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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

[Gai’s Return]

Translated by: ME

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*****

Upon returning to the estate, I found Sebastian—who was normally the pinnacle of calm and composure, though lately he had been looking a bit withered or seen running (?) down the corridors at a speed unsuited to his age—standing at the entrance to greet us. He was in an exceptionally good mood, a beaming smile on his face.

「...What’s come over him? Mr. Sebastian, I mean.」

「...He looks like a completely different person compared to this morning, doesn't he?」

Lily and Dean whispered to each other.

Even though he must have heard them, he didn't offer a single word of caution. He looked as though he might break into a hum and a jaunty skip at any moment, leaving Magnolia to tilt her head in confusion.

「Master, Lord Claude! That person has returned...!」

「Oh! Finally!!」

Sebastian looked deeply moved, while Servas seemed relieved and Claude let out a massive sigh. The three men exchanged glances and nodded to one another.

「Tell Gai to come to the office once he’s ready.」

Gently lowering Magnolia from his shoulder, Servas gave her head a fond pat.

「Magnolia, come to the office after you've changed and rested for a bit. Lily and Dean, come with her if you can.」

...It seemed the original "eccentric" had returned home.

***

As soon as Servas and Claude entered the office, Gai dropped soundlessly from the ceiling.

「...You could have just walked through the door like a normal person. Sorry for rushing your return.」

As Servas sat in his chair with a sigh, Gai shrugged.

「Well, stealth is my specialty, after all. I figured I’d be heading back early from the start, but I didn't expect to be called back before I was even halfway through... Lord Claude, this is for you.」

As Claude took his seat, Gai handed him a stack of reports. Claude nodded as he received them and immediately began flipping through the cover page.

「The timing was perfect; I happened to be in Ignis when the word reached me. That said, he’s quite a celebrity, so I didn't even have to dig around to find the truth. ...'Ernest Champery' is essentially his real name—it’s his mother’s maiden name. It seems he uses that name when he's active as a merchant. He’s the grandson of the head of the Champery Merchant Company.」

Claude quickly scanned the text of the report, which resembled a personal dossier, before passing it to Servas.

「...Just as I thought.」

「Yes. Exactly as your memory served you, Lord Claude. His other name is 'Ernestus Adolphus Ignis'—the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Ignis, commonly known as the 'Underprivileged Prince.'」

In this continent, most nations do not forbid men of status or power from having multiple wives. Particularly for royal families, who are duty-bound to ensure the survival of the bloodline, it is not uncommon to have concubines in addition to the Queen.

「...If I recall correctly, the Third Prince’s mother was a commoner.」

「Yes. Though her family has since been granted a barony.」

「Is it a conflict with the other consorts...? What do you mean by 'underprivileged,' specifically?」

Because they did not share a border, it was difficult to say that the two countries had very close diplomatic ties. As Claude spoke as if searching his memory, Gai nodded. Servas also flipped through the report, prompting Gai to continue.

「The Ignis Royal Family has three princes and two princesses. The First and Second Princes are the sons of the Queen. The Second Consort has two daughters. Prince Ernest is the only child of the Third Consort.」

「...The son of a commoner-born Third Consort. The classic pattern, then.」

Claude made a sour face.

「However, Prince Ernest is actually the most popular and the most capable of the lot. ...Normally, the First Prince should be named Crown Prince, but even with his talent, Ernest is the furthest from the succession. Above all, he’s highly popular with the citizens because he’s the son of a consort who came from the same commoner roots as them.」

Servas shook his head in disgust at Gai’s words.

「This is what happens when people keep adding wives for no reason. No one ends up happy.」

「Well, I reckon the King is happy enough.」

Servas closed his eyes and knit his brows.

「It’s madness! Three wives!!」

「...Well, it’s not like every man out there is a henpecked husband or a devoted one. Besides, plenty of women flatter and grovel to men of status, so most men don't even stop to think about where the true feelings lie. Men are simple creatures, after all.」

Gai gave a wry smile. Claude pulled his mouth into a grimace and let out a sigh.

