Episode 04
A shiver ran through my entire body.
For a fleeting moment, I even felt gratitude toward the owner of that strange voice I had cursed countless times.
Was it because I provoked them in the comments, talking about regression… that they gave me another chance?
Whatever the reason, I was simply happy to have been given time again.
“This time… I’ll truly be reborn.”
The Second Life
In my second life as Asphodel, I abandoned that ridiculous acting from the very beginning.
I knew it from the start—this character doesn’t suit me at all!
Fine. Then this time, I’d just be myself.
What “sunshine heroine”?
As if that ever fit me.
Come to think of it, that annoying voice never said I had to act exactly like the novel’s protagonist. It only said: “Try it yourself.”
If I wanted to systematically stop the villains, then pretending to be naïve and kind wasn’t the way.
It would be far better to build a reliable, trustworthy image from a young age.
And so, I changed my approach early on and began moving according to a carefully planned future.
The result?
“The Third Princess is incredibly mature and intelligent for her age. Perhaps Her Majesty is already taking notice of her.”
I began to be called a prodigy princess.
A Different Path
My mother—the Emperor—was just as indifferent as before.
But even if she didn’t love me as a daughter, she acknowledged me as a princess.
Thanks to steadily building trust, she eventually began to listen to my opinions and advice.
As for the others, I maintained relationships based on trust and utility—purely businesslike.
“Asphodel? She’s kind of annoying. Doesn’t feel like a sister. But… if she benefits Rosantina, I don’t care.”
“She is always thorough. Beyond that… I have no comment. It is not my place to judge my lord.”
Cold. Dry. Nothing like a romance fantasy.
But it didn’t matter.
I had learned my lesson.
This time, I kept my distance instead of forcing closeness.
A Perfect Run… Almost
I focused only on what mattered:
- Eliminating villains in advance
- Preventing the monster invasion
- Clearing major events like mandatory quests
All the side stories?
The relationships?
The “emotional routes”?
I cut them all out.
And it worked.
The disasters ended earlier than in the original novel.
“At last… everything is over.”
At age twenty, every major threat had been erased.
No one met a tragic end.
And I… was alive.
“This is it. This is the perfect happy ending.”
I even shed a few tears as I raised a glass alone.
“You did well, me.”
For the first time in ages, I thought I could sleep peacefully.
The Betrayal
But that very night—
My frail younger brother staged a rebellion.
The Fatal Miscalculation
No… my sweet little kitten would never do this!
It was something I had never anticipated.
I thought stopping the final villain would be enough.
I never imagined—
That while I was busy saving the world…
my neglected younger brother would fall into darkness on his own.
The Truth
Coughing up blood, I glared at the man before me.
“You said… I would become a threat someday… so you came to eliminate me early…”
My voice was rough, barely holding together.
“Then why… didn’t you kill me immediately?”
He realized too late.
I had been stalling.
“W-wait—!”
It was already over.
Invisible black hands seized him by the throat—
“A—AAAGH!”
—and dragged him into the darkness.
One by one, the others followed.
The Final Gift
I released the remaining seals binding my divine power.
This time, it was easier.
The spirits I had kept sealed burst free—
and flew toward the Fourth Prince somewhere in the imperial palace.
A twisted smile spread across my bloodstained lips.
“Even so… I had the protagonist’s buff.”
The world believed I only possessed minor purification abilities.
They were wrong.
“Dear little brother… I hope you like your final gift.”
The End of the Second Life
Faint voices echoed around me.
[Asphodel! Don’t die!]
[Stay awake!]
[We won’t forgive them!]
My vision blurred.
So this was the end.
Then, one last thought—
“God… let me kill that bastard before I go to heaven.”
But in the end—
I died before dawn ever broke.
Thus ended my second life.
The Third Chance
Darkness.
Silence.
I floated as a soul in a deep blue void.
So… I was truly dead.
Then—
A sphere of light appeared.
I knew instinctively.
This… was the one who cursed me.
The light suddenly flared.
And my soul began to be pulled toward it.
Wait… is it going to devour me?!
“Wait! Wait a second!”
No response.
“Hey! Hold on!”
The white light touched me.
A chill ran down my spine.
Desperation exploded out of me.
“At least give me three chances! Two is way too unfair!”
The sphere trembled.
My body stopped moving.
It… hesitated.
Seizing the moment, I shouted everything I could think of:
“Don’t you know the rule of three?! Three meals a day! Best of three games! It’s the universal law!”
I knew I sounded insane.
But I didn’t care.
“Just one more time! I swear I’ll do it right this time!”
Silence.
Then—
The sphere slowly nodded.
“…Fine. One more time. This is the last.”
Restart
A burst of white light filled my vision.
And then—
“Princess Asphodel! Happy fifth birthday!”
When I opened my eyes—
I was back at the beginning.
