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An Otome Game Spinoff Featuring a Prince with Maxed-Out Affection and a Reincarnated Noble Girl

Isn't It "Of the Year"?

Translated by: S3

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

「I’m… going to die…?」

I was going to die?!

Wait, why?! How?! For what reason?!

「Calm down, Sera. This was an event that occurred during a past ‘restart.’」

As he spoke, Lord Chris gently stroked my back.

Ah… I guess I was panicking a little.

The sensation of Lord Chris’s hand helped me settle down. Human touch really is incredible. That human warmth—that “nukumority”—is the real deal.

Seeing that I had calmed down under his touch, Lord Chris pulled his hand away.

…You know, you could have kept going for a bit longer.

「You said… I was murdered?」

「That is what my attendant told me.」

Now that I was composed, I tried to recall the details Chris had just shared.

It happened after Chris’s eighteenth birthday celebration.

In that particular ‘restart cycle,’ I was the same age as him—eighteen—so I would have stayed at the evening party until the very end. Besides, it was a celebration for my dear friend’s adulthood. Leaving early was unthinkable.

The party probably broke up around two in the morning.

It takes about twenty minutes by carriage from the castle to my home. The route follows a wide road through a district lined with noble estates. Since there are so many manors, the streets are well-lit, and knight patrols are frequent.

Committing a violent crime on that road… would be incredibly difficult.

So, was it at home?

No, killing me inside the manor would be even harder than attacking me on the road…

…I can’t figure it out.

I should just listen to Lord Chris’s story.

Thinking about ‘how to kill myself’ was so bizarre that it actually helped me snap out of my panic.

「Where and how was I killed?」

「The carriage taking you from the castle back to the Camden estate was hijacked. It never arrived. It was eventually found on the outskirts of the royal capital. Inside were the bodies of you, your personal maid, two private guards, and the coachman.」

「Even with guards… they still…」

「Exactly. Which means… the culprits were no amateurs.」

I figured as much!

But I have no memory of doing anything that would get me targeted by professionals?! …Well, maybe it wasn't me personally. Perhaps the House of Camden had earned someone’s grudge without me knowing. …Actually, that seems unlikely. The people in my house aren't active enough to go around earning enemies…

「When I was told that right after waking up, I couldn’t understand it at all. I replayed my attendant's words over and over in my head… I understood the meaning, but I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't accept it…」

***

Dawn broke, and the Prince immediately sent word to visit the Marquis’s estate, but he was turned away with the excuse that they were “preoccupied.”

Their daughter had been murdered. Of course they were preoccupied.

Furthermore, there was no reason for Serafina to be killed.

She hadn't earned anyone’s enmity, and no one stood to gain anything by her death.

If someone had a grudge against the ‘House of Camden’ rather than Serafina herself, they would have targeted Roland. It was public knowledge that the Marquis recognized Roland as the next head of the family rather than seeking a husband for Serafina.

…It took a full month after her death before I was finally able to think that logically.

Permission to visit the estate was finally granted three days after the murder.

When I arrived, my four other friends were already there.

I still felt like I couldn't believe any of it, but the Duke’s daughter’s swollen eyes, the Marquis’s son’s somber expression, the Viscount’s son’s tightly clenched, trembling fists, and the Duke’s son’s downcast eyes and gritted teeth told me, more than any words could, that this was reality.

The coffin, which was to be moved to the church in the afternoon, was placed in a guest room near the entrance. Inside, Serafina lay still.

Gauze was applied to several spots on her face, gloves covered the hands crossed over her chest, and an unnaturally wide choker was wrapped around her neck.

I had received a report from the knights.

Serafina had numerous wounds, likely from resisting. She had been found slumped over her maid, who appeared to have been cut down with a single blow. From the situation, they suspected the maid was still breathing at the time, and Serafina had died trying to protect her…

When I heard that, despite the shock clouding my mind, I remember feeling a deep sense of conviction.

Yes, I thought. Serafina would certainly do that.

The body in the coffin wore no expression.

No pain, no agony, no fear. Nothing.

