Piece 15 (part 1)

*Story will be told from the perspective of Elizabeth Veldonia, Milly's mom*

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It is… such a hot day.

I'm wondering if the day can end quickly. It's just pure suffering.

"Hey!! Get those hands moving!!" An annoying yell came behind me, where an old grandma is watching as the fried eggs on the pan are sizzling.

It's just a fried egg. Why are we rushing things?

"Hello? Earth to Liza. Are you awake?" The annoying grandma moved her head closer to me, and I noticed that I was ignoring her too much.

"Right. Sorry. I'm just feeling out of it."

"It is a pretty hot day right now. Finish that egg, then go take a rest." Estella said to me as she moved away, and I turned my surprised face to her.

"R-Really?"

"What? Do I really have to spell out 'Go Take A Rest' so you'll get it?"

"No… you never allowed me to rest before."

"Because I'm quite certain that you're a lot stronger than how a normal person would. You killed a dragon god, for f***'s sake. Rest isn't necessary for you, but clearly your head isn't properly set today. So, yes. Go rest." Estella explained her reasoning, and it seems like no matter what year it is, she is never going to change.

She is always a considerate person. Her way of doing things might've been questionable, but she's second to none when it comes to noticing problems. She's been like this ever since she took care of me many-many years ago.

"In that case, I'll finish the egg then retire forever."

"??"

Of course, I'll still play her jokes.

After the fried egg was completely done, I placed it on a plate so Estella could bring it to the customer. I took off the apron and headed inside the house behind the diner, and I just slapped my body onto the bed.

Without realizing, my eyes just shut closed, and I fell asleep right away. I didn't exactly dream, which made the sleep feel a lot-lot faster than it should've been. 

By the time I opened it, I noticed another person was currently present in the bedroom.

"Milly.…?" I muttered while opening my eyes, and the young lady is currently sitting on her studying desk, taking her books out of her bags.

"Good morning, Mom! You slept for an entire day."

I… I did? Also, morning?

I turned to the clock at the wall, and it does not say morning. It's 3 PM, and looking at Milly's clothes, it's clear that she just got home from school.

"That was the best nap ever." I said as I turned my smile to her, and Milly became curious.

"Oh. Why is it the best?"

"I didn't dream. And I woke up to the prettiest girl in the world." I answered based on exactly how I feel, but Milly only laughs at me.

"That can't be true! To me, you're prettier."

"We both have the same face, Milly. I think it's fair if the two of us are the prettiest in the world."

"Agreed! But I still think you're prettier."

This girl. She just knows how to praise people. But seeing her smile, I was reminded of someone else who smiled the same way.

"Milly, come here." I gestured for her to come closer, and the girl is still taking books out of her bag.

"H-Hold on, I'm still sorting my books."

The little lady proceeds to deal with her bag for another minute. Once she's done, she hopped on the bed beside me, and I just grabbed her entire body with my long arms. It's crazy how small she is, and I'm betting on the nutrition that is lacking on her body.

"You're very thin, honey. Please eat more."

"I'm eating a lot, you know? Even Grandma yelled at me for eating so much."

"Then, ignore her and keep eating. I don't want you to be so thin."

Milly laughs after hearing my plea, but then she realized that I'm not exactly joking. She turned her eyes slightly to me as I kept on hugging her smelly body.

"I heard from Dad… about how the two of you met each other."

Oh? Does she not know about it yet?

"And? What did he say?"

"He told me that you were… a chained princess. Locked inside your own room, unable to escape." Milly explained with sorrow, but I only chuckled hearing it.

"Don't believe him. Your dad is really so good at using poetic words."

"Eh? Then, is it not true?"

"It's almost the truth, but he didn't tell you the big picture. I wasn't a chained princess. I was a rogue one. The reason why I kept being locked inside my room is because I kept on messing with people." I told Milly about my past as the princess, and she laughed when she heard it.

"Sounds a lot like me! But, who dared to lock up a princess?" Milly asked as she turned her body to me, and I let go of the hug so she could move on the bed.

"Who else? My father." I told her the truth, and Milly opened her eyes widely. 

From her eyes, I can already tell that she has learned about my past with my family. But, she definitely didn't know a lot of it.

"I… also heard that you killed your father."

"He's not my father. He's just a bully bastard who does nothing but find reasons to simply beat anyone. Even Estella fell victim to his fist a few times." I explained to Milly, and she became even more surprised.

Clearly, Estella didn't tell Milly that. From the sound of it, Estella is keeping all the nasty stuff away from Milly's ears. It's probably because she is still very young, and she doesn't want Milly to know how much I suffered.

But, I think I can tell her now. She's old enough to understand it, and since I'm the one telling her, it's fine.

"My younger days aren't exactly the prettiest, Milly. But, it's not all grim and painful." I told the smaller version of me, and Milly only looked so saddened.

"Can you tell me? How did you go through those days?"

Can I…? I wonder.

Sometimes, I'm quite happy whenever I get dreams that don't involve those moments. Like the nap just now, when I didn't dream anything. Those naps are rare, because I was able to enjoy my sleep very much.

Because those dreams… they are not exactly enjoyable. Some might call it 'nightmares'.

Because they are all nothing but pure suffering.