I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game

"When you think about it, so much has happened."
"It certainly has."

"Three years already... It feels so vivid, as if it were just yesterday. Perhaps that means these memories are that precious to me."
"I remember them just as clearly."
For a while, we reminisced fondly.

The conversation about our first meeting continued, winding through time, even to that bitterly cold winter, until it naturally drew to a close.
The night had quietly shifted towards dawn.
Our voices had filled the entire night, leaving no room for sleep.

I murmured with a gentle smile, reliving the memories.
"Looking back, I think Neria back then was rather charming. She used casual speech, which made her feel much more approachable."
"That’s because I was not yet someone in your service."

The girl wore an equally relaxed expression.
The process of looking back after a long journey felt like holding a warm cup of cocoa on a frigid winter day.
We savored the sweetness and the subtle bitterness together.

Gently, I reached out and stroked her silver hair.
Perhaps the sudden contact startled her.
Her pale cheeks flushed with a tender redness in no time.

Even so, she quietly accepted the gesture, and I smiled at her endearing reaction.
With her soft, melting response, her silver eyes shyly avoided mine.
Her lips quivered faintly, hesitating.

"I-I'm sorry. My face just suddenly got so hot…"
"You’re still as shy as ever."
"…It’s only because it’s you, my lord."
"Even if it's just flattery, I’m glad to hear it."

I replied playfully.
My hand, which had been caressing her hair, naturally moved down to softly brush her forehead and face, gently tracing her features.
Her skin absorbed the faint warmth entirely.

Her cheeks, already burning, grew even warmer, her breaths becoming slightly uneven.
The moment, as fragile and beautiful as petals falling, added another layer of meaning to our bond.
Eyes, nose, lips... I traced her presence as if savoring every part of her life, until my fingertips brushed against a wide scar.

A burn mark that covered the entire right side of her face.
"…"
In my gaze lingered a faint trace of regret.

A scar I had failed to prevent.
Even as I mulled over the complicated emotions it evoked, I cupped the unfamiliar texture with my palm.
Even the wounds left by winter had become a testament to the love we shared.

Lowering my head, I gently rested my forehead against hers.
Our body heat mingled seamlessly.
"This scar... Do you still not want to remove it?"

I asked.
After all, erasing a mark like this was something I could fix with a mere gesture.
I had offered to do so several times before.

But the girl, as always...
"I like it as it is."
…shook her head.

As if the scar itself was a part of her love.
"This is the salvation you gave me… proof of the warmth that will never fade."
"You choose to live with the scar."

"Rather, I live because of the scar."
It was a compelling truth.
Life isn't about hiding or covering up wounds but overcoming them by accepting them.

The girl intended to embrace even that merciless winter.
Her silver eyes reflected only me.
"This scar keeps me alive now."

"Then I suppose there’s no helping it."
So stubborn about the strangest things.
I let out a soft chuckle.

Perhaps wanting to hold onto even that moment, the girl cautiously placed her hand atop mine.
Her scar pressed lightly into my palm, as though offering everything.
Yet, when I laced my fingers through hers, she blushed again.

Her innocent reaction drew an involuntary smile from me.
"Miss Neria, you’re so unchanging—it’s endearing."
"Ugh…"

The girl tried her best to cool the heat on her face.
After a few deep breaths, she met my gaze once more, her eyes now clear.
Her face, still tinged with a faint blush, exuded a tender warmth.

"Anyway… there’s something I wanted to say."
Though her voice wavered, it no longer carried any shadow of darkness.
"I’m no longer bound by the past."

"…"
"I’ve noticed you’ve been dwelling on it since earlier. It’s probably because of what happened in the Kingdom today, isn’t it?"
"I can’t exactly deny that."

"If it’s about meeting the ruler, it doesn’t bother me."
"Still, it must have been a painful scar."
"My lord."

Her resolute voice.
The words that followed bloomed gently, like a soft smile.
"It would be a lie to say it doesn’t hurt… but didn’t you grant even a monster like me a new life?"

And so.
There’s no longer any reason to cling to my old name, to be tormented by the nightmare of loneliness, or to despise myself.
Even when darkness falls, I will choose to face it rather than cry.

That is the only destiny for those touched by light.
"The name you gave me is the reason for my life now."
"…"

The name I gave her.
Neria Lightni.
When read in the ancient tongue, it means “the one who lights a fire.”