It must have hurt. It must have been terrifying. But Serafina hated being a source of worry for others. I thought perhaps she chose that expression so those she left behind wouldn't grieve too much.

But conversely, seeing her—the girl whose expressions usually changed so rapidly—closing her eyes with such total emptiness…

It made me feel, with agonizing strength, that ‘Serafina is no longer alive.’

Ah… what is this…?

What is happening…?

Why is it Serafina who is dead, and not me?

It may sound strange, but that was the first time I truly touched ‘death.’

From the first cycle until now, many people had died around me. In the first cycle, almost all the nobles remaining in the capital were ‘executed.’ Fiorina was killed. My father too.

But all of those happened ‘where I couldn't see them.’

I knew the conclusion—that they were ‘dead’—but I never saw their bodies, nor could I even confirm if it was true.

As for ‘my own death,’ the thing that should have been closest to me, my senses had long since gone numb from repetition. It was nothing more than an ‘annual event at age twenty-five.’

And regarding the countless people who had lost their lives up to that point—I am sorry to say—I didn't harbor any ‘special feelings.’

In the repeating ‘restarts,’ their deaths were recognized only as ‘events that would inevitably occur unless something was changed by that point.’

But this time, Serafina—who had never been involved in the previous restarts—died.

It might have been a coincidence.

But was it really?

Serafina was murdered on the day of my eighteenth birthday celebration, a day of immense significance in these ‘restarts.’

Is this something that can be dismissed as a mere ‘coincidence’?

If this wasn't ‘coincidence,’ but something that happened ‘because I got involved’?

What on earth should I do…?

I don’t remember Sera’s funeral well.

I only vividly remember thinking, ‘Why are they burying her in such a dark, cold place?’ as the coffin was lowered into the earth.

After that, everything felt like I was drifting through a dream, and there are few things I remember clearly.

Three months after Sera’s death, as a result of a joint investigation by the state and the Marquis, the perpetrators were caught.

They were a professional group of assassins who killed for money.

Though they were a group wanted by several countries, their actual numbers were only three. They were captured and sentenced to the highest penalty.

The one who had paid them to kill Sera was a remnant of the Stauden faction that had slipped through the cracks.

I remember thinking vaguely, ‘When I “restart” again, I will absolutely catch these ones next time…’

As for why they targeted Sera, the mastermind apparently said, 「I thought I’d steal something precious from the royalty who stole everything precious from us.」

In other words… it was my fault.

Because I had come to treasure Sera.

Hearing those investigation results from the judicial officer, I felt something like a thread snap inside me.

And, as the explanation ended, my vision turned to black.

When I dimly opened my eyes, I was on the bed in my own room.

Had I… collapsed?

My brain wasn't working well, and I was just so incredibly sleepy.

I wanted to sleep, but there were so many people around the bed, and I couldn't rest because of the atmosphere of everyone scurrying about busily.

What was all this?

Why were there so many people in my bedroom?

Just let me sleep. Don't touch me. Get out.

For the first time in a very long while, I felt like throwing a tantrum.

But everything was just too much trouble.

Turning over in bed—even that simple movement was a chore.

Speaking, even lifting my eyelids—it was all just tedious and exhausting.

Just let me sleep like this.

Beyond my fading consciousness, I heard my father’s grief-stricken cry, sounding as if he were spitting blood: 「Why?! You are not even eighteen yet!」

And when I came to, I was facing the stone in that pure white treasury once again.

***

「Lord Chris… you died…?」

Wait… at eighteen?

But when you die, Lord Chris, isn't it always at twenty-five?

「It appears so.」

Chris spoke with a wry smile, his tone completely detached, as if he were talking about someone else.

Seriously, this man’s senses regarding ‘his own death’ are totally fried…]

「I don’t really know the cause of death myself… Overwork, perhaps?」

Ah… Lord Chris was just sleeping the whole time. Of course he wouldn't know…

「Thinking back on it later, I feel like I hadn't slept much at all since Sera passed away… I barely remember if I was even eating.」

Ugh…

So, with malnutrition, low blood sugar, extreme sleep deprivation, and all that bundled together, it was basically ‘death from overwork,’ wasn't it?

