If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 46

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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 47

 

Meanwhile, Mother and Lady Arnaud continued their verbal sparring a bit more.

 

“Oh my, then shall we ask His Highness? Who he likes more. How about it?”

 

Mother suggested quite confidently.

 

“That’s a wonderful idea!”

 

Lady Arnaud also agreed with a smile.

 

The two women simultaneously stood up and approached Leonhardt.

 

“Prince!”

 

“Your Highness.”

 

The eyes of the two women who called out to Leonhardt in competition sparkled.

 

As things flowed to this point, Leonhardt looked quite burdened.

 

“What.”

 

However, as if he had quickly steeled his resolve, he calmly responded to their calls.

 

“Prince, who would you like to marry between Miela and Angela?”

 

Mother lowered herself to meet Leonhardt’s eyes as she asked.

 

Angela made an expectant expression and the adults found it interesting.

 

Though nobles’ jokes weren’t entirely jokes, given their ages, it was half for fun.

 

While it certainly wasn’t the type of joke he liked, Leonhardt didn’t seem displeased either.

 

Leonhardt, who met my eyes, chuckled and answered indifferently as if it were obvious.

 

“Miela.”

 

It was an answer without the slightest hesitation.

 

Even knowing it was similar to how I chose Leonhardt between Prince and Leonhardt, I didn’t feel bad about it.

 

‘Of course, Angela is about a thousand times better choice than Prince though.’

 

I made a haughty expression as if to say ‘of course it should be that way’ and smiled toward Leonhardt.

 

Though Leonhardt himself looked away as if embarrassed…

 

“His Highness seems to prefer older women. What a shame, Angela.”

 

At Leonhardt’s answer, Lady Arnaud made an exaggeratedly sad face as she spoke.

 

At those words, Angela began to pout her lips.

 

“Hiiing.”

 

Tears welled up in her eyes as if she was about to cry.

 

“It’s unfortunate, but there will be men even more wonderful than His Highness.”

 

When the adults’ teasing was about to make the child cry, Mother panicked and tried to comfort Angela.

 

However, it had no effect.

 

“There’s no such thing! I’ve seen over a hundred boys and there wasn’t a single one. And a hundred is the end!”

 

Angela firmly denied it and burst into wailing tears.

 

With her limited vocabulary, she seemed even more frustrated that she couldn’t properly explain that she had already met most of the noble boys worth meeting, but none were as appealing as Leonhardt.

 

“Why is our brave Angela crying? Don’t cry, there there.”

 

When Angela, who usually didn’t cry much, began wailing loudly, Lady Arnaud looked troubled as she comforted her daughter.

 

Even when Lady Arnaud promised to buy her a new dress and limited edition doll, Angela’s crying didn’t easily stop.

 

Leonhardt, who had been running his fingers through his hair with a flustered face, handed Angela a handkerchief and spoke as if prophesying.

 

“There will be a man in a foreign country who suits your taste better than me.”

 

“Really?”

 

Angela asked expectantly while still sniffling with tears.

 

Finally seeing signs that the tears might stop, Leonhardt chuckled and nodded.

 

“He should have been born by now.”

 

Leonhardt answered after calculating the age of the island nation’s prince who would become Angela’s husband.

 

‘He should be about two months old by now.’

 

Knowing that future Angela would be a tremendous romanticist, I also nodded along.

 

The story of Angela falling in love at first sight with a prince from a small nation who came leading a delegation, courting him, eventually succeeding in marriage, and departing by ship to a distant country that took a month to reach was quite the topic in the first round’s social circles.

 

However, Mother and Lady Arnaud, who didn’t know the future, seemed to think Leonhardt’s words were just evasion.

 

“That’s right! There will be many people you haven’t met in foreign countries.”

 

“Your destiny might be there.”

 

“…Destiny?”

 

As if the seeds of romanticism had been there since childhood, Angela repeated the word destiny as if enchanted.

 

As if she liked that word very much.

 

Thanks to this, Angela’s tears finally stopped completely.

 

Lady Arnaud let out a sigh of relief.

 

Angela, who had wiped around her eyes with her sleeve, spoke spiritedly.

