If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 11

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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 12

Was it because I talked about the Crown Prince with Mother during the day?

That night, I had a dream featuring the Crown Prince.

“Miela, will you marry me?”

In the dream, the Crown Prince held a large bouquet of roses and proposed to me with a sickening smile.

“No? Why would I! I refuse!”

I shook my head firmly in rejection, as if someone I’d only met twice had suddenly asked me to co-sign a loan.

Then instinctively, I wondered if it was okay to act this way when he was the Crown Prince after all.

‘What does it matter, it’s a dream.’

Oh right, it’s a dream.

At that moment, I realized this was just a nightmare.

Then the dream scene began to change like a bouncing rubber ball.

It was late dawn, close to morning, in my bedroom at the Ducal House.

I heard a commotion outside and groggily got up, heading toward the sound.

There I saw Father hurriedly preparing to go out at this hour.

“Father, where are you going?”

When I asked while yawning, Father, who had been having a serious conversation with the Imperial Palace’s chamberlain, turned to look at me.

“Miela, you’re awake.”

The fact that Father, who doted on his daughter, didn’t smile when he saw me meant this was truly serious.

‘Wait, if this is the day when the Imperial Palace’s chamberlain secretly came and Father hurriedly went out?’

There was a day I could guess.

“What’s wrong?”

When the me in the dream asked seriously, just like that day long ago, Father pondered for a moment before answering.

“His Majesty the Emperor has passed away.”

At that time, the Emperor had been in a coma for several weeks due to a sudden heart attack.

Though there had been no signs of recovery, he had been fairly healthy before the onset, so it was a sudden death.

After offering words of condolence to the chamberlain for the deceased, I carefully asked.

“Should I wake Leon?”

Father, who had been exchanging glances with the chamberlain, quietly shook his head.

“It would be better if His Highness the Prince doesn’t go.”

“Why?”

Though the relationship between the Emperor and Leonhardt wasn’t great, he was still his biological father.

At my question, the chamberlain and Father fell into heavy silence.

Only then did I notice the chamberlain’s face, which was pale beyond white, almost blue.

The chamberlain, meeting my eyes, moved only his lips, hesitating for a long while before carefully opening his mouth.

“It would be better for His Highness the Prince to stay somewhere safe. Since he is the only remaining heir to the Empire…”

The chamberlain startled and stopped speaking, as if he had inadvertently revealed too much in his distress.

However, I had already figured out what had happened to the Emperor.

‘It means it would be dangerous for Leon to go to the Imperial Palace. And if Leon is the only heir, that means…’

It meant the Crown Prince was no longer qualified to inherit the throne.

There were only a few reasons why a legitimately designated imperial successor would have their inheritance rights revoked.

Among them, the most frequent occurrence was patricide.

Perhaps because I had been having nightmares for several days straight, I was in very poor condition.

In the carriage heading to the Imperial Palace, I rested my chin on my hand and stared blankly out the window, grumbling just like Lester had done before.

“Why is the weather so nice? Of all days?”

Since yesterday, I had been in a bad mood because I didn’t want to go to the Crown Prince’s Palace.

But since I couldn’t not go, my nanny, who had been pretending not to hear my grumbling, tried to cheer me up.

“Young Lady, you know Lunamond, your favorite bakery? I heard the head patissier at the Crown Prince’s Palace was the teacher of Lunamond’s founder. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Mm, exciting.”

I answered that it was exciting in a voice that sounded not at all excited.

I had been banned from snacks for two weeks already.

When I, suffering from snack withdrawal, reacted indifferently even to desserts, my nanny began to worry.

“Oh my, for our Young Lady to react like this to desserts…”

My nanny, who had been carefully observing my expression, lowered her voice and whispered as if she had made up her mind.

“Then, shall we say we’re going back to the Duke’s Residence? I’ll make an excuse that you suddenly developed a fever.”

Did my nanny really just say that?

It was rare enough for her to pretend not to notice when I was faking illness, but to actually suggest I fake being sick first.

This was a first throughout both my first and second lives.