Also, Lord Chris, don't you have a lot of starvation-related deaths? Food is important, you know! I want to share some of my appetite with you.

No matter how sad or painful things get, hunger is relentless. That is the sorrow of a maiden’s heart… I’m sure all the ladies out there would say, “I totally get it!!”

No, the hunger talk doesn't matter right now.

More importantly.

「Lord Chris… didn't you say you don’t die until twenty-five…?」

Since that was the usual pattern, I had just assumed.

At my words, Lord Chris laughed just a little.

「For some reason, I thought the same as you, Sera. But it seems that wasn't the case.」

「I see… But that makes sense… You’re human, so when it’s time to die, you die…」

「Thinking normally, yes.」

Right. ‘Thinking normally,’ it’s obvious.

But Lord Chris is in the middle of an experience that defies normal thought.

I had somehow convinced myself that the Dead End Route meant ‘repeating until age twenty-five.’

I thought that no matter how dangerous things got, he would miraculously avoid them with some mysterious plot armor. In exchange, if he didn't clear all the flags by twenty-five, it would be a forced Dead End.

However, the story I’m hearing now isn't a game scenario; it’s ‘the lives Chris has lived.’

Thinking of it that way, it’s actually more unnatural for his age of death to be the same every time.

So, the truth isn't ‘repeating until twenty-five,’ but rather ‘forced Dead End at twenty-five at the latest.’

…Not that either of those options is pleasant.

「Lord Chris…」

「Yes?」

Lord Chris tilted his head and looked at me again. I’m telling you, that’s just too cute.

「…There are only five years left…」

Until the Lord Chris standing before me reaches twenty-five.

When I said that, Lord Chris let out a joyful laugh.

「That’s right. Five years left. Until our wedding.」

Whoa, he went there.

Five years from now.

It is decided that we will become husband and wife when Chris is twenty-five and I am eighteen.

Both men and women can marry from age sixteen, but for some reason, from the initial marriage proposal, it was stated that ‘the marriage will take place after Serafina turns eighteen.’

Lord Chris is already seven years older than me. Usually, people would rush the marriage, and I found it a bit strange that they were delaying it, but maybe…

「Was it because… you thought I might die before I turned eighteen…?」

In the story just now, Serafina died on Chris’s adulthood celebration.

My birthday is later than Lord Chris’s. In other words, Serafina’s age at death was seventeen.

When I asked, Chris looked down.

Ah, crap. Out of all the stories so far, this one seems to be his biggest landmine.

「I won’t let you die. …I won’t allow such a thing. No matter what happens, I won't let you die this time.」

As he spoke with downcast eyes and tightly clenched fists, his voice trembled with tragic determination. On top of that, his face was expressionless. He had a look I’d never seen before, as if all emotion had been hollowed out. …I stepped on a massive landmine…

Follow-up! I have to follow up, Serafina!

Smoothing over the atmosphere with some witty talk is what a capable woman does!

Let’s see, let’s see…

Ah! It’s been getting cold lately, so wouldn't some ‘Time Soba’ be classy?! Wait, no! There’s no soba in this country! ‘Time Pasta’?! There’s no class or poetic sentiment in that!

“It’s cold today, pops! Give me a serving of Peperoncino!”

What kind of street vendor is that!

While I was falling apart like that in my own head, Lord Chris exhaled as if taking a deep breath.

Do you want to hear about Time Pasta…?

「…I’m sorry.」

He apologized in a small voice. When I looked at him wondering what for, Lord Chris looked at me and gave a small smile.

「It’s okay. I will protect you no matter what, Sera. You don't need to worry.」

I’m more worried about you, Lord Chris…

The more I listen to his stories, the more his landmines increase… The difficulty level is like Minesweeper with the landmines set to maximum…

***

So, here again.

I was thinking that in the pure white space I had become so accustomed to.

I was tired.

I wanted to keep sleeping, so why was I here again?

Whose wish was this stone trying to grant?

At the very least, it wasn't mine.

If it were my wish, it should have left me alone.

＜Do you desire that conclusion?＞

Enough already.

