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

The Noble Girl Who Wants to Be Called "Mom"

Translated by: S3

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

*****

「Wait... you say?」

His Majesty wore a look of bewilderment.

I likely had the same expression as I stared at the prince.

However, the prince looked straight at His Majesty and gave a firm nod.

「Yes.」

「Of course, I am not saying... indefinitely. If she is not found by the time I reach adulthood, I will take another woman as my consort. But... until then, I want to be allowed to wait for her...」

The prince bowed his head.

「I beg of you.」

「...Even if you ask me that...」

His Majesty groaned, his face etched with difficulty.

「As it stands, that young lady does not exist, correct?」

To His Majesty’s question, both the prince and I nodded.

「Do you actually think a girl is going to be born into the House of Marquis Camden from now on?」

As His Majesty asked this in confusion, the prince lowered his eyes slightly.

「I do not know. Perhaps she exists somewhere else in the world, having changed her appearance and her name.」

Is such a thing even possible?

But I couldn't say it was impossible. After all, a phenomenon where one "lives until twenty-five and then travels back in time with those memories" was already happening.

「If that is the case, there is nothing more I can do. I can only pray... that this time, she is able to live a peaceful and happy life.」

As he spoke, the prince clasped his hands together over his lap. It was a gesture like a prayer to a deity.

Clasping them tightly, the prince looked straight at His Majesty again.

「I made a wish to the 'Spirit Stone.' For her—Serafina’s—happy life. The stone told me it had heard my request. ...Therefore, she must certainly be out there, somewhere.」

「Are you saying... you intend to search for her?」

That sounded harder than finding a specific grain of sand in a desert.

After all, we didn't even know if she truly existed. And she might not even be a woman; she might not even be human.

Being born as a cute cat and living a pampered life with a kind owner would also count as a "peaceful and happy life."

If that were the case, what did the prince intend to do?

「I have no intention of searching for her.」

Oh, that’s unexpected! Knowing this prince, I thought he’d try to find her even if he had to overturn every blade of grass in the world.

His Majesty seemed to find it unexpected as well. He looked a bit surprised.

「As long as she is living happily, that is enough for me. ...If she does not appear before me, then it is surely because the Stone judged that 'she would be happier that way.'」

...Does the 'Stone' have that kind of judgment? No, maybe it does... That stone was a complete mystery, after all.

「However, she might appear before me again. ...Whether such a day will come, or whether it will not... I do not know.」

「And so you want to 'wait'...?」

To His Majesty’s question, the prince nodded.

「Yes.」

「I am fine with Your Majesty and the Prime Minister selecting candidates for my consort. However, I ask that you do not 'finalize' the choice. ...Please give me just a little more time to dream...」

As the prince spoke in a near-whisper, his eyes downcast once more, His Majesty fell silent.

The prince surely knew he was asking for the impossible.

The probability of "Sera appearing before us someday" was likely no more than a fairy tale. But he wanted to believe in it.

And surely, it was the same for me.

That someday, Sera would appear before me again with that smile. I didn't know if such a day would come, but I hoped it would. I couldn't help but wish for it.

「Over and over, the same events repeated... and each time, a restart... While everything is finally moving in a better direction bit by bit... Sera alone cannot be saved.」

In a voice so low he might have been talking to himself, the prince let the words spill out.

He likely wasn't trying to tell anyone; he was literally just "spitting out" his own feelings.

「I thought, 'This time for sure.' Even when I cleared up all the problems and captured those who would take Sera... she was still taken away, so unreasonably.」

It was indeed unreasonable.

According to the prince's story, Sera was "killed."

There was no reason for her to be killed by anyone. She was a girl who was always smiling, who never made enemies unnecessarily, and who kept her distance from people she didn't like because "fighting takes too much energy."

「No matter what I did, no matter what measures I took, Sera alone could not be saved... I said, 'I've had enough.' I said, 'Please, don't take her away anymore.' The stone... accepted that...」

The prince let out a long sigh and hung his head even lower.

「I told the Stone... I’m done with these 'repeats' and 'rewinds.' I told it to let it end. To me, who said that...」

Isn't that synonymous with saying "Let me die"?

His Majesty knit his brows as if looking at something painful. I understood that feeling well.

Ah, I was starting to understand a little.

Just what Sera was to this man.

In the midst of the insane cycle of "dying and restarting" over and over, Sera was surely his "anchor for living."

The reason he could keep himself sane in a situation where anyone would have lost their mind was likely because "Sera was alive and there for him."

If Sera were to lose her life unreasonably again, this man would surely abandon the very act of "living."

It might be something too warped to purely call "love."