 

“Then good! Mother, I want to take lots of foreign language lessons.”

 

Angela’s eyes lit up as she said she would learn all the common languages used on the Continent since she didn’t know which country’s person it would be.

 

“Yes! Mother will look for teachers as soon as we get home!”

 

Angela was an ordinary child who didn’t like studying.

 

When such an Angela voluntarily offered to study, even if her intentions were somewhat misguided, Lady Arnaud looked excited.

 

Lady Arnaud secretly gave Leonhardt a thumbs up behind Angela’s back.

 

Then she excused herself to go clean up Angela’s tear and snot-covered face.

 

Thanks to Angela chattering excitedly as she left in better spirits, the atmosphere that had almost dampened became lively again.

 

Mother, who had been watching Angela walk away, looked at Leonhardt with a victor’s pleased smile and asked.

 

“Do you like Miela that much?”

 

Though it was a joking question, it seemed that Leonhardt choosing me pleased Mother’s doting heart.

 

“Yes, I like her.”

 

Leonhardt nodded with a serious face this time as well.

 

The adults laughed out loud, finding the young child’s calm confession amusing.

 

Then they all threw in comments with voices still tinged with laughter.

 

“Marriage talks will be coming soon.”

 

“Roderick and the Imperial Court were already close, but this will make them even closer.”

 

It was playful well-wishes, even though they knew Leonhardt’s words of “liking” weren’t romantic affection.

 

Particularly mischievous ones, as if Leonhardt wasn’t enough, also spoke to me jokingly.

 

“Will strawberry chocolate cake become the wedding cake?”

 

“How about you, Miela? Do you like Prince?”

 

“Wh-what are you saying!”

 

I was flustered by the teasing directed at me, but I didn’t deny it for fear of embarrassing Leonhardt.

 

‘They’re just joking, so it would be strange if only I reacted seriously.’

 

Because of this, more people joined in the teasing, but Leonhardt seemed somehow pleased.

 

As if he enjoyed these stories linking him with me.

 

‘Why is he like that. What if I misunderstand again.’

 

I suddenly recalled a memory from the past.

 

From when I still couldn’t distinguish between ruby and spinel.

 

Leonhardt’s proposal was very much like his personality.

 

By which I meant it was straightforward.

 

It was on a day when he had caught and killed the fleeing Prince, the chaos had settled somewhat, and the coronation date had been set.

 

He suddenly asked me to come to the Imperial Palace, and when I went, he put the ring traditionally passed down to empresses on my finger and said ‘let’s get married.’

 

That was the end of it.

 

It was truly a proposal with not a single romantic element to be found.

 

‘Thinking about it now, maybe it was like that because he did it out of duty.’

 

He had to get married anyway, and it seemed like he wanted to repay me, his benefactor, by giving me the empress position.

 

Leonhardt was such a conscientious man after all.

 

‘Then why was he only gentle to me, confusing people.’

 

Even so, compared to his behavior toward others, it was gentle, but back then I felt it was a tremendous difference.

 

So I thought Leonhardt liked me and I liked Leonhardt too.

 

‘It wasn’t a wrong thought. Except that it wasn’t romantic feelings.’

 

When I received Leonhardt’s proposal, I was purely delighted as if I had received a surprise gift.

 

Since everyone around me had been treating me like a future empress, I had naturally come to think that the empress’s crown would be mine.

 

After he put the ring on my finger, I laughed for a long time watching Leonhardt awkwardly frozen in place, then I kissed him.

 

With the innocent thought that ‘a proposal should end with a kiss.’

 

Since it was both our first time, it was an incredibly clumsy kiss, but our first kiss wasn’t bad.

 

It didn’t feel like bells were ringing in my head, but my heart fluttered pleasantly and the soft, moist sensation of his lips wasn’t unpleasant either.

 

Though it was quite different from what I had expected, back then I had carefree thoughts like ‘romance novels and reality must be different after all.’

 

And I poked at Leonhardt, who had frozen like a statue from that kiss that was closer to a peck, and answered.

 

“Mm, yes, let’s get married.”

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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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