Side Story 36. [After Story] Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome
Five years later, in the year 672 of the Imperial Calendar.
Twenty years since the final battle against the monsters.
Everblack Empire. Capital, New Terra.
Imperial Palace.
Early dawn.
I sat on the throne in the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace.
“…”
The sun had just begun to rise, but the world was still cloaked in darkness.
Like the lingering shadows of the night, a heavy, somber air hung around me.
Shrouded in solitude and silence, I sat on my throne, lost in cold contemplation.
Step. Step.
Clear, steady footsteps echoed through the chamber.
I lifted my gaze toward the approaching sound and saw a man walking through the corridor into the audience chamber.
Draped in a white cape over a neatly polished suit of armor, his golden hair and blue eyes stood out—Lucas.
The Emperor of the Empire and the knight who commanded its military power.
For a moment, we exchanged silent glances.
“My lord.”
Lucas swept his gaze across the chamber, his face as cold as the dawn air.
Then, cautiously, he asked.
“Are you all right?”
“…”
“Shouldn’t you be resting at this hour? Why are you awake so early?”
“…Lucas.”
I let out a long sigh, running a hand over my face as I muttered.
“There’s something that’s been bothering me. So I’ve been sitting here, thinking it over alone.”
Lucas stepped forward until he was directly before me. Then, he bowed deeply.
“Please, tell me. Am I not your sword, my lord?”
“…”
“Who dares trouble the sovereign of Everblack? If it is an enemy nation, I will personally strike them down. If it is an ally, I will settle it myself. If it is someone within our empire, I will drag them before you. Just say the word.”
Who is it? Who dares disturb the Emperor’s peace?
Just tell me, and I’ll take care of it myself!
As Lucas practically growled his declaration, I finally revealed the name of the one who had been troubling me.
“My daughter, Stella…”
“Ah, well…”
The moment he heard her name, Lucas’s once-fearsome presence deflated instantly.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as his bright blue eyes darted anxiously to the side.
Hey, you bastard! How can you back down so quickly?!
“But, my lord, what about Her Highness has you so concerned?”
“…”
“Forgive my impudence, but isn’t she growing up perfectly well? She’s intelligent, meticulous, beautiful…”
I let out a long sigh before slowly confessing my thoughts.
“It’s just a possibility, but… just a possibility.”
“Yes?”
“What if Stella is…?”
My voice trembled.
“What if she has Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome?”
“…?”
Silence.
Lucas blinked, then asked hesitantly.
“Uh… Regression-Possession-Reincarnation? What is that?”
Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome.
A term combining regressors, possession cases, and reincarnators.
It was a staple setup for protagonists in the classic Earth-Korean fantasy novels that the history buffs used to enjoy.
And well, while my case was a bit different, I was technically a possession case myself, wasn’t I?
“Could it be… that the daughter of a possessor is fated to have the syndrome as well?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about… but are you saying Her Highness has been acting strange lately?”
“Yes, Lucas! That’s exactly it!”
Outside Stella’s room.
Lucas and I were crouched behind a pillar in the hallway, whispering to each other.
I had been giving him a crash course on Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome when I urgently pointed ahead.
“Look, right there!”
The door to Stella’s room creaked open without a sound.
A small girl peeked out cautiously before stepping into the corridor.
My ten-year-old daughter, Stella.
Her long black hair flowed down her back, and her obsidian-like eyes glimmered under the dim light. Her round, rosy cheeks still held traces of baby fat.
Ah, my daughter. Look at how cute and beautiful she is!
‘No, now’s not the time to get distracted by her cuteness!’
Stella pulled the hood of her robe over her head and quietly tiptoed down the hallway.
Lucas, watching the direction she disappeared in, began sweating.
“Where is she going?”
“I received reports that her behavior patterns changed about a month ago.”
I chewed on my thumb as I spoke.
“A child who used to sleep in every morning suddenly started waking up before dawn and hurrying off somewhere. She’s secretly purchasing various jewels she never cared about before. And she’s been meeting with people from different races in secret—people she has no prior connection to.”
“…”
“But most importantly, she’s hiding all of this from me. The way she changed so abruptly a month ago… isn’t it strange?”
It was.
A princess who suddenly awakens to something. A complete change in behavior, as if she had become a different person.
If this isn’t Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome, then what is?!
“More than anything… More than anything!”
“More than anything?”
