Reverse the Crazy Curse

Chapter 1

Prologue

“You already know how I feel!”

I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but those words froze me in place.

“I love you. I love you so much, I love you so much, it’s tearing me apart… How can I bear this?”

My friend was confessing his love to my lover. His eyes blazed with raw emotion, and his voice trembled with a vulnerability I’d never witnessed before. I expected my lover to push him away. That’s what I believed would happen because they were both men. More important than their gender was the fact that they were both precious to me.

I should have walked away. Why couldn’t I move?

Perhaps it was disbelief that kept me rooted there. We were close—closer than anyone could be. We trusted each other with our lives on the battlefield. Surely our relationship was unbreakable. We were perfect together. Was I mistaken?

“Kaortan, how do you expect me to go on like this…”

My friend finally crumbled, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs. I had never seen him cry before. The sight left me stunned, frozen in place. He was always laughing with me, shining like the dazzling sun—a warrior without equal. And yet here he was, brought to his knees by love.

“Doum.”

Despite everything, I believed that my lover would reject him. It was cruel, but I wanted him to push my friend away. What did my lover do? With a heavy sigh, he bent down, his golden hair cascading like a waterfall. All I could see was the radiance of the person I loved—Kaortan. The one I thought was mine and mine alone embraced my friend.

Kaortan wasn’t one to easily show emotion. Yet a single tear rolled down his cheek, shattering his icy demeanor, as if the weight of their impossible situation had finally broken him. That was all I could bear to see. As they stood there in a tearful embrace, I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle the rising nausea and fled in the opposite direction.

Was I a coward to not confront them, for fear of losing them both?

I hesitated, again and again.

After that day, I pretended not to notice that they were spending more and more time together, just the two of them. My lover and my friend were in love. I could not accept it, but it was also impossible to forget. I needed time to gather the courage to address them.

One summer day, when I was finally ready to speak about what I’d seen, I was betrayed in a way I could never have imagined.

* * *

“How could you do this?!”

The words tore from my throat through clenched teeth. My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest. I couldn’t breathe, and I felt like I might die at any moment.

How? How could you do this to me? I trusted you both so completely. I loved you both so much!

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“Kaortan!”

My lover, Kaortan, the empire’s greatest sorcerer, stood before me with a carefully blank expression. Before I could register what he was doing, his spell took shape, weaving itself around my body and leaving me utterly trapped. I tried desperately to wrestle free, but they had prepared well.

No. No. It can’t end like this…no…

My vision blurred. Kaortan and Doum stood side-by-side, watching me. I was never able to know what expressions were on their faces—my sight was the first thing to go. My limbs turned to stone, my heart and breath stilling in my chest.

At that moment, I cursed them with every fiber of my being. Kaortan, my former lover. Doum, my former friend. I poured all of myself into hating them but trapped in stone, there was nothing I could do.

I’m sick of reliving this scene.

Once a great empress, I was reduced to this pathetic state, stuck in a stone prison. I dreamed of that nightmare every day, the beginning and end of my betrayal. I couldn’t live or die, even if I wanted to—I merely existed. That was why, when sensation suddenly flooded back into my body, I thought I’d finally lost my mind. One thousand years had passed since my betrayal, a wretched anniversary to celebrate.

I Am the Dragon Princess

I could hear the urgent echo of hurried footsteps, and labored breathing. Someone was holding me tightly and running like they were being chased.

What’s happening?

I frowned. My body felt strange.

It feels like my lungs are being crushed.

Who dares disturb the empress’s sleep?

“Waah!”

What the…? Instead of the commanding roar I’d intended, a strange sound burst from my mouth. It wasn’t the booming voice of an empress but the unmistakable wail of a baby. Startled, I carefully tried to speak again.

“Waah…?”

What the hell?

It had been years since I’d made such infantile sounds. Why was this coming from my mouth? As I grappled with this confusing situation, I heard a desperate plea.

“Please, my lady. Please stop crying.”

With my head bobbing up and down, it was hard to make sense of anything. Though I struggled to grasp what was happening, I forced myself to stay calm. I knew exactly what was hidden in that voice. I recognized the energy surrounding us, something I knew all too well—carnage, death, and fear. Who was trying to kill me? As far as I knew, I was already dead. What a crazy dream. Had I finally gone mad, lost in some vivid hallucination?

“My lady, I swear I will get you safely to the imperial palace. No matter what it takes…”

Fleeing through the darkness without even a lamp to guide us was a woman dressed as a maid. Her lips were pressed into a grim line, her face set with determination. The stench of blood followed close behind.

Was it an assassin?

Despite how terrifying this situation was, she didn’t cry. Her eyes burned with fierce resolve, to the point that it was heartbreaking to see.

You don’t have to save me. There’s no need to go to such lengths. It’s just a dream.

I tried to reach out to pat her cheek in comfort, but my hand fell short. To be precise, my arm was too short.

Huh?

Why was my arm so tiny? Taken aback, I wriggled my legs. My feet were so small they could have fit in my mouth. We must have left in a hurry because my feet were bare. The maid, breathing heavily, hugged my squirming body tighter—she was determined to protect me at any cost.

