Prologue: The Ruined Kingdom

“Extra extra, read all about it!”

…Oh the morning news, although I could guess how it reads. As if to mock me the winds blew one of the reports into my face, I pulled it off but already read the cover.

The Kingdom of Pendelstrum has fallen, The Royal Family Has Gone Missing!

*Sigh* Go on and tell the country why don’t ya’! Not that we have a country anymore, thinking pessimistically I decided to get up and go for a stroll. I made sure to adjust my hood, and like that I moved through the decayed streets.

As I walked I noticed many things: I saw people digging through the rubble of collapsed houses, I saw the sickly trying to hang on to whatever lifeforce they had left, I even saw people arguing about the shortage of food. I wanted to avert my gaze, but I couldn’t. After all this is all my fault.

*Crash*

Huh? What could’ve made that sound? I turned to see a group of children fighting a young girl, she was holding a bag of stall bread. Gods no! Not the children!

“P-Please! This is for my family, my mother is too sick to work and she needs food to get better. Please don’t take it!”

“Well tough luck, we’re all starving too! Look at us, we’re all skin and bones!”

The group of boys started walking closer to the girl, one of them even had a dull knife on him. Seeing this I ran up to the group and got in front of the girl.

“Run home, go now!”

“Y-Yes!”

“And don’t let anyone see you, you know how desperate the beggars are!”

With that the girl gave me a thankful nod and left, meanwhile the boys looked at me with a mix of irritation and regret. It seems they still have some sense, perhaps seeing an adult awoke something in them. Still I can’t help but feel bad for them, maybe I can use this as an opportunity to help. I stuck out my hand towards the boys, soon several bags began to fall in front of them. One of them looked at me confused and couldn’t help but ask.

“W-Woah! Lady what did you just do!”

“Don’t worry about that, just take these bags to people who can be trusted. These rations should help the survivors last a bit longer.”

I tried to sound like an older woman as I spoke, if I’m lucky they might think I’m a passing witch and leave it at that. Now then, let’s get out of-

“Wait a minute, that parlor trick just now. Not only that, but your voice-Princess is that you!”

My body jolted when I heard the boy Identify me, this is bad!

“Sorry, I’ve never met you until today.”

“Lies! Your Princess Sophia aren’t you! Is it true what they say, is this all your fault!”

Hearing that I tried to run off, but not before something hit me on my left shoulder. I looked toward the ground to see a potato from one of the sacks I gave the children. I looked back to see the boy who threw it, he was the same one to identify me. He had a scowl on his face and tears welled up in his eyes.

“You-This all happened because of you! My family is dead because of you! You Witch! Bring them back! My mom and dad, bring them back!”

The boy tried to lunge for me, but his friends held him back. The boy still kept fighting to get to me, as for his friends some looked at me with the same hatred. While the others gazed at me with pity in their eyes, seeing this I felt a sense of melancholy wash over me. I walked away from the scene, with the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Eventually I stumbled upon an abandoned house, since I needed to rest I decided to take a break inside. I was able to find some paper inside, along with a pen and some ink. Was this building a business at some point? None of that matters anymore I suppose, still I couldn’t put down the materials in my hands. All this time I’ve been running away, for the past month since everything happened I’ve been running away. If I can’t face my sins, then I should at least write them down. I chose my homeland to be my grave afterall.

I pushed a crate into a corner and found a stool in good condition, I placed the paper onto the crate and dipped the pen in ink. With that I began to write down how this all happened. I began to admit my sins and how I, Princess Sophia Alexandra Pendleton, destroyed my kingdom.