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

Serafina short story 2 part 1

Translated by: S3

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

After being called an "Otherworldly Daughter" by the Stone at the end of the main story, Serafina reveals the truth to Lord Chris.

I hope you enjoy it.

*****

After the Stone spoiled my secret, Lord Chris and I returned from the treasury to the bedroom. However, unlike our trip there, the return journey was different—knights, maids, and attendants were all back at their posts or moving through the corridors.

Even though just a short while ago, there hadn't been a soul in sight.

Whenever Chris spotted one of them, he would stop and ask, 「You didn't seem to be here a moment ago. Where were you, and what were you doing?」

Those he questioned turned pale, fearing they were being rebuked, but Chris wasn't asking in order to scold them.

「I have no intention of reprimanding you,」 he would say with a smile, drawing out the reasons for their absence. 「I simply worried when I saw your posts were empty.」

As for me, watching Chris interview the knights and servants, I found myself thinking once again, This man is terrifying...

What I meant by "terrifying" was his acting ability.

The reason Chris was asking wasn't because he was worried about them, nor was it because he intended to punish them. Yet, he spoke with a smile full of gentle benevolence, tinged with just the right amount of wry concern. Some of the staff looked genuinely moved, thinking, The Prince was actually worried about someone like me...!

...I know they teach leadership and "the art of winning hearts" in his royal education, but in Chris’s case, he’s already practiced all of this through countless repetitions in the field.

This Prince is way too strong.

Once we returned to the bedroom, Chris requested tea from a maid. After she prepared it and left the room, he leaned deeply into the sofa and let out a heavy sigh.

「That 'Stone' is truly troublesome...」

「It is... It might be capable of far more than we imagined.」

I have no idea what "mechanism" the Stone uses to grant wishes, but it seems that even while resting in the treasury, it can pull off all sorts of tricks.

When I felt the Stone calling me and left the room earlier, the halls had been completely deserted.

Of course, that didn't mean that every person in the castle had vanished. Apparently, the Stone had only cleared the path we were taking.

Moreover, it had only cleared it for the few minutes we happened to be passing through.

We only realized this on the walk back.

The most common reason given by those who had left their posts was, 「I felt like someone called me.」

They felt as though they heard someone calling from a short distance away and went to check out of curiosity. Well, for the Stone, that’s child’s play.

After all, both Chris and I had headed to the treasury because we "felt like something was calling us."

The second most common reason was, 「I remembered something I’d forgotten.」

One realized they’d forgotten to lock their door; another realized they’d forgotten a tool they were supposed to be carrying; another couldn't stop worrying about whether they had properly extinguished the fireplace... and so on.

This was overwhelmingly common among the knights who had private rooms in the castle.

The knights looked apologetic, saying, 「Normally, I wouldn't worry about such things,」 and 「Even if I was worried, I would never leave my post so easily.」

So why had they left? Because they thought, Even if I leave for a moment, the 'other person' is still here, so it should be fine.

Yes.

Patrolling knights usually work in pairs or groups. Even if one leaves due to an unforeseen circumstance, there is usually "at least one other person" still there.

But for those few minutes, that "other person" had also left their post because they "felt like they were being called."

Based on the information from the knights, the time that the corridor was "completely empty" at any given point was only about two minutes.

The Stone’s calculations are way too precise! It's scary!

Once again, I felt a shiver down my spine at how unfathomable that Stone really is.

...As I was thinking that, a thought occurred to me.

The Stone clearly has some kind of "mental interference" power. The "words" it uses to speak to us aren't actual sounds, after all. Even in the same room, it can perform the feat of changing its "frequency" so that I can hear it while Chris cannot.

In that case, couldn't the Stone have simply guided Chris toward the exit of the loop from the very beginning?

Repeating the loop couldn't have been what the Stone wanted.

Rather than a method so Spartan it bordered on cruelty—forcing Chris to endure a "Death Loop" on his own—wouldn't it have been smarter for the Stone to subtly nudge him toward the right answer?

However, at the end of all those repetitions, the Stone said that we have finally exited the loop.

That means that only the Chris of right now could have broken out.

I see... One of the conditions for breaking the loop must have been "Chris’s mental growth." If that’s the case, guidance would have been counterproductive.