I chose that name with the hope that she would one day escape the eternal darkness and shine brightly.
For a moment, that memory flickered vividly in my mind.
"Do you need a name?"

The image of her locked behind those black iron bars.
Seeing the clarity in her eyes, which had grown so much brighter since then, I couldn’t help but think, Perhaps what I’ve done in this world holds meaning after all.
And in that thought, I found solace.

"Huhu... When did you grow so much?"
She might believe I was the one who saved her.
But, in truth, it was the other way around.

Back then, I was the one who was truly saved.
Having lost my younger sister in my past life, I had become a broken man. Suddenly thrown into this world, I wandered aimlessly, unable to find a reason to live.
With no attachment to life, I recklessly walked paths filled with danger, resolved to die quietly, feeling that everything was precarious and meaningless.

In that desolate winter of my existence, you became the first spark of meaning in my life.
The responsibility of taming and caring for you.
I lived with the thought that I had to take responsibility for you.

That responsibility became the purpose of my reincarnation.
If it weren’t for you, my winter would have never ended.
Perhaps I might have given up entirely.

In my clumsy attempt to save you, I ended up saving myself.
That’s why, when you thank me, I can only feel grateful in return.
And so, I gently pull you into an embrace.

Then I whisper softly.
"Please take care of me from now on, too."
"Everything I do is for you."

You respond quietly.
Morning had come without us realizing.
We stayed close, never letting go of the warmth we shared.

In the dark room, it was just the two of us.
The Next Day
After wrapping up the matters in the Kingdom, I boarded a carriage back to the academy.

Even though it was break time, I’d been away for two days.
"Then... I’ll leave the rest to you."
"Yes, my lord."

The silver-haired girl saw me off.
I entrusted her with the remaining tasks and left the headquarters and the streets filled with memories behind.
The rolling wheels carried me toward another home.

It felt like going home.
At first, everything about the academy had been unfamiliar and exciting, but now it had become a landscape I’d grown accustomed to.
While I mulled over idle thoughts, we arrived at the destination.

The first to greet me was the fox.
She was waiting in front of the main gate for the carriage.
"Good work."

"How did you know I’d be back today?"
"The deputy commander told me."
"I see."

"How did the matter you were handling turn out?"
"It’s settled. Would you like me to tell you about it?"
"Let’s save that for later."

"And now?"
"There’s something more urgent we need to discuss."
"Urgent...?"

"You’ll understand if you come with me."
Without explanation, the girl took my hand.
I followed her lead, walking without complaint despite my puzzled expression.

As we crossed the academy grounds, familiar faces began popping up one by one.
"Young master! We’ve been waiting for you!"
"Wait, you commoner! You’ll hurt yourself running like that!"

The protagonist greeted me brightly.
And with her, as though they had been waiting together, the villainess made her presence known with her usual teasing remarks.
These two, now inseparable friends, refused to be apart.

And they weren’t the only ones.
"Yes... we’re here too."
"Our delinquent physician has been skipping her rounds, you see."

The little prince appeared, being pushed in his wheelchair, while the rose beside him scolded him sharply from her perch.
Even the imperial princesses seemed to have been waiting for my return.
With our group now grown to five, my confusion only deepened.

“Could this urgent matter... be something we all need to discuss together?”
These people weren’t exactly on the best of terms.
Especially the fox and the rose, who couldn’t even meet eyes without breaking into a heated argument—so much so that I often had to beg them to get along.

And yet, here they were, apparently needing to discuss something together.
It felt... ominous.
"Something’s strange about all this."

There was also this peculiar atmosphere lingering since earlier.
I couldn’t quite put it into words, but it felt oddly stifling.
I tried to brush off the unease, telling myself it was just my imagination.

Perhaps dealing with the filth in the Kingdom had left me mentally on edge.
Pushing away those thoughts, I continued walking with the children toward the dormitory.
But.

"Bad feelings like these usually turn out to be right."
About thirty minutes later.
We found ourselves seated in the dormitory lounge.

The children had subtly surrounded me.
The matter they wanted to discuss became clear.
"A ball?"

An academy banquet was coming up.
An event to celebrate the start of the new semester, where partners attended as pairs.
The topic of discussion was choosing a partner for the ball.

"So... who will you choose?"
The girls looked at me with sharp, chilly eyes.
The air felt suddenly humid, as though the tension was palpable.

All I could do was smile awkwardly.
It was the smile of someone caught in a very troublesome situation.
"H-haha..."

Something told me.
I was in deep trouble.