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“Miss, you’re awake,” a voice came from behind, bringing me back to reality.
I turned around to find Cornel, one of the servants, who had entered the room unnoticed. She was two years older than me, about 12 years old. She was a quiet yet observant girl, and she often took care of me.
“I didn’t get a response when I called you, so I thought you might still be asleep,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought,” I replied.
“I see… Are you okay?” she asked with concern.
Her words made me remember that she had been by my side while I cried so much yesterday. The embarrassment washed over me anew.
“Ah…!”
I hastily wiped my face with my hands, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
“Ugh… huff…”
A mixture of nostalgia, sadness, and an indescribable emotion overwhelmed me like waves crashing against the shore.
“Linarria,” Cornel approached me hesitantly, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. I burst into tears, sobbing loudly.
Cornel gently guided me out of the room, and I was led to my bedroom. There, I cried until I fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I woke up strangely refreshed and clear-headed. I remembered everything.
I am Linarria Jarosys.
I am the eldest daughter of the Jarosys Marquis family, one of the noble families in the Heliodor Kingdom.
But I used to be called by a completely different name.
Linalite Jarosys.
I was born as the third son of the Jarosys Marquis family. I grew up alongside the first prince, Esmerald, as his attendant. Those memories were undeniably present within me.
I climbed out of bed, feeling somewhat restless, and stood in front of the mirror in my room.
Reflected in it was the image of a 10-year-old girl with long silver hair and blue eyes.
“…How did this happen?” I muttered.
Over the past ten years, I only had memories up until the age of 20. That meant I had died back then. I couldn’t remember the exact moment clearly, but the feeling was there.
Perhaps I had gone insane, and all of this was just my delusion. I briefly considered this possibility, but it quickly seemed irrelevant.
If I had truly been reborn, then there was something crucial I had to do.
On that day, I had witnessed the prince’s death.
I remembered it vividly—the bluish lips, the spilled blood, the chilling coldness of his hand.
I couldn’t let it happen again. I couldn’t lose him again. I was determined to save Prince Esmerald’s life at all costs.
…I apologize for the lengthy introduction, but in essence, the purpose of the prince’s visit was to see the garden inhabited by creatures rarely seen in the capital.
My father had said, “It seems His Highness has quite an interest in plants and creatures, and he became curious about our garden.” But, I, with memories of Linalite, know better.
What the prince actually wanted to see was the unique species of frog that resides in our estate, the Southern Acacia Frog!
Yes, the prince is an ardent frog enthusiast. The reasons for this are beyond me. He seems to be fascinated by their form, their leaping movements, and their croaks, everything about them.
Prince Esmerald, a paragon of both intellect and appearance, a bit reserved yet generous and kind-hearted in nature—his enthusiasm for frogs feels somewhat peculiar. However, I recall that even when I first met him as Linalite, he was intently observing a frog.
The fact that I know about these slightly rare Southern Acacia Frogs is thanks to the prince who taught me about them in my previous life.
…Did I ruin that precious time of the prince’s modest hobby?
And did I embarrass my parents in the process?
My father, while slightly amused, could likely sense the profound remorse as I bowed deeply, and my mother chimed in, “That’s enough, Linarria. Sit down. Let’s have breakfast.”
“Yes, dear. Look, our breakfast will get cold if we wait.”
My mother’s demeanor had already settled, seemingly relieved by my newfound calmness. She must have been quite concerned yesterday when I was crying; I felt apologetic that she had to leave my side during the prince’s visit.
On the table were soup, bread, scrambled eggs, and a few side vegetables. The Jarosys Marquis family wasn’t exactly poor, but my mother discouraged excessive extravagance, hence our breakfast was relatively simple for nobility.
“Um… How did His Highness seem? Was he offended by everything…? Were you able to gauge his reaction?” I inquired as I tore a piece of bread.
My father smiled slightly and nodded, “He had a few words with me, then he was deeply engrossed in observing the garden before he left… His Highness is quite considerate. He was concerned about you.”
A sigh of relief escaped me. I had heard the same from Cornel, but doubts still lingered.
Though I knew the prince was kind-hearted, committing such a blunder might have changed his opinion. However, when my father, who had been dealing with the prince as the master of the estate, said it, I could trust his judgment.
“…By the way, why did you cry so much?” My father looked perplexed, and my mother appeared concerned.
“Well… uh…”
“Go on, speak up. I won’t be angry,” my father assured me.
“I-I was overwhelmed by emotion…!!”
My parents stared at me, wide-eyed. I could feel my face reddening in embarrassment. How embarrassing!
But of course, I couldn’t say, “I cried because memories from my past life overwhelmed me with nostalgia.” That would sound absurd. After all, I myself still couldn’t fully come to terms with my current situation. So, the only thing left was to say, “I was deeply moved.” But really, would any child cry like that for that reason?
“Um… Does that mean you were just so happy to meet His Highness that you cried?” My mother tilted her head, clearly puzzled.
“Did you like His Highness that much?” my father added, equally puzzled.
Naturally, until my memories resurfaced, Linarria hadn’t been particularly interested in the prince. Well, as a normal 10-year-old girl, she might have had a slight admiration, but nothing more. It was obviously unnatural, but I had to stick with this explanation in this setting.
Suppressing my embarrassment, I asserted, “Yes…! I had admired His Highness for a long time! That’s why… I was so happy that I ended up crying!!”
Silence descended upon the room. This was not going well. I wished I could just disappear.
Then, for some reason, my mother’s face brightened up almost instantly.
“Well… well, well! Oh my! So that’s how it is! That’s what happened…!!”
Wait, why does she look so happy…?
Ignoring my confusion, my mother turned to my father with excitement.
“Dear, we should send a letter to His Highness right away. To apologize for the other day. It might be difficult for him to visit us again soon, so maybe we could ask if we could visit the castle and meet him.”
“Huh? Well… I do plan to send an apology letter, but wouldn’t it be better to wait until things have calmed down a bit before meeting in person…?”
“Oh, yes, that might be a good idea… So let’s start by sending the apology letter first.”
I hesitated a bit about whether I should stop my mother, who seemed oddly motivated. But in the end, I held my tongue.
It was true that I wanted to apologize to the prince directly, and above all, if there was any pretext to get closer to him, I had to take advantage of it. I had a mission, to save the prince. I would do whatever it took.
“…Linarria, is that alright with you too?”
Suddenly called out while lost in thought, I lifted my head.
I hadn’t really been listening for about half of their conversation, but it seemed like they had come to a conclusion that they would start by sending an apology letter and then ask if we could meet once things had settled.
Without hesitation, I nodded. “Yes! Please, Father, Mother!”
I said it with determination, and both of them looked puzzled.
…Huh?
“…Linarria, I don’t know where you picked this up, but you shouldn’t use strange language. Just like usual, call your father and mother.”
“Ah!!”
Oh no! I slipped into addressing them as I would in my past life. Was it because I was so focused on the prince?
“I-I’m sorry… Father, Mother…”
I shrunk back my shoulders in embarrassment, and both of them chuckled and said, “That’s alright.”