「Oh my, even Lord Claude is acting like that, and he's supposed to be looking for a wife soon... Did something happen with the daughter of Count Mobuno *again*?」

「Nothing happened!」

「Magnolia and the others were harassed in the capital.」

As Servas spilled the beans, Claude wore a bitter expression. Seeing the two of them, Gai let out a low chuckle.

「Anyway, Prince Ernest grew up in a harsh environment and became exceptionally talented. But because of that talent, he's seen as a threat and has even been targeted for assassination. It seems he travels to various countries as a merchant to broaden his knowledge and protect himself at the same time.」

At Gai’s words, the two men didn't even try to hide their bitter expressions, despite it being the affairs of another country. It was one thing if it was between adults, but why target a child? It was because they were weak, both in status and physical strength... it truly was an absurdity.

***

After a short while, there was a knock on the office door. Magnolia arrived with Lily and Dean.

「Ga-i! It’th good to thee you're well! ...You're back much thooner than planned, aren't you?」

As Magnolia said this without a hint of guilt, the three men shared a bitter laugh.

「Yes, indeed. I obviously didn't think the Young Lady would wait a month, but I certainly didn't expect you to pull off something that massive in just a week.」

「Eh! I only went to treat an illneth!」

She puffed out her cheeks as if to say it was an unfair accusation, but Gai shook his head.

「...That wasn't all, was it? On my way back, I made sure to investigate everything the Young Lady pulled so I could follow up later. Even today, you went and gave the slum representative a piece of your mind, didn't you?」

「Your ears are as sharp as ever.」

As Servas gave a wry smile, Lily and Dean shared a faint laugh with distant eyes. Facing Gai, who looked as though he was saying *I've already investigated everything*, Magnolia quietly averted her gaze.

「...I wath jutht explaining thingth in a th-lum-like way.」

「Just? Explaining?」

(Wha—?! I walked right into that one!)

As Claude voiced his disapproval with a grumpy tone, Gai drove the point home.

「It sounds like you had the guild heads shaking in their boots. Let's hope you don't end up with a strange nickname.」

「............」

(Oh no. What if they start calling me the 'Thug Lady' or the 'Delinquent Lady' because of my language... They did have those weird looks on their faces when I said I’d take their waste... I might even get called the 'Penny-pinching Lady'... *Sigh*.)

While she was wallowing in her gloomy imagination, Servas took the report and handed it to her.

「Furthermore, it looks like you’ve hooked quite a big fish.」

「............」

With a reluctant face, she flipped through the pages and let out a small groan.

(I knew he was probably high-ranking, but Ernest is a Prince? Seriously?)

「...I think I th-hall jutht thtay quiet and act like a proper adult from now on.」

At Magnolia’s lamenting voice, three other voices overlapped.

「That's impossible.」

「You wouldn't be able to.」

「Not a chance.」

...Lily and Dean also nodded in firm agreement.

「...Everyone ith tho mean!」

Magnolia pouted her lips, making the five of them chuckle.

「Now, now. I’ve come back specifically so that it’s fine for the Young Lady to pull a few stunts. You two, consider us colleagues from now on. I’m Gai, Magnolia-sama’s guard and supervisor.」

Turning to Lily and Dean, he gave a theatrical bow. While Lily thought he seemed reliable, she wondered if he would actually be a deterrent. Dean, on the other hand, bowed with a bit of nervousness toward the friendly-looking older man he didn't know.

「Now then, Young Lady! Let’s go wild to your heart’s content!」

Gai gave a toothy grin and a vigorous thumbs-up.

Servas and Claude let out sighs, their faces souring.

「「...We said 'supervisor,' remember? Please, try to keep things within reason...」」

Magnolia tilted her head dramatically in her mind and muttered.

(Wait, I've never gone wild, and I have absolutely zero plans to go wild in the future either, you know?)

She thought this with such nonchalance that if the other five had heard her internal monologue, they would have certainly retaliated with a full-force rebuttal.

*****

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