Home/The Prince died, so we're starting over!/ch1

Episode 1

If someone were to ask me my age, how should I answer?

"Ah, me? I've been twenty once, and eight to sixteen three times. Roughly speaking, I suppose I'm about forty-four."

Since I can't very well say that, it's a question worth pondering at least once.

"Lady Hariella, happy birthday!"

"Truly, we celebrate your coming of age at sixteen!"

"Oh, my lady. Why such a gloomy face on this wonderful day?"

"That's right! It's your one and only sixteenth birthday! Don't you worry. Surely it will turn out to be a joyful day."

I feel sorry for my handmaidens, who are trying so hard to lift my spirits, but there is no way today will be a good day.

It isn't even my one and only sixteenth birthday.

Hariella Something-or-other Lulupel, age sixteen.

The youngest daughter doted upon by Count Lulupel of the Court. The sole villainess of this third-rate romance novel.

And, for reasons unknown, a tragic figure who, every time her sixteenth birthday comes around, reverts to the age of eight—yet again!

That would be me.

"Hariella! My little canary!"

"Oh my! It seems the master has returned!"

Suddenly, from somewhere or other, a voice so thunderous it seemed to shake the very manor echoed through the halls.

I turned my head toward the source of the sound. In the distance, I could see Count Lulupel riding hard toward us, eager to attend his beloved youngest daughter's birthday party.

This was already the third time I had witnessed that undignified display.

"We should start preparing the cake soon."

"Would you like to place the candles yourself, my lady?"

"No, do as you please."

"Oh! Then, may I place them? If it wouldn't be too forward of me, that is. Please?"

"Yes, yes. Do whatever you like."

Watching the young-faced maid fidget with excitement over the candles—this, too, was the third time.

Given my permission, the maid flushed pink and could not hide her flutter of joy.

Everyone seemed so happy. They were all savoring my birthday.

All except one person—the birthday girl herself.

Third regression.

This was the third time I had lived through my sixteenth birthday party, and there was no way I could be fond of it by now.

"Hariella! My adorable little honeybee! Come, see what your father has brought for you!"

Still, this birthday party wasn't entirely without interest.

Beneath its peaceful surface, there were a few points of tension.

For instance:

Hariella Something-or-other Lulupel! This time, will she manage to receive Count Lulupel's gift safely?

"My lord! An urgent dispatch has arrived from the Imperial Palace! A red ribbon!"

Of course, as ever, the answer was no.

A knight, riding in a cloud of dust, dismounted hastily. In his hand, he carried a pigeon—a magical messenger bird with a red ribbon tied around its ankle.

The color of the ribbon bound to the messenger bird's leg indicated the importance of the letter it bore.

The red ribbon was used only for dispatches deemed of the utmost importance.

"A red ribbon? Hand over the letter at once!"

Wait just a moment—what about my gift...?

Count Lulupel, forgetting all about the present he was about to give his darling youngest daughter, tore open the envelope in a hurry.

The belly of the envelope began to split open.

At the same time, my heart, which had been resting in a state of indifference, began to thump wildly.

The moment I had been waiting eight long years for was unfolding right before my eyes!

"Oh dear. I've gone and spilled my tea. Oh my, how hot."

I displayed the acting skills I had honed over three lifetimes and casually knocked over my tea.

Fooled completely by my flawless performance, the servants rushed toward me in alarm.

Count Lulupel was no exception—he abandoned what he was doing and hurried over.

Now!

The moment Count Lulupel drew near, I lunged at him with nimble movements.

I had only one target.

The Imperial letter clutched in Count Lulupel's hand!

"Hariella! What is the meaning of this!"

Count Lulupel, whose letter had been snatched away in the blink of an eye, flew into a rage.

For anyone other than the designated recipient to open an Imperial dispatch was a clear violation of the law. Even if it was his precious youngest daughter, punishment could not be avoided.

The count turned pale and tried to retrieve the letter.

But I was someone who had waited a full eight years—solely for this one letter. I had not the slightest intention of returning such an important document.

"To Count Lulupel. There is no time. The Third Prince's safety is in peril. Upon reading this, secure the Third Prince's safety and—"

I had barely managed to read that far amidst the commotion when, suddenly, my vision grew hazy.

Ah, wait! Why! Why now of all times!

Just let me finish reading what I must do after securing the Third Prince's safety!

I strained my eyes wide to read the rest, but it was all in vain.

Darkness closed in swiftly before me. Then came silence.

I knew all too well what this silence meant.

Hariella Something-or-other Lulupel, who had been sixteen just moments ago.

