Episode 1
I was the lost daughter of the Emperor.
But the kind of ending where “I lived happily ever after, loved by all” never came for me.
An orphan who became a princess—I had to end my life as something no longer human.
I never knew why such a great being as the Emperor had lost me in the first place, but regardless, once I was found, I lived as a princess. However, that so-called father of mine never treated me as his daughter.
I was nothing more than a magnificent accessory created for his own glory. I became not just a title, but the Emperor’s “ruby-colored jeweled ring.”
Trapped inside that ring, I was forced to watch everything until the Empire itself fell.
All I ever wanted was to be loved and to live like a human being. But even that small wish was never granted.
“I am a god. I am a god! No one shall ever stand above me! Hahaha!! Ruby, with you alone, I can become a great being above the heavens!!”
Despite growing up as an orphan, it was still a country I had loved. I liked its clearly defined seasons and its always-bright people. But my power destroyed everything. I was the one who brought them hell, yet I could never escape it.
And so the Emperor died—and my memories were cut off as well.
When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the time before I was ever found by the Emperor.
‘I am a being who should not exist.’
Because I was the worst existence—one who would destroy everything I loved.
‘But wanting to live is only natural, isn’t it?’
I want to live. Since I’ve been given a chance to turn back time, there’s no reason to despair.
So I boldly went to the orphanage’s caretaker priestess who was protecting me and said:
“Priestess.”
“Yes?”
“I want to be adopted.”
“A-adopted…?”
“Yes! I’ve already made a list of adoption candidates!”
I handed her the list. The very first thing I did after returning in time was this. The childcare priestess accepted it in shock.
The parchment unfurled with a rustle, extending all the way down to the floor.
With my hands on my hips, I proudly rubbed my nose.
“Did you really write all this yourself, Rubi…?”
“I’m Rubie! Not Ruby!”
“R-right… Rubie. You really wrote all of these? So many…?”
“Yes!”
“Our little Rubie… seems like she really wants to be loved very, very much.”
“That’s right.”
I casually agreed with her words, but my goal wasn’t simply to receive love. I was going to survive. I absolutely would not end up as the Emperor’s jewel ring again, trapped and destroyed.
So I carefully selected seventeen “father candidates.”
Of course, it was only natural that the priestess’s face stiffened when she saw my list. With a rustling sound, she rolled up the long parchment that had fallen to the floor and leaned down toward me.
“But… even if you say you want to go, you can’t just go wherever you like. You still need permission from the heads of those families…”
“Priestess!”
“Yes?”
“You said I’m a special child, right? Then shouldn’t I be the one choosing, not them?”
I tilted my head innocently like a child.
‘Rubie knows nothing, Priestess. So you’ll listen to me, right?’
My eyes sparkled as I looked up at her. My twin ponytails swayed with every small movement, as if amplifying my appeal.
“Well, n-no. You are a special child, so of course if you want to go, they should accept you. But… are you planning to visit all those families? Temporary adoptions that last several days…?”
“Nope! I only want one father. So I’m going to hold interviews!”
“Interviews?”
“Yes! I’m special, so I won’t go just anywhere. I’ll choose my own father!”
Children marked as special within the temple. Those who were judged to have divine power were transferred from ordinary orphanages to temple-affiliated ones. And I was one of them.
‘In the past, I was proud of being special. But because I was here, I must have caught the Emperor’s attention sooner.’
I had been someone who didn’t even know the Emperor existed.
‘Well. It’s not so bad. Because of this place, I’m treated as special and allowed to be a little spoiled.’
Fully aware of my situation, I pouted at the flustered priestess.
“R-Rubie, you mean you’ll choose your own father…?”
“Is that… not allowed? Were you lying when you said I was special?”
I filled my eyes with moisture, pretending to be an innocent, hurt child.
“T-that’s not…”
“Maybe it really was a lie… Even though the other kids said not to trust the priestesses, I believed you…”
As I drooped my shoulders, the priestess hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, no! It’s not a lie! It’s just that the temple doesn’t want to casually send special children to just anyone. That doesn’t mean you aren’t special—if anything, it’s because you’re too special. So…”
Her words, clearly trying to stop me from being adopted, continued—but I cut in precisely.
“Good. I was worried you might have been lying, Priestess.”
Smiling brightly, I dashed like a squirrel and clung right next to her.
“Then please arrange the father interviews. I’d like it on the birthday of the blue hyacinth flower! It matches my future perfectly—it has such a fitting meaning, right?”
The hyacinth’s birthday was January 4th. And today was January 2nd.
Right after the new year had begun, when everyone was still excited, I was already pushing forward my plan. I was telling them to bring the father candidates in two days.
And the temple would not be able to refuse.
At the beginning of the year, nobles across the Empire came to offer greetings to the gods. And January 4th was precisely when the temple officially opened.
“Still, that’s too soon…”
“I understand. You don’t want to send me away, Priestess. I know—I’m the first child this special and cute you’ve ever had.”
I smiled sweetly.
“But what can we do? You’ll have to accept goodbye. Clinging too much actually lowers your charm. So I’ll wait! That is my right!”
With that, I turned and walked away.
Within the temple, children with special powers were called “children of the gods.” The stronger the power, the more special treatment they received.
Up until now, I—Rubie—had been a good child. A very, very special one. That was likely why the Emperor found me so quickly.
But in the end, most orphaned children were like that. Once called “special,” they were simply children who had already learned to read the room since their orphanage days.
Children who wanted to be loved.
The temple exploited that psychology very well. Calling it the will of the gods, they extracted the children’s powers for free, praising them with nothing more than a piece of candy.
‘There is no good place in this world.’
They were called children of the gods, but those with mediocre talent were simply sold off as adoptees in exchange for large donations. They pretended to manage them carefully, but everyone knew how those children ended up.
I hadn’t known this at the time. Only later did I realize it, after the Emperor strengthened this temple’s influence.
“Haa…”
Honestly, I wanted to tear this entire temple down.
I liked this country. It was where I was born, where I had loved, a place full of good people. The orphanage temple was part of those memories too.
But now, all that remained were children who had been used and discarded—killed by nobles or those who coveted power.
‘No. My survival comes first.’
I am not omnipotent. Even having come from the future, what I can see is limited.
So I quickly pushed those thoughts aside and returned to my room.
Two days later—January 4th.
In the end, the priestess had no choice but to accept my demand.
And I knew it. The temple would likely try various excuses to stop my adoption—or even send me away and bring me back again later.
“Is this everything?”
