If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 4
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 4
“Of course, it would be fine to receive a formal invitation later.”
The nanny gave a suitable answer for now, worried that I might get upset again after she had just managed to calm me down.
“I should ask my brothers to come with me!”
The maid flinched greatly at my voice pretending to be innocent.
She probably thought there was no way grown princes would come all the way here just because their little sister whined, since they weren’t clueless children anymore, but usually such ‘no way’ scenarios become reality and blow up into big problems.
Six-year-old me and the nanny, who was a lower noble, couldn’t officially hold the Separate Palace servants accountable for their negligence.
But if my brothers, who were starting to get involved in family affairs, found out, the problem would escalate.
‘The Emperor is a weak person.’
Weak enough that he couldn’t cast out or embrace the son he thought was cursed.
The Emperor simply wished for Leonhardt to live quietly as if he didn’t exist.
He hadn’t wanted him to be neglected to this extent.
“When will they come? Tomorrow? Next week?”
As I pretended to think about when my brothers might be free, the maid kept glancing nervously at Leonhardt’s messy room and anxiously chewed her lower lip.
Now the Separate Palace servants would be watching out for outside attention for a while.
They’d probably do some cleaning and serve decent meals.
Being only six years old, this was my limit.
‘Still, be grateful I came to rescue you faster than last time.’
I winked so only Leonhardt could see.
Leonhardt blinked, seemingly not understanding the meaning of my gesture.
He’d definitely become less perceptive since getting younger.
Though frustration welled up, I smiled at him until the end.
It would surely be a long time before I could visit again.
As I left the Separate Palace, I felt a familiar gaze following the back of my head.
As soon as we moved away from Leonhardt’s Separate Palace, the nanny began her lecture.
While maintaining a graceful, gentle smile, she spoke in a small voice that only I, holding her hand, could hear.
“Young Lady, if you run off alone like earlier, this nanny might cry her eyes out from sadness.”
To someone at a distance who couldn’t hear our voices, we would have looked like we were having a very affectionate conversation.
The nanny had the typical appearance of a sensitive and gentle noblewoman, but contrary to her looks, she was a person of strong character.
‘I only saw her cry once in the last round too.’
For such a nanny to say she’d cry her eyes out was more like discipline suited to my six-year-old level, but I just meekly promised not to do it again.
“It was just that one time. I won’t do it anymore. Really. I promise!”
The one time I saw the nanny cry in the last round was tears of relief as she died in my place while trying to save me from the Crown Prince’s scheme.
Seeing me completely deflated, the nanny seemed to soften.
She crouched down in front of me to match my eye level and hugged me with a smile.
“Our Young Lady is so mature.”
“Did I seem like a big sister?”
“Yes, you could go to the Academy soon.”
I acted spoiled to my heart’s content in the nanny’s embrace, which felt like it had been a long time.
I kept acting spoiled until the nanny subtly tried to pull away because her legs were getting numb, then gave her one last tight hug before letting go.
“Nanny, you know what.”
I whispered to the nanny.
“I think it’s fortunate that I’m six years old.”
Because I could save the nanny and rescue Leonhardt a little earlier too.
The nanny laughed at my random words, but I was sincere.
Whether the Crown Prince had other plans, the nanny and I were able to take a cozy stroll in the Lake Garden without running into anyone.
“The hydrangeas are really pretty.”
“They are.”
‘This place is pretty indeed.’
The garden was innocent.
Since the nanny seemed to like the Lake Garden, I took a fairly long stroll there, partly as an apology.
“Oh my, Young Lady. Aren’t you tired?”
The nanny, belatedly noticing that I, who wasn’t particularly active, had walked longer than usual, asked.
“No! I’m not tired at all.”
I shook my head vigorously and answered that I was fine.
“Really? If you’re tired, you must tell nanny.”
“I’m really, really okay!”
Actually, I wasn’t that physically strong and had some minor health issues, but I was reasonably healthy.
But in the last round, whenever I wanted to be alone, I pretended to be sleepy or tired, which created a sickly image.
Thanks to that, I grew up receiving plenty of overprotection from my family.
‘This time I should be a moderately healthy child.’
“I’m so excited that I’m not tired at all!”
I spoke energetically while planning my image transformation.
The nanny smiled with sparkling eyes, finding me cuter than usual in my excitement.
“But I’m getting a little tired. Shall we head back now?”
The nanny patted her legs and suggested we go home.
Actually, I was getting a bit tired too.
Even though I didn’t come often, acting amazed at places I’d seen dozens of times while living in the Imperial Palace as if seeing them for the first time was quite draining.
“Hmm… Let’s do that!”
But I pretended to think for a moment before answering, for the sake of perfect six-year-old acting.
“We’re going because nanny is tired!”
The nanny laughed and played along as I chattered and made a show of being considerate while holding her hand.
“Our Young Lady really is the best.”
I kept talking to the nanny constantly on the way back.
‘Pretending to be six years old is hard.’
Both the me speaking and the me listening were exhausted by the time we arrived home.
I’m so tired.
I decided to postpone executing my ‘become a moderately healthy child’ strategy that I’d made earlier until tomorrow.
“I’m sleepy, nanny.”
It wasn’t easy for a six-year-old body to fight off sleep.
As soon as I recognized that I was sleepy, my eyes half-closed.
“There’s still some time before dinner. Shall we wash up and take a nap?”
Washing up was bothersome, but I nodded roughly.
The nanny called in my assigned maids.
“Young Lady. You’ll feel better after washing with warm water.”
“Shall we make some bubbles for you?”
After being washed by the maids who tried hard to soothe sleepy me, I became even drowsier.
I felt like I’d fall asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
The nanny picked me up as I walked half-asleep.
“You might fall down.”
If the nanny hadn’t picked me up, there was a high probability that would have happened.
I was carried to the bedroom by the nanny just like that.
The last thing I remembered was the nanny laying me on the bed and tucking me in nicely with the blanket.
Seeing me fall into sleep, the nanny briefly left me in the maids’ care and disappeared.
I had an ominous feeling, but I was too sleepy.
That was my mistake.
“Young Lady, are you awake?”
As I tossed and turned because I couldn’t wake up easily, Anna, my assigned maid, asked gently.
“Yeah.”
When I answered in a voice still thick with sleep, Anna laughed quietly.
Then she dropped a bomb on me with her gentle voice.
“Young Lady, you can stay alone for a moment, right?”
“Yeah, but why?”
“Lady told me to inform her when you wake up.”
It seemed my intuition for sensing ominous things had recovered after sleeping and waking up.
I shook off my drowsiness and sat up abruptly.
“Mother? Why?”
“Well, I didn’t hear anything specific.”
When I asked anxiously, Anna tilted her head and answered as if she wasn’t sure either.
But my intuition was telling me.
Nanny must have reported what happened today to Mother.
Unlike Father who was completely soft on me, Mother always scolded me when I did something wrong.
Considering my future character development, Mother’s parenting approach could be seen as correct, but even with a twenty-four-year-old mind, I didn’t want to get scolded.
‘I shouldn’t have slept.’
I should have stuck close to Nanny.
But regret, no matter how quickly it comes, is always too late.
‘Getting snacks banned for a few days and meeting Leonhardt 2 years early isn’t such a bad trade-off.’
I comforted myself and sluggishly got up from the bed.
“I’ll go see Mother.”
Might as well get scolded quickly since I’m going to get scolded anyway.
“Will you?”
Anna neatly arranged my disheveled hair from sleeping and tied it up prettily.
“Yeah.”
My steps felt heavy.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————