But without a doubt, to the prince, Sera was "an existence more precious than his own life."

If a five-year-old child had said this, it might have felt heartwarming.

But the prince’s current monologue did not have the weight of such light words.

Phew... His Majesty let out a long breath.

「...I understand.」

At His Majesty’s quiet words, the prince slowly raised his face. For the prince, these were likely memories that were painful even to recall. He looked haggard.

「I will wait until your adulthood. ...So, Chris.」

「Yes...」

「Just promise me you will not do anything like throwing away your own life.」

At His Majesty’s pleading tone, the prince let out a sudden laugh.

Wait, is this a time to laugh?!

「I will not. ...Even if I did such a thing, the Stone would just make me 'restart' anyway.」

Ah... so that’s how it is.

Even if he were to lose hope and end his life, he would be forced to "restart" by the Stone. Likely for eternity, until he reached the conclusion the Stone desired.

To think that Sera is the only hope in the midst of that...

Please, Sera. Appear before the prince quickly.

...Because this prince is REALLY scary...

I had no thoughts about this heavy obsession other than "it's terrifying."

「By the way, Chris.」

His Majesty spoke up, and the prince replied, 「Yes.」

「It won't be this year. Next year or later. If a daughter is born to the House of Marquis Camden, what do you intend to do?」

Certainly, there was no way Sera would be born into the House of Marquis Camden this year. I hadn't heard any news of the Marchioness being pregnant. It would be next year at the earliest. And even next year wasn't a guarantee.

There was already a six-year age gap. If she were born next year, it would be seven years. ...That's quite an age difference.

However, the prince didn't seem to care about that at all and spoke with a very bright smile.

「If it were possible, I would wish for her to be my consort.」

His Majesty! He made a face like, 「Whoa...」!

「I-if it’s next year, it would still only be a seven-year difference, so somehow...」

I didn't know why I was following up for him, but the words slipped out. At that, His Majesty turned a slightly weary smile toward me.

「Lady Felicia, if you were proposed to by a man seven years your senior, what would you think?」

...I can't say it... Like, "Isn't that a bit too much of a gap?" or "Thinking normally, I'd suspect he has some strange tastes."

I can't say it!

「...If the age difference is still... within single digits... somehow...」

I felt like it wouldn't really be "somehow," but...

At my squeezed-out answer, His Majesty said, 「I appreciate your concern,」 with that same weary smile.

Please, Sera...

Please come and take this prince off our hands as soon as possible...

He says he’ll wait until he’s eighteen, so if things go poorly, you might end up the wife of a man eighteen years your senior! Hurry up, Sera!!

***

A year later, in late autumn.

On a cold day when the trees had lost all their leaves and the falling raindrops felt like they would turn to snow at any moment.

A baby girl, the second child, was born to the House of Marquis Camden.

And that girl was named "Serafina."

The prince’s joy upon hearing that news was immense.

He started saying things like he wanted to go see the newborn Sera, and apparently, he got scolded by His Majesty, who asked, 「Are you trying to cause trouble for the Camden family?」

And His Majesty seemed surprised by the name "Serafina" written on the registration.

It wasn't that he doubted our story, but because a daughter really was born to the House of Marquis Camden, and her name really was "Serafina," he apparently felt that "mysterious things truly do happen."

I wasn't as ecstatic as the prince, but I felt the same joy.

I would be able to see the friend I had wanted to see for so long.

Oh, but I’m also seven years older than her... I wonder if a friendship like the "previous life" will be difficult? That’s a bit disappointing...

Well, it's fine! Sera doesn't care about the small details; she has a personality that you could call "broad-minded" to be nice, or "careless" to be blunt. It’ll work out!

Since Sera’s birth, the prince threw himself into the investigation of Staden even more vigorously than before.

When he asked for my help, he said he "wanted to eliminate the pests eroding the country," but wasn't his true intention just that he "wanted to remove anyone who might harm Sera"?

Well, I also knew the country would fall if they were left alone, so the former wasn't a lie by any means.

When I asked the prince about it, he didn't say anything and just gave me a big, beaming smile.

Ah... it’s for Sera. Or rather than for Sera, I suppose it’s "for himself" in the long run. Truly, he is a troublesome prince.

In our country, a "betrothal" contract with proper legal force cannot be concluded unless both parties are over the age of six.

It is supposedly to prevent people from taking a child's verbal promise too seriously. ...But six is still a child, isn't it? My own memories are so distant that I can't quite remember how I felt back then.

Well, because of that, there was still nothing the prince could do.

Or so it should have been. But I sensed him moving sneakily behind the scenes.

