IRGS 32

Chapter 32

“I regressed and ended up with a son” Episode 31

What you couldn’t do before becoming able to do is not a problem. Nor is it a problem to learn what you didn’t know.

But what if something you were originally known to be good at suddenly, for no reason at all, drops sharply in skill?

That would be a problem.

Before my regression, Leonie and I were more or less evenly matched in most fields. However, there were a few areas where I could confidently say I was better.

One of them was foreign languages.

The Kruidenn Empire is broadly divided into Central, North (North Kruidenn), and West Kruidenn. North Kruidenn is called “Noiden,” and West Kruidenn is called “Weerden” for short.

Although Noiden and Weerden are grouped under “Kruidenn,” they are effectively vassal states with their own languages and political systems. And around this time, I was fluent in both Noiden and Weerden languages.

When I was sixteen, a grand banquet was held to celebrate the Emperor’s 40th birthday. At that time, the imperial palace held a pre-dinner concert for foreign guests.

The person in charge of directing that concert representing the Empire was my youngest sibling, Eluise.

Eluise was only twelve years old at the time! Yet no one in the imperial court questioned this, which was perhaps the most impressive thing about her.

The problem was that the crown prince of the Kingdom of Noiden was also attending the concert. The royal couple, who had long been childless, adored their late-born son.

That little crown prince was six years old, and the concert would last about two hours. For a child, it was a long and boring event, so the imperial court was in a panic.

The solution they came up with was to assign me as the crown prince’s play companion.

There were several reasons: I was Princess Eluise’s older sister, I was roughly the same age as the prince, and my mother was the First Princess, so I was broadly considered part of the imperial family. Most importantly, I was fluent in Noiden.

My role was to sit beside the crown prince throughout the concert and explain the performance to him in Noiden.

The little crown prince was shy. Perhaps the veil covering his face made it even worse. In the Noiden royal family, there was a tradition that children did not show their faces to anyone outside the family until their eighth birthday.

Despite his young age, the prince had a sharp mind and excellent musical sensitivity.

“Earlier one looked the same, but the sound is different.”

“Ah, you can tell the sounds apart? That’s amazing. The first one was a clarinet, and this one is an oboe. See how this one is held higher?”

“I think so.”

“And their shapes are slightly different too. The clarinet’s mouthpiece looks like a bird’s beak, while the oboe is thinner, like a bird’s tail.”

“I’m not really sure I can see it here.”

“Let’s go backstage later. I’ll show you up close.”

The King and Queen of Noiden were extremely pleased, and at the subsequent reception they openly praised me.

“Our son usually only enjoys watching martial arts displays and cannot sit still through such concerts, but this is impressive.”

“Really? He usually doesn’t even speak to strangers. And Lady Bartoli’s Noiden language skills are truly remarkable. I heard everything from beside her. Now greet her properly, my son.”

The little crown prince peeked out from behind his mother and greeted me with just a nod. I remember seeing his large eyes briefly through the shifting veil. He really was adorable.

Unfortunately, the adorable crown prince and his parents were never seen again after that. The following year, both the King and Queen died in a mysterious accident.

The seven-year-old crown prince disappeared and was later found dead.

The throne of Noiden was taken by the prince’s cousin—the youngest monarch in Noiden’s history, and a man suspected of being behind the deaths of the previous royal couple.

At the time, the Empire was divided over whether to send congratulations for his ascension.

Anyway, what mattered here was that I had once been extremely fluent in foreign languages!

But language deteriorates if not used. Since I did not become Empress, I had no opportunity to use foreign languages, and by the time I died, I had almost completely forgotten them.

So now, at twenty-one years old, Bartoli—who should have been fluent in Noiden and Weerden—could barely manage baby-level babbling.

A banquet for the Empress’s birthday was coming up. I would have to meet various nobles and foreign guests, and if I happened to need foreign languages there, it would be a disaster.

So I needed to quickly recover my language skills before then.

