Former Assassin – 1

…I failed to assassinate the crown prince.

 

True to his words, the knight protected the crown prince’s life at the cost of his own.

 

I remembered that moment vividly—

 

—Yet, I failed to grasp the current situation.

 

“Good morning, my little Serena~ You look so cute today~”

 

A black-haired woman with eyes of the same color.

 

She was cradling me. 

 

Huh? How…?

 

As I wondered why I was being picked up, I realized that my outstretched hand was smaller than I remembered. I couldn’t move freely, either.

 

What the hell happened?

 

I have no clue at all.

 

“Serena sure is energetic!”

 

The woman spoke before kissing my cheek.

 

Honestly? I prefer it if she doesn’t. 

 

I didn’t like being touched too much.

 

“Uwa, uwaaAAAaa—…”

 

…And yet, all that came out of my mouth was gibberish. 

 

Seriously, what is happening? Can someone please explain to me?

 

—Aren’t I dead? So why am I alive?

 

“Oh my, Serena! What’s the matter?”

 

Also, why did she keep saying ‘Serena’ this and ‘Serena’ that?

 

I’m not Serena.

 

In fact, I had no name. The man who hired me called me by number.

 

“—You’re a tool, and a tool doesn’t need a name.”

 

Such were his words.

 

“I see. This is your first time seeing a mirror, right, Serena? You must be surprised!”

 

Huh?

 

Only then did I realize that I was staring at a mirror this whole time.

 

Reflected in the mirror was a baby with similar black hair and black eyes.

 

‘I’ wasn’t reflected in the mirror.

 

I had a bad premonition. Still in disbelief, I waved my hand; the baby in the mirror did the same.

 

“…”

 

Next, I tried pinching my cheek—and you guessed it, the baby in the mirror also pinched her cheek.

 

It hurts.

 

In the mirror, the reflection of a woman holding a baby could be seen.

 

I could tell that they were mother and daughter due to their resemblance.

 

As for me, I—I should’ve died…

 

But for some reason, I felt sure that I wasn’t an apparition.

 

After thinking for some time, it dawned on me—

 

“※■〇×◇？※■〇×◇！※■〇×◇！？※■〇×◇

 

“What’s wrong, Serena!? Calm down, I’m here…—”

 

—I wasn’t crying, by the way.

 

I was just screaming in confusion.

 

As far as I knew, this was the first time in my entire life that I’d been so emotionally disturbed.

 

Perhaps, it was indeed the first time—

 

—because I died once and was reborn.

 

I knew the concept of reincarnation. I couldn’t believe I actually experienced it.