude, calm down. You don't want to do this. I don't want to hurt you! Please!' I screamed in thought and made baby noises so I could probably draw someone's attention.
"I should end your accursed existence now before you cause my family any more harm," he muttered to me, but his knife hand still remained up in the air.
I stared at him with fright and raised my hand to touch his face. 'I'm sorry about your wife, but don't make a bad situation worse by trying to kill a newborn child and getting burned to a crisp instead. Little Rhena needs you; your other kids need you. Please!'
Father pursed his lips as he battled with himself, but ended up dropping me in my crib and storming off.
'Sigh…' That was a close one.