When I asked what he was doing, he just gave me a refreshingly fake smile and said, 「Nothing in particular?」 Thinking it couldn't be "nothing," I looked into it and found out that he was apparently interfering with any house that might take an interest in the "daughter of Marquis Camden."

...I didn't want to know... What are you doing, Prince... If His Majesty found out, he would surely cry...

Also, if Sera found out, she would be completely "turned off"...

「No, it's something Sera has no need to know.」

...Even if you say that with such a sharp face, it’s not cool; it’s just pathetic...

「Could you... perhaps not tell Sera?」

This time, with a face like an abandoned puppy... I had no idea how much of this man was serious and how much was acting.

Well, even without being told to keep quiet, I had no intention of saying anything.

However, if it happens to slip out by some accident, I’m sorry, okay?

「I beg of you, Lady Felicia... please, not to Sera...」

Could you please stop trying to win me over with tears? I also want you to stop clicking your tongue the moment your fake crying is exposed.

What is this... I’m starting to feel like this tricky prince and Sera are actually a perfect match for each other.

***

Waiting six years while tightening the net around the Staden faction.

Finally, the year came when Sera turned six.

The prince’s excitement was off the charts...

The prince has an extremely good public face.

He looks delicate and elegant, with a gentle manner. There are no flaws in his movements, and he is intelligent and well-informed. He is a Crown Prince known for his sincere character and is highly anticipated for the future.

Most nobles offer such praises to the prince.

Naturally, since the prince was six, there were many nobles saying, 「Make my daughter your consort!」

It seems His Majesty had pushed them all away, saying, 「Chris's consort will be decided by the time he is eighteen, but now is not yet the time.」

The prince, known for that ironclad guard, announced his engagement.

The stir in aristocratic circles was extraordinary.

After all, the partner was a girl seven years his junior. Furthermore, she was the daughter of a house that could hardly be called politically important.

Behind the scenes, people who were jealous of the House of Marquis Camden whispered slanders and libels. But all of them were crushed by the prince.

After he went to see Sera for the first time, the prince’s excitement was truly something. He had an air about him that defined the phrase "his feet weren't touching the ground."

I was forced to listen to the prince talk for over two hours about how adorable Sera was.

What is this, some kind of torture? Actually, it seems like it could really be used for torture. If you made a hardened criminal listen to this same bragging about his love over and over, surely even the most vicious offender would break.

Hey, Prince... that story about "Sera, who is sensitive to heat, frowning at her hot tea" is the fourth time now. The story about Sera calling the prince "Lord Chris" is already the sixth.

Please, let me go home...

How many more hours do I have to put up with this? Please... someone save me...

It was thirty minutes later that a maid at the castle noticed me nodding along with a dead expression and subtly came to my rescue...

At the banquet to announce the engagement, I was finally able to see Sera.

She was exactly like the little Sera in my memories, and I felt nostalgic, happy, and a little like I was going to cry. ...However, that feeling cooled down in an instant.

Sera’s dress... isn't the prince overdoing it with that?

On fabric that gradiated from pale blue to green, climbing roses were luxuriously and heavily embroidered in gold thread. The prince’s self-assertion is too strong!!

...I wonder if I should tell Sera someday... that the prince chose the fabric and designed that dress himself. I only had the thought, 「Whoa...」 but Sera wouldn't have a more "cute" reaction. She’d definitely go 「Whoa...」 too. Yeah, let’s stay quiet.

Apparently, that dress design was one that had been a candidate for the wardrobe change after the wedding ceremony in the "previous life" the prince had repeated.

It had been discarded because the color might clash with the guests' dresses, but the prince said, 「Sera liked it, so I wanted her to wear it this time,」 and he drew the design sketches himself.

As I was feeling impressed (and half creeped out) that he remembered the detailed embroidery patterns and the decorations of a woman's dress so well, the prince said something outrageous.

「I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse from the Stone, but I can remember all the memories of the 'rewinds' I’ve repeated.」

...Eh? What does that mean?

When I asked back, not understanding, the prince explained simply.

In other words, just as he said, the prince "remembers everything he saw and heard in all the rewinds so far."

Apparently, he can recall not only things he was consciously looking at or listening to, but even things like "the flowers in a vase that just happened to be in his field of vision at the time" if he puts his mind to it.

That truly is something I don't know is a blessing or a curse.

Everyone has memories they want to forget. Does that stone not even allow that?

「However, I can forget them if I don't focus on them. The pattern of this dress is something I focused on with the intent of 'recalling the details.'」

...The things you choose to 'recall' are creepy, Prince... I can't say it, though.

And the prince gave the "Stone" that granted him that blessing or curse to Sera as a present.

