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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

The Prince's Turn

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*****

「I happen to be exceptionally skilled with the sword!」

And with that, the absolute highest authority present at this gathering (at least conceptually)—the Prince—cheerfully embarked on an endless, grandiose monologue detailing his own magnificent exploits.

*—Oh my, tee-hee. How truly spectacular, Your Highness!—*

The young ladies surrounding him practically had sparkles in their eyes, their cheeks flushing with performative adoration as they showered him with praise. Consequently, the ten-year-old, utterly sheltered Prince sat there wearing an immensely smug, self-satisfied grin.

Meanwhile, Magnolia’s round little eyes had completely lost their luster, staring forward with a dead, hollow gaze.

The beautiful young ladies turned their most dazzling, floral smiles upon him, ready to praise his every nonsensical word to the heavens if it meant wrapping the Prince around their fingers. It was an exhibition of sheer hospitality. The absolute pinnacle of sycophancy.

「And furthermore, I—」

By the time his fifteenth self-aggrandizing boast and overbearing, arrogant attitude toward his surroundings had fully registered, Magnolia decided to abandon the superficial smile she had plastered on to blend in. Her face returned to a completely blank, deadpan expression.

She figured it was a waste of energy to even pretend to smile at this point. Instead, she chose to dedicate her focus to a much more rigorous observation of her surroundings.

She absolutely needed to ensure that a young lady capable of tightly and securely anchoring the Prince to herself would win his hand, thereby keeping that massive headache (the engagement) far away from her own doorstep.

***

By the time the Prince joyfully launched into his thirtieth boast or so, Magnolia simply reached for the untouched pastries on the table and began eating them in absolute, focused silence.

(Oh my. As expected of the royal pastry chefs. These are absolutely divine.)

*Munch, munch, munch, munch. Chew, chew, chew, chew...*

Looking around, she noticed that the smiles on several of the parents' faces had frozen into brittle, strained grimaces as they watched the Prince's performance.

And honestly, who could blame them?

It was only natural to look at a guy who was essentially shouting "Look how awesome I am!!" and conclude that you wouldn't want to hand your precious daughter over to him. The boy possessed zero consideration for others and placed himself above all else; a marriage to him promised a future of absolute misery for any bride.

Unless, of course, a family harbored a calculated ambition to completely manipulate the King, the Queen, and the Prince like puppets to become the ultimate shadow rulers of the kingdom—no one in their right mind would want a son-in-law like this.

***

Yet, despite everything, the young ladies around the table continued to gaze at the Prince with shimmering, starry eyes.

The sheer power of a handsome face was a terrifying thing.

Magnolia seriously began to worry that the palace had secretly mixed a love potion or some kind of mind-altering substance into the refreshments throughout this entire sector.

How else could they look at a boy who did nothing but brag, completely incapable of holding a proper, two-way conversation, and actually swoon? Or was it possible that these young and impressionable girls genuinely swallowed his tall tales hook, line, and sinker, thinking, *Wow, the Prince is so amazing! ♡*?

The absolute authority of lineage and a pretty face really can blind a person, Magnolia noted, giving a small, knowing nod as she washed down her thoughts with a sip of lukewarm tea.

(For that matter, the Queen is pretty incredible too, in a terrible way. Is she really not embarrassed to parade her son around when he's acting like such an utter blockhead...?)

The sheer pathetic nature of the display was enough to bring tears to one's eyes.

She instinctively cast a glance toward the Chancellor, and sure enough... the poor man looked as though he had just chewed on a particularly bitter bug. Between having a son like Victor and dealing with Gerald, who ruthlessly shut down his attempts to pass on the chancellorship, the old man was clearly a professional sufferer. Magnolia directed a look of profound pity toward him.

***

Some of the young girls present had likely come here carrying the immense weight and expectations of their entire houses on their small shoulders.

Even if they were small, they were respectable nobles. Regardless of their personal feelings, some of these young ladies might have been handed a top-secret directive to secure the Prince’s favor at all costs. To be working that hard at such a tender age was truly exhausting business.

...If someone absolutely had to step into that role, Magnolia genuinely hoped it would be someone who actually wanted it.

