If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11

I quickly scanned the contents of the invitation with my eyes.

‘It’s even just the two of us meeting?’

Ah, I don’t like this…

Mother must have interpreted my silence as being unable to read because the words used in the invitation were too difficult.

“Should Mother read it for you?”

“No, I can do it!”

I stumbled through reading the invitation’s contents, taking into account a six-year-old’s vocabulary.

When I managed to read to the end, getting some of the difficult words wrong once each, Mother smiled brightly and clapped her hands.

“Our Miela is so smart!”

I felt embarrassed getting applause for just reading one letter, so I grinned sheepishly and changed the subject.

“Mother, but why does the Crown Prince want to meet with me?”

Silence.

I thought it was nothing special, but I heard a sharp intake of breath from above my head.

‘Mother?’

When I looked up in slight surprise, Mother belatedly smiled as if trying to recover.

Though her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

Mother spoke in a displeased tone, then whispered temptingly in my ear.

“Don’t want to go?”

Refusing the Crown Prince’s invitation would be troublesome even for House Roderick.

However, I could sense from Mother that if I just nodded once, she would somehow make it happen.

‘I can’t miss this opportunity to legally enter the Imperial Palace.’

I also need to check on the Crown Prince’s twisted nature.

“No.”

I covered my ears with both hands as if it tickled and shook my head back and forth.

When I smiled with an innocent face, Mother sighed deeply as if she had no choice.

Then she looked me in the eyes with a serious expression and said.

“Miela, a man’s looks aren’t everything. Our daughter is smart, so you know that much, right?”

“Mm-hmm, but last time you said men should be handsome first and foremost. That saying ‘personality over looks’ is what people with no face to speak of say. That pretty boys become handsome men, handsome men become distinguished middle-aged men, and distinguished middle-aged men become elegant elderly men!”

When I tilted my head at Mother’s suddenly changed view on men, Mother laughed as if troubled.

“Miela has such a good memory. How do you remember everything without missing a single word?”

‘Well, it’s something Mother used to say like a habit every time she looked at Father.’

However, this habit of Mother’s would establish itself a bit later than now.

I grinned and changed the subject.

“Mm-hmm, but why all of a sudden?”

Could it be?

The timing was too perfectly aligned for it to just be something said casually.

“Is His Highness the Crown Prince handsome?”

When I asked while tilting my head as if I didn’t understand anything, Mother flinched in surprise.

“He is handsome, but…”

As if the words came out reflexively, Mother trailed off and smiled awkwardly.

“Anyway! A man’s looks aren’t everything. Especially when choosing someone to marry, you need to look at their personality carefully too.”

What’s this? Is this really what I think it is?

If it follows the same timeline as the first round, the Crown Prince’s engagement, who would be eleven this year, was coming soon.

‘But the Crown Prince’s fiancée should be the young lady from House Perington, the Empress’s family.’

Why me all of a sudden?

While I stood frozen in bewilderment, Mother cupped my cheeks with both hands and urged me again.

“Miela, you must remember what Mother said, okay?”

Mother’s gaze as she looked at me was unusually resolute.

The Crown Prince, despite his angelic appearance, had no moral conscience and a cruel nature.

Though this was still a time when he was putting on quite an act, Mother seemed to have roughly caught on…

“Yes!”

I nodded vigorously to reassure Mother.

‘Ew. I don’t like the Crown Prince either, Mother.’

“Sweet dreams, Lady Miela.”

The nanny who had been reading me a fairy tale must have thought I had fallen into deep sleep, as she left a goodnight kiss on my cheek and left the room.

Even after a few more minutes, I slightly opened my eyes to confirm there was really no one around, then sat up abruptly.

“Yawn, I almost really fell asleep.”

A child’s body discharged as quickly as it charged.

Staying up late without sleeping wasn’t an easy task.

I moved my body a few times like doing exercises to chase away the drowsiness that was creeping in, then took out the hidden communication device.

As if he had been waiting, a contact came from Leonhardt.

I returned to bed and wriggled under the covers.

It was an attempt to block even a little of the light from the communication device or my voice from leaking out.

After I had been rustling with the blankets for a while, Leonhardt, who had been waiting patiently, carefully called my name.

– Miela?

“Yes.”

When I answered quietly, I heard a small laugh.

– I thought you had fallen asleep.

I yawned and answered Leonhardt’s words.

“I almost did fall asleep.”

– Then, shall we call it a day?

I must have looked quite tired, as Leonhardt asked worriedly.

“No.”

Even though it was a toy communication device that only transmitted voices, I shook my head as I answered.

“I have something to tell you.”

Perhaps tensing at the ominous opening, there was a sharp intake of breath.

“It’s nothing serious.”

I smiled and reassured Leonhardt.

Still unable to let his guard down, Leonhardt asked carefully.

– What is it?

Leonhardt at times like this was just like a wary rabbit.

It wasn’t just because of his eyes and hair color that I called him a baby rabbit.

“Curious?”

I teased Leonhardt, thinking of his childhood.

– If it’s something I need to know, you’ll tell me.

But the response that came back was quite bleak.

“You really grew up to be such a boring adult, didn’t you? I forgot for a moment.”

I complained sulkily.

A brief silence flowed.

Though we had known each other for a long time, we weren’t a couple who communicated well.

Leonhardt had a talent for making even the same words sound stiff, and I was raised too preciously to understand and accept all of that.

Thanks to that, most of our conversations after becoming husband and wife would end in silence like this.

Leonhardt would probably be sighing with a troubled face right about now, running his hand through his bangs.

And I would have tried not to show my hurt feelings before storming off.

‘Normally.’

But Leonhardt wasn’t in front of me, this wasn’t the Imperial Palace but my room at the family home, and most importantly, he was just a child.

While I might not be able to handle a full-grown Leonhardt as big as a door, I could be more generous with a four-year-old, even if it was me.

I checked the remaining operating time of the communication device and continued the conversation.

“It’s something you should know. I’m going to the Imperial Palace next Thursday.”

Fortunately, this time Leonhardt didn’t act oblivious either.

– Are you coming to the Separate Palace?

It was a question clearly filled with cautious hope.

“No, I won’t have time for that.”

My mood having improved somewhat, I answered Leonhardt’s question in a softer tone.

Just then, the light from the communication device began flickering, indicating there really wasn’t much operating time left.

Feeling rushed, I cut off Leonhardt who was about to say something and spoke rapidly.

“I’ll leave that rabbit bag we saw before by the pergola in the Winter Garden, so take it. After noon.”

Leonhardt muttered “Thursday” and “Winter Garden,” then asked as if remembering belatedly.

But what business brings you there?

“To meet the Crown Prince.”

After hearing my answer, Leonhardt fell silent for a moment, then asked while trying his best to suppress his voice from turning cold.

– Why are you meeting Jeffrisian?

Though being a child’s voice, it was hard to find any charisma in it.

“Do you think I’m meeting him because I want to?”

I retorted nonchalantly, then added with a grumble.

“What can I do when the Crown Prince sent an invitation?”

– Hah.

Leonhardt let out a sigh, then muttered quietly.

– If we were going to return to the past, it should have been around nineteen years old.

“Wouldn’t eighteen be better? Before our marriage.”

I said it half-jokingly, but Leonhardt didn’t respond immediately.

At that moment, the communication device’s operating time ended with its anxious flickering.

As if cutting off Leonhardt’s words.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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