Episode 8
When I was young, Icarus handled us the way you’d handle our mother’s fine porcelain.
Extremely precious, catastrophic if broken, but…
*‘Icarus never understood what those porcelain pieces meant.’*
He only knew that Mother would be disappointed if the twins got hurt or sick—
not that the twins also had *thoughts* and *feelings* of their own.
*‘No matter how much Mother tried to teach him, that part never took.’*
Before Icarus left for the detached palace, he looked back at me and, just once, gave something like a faint smile.
“Have a good day, Your Highness.”
That much was a decent start.
I had just successfully raised my status from “expensive porcelain”
to “porcelain that Mother is very fond of.”
—
Since I wasn’t spending time on studying ahead anymore, my days in the detached residence felt like honey.
At first, I wondered whether I really needed to go through this hard life all over again…
*‘But surprisingly, it’s not that bad, is it?’*
Four-year-old Rosa should be easy enough to handle, and if my plan succeeds, this time I might actually live like a proper princess.
*‘Since I have nothing better to do, why not check the plan again?’*
Pretending to draw, I sat at my desk and quietly unfolded the plan sheet.
*Save Gavi. Receive the Oracle. Get revenge on Rosa. Recruit Dad…*
While alternating between Rosa’s hateful name and the words “Receive the Oracle,” a question occurred to me.
*‘When did my healing power first appear?’*
Considering when Rosa gave me the sachet, my healing ability and poison resistance must have manifested *before* I turned seven.
No matter how much I racked my brain, all memories of me getting even slightly hurt were from when I was very, very young.
*‘So maybe… I already have it?’*
Thinking deeply, I wrote another item onto the plan.
「ㅊㅇㄹ ㅅㅎ」
Healing power test.
Just writing it down made me unbearably curious.
*A healing test is something I could do right now, isn’t it?*
Lots of ways to get hurt:
Bite my finger.
Hit it on a door…
Ugh. Wait.
*Just thinking about it hurts already.*
Even in my previous life, I almost never got injured, so the sight of blood terrifies me.
*‘Also, there are still three years until I’m seven.’*
Maybe the ability hasn’t manifested yet.
In that case, I couldn’t recklessly hurt myself.
Sure, Mother could heal me, but…
*‘How can I get just a tiny injury without anyone noticing?’*
I looked around, but since this was a room for a young princess, there was nothing with sharp corners.
Couldn’t leave the residence either… even if I fell in the smooth hallway, I probably wouldn’t get hurt.
*‘Maybe… bite my tongue?’*
I was in the middle of this horrible contemplation when Gabriella suddenly spoke.
“Oh, Your Highness…”
“Hm?”
“A few days ago, Princess Rosa visited the main palace and apparently saw the meow-meow.”
“Meow-meow?”
Gabriella nodded.
“Yes, in the garden. A black cat with a white patch. Judging from Her Highness’s letter, *cough*, she even touched it.”
Ah. *That* cat…
The black cat was one of the random friends Rosa suddenly made around age four or five.
*Like the Hestia siblings.*
But unlike the Hestia siblings, who stayed by her side for life, the cat didn’t last long.
*‘Since I avoided that cat every time, Mother wouldn’t have let it slide.’*
After all, it would be strange for a princess to play with a cat one day and avoid it the next.
*‘So it’s that cat again…’*
It’s both comforting and frightening that our lives are flowing just as they did before.
*‘Can I change anything?’*
Can I really accomplish everything I planned…?
Gabriella rarely faced situations like this, so she looked slightly troubled as she continued.
“If you see the meow-meow, could you say hello, Your Highness?”
I nodded so she wouldn’t worry.
“O-kay… I do.”
“Thank goodness.”
To me, a cat that was neither helpful nor harmful didn’t matter much.
Gabriella was far more important.
*‘I need to reduce her worries, so she can get better sooner.’*
And I still needed to find an easy, safe way to get a minor injury.
—
The next morning — in the glass greenhouse of the Leella Palace.
It was a free day without lessons.