Even if I survive, if she dies, there’s no point.

Enough. I’m tired.

＜Do you not intend to avoid her death?＞

Of course I do.

But if I fail even once, she will die again. I surely couldn't bear that.

＜Then simply do not fail.＞

Don't say it so easily.

How many times do you think I’ve repeated this! How much do you think I’ve cornered those people! Even so! I was still one step, one move short!!

＜That missing ‘one step, one move’—you already know it.＞

That may be true, but…

＜Now, let’s restart. Once more. The ‘everything up to now’ that you have repeated will absolutely not be in vain.＞

My vision turned pure white again, and I was back in the garden on that day I was five years old.

***

「Um, excuse me, Lord Chris, can I ask something?」

「What is it?」

「Since you were ‘one step away,’ couldn't you have ‘restarted’ from just before that?」

When I asked, Lord Chris clearly made a 「???」 face.

Hmm… how should I put this…

「Well, you see… in that cycle where ‘Serafina dies,’ things were going pretty well until right before then, right? In chess terms, it was like you were right on the verge of checkmate.」

「…Yes.」

After a brief moment of thought, Lord Chris nodded as if he understood, so I continued.

「Since you were right at that verge of checkmate when the opponent flipped the board, couldn't you just return the board to that ‘verge of checkmate’ state and try the next move again from there?」

In short, couldn't he just go back to around the eighteenth birthday celebration of that ‘Serafina Death Route’? And from there, if he just eliminated the person who was the ‘threat to Serafina,’ couldn't he reach the True End?

Saving is necessary before a big branching point. And it’s common sense (for a gamer) to keep save data separate rather than overwriting it. By the way, auto-save is an enemy pretending to be an ally.

I figured Lord Chris wouldn't understand if I used ‘Gamer’s Common Sense,’ so I tried the chess metaphor.

How was it? Did he understand? Thump-thump…

「I understand what you’re trying to say, Sera.」

Lord Chris said, nodding. Great, I got through!

Alright then, how about loading the previous save data and continuing—?!

「But that is impossible.」

He said with a wry smile, and I reflexively said, 「Wait, why?!」 in my natural voice. …Kitty, come back… I feel like I need a ‘Missing Cat’ poster…

But as expected of Lord Chris. Even though I dropped my act perfectly naturally, he didn't mind at all.

「To use your chess metaphor, it’s true that the cycle where ‘Serafina dies’ was at the verge of checkmate. But you see, if I lose, that game board is completely ‘undone.’」

Huh…? Undone…?

「Every time I die, I face the stone in that white space… but the ‘me’ facing the stone is the me from the first time, ‘imprisoned in the detached palace and on the verge of starving to death.’」

What…? Whaaaat! Ohhh! So that’s how it works!!

「Then… the moment you die, Lord Chris, the board for that cycle…」

「Everything disappears, and the board in front of me becomes the ‘final stage of the first game.’ In other words, no matter how many moves I try to go back, it doesn't necessarily result in the ‘same board as the previous game.’」

Whoa… Whoaaaa…

I couldn't help but stare at Lord Chris.

This person… is doing a no-save, ‘from the beginning’ challenge run of a ‘masocore game’?! No, it’s not that he’s ‘doing’ it; it’s more like he’s ‘being forced’ to do it…

In other words, every time Chris dies, he is sent back to ‘just before dying the first time.’ The only place he can travel back to is ‘some point during that first life.’

He can’t return to any point in that cycle where ‘things were going well until Serafina died,’ and even if he restarts, there’s no guarantee he’ll get the same result.

Games where you can save and load data are much easier than this…

「Since that is the mechanism, I was sent back to that day I was five once again. …Do you understand?」

「…I do…」

…If this were a game, it looks like it could aim for a certain ‘Of the Year.’ The one in that thread where if you say, “Isn't it Of the Year?” they reply, “Shut up, moron.”

***

It was that day at age five.

The five boys and girls gathered for me.

Since I had been eighteen in the previous cycle, it was a sight I hadn't seen in thirteen years.