Whether their motivation was "I want to be the Crown Princess," "I am deeply in love with the Prince," or "I want to dedicate my life to serving the citizens"... any initial reason was perfectly fine, so long as it was born of their own personal agency.

Naturally, the position of Crown Princess or Queen should ideally be filled by someone possessing the proper aptitude, but demanding such lofty ideals from a ten-year-old girl was a bit cruel. At this stage, lowering the bar to "someone willing to put in the effort" seemed like a reasonable compromise.

While it was incredibly easy to get blinded by the sheer glamour of the crown, the position in reality demanded monumental effort and an unwavering fortitude of mind.

Furthermore, looking at the Prince's behavior, which was peppered with an implicit *“I am the Prince! Worship me!”* mentality, it was clear he viewed being prioritized as an absolute, unquestionable right. Given that boorish attitude, expecting any genuine warmth or emotional consideration from him was an absolute pipe dream.

***

When viewed through that lens, the fact that the Prince at least possessed exceptional good looks was a stroke of absolute luck.

To Magnolia, his handsome exterior was a superficial trait that failed to make up for his flawed personality, but to someone else, it might carry immense weight.

He had slightly wavy, deep brown hair that was neatly styled in a boyish cut. His sharp, almond-shaped bronze eyes were neither too large nor too small, brimming with absolute self-confidence. He possessed a straight, elegantly defined nasal bridge, and while his somewhat thin lips gave him a cool, detached air, they served to sharply define his soft, rounded cheeks which still retained a touch of childhood innocence.

He was quite tall for a ten-year-old, and his straight, elegant posture made it clear he had been rigorously trained in the formal deportment expected of royalty.

Yes, his looks were impeccable. One might even say his looks were *all* he had going for him.

Magnolia recalled someone once saying that beauty itself is a form of talent... but if a person didn't rely on their looks to make a living, what exactly was there to swoon over when a pretty face was the only thing they brought to the table?

(Come to think of it, what on earth did the Magnolia from the original game or light novel see in this guy...?)

It was a profound and absolute mystery.

Perhaps an upbringing rooted in a warped environment naturally cultivated warped perspectives. What a terrifying thought.

***

Though her high social standing had forced her to accept the summons and occupy a seat at this table, Magnolia was entirely, completely "No thank you."

This toxic asset of a boy, whom she wanted to avoid at an absolute dead sprint, had been spewing absolute nonsense right in front of her face for the past hour.

Meanwhile, the Queen did nothing but offer a vacant, cheerful smile, completely failing to reprimand him. The future mother-in-law was clearly going to be a nightmare as well.

Behind them, the mothers were deeply engaged in pleasant small talk while keeping their eyes absolutely glued to the children.

Magnolia turned her attention to the young ladies.

While every single child here had received strict aristocratic training from infancy, Lady Gardinia of the House of Steizen stood entirely a cut above the rest.

Though she was a sharp, fiercely beautiful girl, her every movement exuded a natural, innate refinement. She masterfully navigated the conversation to include the other young ladies, and whenever the Prince's behavior grew entirely too egregious, she would softly and tactfully rein him in. She was an absolutely phenomenal talent.

At nine years old, she was reportedly one year younger than the Prince. If she possessed no personal objections to the role, Magnolia figured she was the absolute perfect fit for the job. She sincerely hoped the girl would guide the Prince well.

***

The Prince made his rounds, stopping at every single table. When he finally arrived at the table where Magnolia sat, she happily left the task of entertaining him entirely to the other young ladies, refusing to utter a single word.

The Prince himself was so utterly absorbed in his own boastful tales that he was completely oblivious to his surroundings; he didn't care about engaging everyone at the table, nor did he notice that a young lady was sitting right in front of him, eating pastries with an entirely cold, detached expression.

The Chancellor cast a fleeting glance toward Magnolia and seemingly realized that any chance of a match was completely dead. He watched her with a highly complicated, bittersweet expression.

Magnolia, for her part, simply offered him a radiant, innocent smile.

Please, I beg of you, mark my evaluation sheet as an absolute 'Fail,' Magnolia prayed with every fiber of her being.

*****

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