Chapter 3
The Prince Dies and Starts Over
But I couldn’t possibly repeat the same pathas in the previous life.
That road might have been safe, yes—but it led to a dead end.
I had only two choices.
Move forward into an uncharted path that no one had ever taken before,
or stop right where I was and stay there forever.
Truth be told, the answer had already been decided—
it was one I had chosen for myself.
At that moment, the sound of trumpets blared through the air.
A carriage bearing the Imperial crest was entering the Ludevekia estate.
The Third Prince’s first act upon arriving at the Ludevekia Court was to receive the formal welcome of Count Luruphel, the court’s steward.
Count Luruphel, who had long managed the estate on behalf of the Imperial family, greeted his master with utmost sincerity.
After being given a tour of the estate by the count, the prince rested briefly in the room prepared for him—
then promptly attended the tea party hosted by the countess.
It wasn’t until much later that I finally saw the Third Prince myself.
That was because Count Luruphel’s official invitation hadn’t been “Please assess whether His Highness is suitable to become my son-in-law,”
but rather “Please grace our long-neglected Ludevekia Court with your royal presence.”
As one of the count’s family members—and a guest invited to that evening’s banquet—
I had been given a guest room, from whose window I secretly watched the Third Prince.
He sat in the garden with the countess and several nobles, sipping tea.
Unfortunately, the distance was too far to see him clearly—
and to make matters worse, the prince was sitting with his back to me.
Still, I could see his perfectly round head—smooth and shiny like a polished chestnut.
His golden hair looked as soft as kitten’s fur.
“Anna.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“I suppose hair treatments really are useless.”
Because, well, hair like that—you’re just born with it.
While waiting for the prince to turn his head, I kept chatting idly with Anna.
And then, unexpectedly, our eyes met.
“Kyaaa!”
I let out a tiny scream and darted behind the curtains.
Even I didn’t know why I reacted like that.
But Anna, apparently, had made a very dangerous misunderstanding.
She smiled at me with an all-too-knowing expression, her lips twitching mischievously.
Then, out of nowhere, an old memory flashed through my mind.
It was back when I was very young—around the time I went to piano lessons.
There had been this one annoying boy who always teased me.
One day, when I arrived at the academy, he happened to be practicing on the grand piano near the entrance.
The moment I saw him, I froze in shock—
then slammed the door shut and ran straight home.
Unfortunately, my piano teacher completely misread the situation.
She thought I had a crush on that brat.
And, of course, she had to tell my parents about it.
My parents, having heard that ridiculous story, kept nudging my arm at dinner and giggling like fools.
I had to endure their teasing all through the evening.
…I can barely even remember my parents’ faces now,
and yet such trivial memories still come back.
The reason was obvious.
Anna’s eyes right now looked exactly like theirs did back then—
the eyes of an adult looking fondly at a child in the throes of her first crush.
“Oh no, Anna, it’s not like that.”
“What’s not?”
“Everything! Whatever you’re thinking—it’s wrong.”
“Oh, you don’t have to be shy. Come to think of it, His Highness the Third Prince is famously handsome, isn’t he?”
At this point, Anna had gone off writing her own romance novel.
I was wronged.
I hadn’t even seen the prince’s face properly!
From this distance, no one without eagle vision could make out his features anyway.
“Now then, shall we redo your hair for tonight’s banquet?”
“No! It’s fine as it is!”
“Don’t worry, my lady. I’ve just had a brilliant idea.
With this new style, you’ll surely capture His Highness’s heart at first sight!”
His heart? That was the last thing I wanted.
Even Anna’s life was more valuable than that to me.
But once she had that fire in her eyes, there was no stopping her.
By the time of the banquet,
I—who already looked like a living Christmas tree—had become one with a gigantic star stuck on top.
That’s just a metaphor, of course—no literal star sat on my head.
Anna had crowned me with an extravagant tiara encrusted with countless jewels.
It was so heavy that my neck ached just holding it up.
One wrong move, and I was sure I’d break my neck on the spot.
“…My lady?”
“…Yeah.”
“…Lady Harriella?”
“…That’s me.”