Now that I thought about it, I could feel things. Really feel them. It was clear that something extraordinary had happened. Taking a deep breath, I looked at myself. I could hear. I could breathe. I could move. The maid glanced down at me and we locked eyes. In the reflection of her eyes, I saw… a soft, round face, like a puff of whipped cream.

What! What the hell? A baby?

Was I really a baby? What in the world was going on?! I swore a string of curses most unbefitting for an infant, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. My dreams were always the same—an endless repetition of that horrible day of betrayal. The two people I loved most in the world, my lover and my best friend, joined hands to stab me in the back. I’d never, not even by accident, dreamed of being a baby!

This is insane.

I pushed the memories aside and tried to think. No matter how I tried to deny it, when my hand grazed my nose, there was an unmistakable scent—that sweet, milky smell—the distinct scent of a baby.

Oh my God!

“No! My lady!”

In that instant, I heard the whistle of an arrow, followed by a sickening thud as it pierced the maid’s shoulder. I could see the Imperial Palace just up ahead, so close, yet so far. Except we had been caught. Even as she stumbled and fell, the maid held me tight, shielding me with her body. The sickening sound of bone breaking came from her shoulder.

This was bad. Really bad.

“Give up. It’s over.”

“I’m afraid I have to kill the kid in your arms today.”

Assassins materialized from the shadows. As I looked around, I realized we were surrounded. The real problem was me. Could I use my powers? In my previous life, I could have drowned these weaklings with a simple glance. I used to be an empress, blessed by the ocean, ruler of the great empire of Atlantiz, and beloved daughter of the sea dragon. I was Tarassa Neptunos Atlantiz.

“I am not giving her up. Do you have any idea who she is?!” the maid shouted and drew a dagger.

She knows how to use daggers?

I’d known she was no ordinary maid, but it was clear now that she was highly trained. I wasn’t sure if I’d died in that stone prison and been reincarnated, or if my spirit had somehow possessed this body. What was clear, though, was that I was a baby, and we were in mortal danger. Unfortunately, the only thing standing between me and death was this wounded maid.

If that’s the case, I’d better help as much as I can.

I didn’t want to die again! Still cradling me in one arm, the maid fought the assassins, but her foot slipped on the rain-slicked ground, and a sword found its mark on her thigh.

Rain!

My eyes lit up, and I clenched my tiny fists with all my might. Just to be clear, I was trying to summon my combat energy. It wasn’t, you know, the other thing babies do!

Is it working? Is it?

Responding to my will, the nearby puddle glowed an eerie green, and small droplets rose into the air, but only a few measly drops.

What? That’s it?

I knew my powers would be weakened, but this was ridiculous! I stared at the droplets in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening.

Something is blocking my power.

My abilities were intact, but it felt like a seal was preventing me from fully accessing them. A tiny crack in that seal allowed a bit of power to trickle through, but it was barely more than a pinhole.

Now! Water drops, attack!

I had no choice but to work with what I had. The droplets might be small, but they were silent, invisible, and accurate. While the maid bought us time, I reached out with my tiny hands and aimed the droplets at the nostrils of every assassin I could see.

I don’t care who you are—you can’t fight if you can’t breathe.

The maid, stunned by the sudden turn of events, dropped to the ground. I opened my mouth, wanting to tell her everything was okay.

“Paah!”

As expected, all that came out was more babbling. The assassins lay crumpled on the ground, and I let out a cry of triumph. Unlike the deep, husky voice of my former self, this adorable tone was oddly satisfying. My second life… Being cute might be fun.

“My l-lady…? Did you…?”

The maid, who’d been frozen in shock, now stared at me in disbelief. She grasped my hands, still damp from channeling my power, and bowed her head.

“As expected… My lady is special. Just as the oracle prophesied.”

Her awed whisper tickled my ear. Oracle? I had no idea what she was talking about, but lady, weren’t we in the middle of running for our lives? I reached out to pat her shoulder, hoping to remind her of the situation. Just as my hand made contact, a chill ran down my spine. The air suddenly filled with the unmistakable scent of the ocean. It was so potent that I whipped my head around to look. There it was…

“A… wave.”

Not just any wave, but a massive, towering wall of water! The maid, seeing it for the first time, stood frozen, her mouth agape. I started pummeling the paralyzed maid with my tiny fists.

“Raah!!!”

Run! I don’t have the power to stop it!

The maid quickly snapped out of her daze. She took off running, my head bobbing with each frantic step. The colossal wave drew closer, spraying frigid water as it crashed down behind us. The shadow it cast was getting closer, which meant terror was at our heels.

Stop coming to greet me!

The ocean, which had missed me for so long, was overflowing at the merest hint of my power. As we fled to higher ground, the waves could no longer reach us. We collapsed, gasping for breath.

That was close.

We were nearly at our destination now. The Imperial Palace stood before us, closer than ever. Even as I was jostled in the maid’s arms, I took in our surroundings. Familiar streets and architecture surrounded us. The salt from the ocean spray stung my cheeks.

This was unmistakably the country from my previous life, and the empire I’d built with my own hands. It was paradise, utopia. There was no doubt—this was Atlantiz, the capital of my empire. Of course, time had passed, and it was no longer called Atlantiz, but…

Wait. Wait just a minute. Hold on. Does that mean…?

I paused mid-thought, a terrible realization dawning on me. My lips twitched with barely contained rage. This land was built by the two traitors who stabbed me in the back!