I held Beatrice’s hand and looked at a pot of *Drosera spatulata* placed at my eye level.
“Your Highness, what do we say this plant eats?”
“Bugs.”
Beatrice crouched beside me, giggling.
“Correct. Shall we see how many it caught today? How many bugs did it trap?”
I stared at the sundew and counted the tiny insects stuck to it, then held up four fingers.
“Four.”
But Beatrice’s eyes widened.
“Four? Your Highness, you counted them?”
Startled, I pulled my hand back.
*‘Did I not know how to count when I was four?’*
Did I seriously not know even up to four?
Excited, Beatrice asked again,
“Four? Could you count them once more?”
What kind of four-year-old was I…
*‘I knew letters, but not numbers?’*
Feeling awkward, I deliberately counted wrong.
“Ooone, twooo, fouw!”
“Oh, so that’s why you said four.”
Beatrice didn’t look disappointed at all and pointed to the bugs one by one.
“One, two, three— and here! Four!”
I pretended not to notice that she slipped a bug into the count and repeated,
“Foooour!”
Her laughter echoed through the greenhouse.
On our way out, Beatrice asked,
“Your Highness, how many foxes do you think Their Majesties will catch?”
Apparently, she was still in a counting mood.
In Leella, autumn is fox hunting season.
Mother and Father had gone on a three-day hunting trip with the nobles, so they might catch quite a lot.
*‘But what answer can someone who can’t count to four give?’*
I just spread all ten fingers.
“Thiiis many!”
Beatrice burst into laughter and began counting my fingers.
“One, two, three…”
Her efforts to teach me numbers were touching, but how long would I have to pretend I didn’t know…?
*‘I should ask Gabriella how many numbers Rosa knows.’*
We exited the greenhouse into the garden.
At that moment, a *peep-peep* sound was heard.
Something small and black shot past us and zipped into the greenhouse.
“Huh?”
Beatrice frowned.
We must have forgotten to close the door properly.
“Was that… a cat?”
She muttered quietly.
*‘Ah. That cat.’*
In the past, I would’ve run straight back to the main palace.
I had no interest in confirming what that black cat was up to…
— *peep!* *peep!*
But the squeaking sound bothered me.
Cats don’t squeak, and it looked like it was carrying something.
“If the cat ruins the greenhouse, we’re doomed! We should call the guards and chase it out.”
Beatrice continued walking, but since I didn’t move, she stopped.
“Your Highness?”
“…I wanna go back.”
“Huh?”
“Wanna see meow.”
Beatrice looked genuinely troubled.
“But… it looked fast. And mean.”
“…Still wanna see.”
“Oh dear…”
Just then, we spotted Icarus.
*‘Oh, right. He’s on duty in the mornings.’*
Beatrice didn’t say anything, but I knew she felt just as relieved as I did.
We silently headed back to the greenhouse.
—
— *PEEEP! PEEP-PEEP-PEEP!*
— *HISS!!*
Sounds absolutely unsuited for a greenhouse poured out from inside.
We sighed and entered again. The squeaks were now weaker.
— *peep…*
Beatrice moved forward hesitantly, following the sound.
Icarus followed, guarding the entrance.
— *HISSS!*
The cat was cornered, snarling. When it saw us, it quickly picked something up from the floor again.
It slowly backed away, clearly on guard.
*‘So it really did play with Rosa.’*
Animals have sharp instincts.
It could clearly sense that Rosa and I were *not* the same person.
Another faint squeak.
— *peep…*
Oh no.
I frowned as I looked closely.
The cat was holding a *live bird*.
*‘And… is that smoke coming out of the bird?’*
I instinctively took a step closer to see better.
“Young Lady!” Beatrice grabbed me quickly.
The cat kept glancing around, trying to find a way to escape.
Icarus stepped in and blocked the direction.
*‘For once, he’s actually useful.’*
I shook off Beatrice and stepped closer.
Even if I was physically small now, I had died and returned to life — I was not afraid of a cat.
“Kitty. That bird. Give it here.”
