If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 5

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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 5

Arriving at the Duchess’s Office where Mother would be, I let out a sigh before even knocking.

‘I don’t want to get scolded.’

But knowing Mother’s personality, going late would only make the scolding worse.

I started smiling brightly right before opening the door.

‘Operation: smooth things over with cuteness.’

I had already mastered age-appropriate charm from my previous life.

Unlike my past life where I acted cute according to my actual age, having to act cute as a six-year-old while possessing the mental age of twenty-four or older was mentally damaging, but it had to be done.

“Mother-“

I called out to Mother and ran to her like a child who was in a good mood from playing and sleeping well.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the nanny standing there, avoiding my gaze as if feeling guilty about something, but I didn’t stop.

Mother, who was helplessly weak when it came to her daughter, smiled foolishly at my rare display of affection and pulled me into her arms.

“Miela, did you sleep well?”

“Yes!”

I buried my face in Mother’s embrace and acted spoiled.

I could feel faint vibrations in her embrace as Mother quietly laughed.

It was the moment I was confident I might just get away with everything.

“Did you have a good trip to the Imperial Palace too?”

The bait was thrown.

I answered as planned after intense deliberation.

“Yes!”

“Really?”

At my cheerful answer, Mother’s tone became slightly drawn out.

“But you know what.”

I began to speak while wriggling out of Mother’s embrace.

“What interesting story is our daughter going to tell Mother?”

Mother lowered herself to meet my eye level, as if she wanted to listen to my words better.

In her teal eyes that looked exactly like mine, there was undeniable affection and a hint of sternness.

I continued my act as a child whose awareness wasn’t fully developed yet.

“Earlier at the Imperial Palace, there was a really old palace, so I went there…”

As I chattered on like it was something fascinating, not even thinking I’d get in trouble, Mother’s brow furrowed for a moment.

However, since I had already started what could be called a confession, she seemed to decide to watch a bit longer, and her brow smoothed out again within seconds.

“You went there?”

Mother chimed in response to my words while lifting me up.

I squealed and wrapped my arms around Mother’s neck.

Mother gently patted my back a few times while heading toward the sofa.

It seemed she intended to sit me down and listen.

I thought while being carried in Mother’s arms.

‘I should stop doing this when I turn seven.’

Being held by Mother was nice, but unlike Father or my brothers who were knights, it was quite a strain for Mother, an ordinary person, to lift over 20 kilograms.

I should only be carried by sturdy Father or my brothers.

Fortunately, we reached the sofa before Mother got tired.

Mother sat me properly on the sofa and took a seat across from me.

The nanny, who had approached at some point, stood behind Mother like a shadow.

It was clearly an interrogation atmosphere, but I opened my mouth again as if I was just focused on continuing my story.

“There I saw a rabbit-like, um, Prince!”

I was about to say ‘little kid’ but glanced at the nanny and subtly changed my address.

Mother and the nanny exchanged glances.

“It seems you met the Second Prince.”

Mother responded to my words appropriately.

She seemed to be contemplating how to scold me for running off alone, leaving the nanny behind.

Seeing Mother’s expression gradually becoming more stern, I spoke rapidly like shooting bullets, thinking I had to speak before getting scolded.

“But why does the Prince live in such a dirty place?”

The expressions of the nanny and Mother darkened.

Mother composed her expression and answered.

“That’s because Miela suddenly visited, so there wasn’t time to clean.”

Mother, who hoped I wouldn’t yet know the dark side of the world, told me only a bit of truth.

“Miela’s room gets messy after drawing too, doesn’t it? It’ll probably be a clean palace by tomorrow.”

Mother spoke with determination that it would be so.

Mother was the head lady-in-waiting to the Empress, who was the Emperor’s mother, and the Empress still held considerable influence in the Inner Palace.

Enough that the head lady-in-waiting could discreetly handle the degree of misconduct carried out while avoiding the eyes of superiors.

‘It seems Mother will pull some strings.’

I mentally took credit with Leonhardt.

“I see!”

Outwardly, I nodded as if Mother’s answer was sufficient.

Relief briefly appeared on the faces of the nanny and Mother.

But just having a clean room wouldn’t make the child grow up well.

Since I was going to help anyway, I drove in another wedge to help thoroughly.

“But the Prince is really tiny. I guess the Prince’s father doesn’t tell him to eat broccoli. I’m jealous! I don’t need to grow tall either.”

I wasn’t being sincere.

Ugh, ugh, ugh.

My height, which was subtly shorter than the average for women in the empire, was my complex.

‘Everyone around me is just so tall.’

When I spoke like a thoughtless child, the relief that had appeared on Mother’s and the nanny’s faces disappeared in an instant.

“That’s…”

The nanny, who had been positioning herself as Mother’s shadow, unconsciously made a sound.

This question involved the Emperor, so it couldn’t be brushed off easily like before.

Mother glanced back at the nanny once, then spoke in a clearer voice than before.

“Sometimes there are children who grow a little late. If he eats and sleeps well, he’ll probably grow quickly.”

As someone who knew the adult Leonhardt, this was a future I could be certain of.

“But…”

Mother changed the subject with a somewhat ominous feeling.

Since I had taken care of Leonhardt’s food, clothing, and shelter, now it was time to get scolded.

“Miela, did you go to the Separate Palace on your own without even being invited?”

I wanted to argue that we weren’t exactly in a relationship where we needed formal invitations to visit each other’s homes, but that was impossible at this point.

I answered while pretending to be thoroughly dejected.

“Well, there was this old palace in the Imperial Palace, so I was curious…”

Leonhardt’s Separate Palace had an exterior that was better than the interior.

However, the overgrown weeds and faded paint on the outer walls stood out too much in the splendid and neat Imperial Palace.

“And I thought no one was there.”

Even the nanny, who valued etiquette and manners, had thought it was an empty palace when we entered.

Perhaps my words were convincing, because Mother changed direction to scold me for running off alone without the nanny, rather than for entering Leonhardt’s palace.

“Mother knows Miela didn’t do it on purpose. But if you wanted to look around somewhere, you should have gone with the nanny.”

“I was wrong…”

I apologized like a good child.

Though she was the one person in this house who was somewhat strict with me, Mother, who was still weak when it came to her daughter, pretended to give in and came over to hug me.

“You won’t do it again, right?”

“Yes!”

I answered excitedly, thinking I might just get away with it.

However, Mother wasn’t one to let things slide so easily.

“Then there will be no snacks for the next week.”

Grumble.

For me, with a child’s body and an adult’s mind, there weren’t many small pleasures in life.

‘Desserts were the only thing that could satisfy both sides.’

I let out a sigh like an adult for a moment.

“Can’t be helped, I guess.”

Since I had already decided that there would be some price to pay for saving Leonhardt a little earlier, I gave up quickly.

However, my gloomy expression didn’t improve.

A child’s facial muscles were more honest than an adult’s.

Seeing me utterly dejected, Mother added soothingly.

“Since Miela has reflected on her actions, Mommy specially made it only a week of no snacks.”

“Yes.”

When I spoke with puffed cheeks, Mother kissed my cheeks with little pecks.

“Whose daughter is this cute? Miela, you can’t think that Mommy will let things slide just because you’re cute.”

I hadn’t done anything, but Mother was acting as if I had pulled some kind of ultimate aegyo.

The nanny was nodding almost imperceptibly, as if agreeing with Mother’s words.

‘What can I do when my very existence is cute?’

She seemed to be saying exactly that with her eyes, making my face flush hot for a moment.

“Mommy’s daughter!”

But anyway, since acting cute might make her go easy on me, aegyo was something I should try first.

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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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