Chapter 138
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Another Possessor
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"Hoo...."
It had been about a week since the entire empire was thrown into chaos by the major event of Imperial Princess Lia ascending to the position of crown princess.
'Newspapers, magazines—everything is full of stories about Imperial Princess Lia....'
To prepare for any potential attention directed at me due to the rumors of my closeness with her, I had holed up in my room for the entire week. As a result, the only way I could keep up with her news was through scraps of paper.
'She must be incredibly busy right now....'
By the way, any articles with even a hint of negativity or those presumptuously recommending candidates for her future husband had been properly dealt with through Mother.
What? Media suppression? Sorry, but in this world, the Belverks stand above the press.
Now you're truly part of the entire Belverk clan.
I am deeply moved.
As I burned yet another tabloid magazine penned by one of those yellow presses with such thoughts in mind, my system sister suddenly chimed in with her nagging.
"Get to the point."
Having realized that whenever the system struck up such casual conversation, it meant she had important news for me, I narrowed my eyes and urged her to cut to the chase.
Third Daughter's Affection: 100/100 Achieved
Second Daughter's Affection: 100/100 Achieved
Eldest Daughter's Affection: 100/100 Achieved
Astridje's Maternal Love: 100/100 Achieved (99.9.../100)
Sure enough, as I read down the system message that popped up before my eyes, I made a ridiculous expression and sank into thought.
"Why on earth did it go up...?"
Lately, I hadn't paid any attention to the quest because of the crown prince selection tournament, and I'd been avoiding my sisters instead.
Could it be that the brief demonization last time counted as the finishing blow?
But I've already regressed to 12 years old? Liking me now would be a crime, wouldn't it?
Main Quest Chapter 4 cleared.
Did you know that 0.999... equals 1?
As I pondered this, an utterly absurd message appeared before my eyes, followed by fanfare exploding in my head.
'...It's ridiculous, but hey, it benefits me.'
After all, every elementary school kid from my previous life knows that 0.999... recurring equals 1.
And it's better for my future to quietly accept the rewards than to raise pointless objections.
"Young Master...."
"Shall I give you a shoulder massage...?"
"Would you like some skincare...?"
With such thoughts, I dismissed the system, only to find the maids had already surrounded me before I knew it.
"Schwarz."
"Yes?"
"Lately, everyone seems to be treating me a bit differently.... Any idea why?"
I blankly looked around at the maid sisters for a moment before directing my question to Schwarz, who stood nearby with her hands behind her back, a smile playing on her lips.
"Because everyone realized that our young master, who looks delicious even now, is a winning lottery ticket that's already been scratched."
Her response sent a slight chill down my spine.
"I-I'm not tasty...!"
"Haha, so cute."
"Eeeek."
Desperately quoting Imperial Princess Lia's words in my defense, I still ended up having my cheeks stretched this way and that by Schwarz.
"We can't just hand over such a young master to the next emperor willy-nilly...."
"Right? How about we just start a civil war instead!"
"Or maybe the crown princess could just marry into our family?"
The maids gazed at me with melting expressions, their words growing increasingly radical.
"...Don't talk nonsense!"
If they had seen my 20-year-old adult form, they might have taken my anger seriously.
"Huh?"
"......"
"Everyone?"
Having raised my voice with such thoughts, I was slightly flustered when all the maids suddenly shut their mouths in unison.
- Tap, tap, tap...
But it wasn't due to my dignified scolding.
"Im... No, Peep?"
"Peep!"
"Wh-what brings you here?"
Peep—no, Imperial Princess Lia—had arrived outside my room's window frame and was pecking furiously at the glass with her beak.
"Everyone, the princess's messenger has arrived, so please give us some space!"
Since Imperial Princess Lia being Peep was a top-class imperial secret, I hurriedly stood up and began ushering the maid sisters out.
"...Of course."
"...Naturally."
"...Obviously."
For some reason, though, the smiles on the maid sisters' faces turned icy in real time. Was it my imagination?
"Have a good time, Young Master."
Schwarz even openly flashed a dark smile while caressing my shoulder before leaving the room.
'No way they've already figured it out, right?'
Imperial Princess Lia said no one could know she was Peep. This could be troublesome....
"...Eek!?"
"Why are you so startled?"
"N-No, it's just...."
Lost in worry and unable to collect my thoughts, I absentmindedly turned my head and immediately flinched, covering my eyes.
"First time seeing me naked?"
"......"
"And we're supposed to get married, even."
From right in front of me came Imperial Princess Lia's brazen voice.
"...Pervert."
"Heh."
Since it was still too shocking for me, I kept my eyes covered. She familiarly snatched my blanket, wrapped it around herself, and quietly sat beside me.
"......"
The princess then slipped her arm through mine and leaned against me. Silence filled the room for a moment.
"Hey, Kairen."
