"… Hope?"
She turned her gaze to me, and she grinned like she was about to share something awesome to me.
"It was around my twelfth birthday. Everyone got me presents, but I didn't really care for them. That day, I truly wanted to just… fade away. It was the lowest day of my life. That day, I tried to kill myself, on my own birthday.
But just when I came to the balcony of my bedroom to take the leap… a person… appeared."
"A person…?"
She turned to me again and grinned really widely. I can tell the pure happiness coming from her face, that this person must be very important to her.
"A goddess!"
"W-What…?"
I suddenly moved my body and sat closer to her. She quickly placed her finger on her grinning mouth.
"I have never told anyone about this... Not even my parents. So you have to keep this a secret."
"I will. Tell me more."
I suddenly became very interested. Seeing that I trusted her so easily, she did not regret telling me her biggest secret.
"That is how I got these eyes of truth. The goddess gave me these sights, so I can see the truth of other people.
The goddess was already waiting on my balcony when I came… She was actually expecting me."
Lescia recalled again about what happened during that evening on her twelfth birthday.
Everyone was fake smiling, and handed her presents just to make themselves look good. Lescia knows that her parents are also just trying to act nice towards them, but this is too much.
Even her favorite cousin who was the same age as her, Fran, didn't come to her birthday… Lescia was at her lowest.
There was no hope in living anymore. The people closest to her are all fakes. Her parents are in a lot of trouble just because of her. And the pain… could not be any more unbearable.
She made a decision. During the evening, she made a decision she can never undo.
To just… end it all right there and then.
She arrived in her room, and she immediately walked out onto the balcony. But, only to find a really beautiful lady sitting above the railings on her balcony.
She turned her gaze towards the shining lady who is reflecting the moonlight beautifully, and with all her heart, she asked.
"How are you… so beautiful?"
She didn't ask who the person was, or why the person was there.
All she wanted to know was how the person was so beautiful.
The lady on the railing chuckled softly hearing the question. She opened her eyes again, and she glared at Lescia softly. She can feel her whole body calmed down from just being looked at by this lady, and she felt even better hearing her speak.
"I am nowhere as beautiful as you... Princess Lescia."
The lady stood up and kneeled down in front of Lescia. She placed both of her hands on her cheeks, and she spoke softly again… much softer than before.
"I know it is harsh… and I know it is painful. But please, you have to endure it.
One day… a hero will come from another world… and he will save you from your pain."
"A… hero…?"
The goddess began laying her hands more on Lescia's cheeks. The cheeks that were previously shedding tears, the cheeks that were swollen due to crying heavily in the bathroom.
"He will save you… and you two will fall in love. You two will live happily for the rest of your lifes, living the best of your lives. So please. Don't end your life here…
Because you have… so much to live for."
Hearing that, Lescia quickly turned shocked. This lady knows exactly what Lescia was planning to do when she went to the balcony.
She was going to jump, and this lady was already here to stop her.
"Who… are you…?"
Finally, little Lescia asked, and the goddess placed her hands on Lescia's eyes, wiping the tears away. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes had changed from the previous yellow iris into a white golden one.
At that very moment, she was given the eyes of truth.
"I am the Goddess of Restoration. You can call me Haelen."
With her new eyes, she can already see the truth coming out from the goddess' voice. Knowing that she is talking with the great goddess of restoration, Lescia quickly cried happily.
She then leaned forward to hug, and the goddess accepted her embracing.
"Stay strong… Lescia… for one day, you will be the happiest person to ever live…"
The goddess then left her by turning herself into a glimmer of light while being hugged, and her whole body slowly disappeared.
Little Lescia watched as the white particles slowly flew higher and higher, until they finally disappeared from the eyes.
.
"Ever since then, I have obtained a new meaning of life.
I waited… and waited for this hero… to come and heal me.
I've imagined him… every single night before I sleep. His armor… his muscles… I even called out to him in my dreams…
But…
But somehow…
You healed my curse!!"
Lescia turned to me angrily, and she started using her foot to continuously kick me.
"The hero was supposed to heal me!! He was supposed to be handsome and powerful and muscular with shiny golden armor!! So why the heck did you heal me!?"