The impression of them as adults was stronger, so seeing them there, small with their features still intact, gave me an indescribable sense of nostalgia.

Ah, that’s right.

My reputation among the nobility was at its worst at this time.

They were looking at me as if sizing me up. I hadn't cared the first time, and in the previous cycle, it had served as motivation for me to ‘make them recognize me.’

Now, there was only nostalgia.

And among those five.

Of course, Serafina was there.

She was also looking at me with slightly sharp eyes. But in the next moment, her face changed to one of surprise.

Because I was crying.

Nostalgia, joy, and… a sense of emptiness.

Various emotions were so mixed together that words wouldn't come. As if in place of words, tears just kept flowing.

Everyone was surprised by my sudden crying; they stood up and walked over to me.

While everyone was saying things like 「What happened?」 and 「Are you alright?」 Sera asked, 「Does your stomach hurt?」

It was Sera’s voice.

Why is the first question in this situation “Does your stomach hurt?” It really is the real Sera.

She was moving right in front of my eyes. She had a slightly worried expression. She was talking. …She was alive.

The regret of not being able to protect her, and the apology for my own conceit that caused it, made me repeat 「I’m sorry」 without realizing it.

To them, they would have no idea why I was apologizing.

Before that, the reason for my crying was so mysterious that they must have been beyond bewildered.

I know.

It’s the job of the Duke’s son to settle a situation like this. It was always like that before, too.

Just as I thought that, sure enough, the Duke’s son said, 「For now, let’s go to our seats. Can you walk, Your Highness?」

I replied, 「Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.」

To repeat, my reputation at that point was the absolute worst.

A monster who threw tantrums over small things, had no manners, and made one think a beast might be cuter. That was me at age five.

But in the cycle right before this one, I had interacted with the five people standing before me as equals.

I had mastered etiquette and manners, and the studies I was about to learn were already in my head.

Above all, if it’s words of concern from a beloved friend, I’ll say ‘thank you’ as many times as needed.

But the ‘me’ in their heads was that version of me with the worst impression.

At my words of ‘thank you,’ all five of them wore incredibly surprised faces.

Looking at those faces made me find it funny, and this time my crying turned into laughter.

I was starting over from the same point as the previous cycle, but I had the unthinkable advantage of having ‘memories of the previous cycle.’ In that previous cycle, I started from ‘being able to do as much as a normal noble,’ but this time I started from the point of ‘being the Crown Prince expected to become King in the future.’

It didn't take even a year to win the trust of the five.

And I quickly told my father everything.

In the previous cycle, I had my friends help me, but if I were to go any deeper, it could put them in danger.

My father had been suspicious of his son who seemed like a different person since the meeting with the five, so that served as good material to make him believe me.

Additionally, I received a hidden operative from my father and dispatched him to Fiorina’s village.

Naturally, it was that hidden operative who had shed tears of either joy or regret on the day of Fiorina’s wedding.

He worked as well as ever, and reported happily that he had ended up talking with Fiorina’s mother for three hours. …I’m glad he’s happy, but why is the talking time increasing?

And this time too, when I started with, 「I want someone to infiltrate…」 he leaned forward with all his might, so I gladly sent him off to the village.

The adults moved very efficiently, and by the time I turned ten, almost all of Staden’s relatives had been imprisoned.

***

「As I thought, ‘adults’ are strong.」

They were strong before, but they really are strong.

「Yes. My father always believed in me, and I truly feel how thankful I am for that.」

「It’s because you worked so hard, Lord Chris!」

「I hope so.」

No, it definitely is.

If a selfish, arrogant, insolent creature with zero common sense suddenly turned into this person one day, anyone would normally think, “What happened?!”

If you were then told, “Actually, the inside isn't a five-year-old,” you’d just believe it like, “Oh, I see!”

Besides, that ‘inside’ is the result of Lord Chris failing, regretting, and learning for himself over and over.

It would be too sad if the life of someone who worked this hard wasn't rewarded.

Also…

「Did that hidden operative… remarry Miss Fiorina’s mother…?」

「Three months after I sent him to the village, they had become a family…」

Lord Chris said with distant eyes.

