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Chapter 04. The Truth Is, I Was Reborn as a Baby (3)
People often say:
“You’ve got it good when you’re young.”
I used to think that was true too. I even lectured my younger sister, who was only four years younger than me, with annoying old-person comments like, “You should appreciate how good you have it right now.”
I thought being a teenager was better than being an adult, being a child was better than being a teenager, and being a baby was better than being a child…
Or so I thought!
I really did!
I thought babies had it easy!
No work, no studying—just eat, sleep, and poop. How hard could that possibly be?
People feed you when it’s time to eat, pat your back to help you digest, and you can sleep whenever you want.
It sounded amazing. You don’t even have to walk anywhere yourself—someone carries you around all day.
But I was wrong.
It wasn’t that babies didn’t have to do anything.
It was that there was nothing they could do on their own!
Do you know how frustrating that is? Wanting to pull a curtain just a little, wanting to grab something you can clearly see—but being completely unable to do it yourself!
At first, it felt as if someone had tied me down.
No matter how hard I strained my entire body, I had no idea how to properly move this tiny, stubby body. All I could do was flail around.
And after struggling endlessly, I finally managed to roll over.
Then lie on my stomach.
Finally.
Finally!
It was seriously difficult.
And every time I did, people would cheer, praise me, and applaud!
It was embarrassing!
This is so humiliating…
And that wasn’t even the worst part.
A person!
An adult!
Having to wet themselves while lying down…
Ugh…
My dignity…
Well, normal babies wouldn’t understand that part, so I guess it doesn’t count.
Still, living as a baby was no easy task.
Even crawling by dragging myself along the floor required giving it my absolute best effort.
Adults have no idea how tragic that is.
Lying on my back, I blankly stared at the mobile Bailey had hung above me.
What kind of entertainment was I supposed to get from this thing?
It wasn’t like a mobile was Netfl*x or anything.
What did they take me for? I was someone accustomed to the countless forms of modern entertainment.
I’m only looking at it because there’s nothing else to watch, okay? Not because it’s fun!
The mobile, which Mother had made by hand, sparkled in the sunlight as it slowly turned.
It definitely wasn’t because I found it entertaining…
I was simply trying to figure out what mechanism made it spin even when there was no wind.
There was no electricity in this world, so it couldn’t be batteries…
Though honestly…
It was a little addictive.
I hated to admit it, but it was fun.
My pride was wounded.
“Shana! My beautiful daughter!”
“Could you maybe say our daughter, Anais…?”
“Our daughter!”
They were here.
As Maria hurried over and opened the door, my mother Anais and father Kyle entered.
“Shana, it’s been a while.”
Father smiled gently as he lightly stroked my forehead.
His low voice was as sweet as melting honey, and his warm smile looked capable of stopping even a snowstorm.
“What do you mean, ‘been a while’? Kyle, do you have amnesia? We saw her this morning. It’s only been a few hours.”
Mother was right.
The moment Father woke up that morning, he had rushed over to see me.
Only a few hours ago, Mother had practically dragged him away because he refused to leave my side before breakfast.
“A few hours or a few minutes—it’s still been a while if you haven’t seen someone.”
“You’re being dramatic…”
Though she scolded him, Mother picked me up and hugged me tightly.
Her slender arms looked as though they possessed no strength at all, yet she never hesitated when lifting me.
“Our Shana can crawl now, right?”
“Won’t you show us?”
“Uu, bya…”
Then put me down.
Put me on the floor.
While Mother continued speaking without releasing me, Father commented:
“You’ll have to put her down first if you want her to show you anything.”
“I don’t want to let her out of my arms.”
“Then we’ll never get to see Shana crawl.”
Looking reluctant, Mother finally set me down.
The nursery floor was covered with a soft carpet, and beside the crib was a padded area where I could play with toys.
After placing me there, Mother and Father looked at me with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.
“Show us, Shana!”
“Let’s see you crawl!”
Seriously…
It was only because I had memories from my previous life and could understand language that this worked.
Did these people actually think an ordinary six-month-old baby could understand what they were saying?
“Come to Mommy, Shana!”
“No, come to Daddy.”
Hey!
Don’t you think you’re asking a little too much from a baby who only recently learned to inch forward like a caterpillar?
Standing about five adult steps away, my parents spread their arms wide.
Neither of them seemed to have the slightest doubt that I understood every word.
I-I mean…
Now I want to live up to their expectations!
“Awu, ppa…”
“That’s right! It’s Daddy!”
“Maa…”
“Yes! It’s Mommy!”
Ugh, I can’t even speak properly!
I stared at my excited parents with mixed feelings.
Mother looked pale despite the bright afternoon sunlight.
Her neck was long and graceful like a deer’s, her limbs slender, her frame delicate.
Looking at her, it was hard to imagine how she had managed to give birth to a baby at all.