“The child who used to always call me ‘Daddy’… suddenly started calling me ‘Father’ and distancing herself!”
I wailed in despair.
“…”
“…”
Lucas looked at me with an expression that was… distinctly unenthusiastic.
But no! I’m telling you, this is a real crisis for a father!
My daughter! My baby who used to seek me out 24/7! My little girl who always had ‘Daddy is the best!’ on the tip of her tongue!
Okay, fine. Maybe she actually loved her mother the most, and I was in second place.
But still! My baby girl, my Daddy’s-girl, has… suddenly changed!
The moment I approached to greet her, she looked at me with wary eyes.
If I asked, “Do you need any help? Want to play with Dad?” she would coldly cut me off with a sharp “No need.”
Even if I merely knocked on her door, she would yell, “Don’t come in! Go away!” in frustration.
“This is it! It has to be Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome! There’s no other explanation!”
“…”
Lucas darted his eyes around as if searching for a way to refute my claim. But in the end, he couldn’t come up with a proper answer and just hesitated.
I jabbed a finger at him.
“Lucas, you’re raising kids too! You must have some insight! What do you think?!”
“Uh, well…”
Lucas broke out in an even heavier cold sweat before cautiously offering his opinion in a small voice.
“Couldn’t it just be… puberty?”
“Puberty?! At ten years old?! No way!”
“Uh, kids these days hit it really early—”
“Sniff… Don’t worry, my daughter. Daddy will drive out your Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome and bring back the real you…!”
I ignored whatever nonsense Lucas was saying and steeled my resolve.
“Aba…mama?”
Just then, Stella returned with a small bag on her back—and caught us hiding.
“And Uncle Lucas? What are you two doing here?”
“Uh? No, that is, well—”
I stammered, then—screw it!—abruptly stood up.
I would tackle this head-on!
“Stella, tell me the truth.”
I strode toward her.
She flinched and hurriedly hid her bag behind her back.
I raised my voice and asked.
“Did you regress?!”
“…Huh?”
“Or were you possessed?! You’re not really Stella, are you?! Who’s inside you?!”
“…”
“If not that, then reincarnation?! Were you born as my daughter while carrying memories of another life?!”
Stella’s small mouth hung open in shock.
I let out a wail of anguish right in front of her.
“My daughter would never change so suddenly! Give me back my Stella—!”
“F-Father”
Her face flushed bright red, and she jerked her head up.
“I hate you, idiot!”
…She said.
“Guh!”
I coughed up blood.
Not literally, but I felt a mental and emotional impact severe enough to knock me to the floor.
With a huff, Stella rushed into her room and slammed the door shut.
I lay sprawled before the firmly closed door, still unable to process what had happened.
“S-She hates me? My own daughter hates me? No, no way… Stella would never say that… It has to be Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome! There’s no other explanation!”
Lucas sighed, hauled me up, and started dragging me away.
“Come on, my lord. Haven’t you been overworked these past few months? Instead of this nonsense at dawn, why don’t you get some proper rest until lunch?”
“Uhhuhuhu… My daughter… I have to get my daughter back…!”
That noon.
After rolling around in bed all morning, consumed by misery, I begrudgingly made my way to the banquet hall at Serenade’s insistence to eat lunch together.
“Huh?”
But inside, the banquet hall was far more decorated than usual.
And at its center stood a towering cake.
Waaaah!
The gathered attendants and staff erupted into cheers and applause.
I blinked in confusion, looking around.
“What’s all this? Is today some special occasion?”
“Oh my, Your Majesty.”
Serenade took my hand and flashed a playful smile.
“It’s your birthday today.”
“…Oh.”
A beat passed before the realization hit me again.
“Ohhh? Wait, really? Today is… it really is! It’s my birthday!”
“You’ve been so busy since ascending the throne that you’ve never properly celebrated it. But the Emperor’s birthday is a day worth commemorating.”
She was right.
After taking the throne, I had been drowning in responsibilities.
Particularly since I had been pushing several major diplomatic projects and frequently traveling both domestically and abroad as the newly crowned Emperor.
I had never even been in the capital on my birthday.
So this was the first time I was celebrating it in the capital since my ascension.
“This year, we all made sure to prepare something. Our frugal and practical Emperor always emphasizes restraint, so we kept it intimate—just a small gathering of our palace family.”
It was a surprise party.
A birthday I had completely forgotten, yet they had prepared a celebration for me.