It’s a mysterious stone, but it’s a national treasure. It’s not something you should move around lightly. But in response to the prince’s request to 「give it to Sera,」 His Majesty reportedly said, 「Do as you wish,」 without a second thought.

The prince had only one reason for giving that stone to Sera.

Before the prince restarted this time, he had made a wish to that stone. For "Sera’s peaceful death" and "happy life." If it was going to grant his wish, he wanted it to protect Sera at all costs. With that thought, the prince gave the stone to Sera.

The people of the House of Marquis Camden are almost funny in how little greed they have.

No, they do have greed. But it isn't a desire for honor or money. It's all desires that are even harder to understand.

Because it’s that kind of house, the Marquis was terrified of the national treasure suddenly given to them and repeatedly negotiated directly with His Majesty, saying, 「Please let us return it.」

Of course, the prince knew that would happen beforehand.

So the prince had "requested" His Majesty: if the Marquis’s house said they wanted to return the stone, His Majesty should dodge the request evasively. And once all the Staden bunch were caught, then he should accept the return.

After the banquet to announce the engagement, while we were having tea in the castle garden as usual, the Duke’s son said to the prince:

「I’m surprised His Majesty allowed you to give a national treasure like the 'Spirit Stone' to someone else.」

Truly, that’s the truth. Even if His Majesty knows the circumstances, it’s a "national treasure," isn't it? It’s mysterious and a bit creepy, but a national treasure is a national treasure.

「Ah... that stone has a bit of a strange legend.」

At the prince’s words, I thought, That stone is nothing but strange, but the prince’s story was truly mysterious.

「Actually, that stone has been stolen several times in the past, or lost and its whereabouts unknown.」

「Huh?!」

I accidentally let out a strange voice, but I wasn't the only one. The other three also raised their voices in their own ways.

「What?! No, um, but I’ve never heard such a thing...」

To the Viscount’s son, who was incredibly surprised, the prince laughed with a bit of amusement.

「Yeah, you wouldn't have. It’s what you call a 'Royal Secret.'」

「Don't talk about such things so lightly!」

The Marquis’s son spoke with a look of distaste, and he was absolutely right.

But the prince seemed to be enjoying himself.

「I thought it would be okay to tell you guys.」

Urgh... If he says it like that, I can't say anything more... This prince is so unfair in that way...

「It has disappeared like that several times, but after a few years, it returns to the treasury on its own.」

「............What?」

I had no idea what he meant, so all of us had puzzled faces as if to say, 「What are you talking about?」 The Duke’s son, with the same expression, spoke for our doubts.

To that, the prince still had a fun-looking smile.

「Just as I said. Once it was mixed in with a tribute from another country. Another time, a merchant who bought it came to return it. It has also turned up in the luggage of a bandit group captured in another country, and according to the records, there’s even a nonsensical entry saying, 'One day, when the contents of the treasury were checked, it had returned to its pedestal before anyone knew it.'」

...That last one really makes no sense...

But with that stone, I find myself thinking that such a thing might actually happen...

「In that way, even if that stone is taken out by some means, it returns on its own. So, even if I give it to someone, it will surely return eventually. There’s no need to worry.」

Rather than no need to worry, it’s just scary...

The other three besides me also had expressions that were hard to describe. Representing us again, the Duke’s son muttered in an indescribable tone, 「Is... that so...」

Well, this time it will surely be returned by the House of Marquis Camden eventually, so there really is no need to worry.

***

I continued to spend my days listening to the prince brag about his love with a dead expression, and in the year we turned sixteen, the entire Staden faction was finally put in prison.

Every single person on the list the prince had prepared on that day when we were five was reportedly arrested on some kind of charge.

As if that weren't enough, they did something like a simultaneous sweep of criminal groups nesting in the country, making the interior of the country much cleaner.

And a few months later, there was another offer to return the "Spirit Stone" from the House of Marquis Camden, and His Majesty accepted it.

The prince says that the next "critical moment" is the celebration of the prince’s adulthood.

Certainly, the Sera I knew in the "previous life" was caught in an accident on that day. And the "two deaths of Sera" that the prince knows were also on this day.

The accident was something that happened at a cave ruin in another country, a place that current Sera has no connection to whatsoever.

And for the prince, the main culprit who killed Sera the first time is caught and in prison.

The problem is the person who killed Sera in the loop the prince redid just before this one. I was deeply shocked when the prince told me.

Roland Camden. In my memories of the "previous life," he was Sera’s younger brother. Now he is Sera’s older brother.

The prince said that he would be the one to kill Sera.

The reason was jealousy toward his sister, Sera.