She probably pushed herself too hard when she gave birth to me.
And after I was kidnapped at only three months old, the shock had left her bedridden for a long time.
She still seemed unable to fully recover from it.
“Shana!”
The voice calling my name was sweet.
Just from the way they called me, I could tell how much Mother and Father loved me.
Yeona.
Please take good care of Mina.
Just like my parents in my previous life.
If I said it had been easy for me—a person with adult memories and awareness—to accept those two as my parents, that would be a lie.
But how could I possibly turn away from people who…
“Shana!”
…looked at me with such affection?
“Bbyaaaah!”
Just wait.
I’ll crawl over there.
“Did you hear that, Kyle? Our Shana was talking to me!”
“I heard her. I just have no idea what she said.”
Mother, Anais, was physically weak but cheerful and optimistic.
Father, Kyle, smiled warmly at me like a gentle spring breeze, but judging from the occasional blunt remark, he probably wasn’t nearly as friendly toward anyone outside the family.
Was he some kind of novel’s male lead or something…?
If only he were from the northern region, he’d be absolutely perfect.
“Uh, bu, bwa…”
Ah, I’m drooling!
“Lady Shana, let me wipe your face.”
“Bya!”
It’ll just happen again anyway.
After three months of baby life, I could poop with confidence and drool without embarrassment.
I was strong!
More importantly, I had achievements to show off.
My body seems kind of weak.
I didn’t know what the average baby’s stamina was supposed to be, but I got exhausted and fell asleep after moving around for only a little while.
If this was normal, then how difficult were babies’ daily lives?
Sorry for thinking you all had it easy, babies…
If I had thought about it for even a moment, I would’ve realized that moving around with muscles that weren’t even properly developed couldn’t possibly be comfortable.
Urrgh!
“Shana, you can do it!”
“You’ve got this!”
“Lady Shana, you can do it!”
“Just a little more!”
I struggled forward like a turtle, dragging my belly across the floor.
But reaching my parents from here was impossible.
Uwaaah.
Was this my first failure in life?
“Shana! Mommy came this much closer!”
“Anais. That’s cheating.”
“Kyle, come over here too. Come on, Shana!”
Mother moved much closer.
Not that she had been very far away to begin with.
Lying on my stomach, probably with my face red from exertion, I looked up at Anais as she knelt down for me.
Even though my face was covered in drool, she couldn’t hide how utterly adorable she thought I was.
Seriously.
She was such an idiot.
I buried my reddened face on top of my clenched fists.
My fists are too tiny and my face is too big. This hurts…
I couldn’t even get emotional properly.
There were just too few things a baby could do.
How long had it been since I’d let myself act spoiled toward my parents?
I couldn’t even remember.
My mother in my previous life had been sick for a long time.
My father worked tirelessly to pay the hospital bills.
Taking care of my younger sister had become my responsibility long ago.
And from the age of twenty onward, even supporting the family had fallen entirely to me.
Maybe that was why.
Being spoiled like this…
Even though it was embarrassing, I didn’t dislike it.
No.
To be honest, I liked it.
“Shana, what’s wrong? Did you push yourself too hard?”
“Ubu…”
No.
It’s not that.
Mother reached out toward me, but Father stopped her.
“Anais, Shana hasn’t given up yet.”
That’s right.
I haven’t given up yet.
Even if I can’t remember it, I was once an adult.
I’ll show you the dignity of a seasoned professional…
I became a turtle.
This was the ocean.
I was a turtle.
And there was food waiting at the end!
Even to me, my tiny chubby hand looked ridiculously small as it finally tapped the tips of Mother’s fingers.
Huh?
Something suddenly felt as though it were being pulled out from deep inside my body.
What is this feeling?
The sensation was vivid.
It was power, but not physical strength.
Something closer to energy itself.
A faint light shimmered over the back of my tiny hand.
Mother’s eyes widened as if she had sensed it too.
Father’s face instantly became rigid.
Huh?
“Shana, did you just…?”
“Use healing magic?”
“I-I think so…”
As I stared blankly in confusion, Mother suddenly scooped me up.
“Kyle, contact a priest immediately! Summon a healer and a mage too. Bring everyone related to this!”
“I was planning to do that even without being told.”
“Shana, are you alright? You don’t look unwell…”
Mother touched my forehead before her eyes began to water.
“You’re so tiny, and yet for my sake…”
No, well…
I did want to make you better, but that was honestly unconscious…
It was accidental filial piety.
“Milady, we’ll watch over Lady Shana.”
“It would be best to lay her down first.”
“Abu! Ba! Babya!”
No!
I just barely learned how to crawl!
Don’t lock me up again!
Today once more…
I was imprisoned in the jail known as a crib…
Wearing the prison uniform known as baby clothes…
…What am I even saying?
The nonsense I muttered to myself was increasing day by day.
I’m not crying.
These are sweat drops.