Several candles stood atop the cake.
After years of skipping my birthday, the number of candles had significantly increased.
As I watched the flickering flames, emotions welled up within me.
Everyone sang the birthday song for me.
“So even emperors get the same birthday song, huh?”
I mused aloud when the song ended.
Laughter filled the hall.
Taking a deep breath, I blew out the candles with all my might.
Maybe all the exercise I had been doing lately paid off—my lung capacity was decent enough to put them all out in one go.
See? I’m still in my prime!
Next came the gift-giving.
Normally, an Emperor’s birthday would bring an avalanche of presents from guests, filling entire storage rooms.
But ever since I took the throne, I had cut out all personal ceremonies from the Imperial Court’s major events.
‘Still… it is kind of nice to be celebrated.’
I had thought, What kind of Emperor receives gifts? I should be the one giving them instead.
But actually receiving them?
It felt… pretty fun.
Everyone had set their own spending limits on the gifts.
So it was amusing to see what unique presents they had managed to prepare within their restricted budgets.
The Imperial Chamberlain, Elize, gifted Serenade and me a matching set of pajamas.
We had been wearing the same old ones since our days in the Bringar Duchy, and she had been nagging us to get new ones for ages. In the end, she took matters into her own hands and got them for us.
Lucas, on the other hand, presented me with a massive piece of workout equipment.
Hey, I asked for a gift, not a torture device!
Kellibey, who had been staying at the palace as a guest for the past few months, gifted me… a very well-crafted dumbbell!
Seriously?! Were you and Lucas in on this together, Kellibey?!
Serenade gave me an elegant set of quill pens, made from griffon feathers from the Vermillion Kingdom.
Considering how the number of documents I had to sign had skyrocketed since becoming Emperor, it was a genuinely useful and thoughtful gift.
Beyond that, I received various presents from the palace staff and visiting guests.
I had a great time unwrapping them all.
And lastly—
“Uuhm…”
My daughter, Stella, stood before me, fidgeting nervously.
“I was wondering what to get you for your birthday… and Uncle Kellibey offered to help.”
Behind her, Kellibey grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.
Stella’s face flushed bright red as she twisted her fingers together.
“So… for the past month, I’ve been learning metal crafting.”
I parted my lips slightly in surprise.
“Oh… Then all those times you were running around so busily—”
“Yeah. It was all to prepare your birthday present, Royal Father.”
“Then why did you suddenly start calling me Royal Father?!”
“What do you mean why? I’m ten years old now! The Imperial etiquette tutor you hired said I should…”
She shot me a sharp glare before pouting and pulling off her backpack.
Then, she carefully took out a small wooden box and opened it.
Inside was a set of metal bracelets.
Three of them, all different sizes.
“The biggest one is for you, Royal Father. The medium one is for Royal Mother. And the smallest one is mine. A family set.”
“…”
“Uncle Kellibey did most of the work, and I just helped with the finishing touches… but I put a lot of effort into it!”
As she removed the gloves she had been wearing for the past month, I saw her small fingers covered in bandages.
I was speechless as I watched her carefully take out the bracelets with those tiny, worn hands.
Stella fastened the bracelet around my wrist, then did the same for Serenade, and finally for herself.
“I chose jade for your bracelet, Royal Father. It symbolizes health, luck, and longevity.”
“…”
“Happy birthday. And… thank you. For bringing me into this world and raising me…”
Her voice was small and hesitant as she murmured her final words.
“…Daddy.”
I rubbed at my eyes with the back of my hand, then muttered softly.
“Living was worth it.”
The next moment, I scooped Stella up into my arms.
“My daughter! Come here for a hug!”
“Wahhh?!?”
“Kisses, kisses! Give me kisses!”
“Ugh, gross! What are you even saying?! Let me go!”
Instantly, I recoiled in exaggerated pain.
“It is Regression-Possession-Reincarnation Syndrome!”
“No, it’s just puberty…”
Grumbling like she couldn’t win against me, Stella finally leaned in and pecked my cheek.
Then, from the other side, Serenade did the same.
I was beaming with happiness—until I noticed Kellibey creeping toward me, lips puckered playfully.
What do you think you’re doing?! Stay away!
Surrounded by people celebrating with me, I laughed joyfully.
I swear—this was the best birthday of my life.
And my daughter is not a Regression-Possession-Reincarnation case!
Hooray!