Without fail, this time too, she reverts to the age of eight.

---

"This is a nightmare..."

The moment I woke, I threw back the covers and examined my body.

My hands and feet were noticeably smaller than they had been yesterday.

Thus began my fourth cycle of being eight years old.

Truth be told, I had a vague sense this would happen. After all, my first and second lives had also ended around the same point.

But that didn't mean I was any less shocked. No matter how many times I regressed, I never quite got used to it.

"Sigh... How long will it take to grow up again this time?"

Looking at my hands, now as tiny as fiddlehead ferns, a sigh escaped me.

"...My lady? Did you cough?"

Just then, a voice called out to me from the maid's chamber attached to my bedroom.

The voice, thick with sleep, belonged to Anna, my personal handmaiden.

It seemed my muttering had woken the dozing Anna. Loyal as she was, she had remarkably sharp ears.

"No, I'm going back to sleep. You sleep too, Anna."

"Very well. If you need anything at all, please do call for me... promise me... you will..."

Reassured of her lady's well-being, Anna quickly drifted back to sleep.

And that was only natural.

The first day of my eight-year-old self always began late at night—when everyone in the manor was fast asleep.

But I alone could not peacefully seek slumber.

If that had been possible, I would have long since transcended all worldly cares and earned renown as a sage.

'What on earth could be the problem? Why can't Hariella reach sixteen?'

My mind was in turmoil. Branches of thought sprawled in every direction.

If my memory served me correctly, there was no such setting in the original story.

Though, to be honest, speaking of the original was rather absurd. After all, we were currently in a time before the story had even begun.

I hugged my pillow tightly and mulled over the contents of the novel I had been reincarnated into: The Northern Grand Duke and the Baron's Daughter Do Not Love Each Other.

Of course, I couldn't recall much of it. It had been a full twenty-four years since I last read that novel.

The only silver lining was that, upon realizing this was a world within a novel, I had meticulously summarized and memorized the plot.

Had I not done that, by now I probably wouldn't even remember the protagonists' names.

At any rate, the gist of The Northern Grand Duke and the Baron's Daughter Do Not Love Each Other was as follows:

The North, frozen year-round...

On that bleak land, the Grand Duke, who had grown up amidst harshness and knew nothing of love, happened to meet the Baron's Daughter—a girl with the pure charm of a wildflower and the resilience of a weed.

And somehow or other, they end up in a contract marriage...

'...No, let me think again. The protagonists' names aren't "Something-or-other Grand Duke" and "Something-or-other Baron's Daughter"!'

I racked my brain trying to remember their names. But try as I might, they would not come to me.

Well, it was hardly surprising. All the names of the main characters in this novel were needlessly long and complicated.

Their names were so grandiloquent that sometimes even the name of the character I had possessed would slip my mind. How many middle names were there—five? six? Who on earth could memorize all of them?

'No help for it. The names of the characters aren't what matters anyway...'

It was rather ironic that, despite having diligently summarized and memorized the plot the moment I realized this was a novel's world, I had gone and forgotten the protagonists' names. But what could I do?

I gave up cleanly on what I had already forgotten and traced the plot once more.

"Why must I marry a daughter of such a humble house?"

"Because only I will never love you."

Right, skipping that...

"What? The Something-or-other Grand Duke is to hold a wedding with a mere Baron's Daughter? How dare he insult me, Hariella Something-or-other Lulupel, so grievously?"

Good. At last, I remembered Hariella's entrance scene.

For reasons unknown, Hariella had harbored a childhood crush on the Northern Grand Duke. She could not accept his marriage to the daughter of such a paltry baronial house.

So she orders her formal fiancé, the Something-or-other Prince, to seduce and ruin the Baron's Daughter.

The Something-or-other Prince, being a powerless puppet, could not defy Hariella's command.

Now, why would a prince of the Imperial family stoop to being Hariella's pawn?

'...Hm. This, too, I can't recall.'

There must have been some reason.

At any rate, the Something-or-other Prince sets off straight for the North.

And then, as if by fate's cruel whim, he falls head over heels for the Something-or-other Baron's Daughter at first sight...

"Yes! That's it!"

Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind like a shooting star. I couldn't help but cry out loud.

Immediately, I heard the rustle of blankets from the maids' chamber. Startled, Anna had apparently bolted upright in bed.

"...Did you perhaps cough, my lady?"

"Oh dear. I've gone and talked in my sleep again. Mmm, mmm."

"Ah, so it was just sleep-talking. Goodness, what a relief..."

Employing the superb acting skills I had honed over many long years, I hastily deceived Anna and put her at ease.

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