Seriously, hidden operative, why are you speeding up too…? …And I bet he’ll cry again when the heroine gets married…

「Perhaps because the time I sent him to the village was different, or the age they remarried was different, but this time Fiorina has a younger brother.」

「In any case, it’s great that they seem happy.」

「Yes.」

Lord Chris nodded with an exasperated smile.

***

Based on the previous cycle, things proceeded with unprecedented speed.

However, only the mastermind who killed Sera—the man who requested the assassins to kill her—couldn't be caught. No matter how much we searched the country, there was no such man.

I was wondering what was going on, but I succeeded in catching that man when I was thirteen.

The man wasn't originally in this country; he was a member of that religious community. He had drifted into this country after their settlement was dismantled by the King over there.

He traced the source of the situation and arrived at us. That was why.

The assassins he was supposed to hire had already been caught, and we were able to capture him when he tried to contact different assassins. I caught those assassins as well, just in case.

With this, I should have done everything I could do in the previous cycle.

There should be no more threats.

Serafina won't die, and I should be able to live past twenty-five.

With that hope, I proposed to Serafina.

With a slightly embarrassed, troubled smile, she accepted, saying, 「Since I have not a single reason to refuse.」

Just like this.

Please, just like this.

If time could just pass by peacefully.

I spent my days with a prayerful heart, and the day of my eighteenth celebration arrived once again.

We were already married, and Serafina was living in the castle as the Crown Princess.

‘Attacking during the return from the castle to the Marquis’s estate’ was now impossible. Knights were patrolling the castle, and even without them, there were eyes everywhere. It was unsuitable for an assassination.

It’s okay.

It should be okay.

I told myself that over and over.

At that time, Serafina was pregnant, and for safety’s sake, I decided to let her rest early.

—Little did I know that a few dozen minutes after seeing Serafina leave the venue, I would hear news of her death once again.

***

I DIED AGAIN—!! Uwaaaa—!!

「Lord Chris…」

When I glanced sideways, Lord Chris was hanging his head with that expressionless face again. …Crap. This is bad. This is really bad. This is no time for me to be losing it.

For now, I’ll just rub Lord Chris’s back.

There, there… as I rubbed Lord Chris’s back, life returned to his face.

Thank goodness…! Lord Chris has been resuscitated…!

「…Thank you, Sera. I’m okay now.」

Your voice is incredibly thin, are you really okay?

「Um… about that story…」

I don’t know if it’s okay to ask, but there are too many things I’m curious about.

「A few dozen minutes later, an attendant with a pale face came running up, stumbling over his own feet. …He was the same person who had delivered the news of Sera’s death in the cycle immediately before. The situation overlapped with that day, and I could feel the blood draining from my face.」

Ugh…

How should I put it… ‘The events change for each scenario, but the characters’ roles don't change.’ That’s rough…

「The attendant, with an expression unfitting for a celebration, urged me to leave, saying, 『This way, please.』 I had nothing but a terrible feeling. …When I left the hall, there were maids and knights there as well. Everyone was pale with somber expressions. A maid looked as if she were about to collapse at any moment, and a knight beside her was lending her his arm.」

Ah… jeez. That’s a situation where anyone can see there’s nothing but the worst news.

「There was a pause as they all hesitated over who would tell me, and eventually, a knight spoke with great difficulty. 『The Princess… has passed away,』 he said…」

Lord Chris’s face! It’s gone expressionless again!!

Must rub! Rub-rub…!

Seriously, ‘Serafina’s death’ is his biggest trauma…

And now I get it—Chris’s smile when we first met.

It was simply because ‘I was alive and there.’ Whether I was acting like a well-behaved cat or being rowdy, he was happy just because ‘I am me, and I’m just there’…

Hah… jeez. What is that…

That’s seriously ‘Maxed Out Affection’…

While thinking that, I kept rubbing Lord Chris’s back, and he revived once again.

「Sorry. …Thank you.」

「No, no, not at all.」

There’s no need to apologize or thank me.

Lord Chris let out a deep, deep breath to calm his feelings.