But hiring a tutor would risk information leaking—especially to Leonie. That was absolutely unacceptable.

So I decided to cram-study using books.

That was how I ended up having a place to visit.

“I’m going to ‘Kennis.’”

Kennis—the god of knowledge and scholarly pursuit. Of course, I wasn’t referring to visiting the god himself.

Named after him was:

“The largest bookstore in the Empire.”

“That’s right.”

I had actually wanted to visit for a while, and now I finally had a good excuse.

Kennis’s husband is Gudrud, the god of persistence and patience. It is said he courted Kennis for thousands of years before she accepted his proposal. Despite that, their relationship is said to be very good, and they have 33 children—30 of whom were actually born by the husband.

Even in the capital’s main commercial district there are bookstores, but those are retail shops focused on popular books. Kennis, on the other hand, is more like a wholesale supplier that distributes books to the capital.

Owen nodded.

“Then Kennis must have everything. What books do you plan to buy?”

Since I couldn’t hide it anyway, it was better to be honest.

“I’m planning to buy Noiden and Weerden language books. They’re hard to find in the capital.”

“But aren’t you already fluent in both languages? You even served as interpreter for the Noiden royal family at the concert.”

I shrugged.

“I was, but if you don’t keep reviewing, you forget.”

Owen listened seriously, as if this were an important matter.

“I’ll remember your diligence.”

I was so focused on not appearing suspicious that I failed to notice Owen had implied he had also been present at that concert.

“[Complete Mastery of Noiden from Basics to Advanced], [History and Culture of the Kingdom of Weerden], [100 Practical Weerden Phrases].”

Arne carefully read out the book titles in the middle of the bookstore.

They were the books I had chosen. I clapped excitedly.

“Arne, you can read difficult words so well! You’re really smart.”

“It’s nothing special.”

Given his etiquette and education, he seemed to have received high-level training before coming here. For his age, his vocabulary was impressive.

“What book would you like, Arne?”

“Hmm—I want a history book. The history of the Kruidenn Empire.”

An unexpected choice. But I didn’t say anything and simply picked out the book and placed it into Owen’s arms.

“Mom, I’m going to look around on my own.”

Huh?

Before I could respond, Arne slipped through the crowd like the wind. The edge of his cloak disappeared into the distance.

“Arne…?”

“Don’t worry about me!”

The boy headed toward shelves filled with children’s picture books and foreign publications.

Would he be okay alone?

…Well, maybe he needed some time alone. Constantly being together might be overprotective. He wasn’t a very small child, and he was quite mature.

I kept track of his position with my eyes.

The bookstore “Kennis” was truly magnificent. At the entrance stood a statue of the god Kennis. Beneath it was carved:

“To those who seek truth, we offer reverence.”

The bookstore, as large as the capital’s Pantheon, stirred anticipation from the outside alone.

Inside, it did not disappoint. A towering interior with three floors of stair-connected space. Bookshelves covering every wall, filled with what seemed like tens of thousands of volumes. Clerks using ladders to retrieve books. The smell of paper filling the lungs. The sound of pages turning. The sound of ladders moving.

It felt overwhelming in the best way. Surely even the god Kennis would love this.

Owen quietly approached and stood beside me. We wore gray cloaks to avoid being recognized.

“I didn’t know you liked books.”

“Of course I do. Well… I’ve also had to read books I didn’t like sometimes.”

Due to imperial empress training.

Owen nodded.

“There is a good library in the ducal estate as well. It has been collected since before the empire’s unification, so it is quite large.”

“Really?!”

“If you’d like, you may visit sometime. I had forgotten, but we originally planned to place a tea table in it.”

A tea table, in a library, reading books while having tea.

“Would the table be white?”

“Yes, round and white.”

My heart began to race.

“Did you also plan to put a carpet on the floor?”

Owen answered seriously.

“Of course.”

“A warm color?”

“Yes, warm and dark-toned.”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.