Chapter 24
The Prince Died, So I Start Over
“Why is that?”
“I don’t see why I should bother holding a sword. I’m not interested, and I probably don’t even have the talent for it…”
“If it’s talent you’re worried about, you have it. I’ll prove it. Once you see your talent, you’ll naturally become interested.”
“I still don’t want to.”
It’s annoying.
I deliberately made a face showing my disdain. Yet the stubborn male protagonist didn’t back down at all.
People who’ve lived their whole lives without caring about others tend to have this problem. They think their opinion is the only correct one.
“But aren’t you the second son?”
“Yes.”
“I believe Count Lulufel holds no other titles. For a second son who cannot inherit a title, there’s no better path than becoming a knight.”
“Yes… but I don’t really need a title. I’m going to be engaged to the Third Prince, after all.”
“Marriage doesn’t prevent you from becoming a knight.”
No, I’m not doing that…
The male protagonist was a handsome man with the stern, upright appearance of a pine tree armored in steel.
And unfortunately, his stubbornness matched his looks.
Having lived his whole life focused solely on the sword, he seemed utterly unaware that some people in this world might not want the path of a knight.
His sunset-colored eyes fell into deep thought.
After a moment, a random sound escaped from his beautiful lips.
“…Could it be because I rejected your proposal?”
“…What?”
Is this guy completely insane? Why is he bringing that up here?
Men really have the most impractical thoughts.
He seemed to belong to the type who assumes any woman would die for love.
“That was for your own good. The northern lands are harsh and dangerous, incomparable to Lulufel. The soil is barren, and every night dangerous monsters roam. Outsiders cannot last even three months.”
“Yes… I hear your unwanted excuse loud and clear.”
I nodded absently like a car dashboard doll.
My mind was busy figuring out the best way to get rid of this stubborn man.
The male protagonist was no welcome guest for me.
Yet, technically, he was my benefactor.
Because of that, I couldn’t just throw him out rudely.
“What excuse can I use to get him out politely?”
I was wracking my unproductive brain when he suddenly said something utterly unexpected.
“But if you wish, I can change my mind even now.”
“…Excuse me? About what?”
“If you go north with me, I promise to give you the title of the next Duchess of Caledonia.”
His words were completely shocking.
I had to question if my ears were functioning correctly.
The male protagonist was proposing a contract marriage to me!
Is he… is he out of his mind?
“I’m getting engaged in four days.”
“A person cannot know what will happen even tomorrow.”
“Did you have a bad breakfast or something?”
“The chef’s skills aren’t bad.”
I was at my wit’s end.
I couldn’t understand why he, of all people, was trying to propose a contract marriage to a perfectly normal woman.
Of course, I knew he hadn’t met me yet.
But still, a man like him shouldn’t be offering marriage to just anyone!
He’s not some nouveau-riche giving away blank checks. What is this, first-come-first-serve love?
If he’s the male lead of a romance novel, he should wait patiently for the heroine and experience a thousand years of love!
“…I cannot tolerate this insulting remark!”
I jumped to my feet.
Apologize! Give me back the time I wasted reading your first-come-first-serve romance story!
The male protagonist—or rather, he didn’t even deserve to be called that—was now officially “Somewhat Duke” in my eyes.
Somewhat Duke looked at me briefly, then reluctantly stood.
“It seems I’ve been rude. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Don’t come! Who gave you permission to come? I’ll never let you in!”
“By the way, Count Lulufel was told you and the Third Prince fell from a tree. I’m the only one who saw you get out of my carriage, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“…Thanks, but still! Just go!”
I hurriedly chased Somewhat Duke out.
He hesitated for a moment, then left, saying he would return next time.
Ridiculous. Who said I’d let him in?
From now on, I would never meet Somewhat Duke again!
What I wanted was a simple, peaceful, secretly wealthy life.
Everyone around me thought I was middle-class, but in reality, I wanted a life with a few buildings along the tree-lined street.
Even if this was my half-ruined fourth run of life, I couldn’t let things progress in such a drastic way.
“Knock, knock! Miss! Miss?”
As soon as Somewhat Duke left, Anna entered, knocking with her mouth to get my attention.
“Anna!”
I ran into her arms.
I had met far too many strange people in just a few hours.
It felt like I had already encountered every crazy person I would meet in my entire life.
My head was spinning, and I was mentally exhausted. I almost felt like I needed a ritual to recover.
“Miss! What happened? Did you kick the Caledonia Duke away?”
“I don’t even want to talk about him!”
“Oh, come on, please tell me! The Caledonia Duke really did fall for you at first sight, didn’t he? I’ve always believed he would regret rejecting your proposal someday!”
Anna chattered happily, like a little singing bird.
The more cheerful she was, the more exhausted I felt.
“Miss, you wouldn’t believe how many times he came to this room!”
I didn’t want to imagine it.
But Anna, lost in her own romantic world, didn’t notice my uneasy expression.
“What exactly did he say? Can you just tell me? Yes, Miss?”
“Anna!”
“Did he say he wanted to make a match with you now? …Hehe, that’s ridiculous, right?”
Anna scratched her cheek, embarrassed.
She probably would never realize that she had hit the mark perfectly.
I quickly searched for a new topic to divert her attention.
“Oh! By the way, the Third Prince?”
“Huh?”
“Yes, the Third Prince! How is His Highness? Didn’t he… hit his head hard? Is he okay?”
“Ah…”
The sudden topic worked surprisingly well.
I found myself increasingly curious about the Third Prince’s condition.
Of course, I didn’t think anything serious had happened to him.
After all, my fourth-run life wasn’t over yet.
My vision sharpened, and my hearing was alert again.
Since I was fine, the Third Prince should be safe too.
“Ah, well…”
Oddly, Anna looked troubled.
“Why? Is something wrong with His Highness?”
“Um… actually, my master told me not to tell you yet…”
“What? Don’t tell me he… died?”
Anna’s drawn-out pause made a sudden anxiety rise within me.
Perhaps I had misjudged the situation.
Until now, I was almost certain there was a connection between the Third Prince’s death and my reincarnation.
But scientifically, there was no proof.
Everything I had discovered about this mysterious reincarnation was only a highly probable guess.
Things could go wrong at any moment.
“D-died? No! Not yet!”
Anna shook her head frantically.
But her words contained one alarming phrase.
“What? ‘Not yet’?”
“Well… I don’t know if I should tell you. You must keep this secret from my master.”
“Alright. I promise. Tell me.”
“Ever since he fell from the tree, His Highness has not woken up. So…”
Anna hesitated and trailed off, biting her lip.
She looked uncertain if it was appropriate to tell such a serious matter to an eight-year-old.
It seemed better for me to personally go and check the situation rather than rely on Anna.
“Let’s go to His Highness’s room right away, Anna.”
Grabbing her hand, I led her to the Third Prince’s room.
The guest room and the Third Prince’s room were far apart, so we hurried our steps.
When we arrived, I knocked loudly on the door.
Soon, a servant opened it.
“Ah… hello, Miss Lulufel.”
It was the same servant who came to the lake garden to find the Third Prince on the night of the welcome party.
Unlike the servant from the Andrian household, he was reasonably polite.
“Hello. I just want to see His Highness for a moment.”
“E-excuse me, but His Highness cannot see guests right now.”
“Do I have to repeat myself?”
The servant looked at me with a troubled expression.
But no mere servant could stop the daughter of a court count.
After a moment, he reluctantly stepped aside.
Although I had spoken like a reckless noble girl, I had successfully entered the Third Prince’s room.