“…My goodness…”
My escort for the evening was Sir Peter, Harriella’s personal knight.
When he came to fetch me and saw the state I was in, he was too stunned to speak.
“My lady, you look truly—”
“Say one more word and I’ll cut you down.”
“Eep!”
Before he could dig his own grave, I silenced him with what little authority I had.
He misunderstood, though—
because he quickly covered his own mouth with one hand while holding mine with the other.
I didn’t mean literally cut out your tongue, but fine—quiet was good enough.
I entered the ballroom on his arm.
Count Luruphel, being one of the twelve Court Counts of the Empire,
was responsible for overseeing one of the Imperial estates.
So I had often accompanied him to the Ludevekia Court as a child.
It was as familiar to me as the count’s own manor.
Yet tonight, the ballroom looked completely different—almost unrecognizable.
The hall that was usually empty now gleamed from corner to corner, like something out of a fairy tale.
For something prepared in such a short time, the banquet was surprisingly splendid.
Not that I’m an expert—but after all the years of vicarious experience I’d had,
I could say with some confidence that it wasn’t a bad assessment.
The hall was dazzling enough to make my head spin,
but I forced myself to stay calm.
No need to look like some bumpkin who’d never been to a party before.
As I stepped further in, I spotted Count and Countess Luruphel greeting their guests.
I headed straight toward them.
“Harriella! My lucky bluebird! You arrived just in time!”
The count’s booming voice carried over the crowd as soon as he saw me.
He introduced me with great enthusiasm to the nobles nearby.
“Good evening, it’s an honor to meet you all.
I’m Harriella Luruphel.”
I gave a small curtsy and spoke clearly.
After a moment of proud smiles, the count and countess flitted off to greet someone else.
They’d always been that way—warm but easily distracted.
I didn’t take it personally and simply moved to a quiet corner on my own.
All around the hall, children who’d come with their parents chattered excitedly, their faces flushed.
Not a sight you’d normally see at such a formal banquet.
Though the event was glamorous, it wasn’t overly stiff.
Since it was meant to welcome a young prince, several noble children of his age had been invited.
They all clung to their parents’ hands, whispering and giggling.
Standing alone among them felt a little awkward,
so I flagged down a passing servant and asked for a glass of juice—just to look busy.
That’s when I locked eyes with a boy standing near the wall.
He was a cute one, with soft platinum hair and big red eyes.
The moment our gazes met, his eyes went wide—
and then he hid his face in his palms as if he’d seen something terrifying.
Hey, come on! I know I look ridiculous, but that’s just rude!
If I were really a child, I might’ve been emotionally scarred by that.
But having lived one twenty-year life, three eight-to-sixteen-year cycles,
and now in my fourth round of being eight—
a professional adult like me wasn’t about to be shaken by such petty things.
I straightened my back proudly.
After all, if you act confident enough, no matter how weird you look, it somehow seems less odd.
Still… it’s about time for the Third Prince to arrive, isn’t it?
No sooner had I thought that than the orchestra’s music came to a halt.
Even as a “supporting character,” the prince was still a protagonist, it seemed.
The room, which had been filled with gentle symphony moments ago, fell into a hushed tension.
All the guests, who’d been sneaking glances my way, turned toward the grand doors.
Then, with a loud creak, the doors opened.
The herald by the entrance called out in a booming voice:
“Presenting His Highness, the Third Prince of the Great Empire of Letitia—
Saphirus Aiden Detemir!”
Oh right. That was his name.
I quickly stored the male lead’s name into my memory—finally.
I hadn’t gotten a proper look earlier because he’d been too far away,
but now I could see him clearly.
And the great Saphirus Aiden Something Something was…
well, tiny.
So tiny that his ridiculously long name didn’t suit him at all.
Seriously, what was it with this story and these absurdly long, unpronounceable names?
Anyway, the prince walked into the hall with a visibly tense face,
taking careful, deliberate steps.
He really did look like it was his first banquet.
Wait—that can’t be. He’s royal-born!
So many random thoughts filled my head as I watched his painfully slow procession.
Yet not a single person in the ballroom seemed annoyed by it.