"...Yes?"
"I want to talk about something serious."
In that silence, the princess's earnest voice began to emerge.
"That woman I ran into last time.... What's her deal?"
As that question finally came up, I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and began sorting my thoughts internally.
'The final boss of a romance fantasy child-rearing story being a transmigrator heroine... It's a pretty obvious cliché.'
Since she called herself a possessor, Anastasia is undoubtedly this world's main villain and final boss.
'But explaining that to Imperial Princess Lia would be too much.'
The problem was that to explain it, I'd have to reveal that I'm a reincarnator too....
That's my greatest secret and Achilles' heel, something I haven't even confessed to Mother yet.
No matter how much they love me, I can't be sure they'd understand that I'm actually a being wearing Kairen's shell.
"She's the mastermind behind the experiments done on me at the Opstein estate long ago."
"......"
"Her real name is Anastasia Shinehart. Her identity is...."
I was sharing what info I could about the black without alarming the princess too much when—
"...The saintess of the Holy Church, right?"
Her casual remark shook my mind to its core.
"H-How did you know...?"
"So it really was her."
"Princess?"
Could Imperial Princess Lia have some connection to the black too?
"The curse I had—she cast it."
"What!?"
"I looked into it recently. Who had contact with me when I was young."
Hearing her somewhat resentful voice, I began making a dazed expression.
"Long story short, I was her first baptism subject."
"......"
"It was shortly after she became the saintess. After that day, I suffered under a horrific curse for quite a while."
Right—why didn't I think of that?
If Anastasia is this world's black, she must be involved in the mysterious curse on the princess.
"Could only speak once a year... Life draining just from breathing, like a terminal illness... Forced to turn into a canary for hours each day...."
Even the known victims number over single digits. How many more has she dragged into this hell?
- Grind...
And yet, she dared to make that horrific proposal disguised as a date invitation to me.
The more I think about it, the sicker I feel.
"Honestly, until you broke that curse, I'd given up on living."
As my face paled, Imperial Princess Lia, stroking the back of my hand, whispered to me.
"So.... You're my hero, Kairen."
"......"
"I want to serve such a you. Will you tell me more about her?"
Feeling a bit clearer-headed, I stood up.
"...Honestly, I don't know much about her either."
"I see...."
"But!"
It seemed the time had finally come to put my long deliberations into action.
"I know a way to find clues about her."
"...Really?"
"So you absolutely can't tell anyone, okay?"
Two is better than one, after all.
"Actually, I...."
"......"
"Can time travel!"
With that thought, I revealed the secret I'd intended to keep hidden, and the princess's eyes widened.
"...So that time, it was really...."
She had experienced time travel once before, so now that it was out, might as well go all in.
"So, Princess."
"Y-Yeah."
"Want to go together today too?"
Of course, as the next emperor, she'd be busy, but if she used her ability well, she could skip out a few times like His Majesty.
"To the past where secrets are buried."
Now was the time to truly delve into the secrets from 10 years ago and Anastasia's true identity.
- Crackle...
Astridje's room from about 20 years ago was bathed in red lightning.
"Urk...."
"Blech...."
Soon, retching sounds from Kairen and Imperial Princess Lia echoed in the room.
"C-Can't you fix this nauseous feeling?"
"...You'll get used to it."
"You're retching too."
After bickering for a bit, the two blushed unnecessarily and turned their heads away.
"So, what do we do next?"
"Well...."
And after some time passed, as Imperial Princess Lia quietly gauged Kairen's mood and spoke up softly—
"...Hello, kids?"
"Ah."
"Eep?"
Suddenly, a kind yet somewhat timid voice came from right before them.
"Long time no see? I thought you stopped coming since I haven't seen you much lately."
"...Mother, what about Astridje?"
"Oh, that...."
To Kairen's question upon spotting the white-masked girl before them, she answered somewhat troubled.
"I asked Big Sister Astridje to step aside for a bit."
"Pardon?"
"There's something I want to ask you two privately...."
At her suspicious words, Kairen and Imperial Princess Lia began to look wary.
"Just in case, one-in-a-million possibility, but...."
"......"
"D-Don't treat me like a weirdo, okay?"
The white-masked girl, her voice growing even more timid, practically whispered.
"Um, by any chance, among you...."
And the next moment.
"Is there anyone who knows about... romance fantasy child-rearing stories?"
Silence flowed through the room.
"......"
Imperial Princess Lia just tilted her head at the unfamiliar term, but Kairen's reaction was entirely different.
"Or, well...."
Perhaps not seeing it clearly through the mask's narrow view, she mustered courage and spoke again.
"Is there anyone from South Korea?"
At those words, a dumbfounded sound escaped Kairen's mouth.
"...Huh?"
And right after, at an exquisitely perfect timing, the system popped up a new main quest.
Main Quest Chapter 5 begins!