Also, I suspect another condition was "Serafina being seven years younger than Chris."

He couldn't break the loop when we were the same age. And this time, when the Stone clearly stated we "exited," I am seven years his junior.

...It’s not like I feel like I hold the "fate of the world" or anything... but no matter how I look at it, my age seems like a condition for escaping the loop, doesn't it?

Wait?! Does that mean I have a role like "saving the world"?! Like a "Holy Maiden of Salvation"?! How cool is that!

「Sera? Are you thinking about something?」

The voice of Chris, who was sitting right next to me, snapped me back from my questionable delusions. ...I had just reached the part where I was wearing a fluffy white dress and being carried on a grand palanquin while everyone cheered "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!"

「No, it’s nothing.」

It wasn't really "thinking." It was just a delusion.

「I was just wondering... what the conditions were for you to end the 'restarts.'」

That part was true. It just happened to end with me being paraded around on a palanquin.

「Even if you call it a 'condition to end it,' I didn't even know what the 'end' was supposed to look like,」 Chris said with a wry smile. I nodded.

「That’s true, but the Stone explicitly said it 'ended' this time.」

「So you were thinking about the difference between 'this time' and 'all the previous times'?」

「Yes.」

As expected of Chris. He’s quick on the uptake.

It's a bit scary how he can read my thoughts to the point of being stalker-ish, but at times like this, I’m grateful he catches on so fast.

「...Are you thinking of something rude?」

「No, not at all.」

I denied it with what I thought was a perfect smile, but Chris didn't seem convinced. He muttered a suspicious-sounding, 「Really...?」

「Well, putting that aside...」

Yes, please. I am eternally grateful whenever you change the subject, Lord Chris.

「What did the Stone mean when it called you an 'Daughter of Another World'?」

「E-err... well...」

How should I explain this?

...Yeah, I can't summarize this in such a short time. I’ll just say things as they come to mind. After all, the person in front of me has "looped and restarted life multiple times." He’s not going to laugh at someone with "memories of a past life" and call them a chuunibyou.

Besides, there are no middle schools here. "Chuunibyou" (8th-grade syndrome) doesn't exist in this world! ...Though people might just call me "a bit of an odd person."

「I have... memories from before I was born into this world.」

The concepts of a "past life" or "reincarnation" don't exist in the local religion. The general religious view of the "afterlife" is that the dead are sent to either a paradise in the heavens or a prison beneath the earth, where they spend eternity. Thus, those words wouldn't translate.

「Before you were born... do you mean memories from inside your mother's womb?」

Some people do claim to have those. I’ve heard everyone technically has them subconsciously.

But that wasn't it.

「No, not that. ...Um, before I was born into this world, I have memories of living and dying in a 'different world that isn't here.'」

「A different world...?」

「Yes. That is what the Stone meant by 'Otherworld.'」

Chris was likely trying to interpret my words in his own way. After a moment of silence, he looked at me with curiosity.

「Since the Stone called you an 'Daugher of Another World,' those memories must be real... but is 'here' truly a different world from the one you lived in before?」

「...What do you mean?」

「For instance, is there a possibility that this is the past or the future of the world you were in...?」

「I think the chances of that are... zero.」

Based on the progress of civilization, this world is behind Earth. So, if this were Earth, it would be logical to think it’s the past.

However, in my hazy knowledge, none of the place names of this world exist. The same goes for the name of the country I’m in now.

Furthermore, this world’s level of civilization is closer to the early modern period than the Middle Ages. If that were the case, country and place names that still exist in the modern era would absolutely have to be here already. Yet, I don't recognize a single country. There is no Golden Land of Zipangu. No such island exists. There are no Samura-i, Geisha, or Fujiyama-a. However, there are people who look like Ninjas. Ninjas?! Why?! is how I feel.

I once considered the possibility that Earth’s civilization had completely collapsed and humanity had rebuilt from scratch... essentially, the "Far Future Earth" theory. It’s a classic SF trope.

But even if civilization collapses, some things shouldn't change. Like the geography.

As far as the maps of this world go, they look nothing like Earth's maps.

Even if there was a massive nuclear war, it would be difficult for the entire continent of South America to just vanish. Also, since there’s no Japanese-style island, Japan would have had to vanish perfectly too.

