16 Special - Wandering Thoughts and Sleepless Nights

Reincarnation.

What did it mean to be reincarnated?

To someone like Estelle, who possessed knowledge of the parallel worlds' theory, reincarnation was a little bit easier to accept.

If there were an unlimited amount of worlds, being reincarnated into one of them after death was not something too far fetched of an idea.

But what if the body you reincarnated in was supposed to hold another soul?

For Estelle, who was favored by the Gods and given the golden finger of reincarnating with her memories, she would not know how it feels.

A lone soul, possessing little to no knowledge, lost and fluttering about. With no chances to reincarnate other than waiting in line for their turn, what did taking over a body mean?

Where would the original soul go?

Estelle woke up in the middle of the night, her entire body drenched in sweat and her lips bloodied.

She had unconsciously bitten her own soft lips to the point of injury. The murky taste of blood invaded her taste buds.

Nearby was a large window displaying the enchanting night sky scattered with stars so small that it looked like a cluster of dusts.

Getting down from the bed, she slipped into her custom made bunny slippers and slowly walked towards the window.

Carefully opening the latches, she was able to fully open the ventilation system, letting the cold night breeze brush against her body. The lilac curtains flied about, just like her silver locks that was still drenched in the salty liquid.

Deciding that it would be bad to let the expose the child physique to the cold air, she cast a fire spell to keep her warmth stable.

The revelation of life and the reincarnation circle made her ponder upon herself. What was she?

Did she take another soul's place? The 'her' that she talked to in her dream years ago, the tearful sight she saw, was it the original soul's wallows?

Her mind was kept awake. She did not know whether it was because of the fact that she had already slept for four hours prior to waking up, but her mind was leaning more towards supporting the busy thoughts theory.

Reincarnation.

Was she lucky because she received such a chance?

Was the rejected soul, if it even existed, automatically unlucky because the vassal got possessed by Estelle, no- Reina?

Time did not cater to everyone's wishes, it only catered to itself. Even as she repeatedly went back and forth from lying back down on the soft bed, to getting up and staring into the unknown, time unconditionally passed.

The wind was also getting colder, so Estelle frustration level naturally rose with it.

Sighing deeply, she got off the bed once again. This time, she did not walk towards the large windows, but rather to the doors.

"Hot chocolate, lady?" Lylia's voice crept up from behind, making Estelle jolt from the shock.

"...Lylia," Estelle heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sleepless nights are annoying, right? My mother used to make a cup of hot chocolate whenever I had trouble sleeping," Lylia walked towards the nearest cabinet and retrieved a porcelain mug and a jar of milk powder.

"...If lady feels comfortable with sharing your stories, this one will undoubtedly lend her ears,"

"I didn't say I had stories," Estelle yawned as she made small steps to a wooden stool.

Just a while ago, when she tried to sleep, she was wide awake. But now, she was yawning. What was this dumb sorcery?

"Well, this one did not say that the offer is restricted to a single use. Feel free to come anytime," Lylia stirred the powdered milk submerged in hot water as she slowly added bits of cocoa powder inside.

"Enjoy it, perhaps it would calm down your mind," Lylia passed over the mug.

Taking a small sip, Estelle felt like her mind was refreshed.

"Thank you, Lylia,"

"It's my pleasure,"