The countermeasure the prince came up with was, 「Wouldn't it be fine if we just gave Roland proper self-confidence?」

Sera only stood out because she was exceptionally unique; Roland himself was by no means inferior. If he could be made to understand that, surely his misplaced jealousy toward Sera would disappear.

As a first step, the prince decided to appoint Roland as his own aide.

Since I only had memories of the Roland from the "previous life," I was surprised when I met him.

A person who was like Sera turned into a man. That was my impression of the "current" Roland.

His hair and eye color are the same as Sera’s. His features are sharper, but his eyes and such are very similar to Sera’s. And above all, the way he is pointlessly lively, his talkativeness, and the way he suddenly slumps the moment people’s eyes are off him are exactly like Sera!

And his smile... or rather, his way of laughing, is exactly the same as Sera’s. He turns a full-throttle smile without a hint of caution toward people he trusts.

The House of Marquis Camden... they’re quite the characters! Quite the characters indeed!

Because Roland is so similar to Sera, I find myself wanting to fuss over him.

And the prince watches me scolding Roland... while smiling very, very broadly...

Stop it, Prince! Don't overlay Sera onto Roland! Your smile is loosening up too much, and it’s scary! Also, stop almost calling Roland 'Sera' sometimes! I understand the feeling, though!

...To the Roland of the "previous life" I knew, Sera was his "sister," after all. Surely that Roland also had pent-up feelings toward Sera.

If he isn't hidden in Sera’s shadow, surely this is the kind of person he originally is. ...Quite a character.

While I was fussing over Roland like that, one day, Roland said while laughing merrily, 「I told my sister about Lady Felicia, and she said, 'She’s totally like a mom...'」

At those words, I accidentally felt like I was going to cry, and the Roland in front of me was terribly flustered.

Watching Roland be unusually panicked, the tears receded, and laughter welled up instead.

...If anything, I want to hear it directly from your mouth. I wonder how many years it’s been since I last heard it.

Well, if Sera said it, I’d probably reply with a bit of anger, 「Who’s a mom?」

***

The eighteenth birthday celebration for the prince, which was a major hurdle, was held grandly.

It was the celebration of the Crown Prince’s adulthood. Many people from within and outside the country came to offer their blessings.

The prince was at a slightly elevated place, receiving congratulations from the attendees. Sera was next to him.

Sera had her hand gripped tightly by the prince and was constantly looking at that hand. ...Yes, I understand the feeling. You’re thinking, 「Couldn't he let go just a little bit?」 right? I think so too. But it’s likely impossible.

...Because the prince thinks that if he lets go of that hand, you might disappear.

But surely, that’s a bit much! Even the guests are noticing it! It’s embarrassing! I understand!!

Ah, look, Sera! Don't open your mouth like a fool! Just because the Count in front of you has unnatural hair doesn't mean you should stare so intently and mutter 'Whoa...' without letting your voice out! And don't look around just because you’re tired! ...Ah, I want to say it directly!! I want to tell her!!

As the night grew late, it was decided that Sera, who seemed to have become sleepy, would be sent home first.

Of course, Sera hasn't been told, but an incredible number of guards have been attached to her. The carriage was one sent from the castle, with specifications that wouldn't be pierced easily even if a sword were thrust into it. The coachman wasn't just a coachman but was actually a knight.

And at Sera’s chest was the necklace with that stone.

...If it’s still no good after all this, the prince might truly die. Please, let her safely see tomorrow morning...

The next morning.

I was nervous all day that some ominous news might arrive, but time passed without anything happening.

In the evening, a letter arrived from the prince. He said there was a relaxed report from Roland, who had come to work, that 「Sera is fine besides the lack of sleep and was scolded by her mother for spilling the milk at breakfast.」

We’ve cleared one hurdle...!

And later, I was forced to listen to the prince talk for two hours about "how cute Sera was on the day of the birthday celebration."

...I was there too, so I know. I’m telling you I know without hearing it! That’s enough! Honestly... someone, save me...

The next hurdle is the prince’s twenty-fifth year.

However, for Sera as well, it’s possible that "the year Sera is seventeen" is the condition for her death.

By some coincidence, this time "the prince’s twenty-fifth year" and "Sera’s seventeenth year" will come in the same year.

If we can just get through that year, surely the prince’s "rewinds" will truly end.

I only have a prayer that it will be safe...

...Phew... Roland is collecting bugs in the castle garden... I have to go warn him... You should stop the prank of releasing bugs into your sister's bedroom already. Neither you nor Sera are children anymore.

I hope we can celebrate Sera’s coming-of-age "this time."

I have never once been able to celebrate her adulthood.

This time for sure, let’s all get together and celebrate grandly. Right, Sera?