Even if something happened and land was lost, it wouldn't "completely disappear," would it? Lemuria? I don't know anything about that.

When I stumbled through an explanation of these disorganized thoughts, Chris fell into deep thought again.

「In other words... the place where you lived before you were given life in this world was a world completely different from this one.」

「Yes. And in the religious views of that 'Otherworld,' there is a concept called 'Reincarnation' (Rinne Tenshou)...」

For the sake of the conversation, I gave Chris a rough explanation of the words "reincarnation" and "past life." ...To be precise, "Isekai Reincarnation" usually falls outside the cycle of rebirth, but whatever, details don't matter.

The main thing was getting the concept of "reincarnating into another world with past life memories" across.

After I finished explaining, Chris murmured, 「I see,」 and fell silent again, likely processing everything.

While he was organizing his thoughts, I decided to have some tea. Since the maid went to the trouble of preparing it.

Perhaps considering the time—not quite dawn yet—it was a floral-scented tea. It’s supposed to have a relaxing effect. As expected, the castle maids are so attentive.

Just as I was taking a breather with my tea, Chris, who had been thinking the whole time, looked up.

「...So, is this a correct understanding?」

As a preface, he summarized and repeated my story back to me. He took my disorganized mess and condensed it perfectly and concisely. I was once again impressed: This guy is incredibly smart...

「I see... So you weren't originally a person of 'this world.'」

「In terms of my 'inside'—my consciousness—that’s correct. ...And this is where the main topic begins.」

「Hm?」 Chris tilted his head slightly. As usual, he was calculatingly cute.

「I knew of you, Lord Chris, in that 'past life.'」

「............Huh?」

This time, he narrowed his eyes with an incredibly dubious look.

Well, I expected that.

Now, how to explain...

There’s no way he’d understand "Otome Games." Even before that, "Video Games" wouldn't translate. Starting a sentence with "Connecting a console to a TV..." is already a failure. After all, this world has no TVs (no electricity), no radios (still no electricity), and no cars (you get the point). It’s an era of primitive civilization.

There are things like gamebooks, in a way. But they are very simple. Even then, they aren't common, so I wasn't sure if Chris would know them.

「Lord Chris, do you know the picture book called Teddy’s Adventure?」

「I do... but why?」

He looked puzzled, asking What about it?, but inside I was cheering.

The picture book Teddy’s Adventure features a three-way choice at the very end of the story. It’s a "gamebook with only one choice" where the ending changes based on that decision.

「In Teddy’s Adventure, three choices appear at the end, right?」

He nodded.

「In the world where I lived in my past life, there were games that were a much more complex evolution of that.」

I decided to dismiss TVs, consoles, and other modern conveniences from the conversation. Explaining those one by one would take forever.

From there, I gave a rough explanation of text-based adventure games.

Even without mentioning TVs, I managed to explain the format. ...Since those kinds of games are basically books with an auto-page-turning feature.

「...So, do you understand the gist of 'Adventure Games'?」

「Yes, I think I have the general idea.」

Hooray for smart people! Even with my vague explanation, he properly digested and understood it! You’re wonderful, Chris!

「Among those adventure games, there are those with a 'romance' theme. In those for men, the protagonist is a man and the partner is a woman. For women, the protagonist is a woman and the partner is a man. Those for women are called 'Otome Games.'」

「What a lovely name.」

Chris chuckled as he said it, but the reality is more like a "treasure box of a maiden’s desires!" Still, the impression the name gives is probably cute. It does have the word "maiden" in it, after all.

「In one of those 'Otome Games,' you appear as a 'love interest for the protagonist.'」

「...What?」

Chris froze with a shocked expression. Well, that’s a natural reaction.

Hearing that you appear in a "fictional story" from another world...

「...Is that truly me? Based on what you said, aren't there countless varieties of those 'Otome Games'? In that case, isn't it possible it was just someone with the same name as me...?」

True, if you searched every otome game out there, you’d probably find more than a few princes named "Christopher." But that wasn't it.

「That character’s full name is 'Christopher Alan Fairfax.'」

Chris went blank and fell silent. I felt bad, but the shocking facts of the otome game were far from over.