「…Serafina was killed in one of the reception rooms.」

A stabbing at the castle is impressive… So it’s possible… “Order in the court! Order in the court!”

Wait, how did they even get in?

「The person who killed Serafina was someone completely unexpected. The Staden faction had all been dealt with and were gone. The throne-usurping faction was quiet because there was no one to incite them. …It was someone with absolutely no connection to them… Roland.」

「Oh! Bi, brother…?!」

I was so surprised I cut my words in the wrong place.

I mean, is that it? Since Serafina is the same age as Chris, is he the ‘younger brother’ instead of the ‘older brother’? How confusing.

「Why…?」

‘Now,’ my brother and I are… not exactly stuck together like glue, but we get along well.

My brother says teasing me is his life’s work (don't let it be), and I trust and rely on him (in some parts).

Since there’s an age gap, we’ve never had what you’d call a fight, and he dotes on me (probably).

…There are a lot of parentheses, but please don't mind them.

If my brother is the ‘Roland Camden I know,’ he has no motive to kill me. However, there’s a high possibility that things around Serafina were very different from ‘now.’ Seven years is a long time.

And sure enough.

「Roland was… jealous of Serafina, apparently. Jealous of his sister, who was several times more capable than him, the eldest son. He had been harboring a dark, suppressed feeling all by himself because of the semi-jokes he sometimes heard from those around him, like 『Maybe it would be better to make Sera the heir to the Marquis instead of Roland.』」

Dear brother…! How gloomy of you!!

「And, he apparently came to hate his sister, who would smile without even noticing those feelings of his…」

As if I’d know—!

I mean, that…

「…Doesn't that fall under the category of a ‘unjustified grudge’?」

Serafina did nothing wrong. He’s the bad one.

「There’s no other way to put it.」

Lord Chris laughed mockingly.

「Anyway, Serafina was killed by something like that. …Because he was Serafina’s flesh and blood, and because Serafina herself had dismissed the attendants saying 『I want to talk to him alone,』 the violence couldn't be stopped…」

For now, ‘current’ brother doesn't have those gloomy, twisted parts. I’m a bit relieved. …Well, he is a person who is simply warped, though.

「Roland, who was pinned down by the knights, was still spitting curses at his dead sister. …This was a problem within the House of Camden. No matter how many times I restarted, it was a place where I couldn't intervene. …Even though I thought this time, for sure… …Suddenly, something entered my field of vision. It must have fallen from Roland’s hand when he was pinned; it was a blood-stained knife.」

Waa—!! No! Lord Chris, no!!

「I picked it up and tried to plunge it into my own throat.」

「You can’t!!」

Once again, I spoke while firmly grabbing Lord Chris’s arm.

Lord Chris looked at me and went, 「Fufu.」 It was a very weak smile, which was scary.

「…It’s okay. I couldn't do it.」

「…Thank goodness…」

This person immediately becomes reckless as soon as Serafina is gone… How scary.

「The moment the knife was about to reach me, I was in the treasury again.」

…In other words, you just die there anyway, don't you, Lord Chris…

I hadn't thought anything of it, but was ‘Lord Chris’s eighteenth birthday celebration’ really a day so full of such outrageous events…?

「I shouted at the stone for a while, asking why it wouldn't leave me alone, that I’d had enough and wanted it to end. Then, the stone said, 『All the keys are gathered.』」

Oh?!

Isn't that like a detective’s line at the end of a mystery?! Does that mean?!

「It continued, 『I will ask once more. What is your wish?』 So I wished from the bottom of my heart. To not take Serafina away. To not have her snatched away by others so unreasonably, but to let her return to heaven naturally. That a peaceful death and a happy life would come to her…」

While the first time was all about himself, this time it was the complete opposite.

It was all about Serafina.

Jeez, seriously… what is up with this thing…

「At my words, the stone said, 『I have certainly heard and accepted. Now, this is the last time. Let’s restart… everything.’ As it spoke, my vision was dyed white again. For a while after that, I felt as if I were dozing in a warm, muddy slush. Eventually, my consciousness became clear, and I understood that I was ‘restarting from the moment I was born.’」