A few months have passed since I… transmigrated into this world, Sumire thought, lying in her crib.. Her eyes wandered to the man in blue robes. Every day, without fail, he wore the same getup. Seriously, does he not clean those robes? Or… oh no… does he only own clothes in this color? His fashion sense is worse than mine. she thought, sticking her tiny hands in the air as if to emphasize the injustice.
At the moment, he was seated nearby with a thick, leather-bound book with cool cover. Sumire's attention lingered longer than she meant. He looked up suddenly, as if he'd felt her gaze, and smiled. the sudden smile made her panic for absolutely no reason. She tried to smile back, but her lips trembled, and tears began pooling in her eyes before she even realized it.
"Ah, little one," Dad said softly, setting the book aside. Then, without missing a beat, he asked, "Did you… poop? Want me to change your clothes?"
Sumire groaned inwardly, cheeks already turning pink. Nooo, not again… Her tiny body squirmed
As he changed her clothes. trying to hide the humiliation she continued her monologue 'sigh He is my dad—Eclis in this life. Sometimes he's out all day and never notices me, other days he's full-time home, hovering and annoying… but honestly, it gets boring without him. So I don't really mind.'
"All done! You look good," Eclis said cheerfully, returning to his book with the same gentle smile.
Sumire stared at him for a moment, then giggled to herself. Yeah… and sometimes he does that too. Just sitting there reading, lost in his books. Bookworm version. Outside version. Annoying, hovering version. Fuhaha… he's ridiculous, but I guess that's fine.
Then her gaze drifted to the woman lying on the bed, who seemed exhausted by the weight of the world. Then there's her… it's like she might be my mom… maybe? Honestly, I don't really know, She thought. Because in the past whole month, she's done nothing but lie there, staring out the window. Dad takes care of her all day… but she doesn't even appreciate it.
Her tiny face twisted in anger. It's frustrating. Who is she? Why is she like that? A mom is supposed to care for her child… and she's the worst mom I've ever seen.
suddenly that mother looked at her, The woman made a face—unreadable, not a smile, definitely not. It was pain, pure and raw. She turned her head away, again looking out through the window.
From Eclis calling her sometimes, I know her name… Elilzabeth. And my name… is Eleena. Such a beautiful name, truly, she thought, letting the words echo in her mind. Despite everything, a small sense of pride sparked within her. Even if her world felt upside down, even if her parents were distant in ways she didn't understand, her name reminded her who she was—or who she could become.