Chapter 11
The Prince Dies and Starts Over!
Well, anyway—
my acting worked brilliantly this time too.
Countess Lurupel turned pale and pulled me into her arms.
She soothed me, saying she’d send a letter of refusal to the Third Prince right away, so I needn’t worry.
‘No! This time I don’t plan to refuse completely!’
Slumped over the table, I hastily lifted my head.
“Y-Your Highness… I’d like to meet the prince at least once!”
“Hariela, there’s no need to push yourself. Your father and I will take care of this matter…”
“No! He’s someone you both seem to approve of, isn’t he? It’s scary to decide on an engagement so quickly, but I’d still like to meet His Highness once! That way, I can see for myself what kind of person he is.”
In my haste, I forgot to switch from my real tone to “Hari’s” childish speech.
Maybe that’s why my words didn’t have much of an effect.
Count Lurupel twitched his eyebrows and replied in a hesitant tone.
“You mean… invite His Highness to the Lurupel Court? Hm, it’s not impossible, but to delay our response to the proposal and yet summon the prince here—could come across as arrogant.”
The Countess didn’t look thrilled either.
I quickly bit my tongue and forced out a few more tears.
“…O-oh… I see. It must be… difficult… for you too, Mother, Father…”
The couple froze at my gloomy little face.
“I’m sorry… Hari just thought… that Mother and Father could do anything…”
I drooped my shoulders and acted utterly deflated.
The Count and Countess grew visibly flustered.
“Hariela! What are you saying! Of course, I’d do anything for you, my dear daughter!”
“…Even inviting His Highness to Lurupel?”
“Of course! Naturally. Isn’t that right, dear?”
The Count glanced pleadingly at his wife.
“…It’s not impossible,” she admitted after a short pause.
“Really? You promise?”
“Yes. I promise.”
“Yay! Hari loves Mom and Dad the most in the whole world!”
I smiled as innocently as possible and threw myself into their arms in turn.
The affectionate couple couldn’t hide their pleased smiles at their sweet, doting daughter.
Phew…
If I hadn’t gone back in time, I’d probably be their age by now.
Acting cute as a grown adult—it made me feel like life was one big joke.
Still, the Lurupels, unaware of my inner sighs, looked happier than ever.
They exchanged meaningful glances and nodded.
“Yes, now that you mention it, your idea isn’t bad at all. It’s been years since a member of the imperial family last visited Lurupel Court. It might be time to send word.”
“I agree. If we host His Highness, the territory’s economy will flourish even more. Oh, who does our clever Hariela take after?”
“Why, after you, of course.”
Ha-ha-ha.
The Lurupel family’s dining room bloomed with laughter.
I smiled awkwardly along with them.
Honestly, growing up in such a warm household—how did the original Hariela ever turn into a villainess?
“But you should still fix that habit of interrupting adults when they speak.”
Yeah, that sounded about right.
“Milady! Milady, please wake up!”
“Mmm… Anna, five more minutes…”
“One, two, three, four, five—time’s up! You must hurry!”
The morning after I’d received the contract from the Third Prince,
Anna was already bustling about at dawn, shaking me awake.
It turned out that His Highness had invited me to breakfast.
While she washed and dressed me, I thought smugly,
‘Ha! The kid must be dying to see that contract again.’
Breakfast invitations were rare for guests, after all.
Sneaking the contract into my pocket without Anna noticing,
I walked toward the dining hall, thinking about how to dismiss the servants naturally once I arrived.
But when I reached the table, I saw two unexpected guests—
none other than Count and Countess Lurupel.
And that was when the bad feeling started.
“Hariela! My little fawn! Did you sleep well last night?”
“…Yes, good morning, Father.”
Blinking in confusion, I nodded back at the booming Count.
“Hariela, I know you’re happy to see your father, but shouldn’t you greet His Highness first?”
And just like that, the Countess scolded me.
I had only responded to my father’s greeting!
It was so unfair. But rather than pout like a child, I quickly turned to the others.
“I-I’m sorry. Hari was just… too shy. G-good morning, Your Highness. And good morning, Mother.”
Before the Countess could continue nagging, I put on my cutest expression.
Blushing, fiddling my fingers, and smiling like a bashful little angel—
it worked like a charm. Even the stern Countess’s face softened.
The Third Prince was so startled that he dropped his fork.
A sharp clang! rang through the room.
When our eyes met, his face flushed bright red and he looked down.
Clearly, I was just too adorable.
Sigh, maybe I should’ve become an actress instead of a noble lady.
Keeping a talent like mine locked away in this provincial estate was a national loss.
“H-hello, Lady Lurupel…” he stammered.
“Yes, good morning, Your Highness,” I replied politely.
“Ha-ha! How wonderful it is to share a first meal together as a family,” the Count beamed.
“Indeed. If only Takar were here too,” said the Countess.
“Takar… you mean Young Lord Lurupel?” asked the Prince.
“Yes, my rather inadequate son,” the Count chuckled. “I’d love to introduce him to Your Highness someday. He’s not as remarkable as you, but at least he doesn’t shame his parents.”
Laughter filled the long dining hall.
They’d become so close—after just one night!
Almost as if they’d struck some secret deal.
“‘As a family,’ huh…”
That word felt… out of place.
And the chill crawling up my neck told me my bad feeling had just come true.
Maybe I’d already known the moment I saw the Lurupels sitting there this morning.
The Count turned to me with a hearty laugh.
“Ahaha! My sweet pumpkin pie must not have heard yet! Our Lurupel family has happily accepted the marriage proposal sent by His Highness, the Third Prince!”
What?! Just because you sugarcoat it with nicknames doesn’t make it better!
So they’d gone ahead and accepted it—without even asking me?!
I shot the prince a sharp glare.
Sure, everyone here was guilty, but he was the worst.
Last night, I’d explicitly told him I’d talk to the Lurupels today and give them a positive answer.
But he didn’t trust me—so he went behind my back and charmed them himself?!
I thought he was a cute puppy… turns out he’s a sly little fox!
The Third Prince flinched under my glare, even dropping his knife this time.
‘Oh, just eat with your hands, why don’t you.’
I snorted silently, watching him stare blankly at his empty hands.
Once, I might’ve found that clumsy look adorable,
but right now, all I felt was annoyance.
The first culprit who’d made my worries pointless was the Lurupel couple.
The second was this deceptively clever prince!
“…Come to think of it,” the Prince said smoothly, “the Lurupel estate is in excellent condition. His Majesty will surely be pleased with the Count’s devotion.”
“You honor me, Your Highness. I’ve merely done my duty.”
“And last night’s banquet was splendid as well. Even the capital rarely sees such a fine event.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. We made every effort for your visit. I’m glad it pleased you.”
Whether or not I was fuming, the breakfast continued cheerfully.
The three of them kept flattering each other, laughing heartily.
Meanwhile, I sat there like a racehorse stuck on repeat, crunching on carrots in silence.
Now and then, I made sure to glare at the prince again for good measure.
He, in turn, kept dropping his utensils throughout the meal—
a one-man comedy show that no one else even commented on.
So unfair.
If I had dropped a fork, the Lurupels would’ve said something like,
“Oh dear, looks like our little angel needs another lesson in table manners.”
“…With Lurupel’s qualities so outstanding, I suppose we can look forward to the engagement ceremony soon,” said the Prince at last.
“Of course! Leave it to us!” exclaimed the Count eagerly—
as if he’d been waiting the entire time for that very sentence.
