Chapter 2

Estelle Moncast.

The one and only Imperial Princess of the Moncast Empire.

Yet no one—not even Estelle herself—knew that she was the princess.

Because as an infant, she had been kidnapped by unknown assailants and disappeared without a trace.

Ah, poor Estelle.

How frightened she must have been.

But don’t worry too much.

Fortunately, a traveling elf found and rescued her.

.

.

.

Raised with love under the elf’s protection, Estelle grew into a young girl.

One day, she happened to encounter the Commander of the Imperial Knights.

“Please take me beyond the forest!”

Estelle pleaded with him.

She felt guilty toward the elf who had raised her, but she couldn’t help wondering what the world outside the forest—the place where she had been born—was like.

The Commander of the Imperial Knights nodded.

He brought her out of the forest…

And came to find you.

“I entrust this child to your care. Please look after her until she becomes an adult.”

And so…

Estelle came into your care.

Her future depends entirely on how you raise her.

She may return to the Imperial Palace and inherit the throne.

Or she may live an ordinary life, never learning the truth.

Everything…

depends on your choices.

* * *

I stared out the window at the bright morning sun shining beneath a cloudless blue sky.

“The sun’s already up… This is driving me crazy.”

That’s right.

I hadn’t slept a single minute all night.

The reason was the girl who had moved into my little home yesterday.

“It wasn’t reincarnation… I possessed a character. I actually possessed one…”

The very game I’d been thinking about moments before my death.

The child-raising simulation game where every decision led to a different ending.

.

Why hadn’t I realized it sooner?

I’d spent the entire night pulling at my hair trying to figure it out.

Only after a small pile of brown hair had accumulated in front of me did I finally arrive at two conclusions.

The first reason was…

my name.

In Raise Your Daughter, the player character’s name is never revealed.

The protagonist simply calls you “Mom.”

Besides, “Reina” was an incredibly common name.

It was the equivalent of having several students named Ji-hye, Min-seo, or Seo-yeon in every class.

If my name had been something unusual like Adelheid or Casieloa, I might have suspected something.

The second reason…

was my age.

In the game, Estelle met the player when she was fourteen…

Which means…

There’s barely any age difference between us.

Sure, I was older than Estelle.

But I’d only just reached adulthood myself.

Whether in reality or in a game, even if we weren’t related by blood…

I was ridiculously young to have a fourteen-year-old daughter.

“Wait a second… Is it really okay for someone my age to raise Estelle? Just because I’ve lived a few more years?”

Parents are supposed to take responsibility for raising their children.

No matter how talented I was with kids, this was different.

At the village school, I only watched children for a few hours each day.

Parents did it twenty-four hours a day.

Every single day.

Can I really raise her well?

I recalled the Estelle from my previous life, though the memories had grown blurry.

The adorable little girl who blushed shyly the day we first met.

Her appearance gradually maturing from cute and playful into elegant and composed as she grew older.

And finally…

The day she became an adult, found a profession, left me a letter, and moved out to begin her own life.

“…Come to think of it… I actually think I can do this.”

The more I remembered the Estelle on the other side of the monitor…

the more confident I became.

And it wasn’t baseless confidence.

How many times have I raised that girl already?!

Other than the one Emperor Ending I’d never unlocked…

I’d completed fifty different endings.

If I counted all the failed routes and duplicate endings I’d seen through various events…

The number was much, much higher.

Thinking about that made me feel like I could handle this.

“That’s right. This time, I’ll raise her into the Emperor and finally see the ending I’ve always dreamed of.”

“Not through a screen…”

“But with my own eyes.”

How thrilling.

How exciting.

This was the greatest opportunity imaginable.

A chance granted by God to erase my last lingering regret.

“Yeah. If I don’t do it, who will? No one knows Estelle better than I do.”

I’ll raise her wonderfully.

Clenching both fists, I steeled my resolve.

“Ah! This isn’t the time for that. It’s morning. Estelle must be hungry—I should make her something.”

I jumped out of bed and rushed to the mirror.

After spending the whole night pulling at it, my hair was a complete disaster.

“What should I make for her~?”