“Is that okay?”

My genuine feelings slipped out for a moment, but fortunately I remembered the rabbit bag hidden in the space under the carriage at just the right time.

My face, which had brightened at the suggestion to go back, darkened again.

“No, it’s fine. Refusing an invitation wouldn’t be proper for a lady.”

After speaking like a good child to put my nanny at ease, I sat up straight as if I had never been slouching.

My nanny clapped her hands and praised me.

“Our Young Lady is so mature.”

I sighed inwardly.

‘I don’t want to be mature. Sigh.’

When I glanced out the window, the Imperial Palace was already right in front of us.

“I greet the small sun of the Empire.”

When I curtsied by lifting my skirt, the Crown Prince smiled warmly and returned my greeting.

“Hello, Lady Rodrick.”

Honey-sweet golden hair, vivid blue eyes.

Along with a gentle-looking appearance and a seemingly kind disposition.

The Crown Prince had all the right conditions to win a child’s favor.

Of course, it didn’t work on me since I knew the Crown Prince’s true nature.

‘Ugh, how disgusting. That crazy bastard’s nickname is Angel? Not unless heaven and hell have switched places.’

I cursed the Crown Prince inwardly while maintaining a bright smile with my seven years of social debut experience.

The Crown Prince seemed to believe he had succeeded in making a good first impression on me with his social smile.

“Now, cute lady. Your hand.”

The Crown Prince, who had uttered those sickening words, approached me.

He seemed to intend to escort me as a form of guidance.

‘Ugh. Get away.’

Physical contact was beyond what I had prepared for.

Just imagining the Crown Prince’s hand touching mine made me want to turn around and run away from this place immediately.

However, the Crown Prince had a very strong sense of self-importance.

He couldn’t stand being rejected, no matter how trivial the matter.

At this point, the Crown Prince was considered a kind and gentle boy, despite being born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, far from arrogant.

So if I antagonized him now, it would be my loss.

Though I understood this logically, my physiological disgust toward the Crown Prince was stronger.

After intense deliberation in that short time, I hid behind my nanny like a shy child.

For perfect acting, I grabbed my nanny’s skirt and peeked out my head before hiding again, causing small laughter to burst from my nanny and the attendants around us.

“What a cute and shy lady.”

When Andrew, the Crown Prince’s chamberlain, spoke jokingly, my nanny composed her expression that had been melting with my cuteness and said.

“She’s still young… Our Young Lady is quite shy. Please understand graciously, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince is kind and considerate, so he will surely understand the young lady.”

A harmonious conversation flowed among the adults.

The Crown Prince let my nanny and the chamberlain go on praising him to their heart’s content before finally speaking.

“Well then, it’s unfortunate, but I’ll have to postpone the escort until we become closer.”

The Crown Prince withdrew his hand with a smiling face.

‘Success.’

I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

The chamberlain intervened at just the right timing and guided us to the garden.

The Prince’s Palace Garden was, to put it nicely, neat and tidy, but to be honest, it was a desolate place.

‘It feels like inanimate objects were just arranged there.’

I thought the garden of the Abandoned Palace, which was overgrown simply because no human hands had touched it, would be better.

I rolled my eyes to survey the surroundings, then hopped up onto a pretty adult-sized chair.

The Prince, who had been approaching to pull out the chair for me, hesitated.

“What a spirited Young Lady you are.”

After that compliment that didn’t sound like a compliment at all, the Prince sat in his own chair across from me and asked while looking at my legs dangling beneath the chair.

“The chair seems a bit high for you. Shall I have them bring a footrest?”

‘You should have prepared one in advance. Acting considerate now is…’

“No. I’m fine.”

I was grumbling inwardly and responding halfheartedly to the Prince’s words when a maid brought out dessert.

“Wow, Miela loves financiers!”

I ignored the Prince trying to start a conversation and only gave my attention to the maid.

The Prince, unaccustomed to being ignored, smiled only with his lips and said playfully.

“The Young Lady is still just a baby, isn’t she?”

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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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