Panicking, I lifted my hands to stop her foot from reaching my face, and she just screams like a gorilla at me as she lands her foot on my hands.
Seriously, she's not holding back with her kicks.
"H-Hey!! You were in great pain!! How can I leave you like that?!"
Lescia let out a deep breath as she looked down, then she started speaking with a lower tone again.
"I was supposed to be healed by the hero that the goddess mentioned… I really appreciate you for healing me, but now I won't get the chance to meet him since my curse was healed…"
Hearing that made me a little bit guilty. She was supposed to be marrying the great hero that the goddess said, because the hero was supposed to be healing her curse and marrying her.
But her entire life's plan was ruined because I pitied her…
"S-Sorry… I really am."
Hearing my genuine reply, Lescia let out a sigh again and continued speaking angrily.
"It's fine! At least now I don't have a continuous pain in my chest. The hero can still come and marry me if he wants to, anyway!"
I quickly laughed, but then I realized something.
"This hero… did the goddess say anything about him?"
"Not much. She only said that the hero will come from another world."
…
…
…
Oh.
"And… how did… the goddess know…?"
"I don't know, how should I know? I was twelve, I didn't even think much about marriage back then."
"R-Right… this goddess, she wouldn't happen to have a… long white hair, would she?"
Lescia suddenly turned to me. Realizing what was going on, I quickly continued.
"Her eyes are like, so white."
Lescia nodded.
"She is very tall… like… super tall. I'm talking taller than the tallest knight--"
Lescia nodded faster.
"Even her ancient clothes are so white… like I'm not even sure if it was--"
She nodded even faster.
…
Oh.
"How… Do you know all of those descriptions? Those things don't come in books. I know because I actually read the books."
Well…
Man, it's like watching fate unfolds so stupidly. Who the hell wrote this script!?
I quickly realized what was going on, and I shrugged the back of my hair. Inside my mind, I'm having the most chaotic thinking moment I've ever had.
Damn… it really does get this messy…
I decided to just slowly tell her, and let her check the truth using her eyes of truth.
"Y-You can read the truth right? Then how about this.
I will say some sentences, and you will try to understand what they really meant."
Lescia got quite confused, but she decided to agree anyway. Once she got it, I began telling.
"Okay, then watch closely for my truth. Here we go.
I have never met the goddess before."
I said with a grin, and she quickly tried to read. She heard my sentence, and she read the truth that came out of my mouth. She quickly turned to shock.
"You have… met with the goddess? How!?"
"Correct, but questions later!
Next, the goddess did not do anything to me."
She read the truth again, and her heart slowly became heavy.
"Y-You… were saved by her…"
"Correct! Now finally,
I have been in pain nearly everyday since I came here, and it was all the goddess's fault."
I mean, technically that sentence is not wrong. But I said it in a way so that her eyes of truth can see even more than what I just said.
And seeing her reaction, it looks like it worked.
Hearing that final sentence, the eyes of truth quickly overflowed her with new information. Her entire brain was processing the new information, starting from the very moment that I got killed… until now.
It's like she just had an entire flashback of my life here.
Tears welled down heavily from her eyes as she slowly understood just what kind of emotions I have felt from the beginning.
The confusion of coming here, all by myself. The rage, from not knowing anything and was suddenly thrown into danger. The joy, happiness for gaining various things like friends and becoming strong. And the guilt, for obviously wrong choices I made during certain events.
Having another person's life emotions flashing right on her eyes made her understand just how small her pain was compared to others. She, who has been in continuous pain for twelve years, felt the empathy towards me who has seen hell and even lived through it.
The feeling of empathy and similarities made her realize that she was not the only one hurting.
The heavy feeling slowly disappears as she wipes the tears from her eyes. Once she calmed down again, she grinned at me softly while her eyes were still overflowing with emotions.
Tears of empathy… and joy.
"Nice to meet you… sir hero. I am the princess of Mazino, Lescia Mazino.
Would you like to… kindly give me your name?"
Hearing that, I quickly felt my heart throbbing. I can't help but be teary eyed too.
Because now, of all the people in this world who found out about my identity… is her.
I cannot… be happier.
"Nice to meet you too, Princess Lescia.
My name is Melvin, but you can call me Melv."