「And the name of the game’s protagonist is 'Fiorina Staden.'」

Chris was now completely stunned. He started to open his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

「The game begins when the protagonist, the daughter of an Earl named Fiorina, participates in a castle party for the first time. Being at the castle for the first time, Fiorina gets lost and wanders into a garden somewhere on the grounds. While she is mesmerized by the beauty of the garden, someone calls out to her: 'What are you doing there?'」

「...Impossible... that’s...」

Stunned, Chris finally squeezed out a voice. I nodded.

「I suspect it’s exactly how the 'first' meeting between you and Lady Fiorina went.」

In that first time, Chris was exactly the "Arrogant, Flower-Brained Prince" I read about in the manga. The heroine was also a "fluffy, flower-brained girl who had just been adopted into an Earl's family."

When I heard about the "first time" from Chris, it matched my manga knowledge perfectly, so there was no mistake. ...Actually, the real Chris was quite a bit more "extreme" than the manga (game).

As I was thinking that, the stunned Chris murmured as if remembering something.

「In the game... what was... her end...?」

It was kind of Chris to worry about that first. At the same time, it showed just how much the fate of the heroine in the first loop had scarred his heart.

...Not that I could blame him.

「The game ends when 'romance with the target man is achieved.' Therefore, the protagonist and the Prince share their feelings, promise a future together, and it reaches the Ending.」

「I see...」

Well, because it ends there, it’s not strange for things to turn out "like that" afterward.

「...So, I knew about that game in my past life.」

「Right.」

「That’s why, when you proposed our engagement, I was like, 'The Prince from that game?! Why me?!'」

At my words, Chris murmured a small 「I see...」 and fell into thought once again.

Well, I can't blame him for being pensive.

The "Isekai Reincarnation" genre is overflowing in Japan, but it's completely unknown here.

As I waited for the brooding Chris to say something, he eventually let out a small breath and gave a wry smile.

「It’s... a difficult story to grasp.」

「I suppose so.」

Also, I'm sorry my explanation was so poor.

「Err... so for you, 'this world' was a 'world within a story' that you had seen and heard about in the 'otherworld' you lived in before... is that correct?」

「Yes.」

You say it's hard to grasp, but you understand it perfectly! You're brilliant, Chris!

「And the protagonist of that 'story' was Fiorina, and I appeared there as well...」

「That’s it.」

Perfect!

Talking to smart people is so easy and nice! They fill in the gaps of my lacking explanations themselves!

While I was admiring him, Chris narrowed his eyes slightly.

「I want to ask one thing...」

「Go ahead, ask as many as you like.」

I’m sure it’s all nonsense to him. I bet he has a ton of questions. ...Though I can't guarantee my brain can give him accurate answers.

I waited to see what he would ask, and Chris spoke with an incredibly serious expression and voice.

「What... were your impressions of the Prince in that 'story'...?」

Ugh! You’re going to ask that, Chris?!

What do I do? Do I tell the truth? Should I? ...Hmm...

Looking at Chris, he still had that incredibly serious face.

Hnn... Should I just say it? It’s just "impressions of a story," after all.

「This is strictly my 'impressions of the story,' okay? They have nothing to do with the Lord Chris sitting right here.」

「...Yes. I understand.」

...He said "I understand," but his tone sounded like it had a silent "(probably)" attached to the end... Oh well.

The impression I had of that "Arrogant, Flower-Brained Prince" was only one thing.

「I thought he was 'out of the question.'」

「...Meaning?」

「I thought, 'If this Prince becomes King, the country is doomed.' And, 'What on earth does the protagonist see in this Prince to call him wonderful?'」

「............I see.」

Ah! Chris hung his head!

「This has nothing to do with the current you!」

「Yeah... I know... I understand...」

With his head down, I heard a weak, 「Hahaha...」 laugh. It was scary.

「So... you... didn't like the 'Prince in the story'...」

「I hated him with a passion.」

「..................I see.」

Chris hung his head even lower, his reply barely audible.

I told you, I’m not talking about the current you! I’m talking about the Prince in a story from my past life! I love the current you! ...I kept insisting as I rubbed Chris’s slumped shoulders, and it took more than ten minutes before he finally looked up again...