— Did I hear correctly, or did that pig just call me a «moron»?!
His angry blood-red eyes fixed on me, and his delicate features contorted, making his already frightening expression even more terrifying.
King Zeldris Aldrua.
Damn it, if I had known I would ever find myself in this situation, I would never have included this jerk in my novel!
My tiny body shook, my hooves curled up, and looking up at him from below, I had never felt so pathetic.
In the novel I wrote, I was reborn as a pig.
This whole story began with me five years ago.
I published a romantic novel called «The Fate of a Princess» on one of the author websites. I did it out of boredom, but to my surprise, it quickly became popular.
The novel was about the life of a young princess named Gloria, who was kidnapped by the ruler of an enemy kingdom, Zeldris Aldrua. Once captured, she desperately tried to escape, but changed her plans after falling in love with the ruler himself. This marked the beginning of a love triangle between her, Zeldris, and a knight who wanted to rescue her.
In short, you understand that this novel was not particularly original. Nevertheless, I never managed to finish it because I couldn't write a suitable ending.
Or, to be more precise, I couldn't decide who the main character would end up with. Both the noble knight Gilbert and the cold-blooded ruler Zeldris appealed to me equally strongly. In the end, I decided to write something like an «open ending», but the vast majority of readers didn't like it, and I was inundated with letters asking for a sequel for the next five years.
But I didn't even think about continuing the novel after so much time had passed. By that point, I was already twenty-six years old and quite happy with my life. I had my own flat, a job as a kindergarten teacher, a dog, and even a boyfriend with whom I planned to build a long-term relationship.
But all that went down the drain when, returning home from work one evening, I… Got hit by a truck!
And when I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was an absolutely unimaginable scene.
I found myself in some kind of dirty pen, surrounded by hordes of pigs, and a man in work clothes was standing there looking down at me and throwing fresh waste into the trough.
Is this a pigsty?!
But why am I here…?!
And why did I smell so bad, and why had my body suddenly become so small?
— Hey, Sam! — someone called out to the man. — His Majesty wants pork for dinner tonight, so pick the fattest one and bring it to the cook in the kitchen.
— All right, — he shouted back, leaving the trough of waste aside and beginning to examine the pigs. — Now then…
The man picked up one, then another, and then his gaze fell on me.
I cringed.
What is he going to do to me…?!
He picked up my little body and began to twist it roughly in his hands. He felt my skin and even looked into my mouth. All this time I squealed discontentedly, but he paid no attention to it.
— Well, you're lucky for now… — the man laughed, baring his toothless mouth. — His Majesty Zeldris likes adult, well-fed pigs, and you're still too small… But don't worry, in a month or two, it'll be your turn.
He put me back on the ground, and I squealed when I finally realised what was happening.
Zeldris… It can't be…!
Have I ended up in my own novel?! No, it's even worse…
Why is this man looking down at me? Why do I have hooves instead of hands and feet? And… Wait! Have I been reborn as a pig?!
In my own novel, I've been reborn as a pig?!
Is this some kind of joke?
Not the main character, not the villain, not even a minor character, but… A PIG?!
Is this revenge for leaving my readers without a proper ending?
Damn it, if I had known about this beforehand, I would never have written this saccharine fantasy for girls!
…Zeldris' cold eyes stared at me with fury, and my tail trembled cowardly.
— Slaughter her! — he declared bloodthirstily. — Slaughter her, roast her, and serve this pig at my table today! I will eat her with the finest sauce, and she should be grateful that I am not ending her life in agony!
I squealed in fear like a real pig.
What a bastard! If I had known he wanted to eat me, I would have killed Zeldris in the prologue!
And so began my second life as a pig in my own novel. Or… is it already over…?
They're not going to roast me right now, are they?!