I slowly sat up and looked again at my reflection in the bucket of water, I was now a weak and fragile five-year-old little girl with a face covered in dirt, stuck in the palace with no backing or support neither on the inside nor outside the walls.
I knew that the coma that I had first awoken from was supposed to make the original owner a complete fool, but since I had been reborn before my brain could burn further, I was saved from that misfortune at least. But…
I couldn't help but wonder why the heavens gave me this hand in life. I had already lived a hard life, why couldn't they have given me the chance to be born a rich little missy with no worries in the world? Why had I been reborn as the unloved, fake daughter of a lecherous king?! What pity did they take on me?! This was clearly them making a joke out my entire existence! Not even dogs would dare to accept their pity!
I looked back at the so-called bed that was actually just a slightly elevated wooden structure covered with thick stacks of hay; there was not even a piece of fabric that could be called a blanket. From my memories I knew that this was where the original owner lived with a little brother who was also unfavored by the king. I looked down on myself that to see that I was dressed in a rough piece of cloth, the ones that are used to carry ground produce like potatoes and cabbages into the palace and was tied at the waist with a piece of string. I felt my heart hurt for the original owner, this life was indeed much worse than my previous life and if my memories of the original owner's future said anything, this life was destined to only get worse if I stayed in the palace.
I wondered what happened to the original owner. Had she died as well? Was that how I had gotten the chance to take over her body?
*Sigh*
I raised her hands to gently massage my aching temples while avoiding the wound on my forehead. I couldn't focus on trying to understand heaven's intentions at all, but since I have been given the chance to live again within this little girl's body, I would take full advantage of it and certainly not wait to be eaten alive in this palace that was equivalent to a den of rats and snakes.
I got up from the floor and, out of habit, dusted myself of the dirt that covered my skin and dress. The moldy odor of the room almost made me fall down again, I couldn't help but frown and rub at my nose as I slowly walked towards the door of the little hut-styled room.
When I pushed to open the door, I found that it was closed from the outside and with my physique and lack of strength it was near impossible for me to break down the door. I looked around the musty room, even the air was stale, there wasn't much of anything at all present in the room so my eyes quickly landed on the pickaxe abandoned in the far corner of the little room. I wasted no time and walked over as quickly as I could before bending down to grab it but found myself almost stumbling over and falling on my face. I looked down at my hands in shock; from the original owner's memories I recalled that this pickaxe was hers she used it to forage for any wild vegetables that she could have used to at least pad her usually empty stomach so why did it seem so hard for me to lift now?
"Is it because this body has been sick for a few days and hasn't fully recovered. The original owner is so pitiful!" I cried out loud thinking about the future I have to avoid at all costs.
I, again tried to lift the pickaxe and dragged it towards the door, 'I am not even able to break through the wooden door that was barely hanging on it's hinges,' I lamented as I readied myself to swing the pickaxe at the door. I took a deep breath before swinging the little pickaxe with all my might to smash the wooden door of the little hut and allowed the sunlight to shine all over me, I instinctively closed my eyes tight and raised a hand to cover my burning eyes allowing the pickaxe to fall from my hands. I gave myself a minute to adjust before lowering my hand.
Looking around, I saw that my little room had a big yard, but from my memory I knew that this was at the far end of the white tower. Though there were mostly old concubines inhabiting this part of the palace, there were some servants and even children who could not be executed for whatever reason but had to be kept out of the King's sight so they were dumped here or were forced by circumstances to follow the fallen concubines who were no longer fit to fight for favor. Some of them couldn't even be considered concubines or side wives, but were merely "entertainers" like the birth mother of the original owner. This was a title given to women and even men whose only purpose was to entertain, they were given no legitimate title and were treated much worse than official wives and concubines. This monarch allowed for a man of status to have four wives and three concubines, while the king who stood above all other men and the most noble of all could have four wives to manage the harem and some palace affairs, and as many concubines as he desired, but that does not mean that every woman who served the king was a concubine, some would remain entertainers, or handmaidens, while others would rise in the ranks depending on the king's favor. But no matter the hierarchy of the palace, entertainers were at the lowest rank, they were easily replaceable and could be bullied by even the outer house maids, who handle all the rough and physically demanding jobs of the palace like cleaning latrines and doing laundry.
This place was also right behind a sanctuary of sorts where the little animals like cats and dogs were raised for getting rid of pests and rodents, which was also not far from the stables. I could remember that the original owner and her little brother would often fight with those small animals for food while those inhumane servants of unfavored concubines would watch and laugh at them. I clenched my fists tightly trying to control the anger I felt from bursting forth.
I took a quick glance around the small yard before walking towards what I could remember was the exit. As I stepped over the threshold with a limp I bumped into a familiar face. It was the original body's little brother and also... King Kazu the Great Conqueror!