| Author: Sasaki Ichiro | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mab | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Silva | |
“……”
Astonishment. Confusion. Doubt. Exaltation. Admiration. Concern. Complication… a concoction of emotions so complex and indescribable was directed at me in utter silence, prompting me to exhale softly.
Fortunately, none of their feelings toward me were negative, but the number of questions brewing in their minds must have been countless. However, faced with their gentle expressions and carefully chosen words, I found it unbearable. I sat in my chair, feeling lost, and reflexively averted my gaze. “…”
Welp.
I’m in a bind.1
Or maybe karma is finally catching up to me for all the times I’ve averted my eyes from it… Even so, isn’t this turning point a bit too abrupt? My brain can hardly make sense of it.
(—How sick and twisted are you, God?! Is my entire life just an endless game of Takeshi’s Castle for you?!)
Does God exist? Most people in this world would answer with a resolute yes. After all, this was a world inhabited by mythical creatures such as demons and fairies. Gods weren’t mere concepts to them, but rather actual, physical figures deemed divine, which could range from individuals with godlike powers to mountain hermits, or even certain groups of people with powers far surpassing human understanding.
These beings governed the Cardinal Rose Superempire, the unified continental nation. However, they typically adhered to the principle of ‘reign, not rule,’ so even upper-class nobilities of the greatest nations wouldn’t regularly be in touch with them.
As for the common folk…
“The God-Emperor of the Superempire…? Eh, there’s someone more important than the king?!” Such was the response I got from chatting with Lynn.
Either way, gods did exist in this world (on the contrary, the concepts of the Absolute God, monotheism, and atheism seemed to be completely absent). Particularly, people with extraordinary skills and renowned fame would also be called the God-Emperor, the Sword God, the Flame Goddess, and such, becoming objects of reverence… Well, that doesn’t mean that praying to them will just give you oracles or some kind of divine miracle on wholesale, from what I understand.
Personally, I don’t have any particular god I worship since they aren’t directly involved in my life either2 . However, just for this moment, I was holding a bit of resentment towards the god who governed the fate of this world. I don’t know their name, though, so for now I’d vent it to their boss, the God-Emperor, praying that they’d stump their little toe on a cupboard corner.
(That being said…hmm…how do I get out of this…)
What sprawled in front of me was the portrait of the Cattleya of the Livitium Imperial Kingdom, the former Holy Maiden Princess of the Saintess’ Church, Clara — my biological mother in this life. This portrait could very well be a religious icon in this world, but in my eyes, it looked more like a modern-day Earth bromide.
The composition suggested ‘Purity. Uprightness. A Saintess overflowing with kindness and benevolence.’ There was a somewhat contrived undertone to it, but the portrayal wasn’t too far from reality compared to my vague recollections of the actual person, so it was within the acceptable range.
Even so, for a B5 booklet, this must have been expensive, given the precise drawings and its ostentatious leather cover. Perhaps it was made so to leverage the price so high that only an aristocrat or a wealthy merchant could afford it.
I don’t think they can immediately tell that I am Clara’s Daughter = the real Syltianna just from looking at the portrait, but I think they are suspicious that I’m somehow related to the person in the portrait.
At the moment, everyone is waiting for the others to say anything, so there aren’t any questions going my way. But, the moment someone speaks, the barrage of questions will surely burst out like a broken dam.
I still don’t want to say goodbye to my current somewhat relaxed, somewhat spirited lifestyle, so if possible, I’d rather not reveal that I am the notorious Ragweed Princess, or that I was assassinated through a conspiracy, or that I was reincarnated from another world, or that I made use of my death to live a second life where I could throw my weight around. Oh dear, now that I’ve mentally opened that can of worms, what do I find but a bunch of worms twisting and turning around? Actually, if I said it all with a straight face, wouldn’t they just send me to psychiatric wards instead? For that reason, I must find a way to circumvent the topic at all costs.
(Now, how do I even get out of this…)
Furrowing my eyebrows, I tried to craft an excuse in my head, unaware I was mumbling it. They do say there is only one fact, but there are as many truths as there are people. Which means, I just need to craft a convenient enough truth to tell them.
“…Hey. I know it’s a bit late, but who’s even this super-beauty?” Bruno asked Luke, who sat next to him.
“She’s the Holy Maiden Princess of the Saintess’ Church and the fourth wife of Count Aulanthia of the Livitium Imperial Kingdom. Well, Clara is her baptismal name, her real name is something else, but this is the name everyone knows.”
“…so, she’s a celebrity?”
“She’s a mega-celebrity! Holy Maiden Princess Clara was said to be the second coming of Saintess Snow 20 years ago!”
“That’s just common knowledge, you dullard!”
Bruno looked perplexed as Lynn and Eren screamed in his face. To be fair, the thing about her name was news even for me, her daughter. …well, I (Syltianna) was quite challenged in the head back then, but not knowing your own mother’s name must be at another level of asininity. Or perhaps that information was intentionally withheld from me, and given the mess that my family was, it was very likely.
Putting that aside. For now, I would tell them that;
1. I hail from Eunice Theocracy of the Livitium Imperial Kingdom
2. A few people from Eunice share similar traits with each other
3. I’m a descendant of a fallen aristocratic family, left all alone when Regina picked me up.
Well, that wasn’t exactly a three-part narrative structure, but it’s still a good enough blend of truth and fiction.
Then— Just as I sipped the lukewarm tea, preparing to speak my story in a calm manner,
“Okay, sorry. Geez. They didn’t teach me that in the training. …So, she’s Jill’s mom, right?”
Bruno’s words easily disrupted my plans, making me cough out the tea straight from my throat.
“—koff! Wha…whawhawhawhat are you ta-, talking about?!!?!?”
I tried to brush it off as calmly as I could, only to be met with warm gazes.
“I mean, isn’t it obvious? You look just like her.”
“Indeed. This is like seeing Milady 5, 6 years later in the future.”
“But, ah, Lady Jill is much prettier! This one looks like she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the type of person I hate the most.”
“Well, you two are basically identical. It’s impossible that you’re unrelated to her.”
That was Bruno, Monika, Eren, and Pryui. They had oh-so-kindly put the portrait right next to me and compared the two of us, an idea I hadn’t thought they would do.
“——eh? eeeh???”
Rather, if they likened me to my beautiful mother, who’s so pretty she gained the moniker Cattleya, saying I resemble her that much… while this sounds far-fetched, doesn’t that mean that I might actually be in the category of beautiful women……??
“…wait, no, no, yeah, that’s just my self-flattery going too far. I mean she’s Cattleya and I’m just a ragweed, everyone knows that. Wait, but, maybe, just maybe, what if…” And so, I continued to mutter to myself, at a volume no one could hear.