Humming off-key, I quickly ran my fingers through the tangled mess before hurrying out of my room.

* * *

“Thank goodness… At least I still had these.”

I’d completely forgotten that I’d run out of groceries yesterday and had planned to go shopping today.

Seeing the pantry nearly empty had given me quite a scare.

Fortunately, there were still a few slices of bread and a couple of eggs tucked away in the corner.

Click.

Just as I set a plate of freshly made French toast on the table, Estelle’s bedroom door opened.

“Good morning.”

“Morning. You’re up early. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Thanks to your kindness.”

There wasn’t the slightest trace of sleepiness on Estelle’s face.

She’d apparently washed up already as well—her hair and skin still looked slightly damp.

She must have been awake for quite some time.

Pointing to the steaming French toast, I smiled.

“It’s nothing fancy, but I made enough for both of us. You arrived so late last night that I figured you’d be hungry. What do you think?”

“…”

After silently considering it for a moment, Estelle gave a small nod and sat across from me.

Clink. Clink.

The quiet dining room soon filled with the soft sounds of silverware.

I paused halfway through eating and secretly glanced at Estelle.

She’d looked adorable through a computer screen.

But seeing her in person…

she was even more beautiful.

Her silky pink hair, free of even the slightest curl, swayed gently whenever she moved.

The golden strands woven throughout it sparkled brilliantly whenever the sunlight touched them.

Her vivid green eyes beneath delicately upturned lashes looked as though they held nature itself.

Between them sat a perfectly shaped nose.

Her tiny mouth quietly chewed bite-sized pieces of toast.

Even the little hands skillfully holding her fork and knife were unbelievably cute.

She’s so pretty…

So adorable…!

Last night had been dark, and she’d been wearing her cloak.

I hadn’t gotten a good look at her then.

But now…

Her lovely face was impossible to miss.

So from now on… she’ll call me Mom, just like she did in the game.

Ugh… Just imagining it makes my heart ache.

Especially whenever she’d smile brightly while calling,

“Mom!”

My heart had always overflowed.

And when my grown-up daughter finally left home…

I’d felt both proud and heartbroken.

Like a real parent sending their child into the world.

That’s right.

I’d been her guardian ever since then.

Even if there wasn’t much of an age difference between us…

I knew one thing for certain.

I could raise this child better than anyone.

Even better than my past self.

“Ahem.”

Trying to break the silence, I cleared my throat.

Estelle looked up from her toast.

“Is the French toast good?”

“Yes.”

“It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad.”

Meeting her eyes, I smiled warmly.

Leaning toward her slightly, I continued gently.

“Everything happened so suddenly yesterday that we never properly introduced ourselves. You probably already know this, but my name is Reina.”

“Reina Morris.”

“You can call me whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Yes, Miss Morris.”

In the game she’d always called me “Mom.”

But hearing that in real life would probably feel strange, so I’d decided to leave the choice of address up to her.

Still…

“Miss Morris.”

It sounded so distant.

I should’ve just told her to call me Reina.

For some reason, that stung.

“Mr. Claude told me a little about you yesterday, but there are still so many things I’d like to know. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

At my question, Estelle quietly set down her utensils.

Then she nodded without a word.

“How old are you now? Fourteen?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“Where have you been living all this time?”

“In the forest.”

“The forest? That’s amazing! What did you usually do there?”

“I gathered medicinal herbs.”

“And I took care of injured animals.”

“You’re such a kind girl, Estelle.”

I couldn’t help imagining little Estelle nursing wounded animals.

A tiny, adorable girl taking care of creatures even smaller than herself…

The image was almost unbearably cute.

I secretly pressed a hand against my chest.

“It must be confusing coming here after living in the forest. Everything’s probably unfamiliar.”

“But don’t worry.”

“If there’s anything difficult or anything you don’t understand, I’ll help you.”

Looking down, I noticed Estelle’s plate was completely clean.

Thankfully, she’d enjoyed the French toast.

“Oh! Would you like a snack later this afternoon? Is there anything you especially like?”

I stacked our empty plates together and was just about to stand up when—

“You don’t have to prepare anything for me.”