Chapter 4

My body was sent flying by the kick of a horse, crashing into the Nectar tree and falling to the ground. I couldn’t breathe properly. My shoulder, which had been kicked, and my back, which had been slammed against the tree, felt more hot than painful.

“Alesia!”

Hearing the horse’s threatening neigh, my father and Uncle Nathan rushed over, drove the horse away, and lifted me up.

Despite the severe bruising, my consciousness was clear. However, every movement and breath spread pain throughout my body.

“I’m okay, Dad.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Alesia. My Alesia.”

My father, in a state of disarray, carried me, with Ethan following behind, sobbing. He must have been blaming himself. I needed to comfort him.

“Ethan, I’m okay. Don’t cry.”

Ethan cried even more upon hearing this.

After being taken home, I was bedridden for about ten days. Being bedridden was actually convenient for me because my mind was in turmoil.

Perhaps it was because I was kicked by the horse and slammed against the tree, but at the age of eight, I began to remember my past life.

I am Aula, a water mage. The memories of Aula’s twenty-three years were flooding my mind. The lid on my sealed memories had been opened.

The first memory that came to mind was a scene from a battlefield.

At sixteen, I was wearing a pure white robe embroidered with gold thread, standing at the forefront of the army. It was my first war, and I stretched out both arms toward the sky, raising my voice.

“Water! Fill the earth! Sweep away the enemy soldiers!”

With a whoosh, a massive block of water appeared high in the air. The water cast a wide shadow over the desert and, after a brief shimmer, crashed down with a tremendous roar.

The vast amount of water turned into a muddy torrent, sweeping away the heavily armored enemy soldiers. After the water had receded, the desert was littered with drowned bodies.

The number of enemy soldiers who had attacked was about twenty thousand, so the number of lives I had taken was certainly more than a hundred or two hundred.

At the time, I was torn between the feeling of justifying my actions because it was a war and the disgust I felt for taking so many lives, which made me nauseous.

The soldiers behind me were cheering and rejoicing, but I was trembling uncontrollably under the scorching sunlight.

Another scene was of me at twenty-two, being condemned in the palace hall.

“Aula, you conspired with another country to cause a great flood in our land, killing many people and destroying the country. You must pay with your life.”

“No! I didn’t cause that rain! The story about the other country is a lie! Your Majesty, do you suspect me?”

The young king, who was about to marry me, said nothing and looked down at me as if I were a filthy object. Near the king stood the prime minister, who had wanted his daughter to become queen, trying to maintain a composed face despite his evident pleasure.

“Filthy woman! Did you want to become the queen of such a prosperous country so much?”

“Your Majesty, the people have lost their families and are filled with grief and anger. If Aula is not executed, the people’s anger will surely turn against the country.”

I despaired at the words of the king and the prime minister. I was going to be killed. The girl who loved luxury and had been cozying up to the king would become queen in my place.

“I didn’t do it! Please believe me!”

The scene changed again, and at twenty-three, I was being held down on a wooden platform, my upper body exposed to the crowd. After months of torture and imprisonment, I was dirty, emaciated, and covered in scars.

“Give me back my father!”

“Give me back my baby!”

“Murderer of my son!”

“Die! Just die!”

Many curses were hurled at me. My hoarse, small voice, saying, “No, I didn’t do it,” reached no one. My throat had been burned to prevent me from casting spells.

A heavy rain and flood were extremely rare natural disasters in the desert, but no one who knew about my water-creating magic believed it.

As I was held down, I turned my face to the left and saw the executioner’s foot take a step forward. In the next moment, my consciousness fell into darkness.

Tears streamed down my eight-year-old face at the horrific memories.

...

“Alesia, let’s wipe your body.”

“Okay. Thank you, Mom.”

My mother, who is my mother in this life, gently wiped my body with a wet cloth. Although my heart was no longer that of eight-year-old Alesia but of twenty-three-year-old Aula, it felt good to be cared for by my mother.

“Mom, I think we should leave here soon. The rain is spreading, and it will be found eventually. In a place with more people, it will be harder for my power to be discovered if it rains.”

The hand that was wiping my body stopped.

“You’re right. I’ve been discussing this with your father, but it’s hard to abandon the farm we’ve expanded so much.”

“I understand, but if this place is found, they will question the source of the water. If they find out it’s me, I will be taken away from you. If that happens, this place will quickly return to its original desert.”

Mother blinked and looked at my face.

“Even when it rains, let’s go to a place with more people so that it’s not obvious that I’m the cause. As long as no one knows, I should be able to stay with you.”

“Alesia, you’re talking like an adult today.”

Oops.

“Is that so? Maybe my way of speaking is different because I’m in pain.”

My father made a quick decision.

That night, my father came to where I was lying.

“I heard from your mother. I agree with you. If the farm gets this big, it will be found eventually. If it’s found, it’s over. Let’s move to a place with more people. We can start the farm over again.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

Father said, “I’ll go talk to Nathan and the others,” and went to the neighboring house.

I felt relieved on the bed. I don’t want to be found by the authorities. If I’m found, I’ll be used again.

The many dead bodies scattered on the sand and the executioner’s foot taking a step toward me flashed in my mind.

I shook my head slightly. I never want to live that life again. I cherish my current parents. I don’t want to lose this peaceful life.