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Chapter : 03. The Truth Is, I Was Reborn as a Baby (2)
“Not sleeping? What a naughty child.”
Hey, you’re a kid too.
“And you’ve kicked all your blankets off. Hah.”
“Waaah…”
“What, do you have a complaint? I came all the way here myself to check on you.”
We’re probably not even that far apart in age, but I don’t like how you act all grown up and superior. You’re a child too. From an adult’s perspective, babies and kids all look the same.
Through the bars of the crib, I could see the child’s face.
My eyes had more or less adjusted to the darkness, but my vision wasn’t good enough to make out his features clearly.
What a shame. It would have been a feast for the eyes.
“I didn’t tell anyone about the wolf.”
How old are you? You’re quite articulate.
“I thought it would cause a huge commotion.”
And quick-witted too.
“Ah, not for you. For me. They’d nag me endlessly for going somewhere dangerous.”
So despite looking well-behaved, you’re actually a troublemaker.
“That wolf definitely had an arrow in its leg, you know? I followed the blood trail.”
“Ung?”
“But when I saw it later, it was completely fine…”
“……”
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Ueh?”
I know absolutely nothing.
“They say healing magic is something only high-ranking priests can barely perform.”
The handsome face pressed against the crib suddenly came into sharp focus.
He was handsome and cute, but there was something suspiciously sly about him.
Ha, haha.
So he’s a prince? His presence is certainly something else.
“How exactly did that happen? Hmm?”
“Waaah…”
As expected, a baby’s greatest weapon is crying!
“Don’t pretend to cry.”
Ah, what do you want me to do then?
I hadn’t decided whether to laugh or cry, so even without seeing it, my expression was probably strange.
I still hadn’t seen myself in a mirror, but I was sure I was adorable. Yet he wasn’t even remotely affected.
What a cold-hearted brat…
“You understand everything I’m saying, don’t you? The Duke told me you’re only three months old.”
Gah.
“See? You understood that. That just makes you even more suspicious.”
“……”
“You’re suspicious, but I’ll let it slide.”
The child grinned.
Well, thank you very much…
“Because I found you.”
What do you mean, “you”? I’m a person!
I’m human! A person, Your Highness!
Whether he was a prince or an imperial prince, it was obvious from his words and actions that he’d grown up spoiled.
When I was your age, my dad used to brag to everyone that Yeona was so good at greeting people.
“I wanted to raise you myself, but your parents showed up, which was a little disappointing.”
You weren’t trying to return me…?
How is a child supposed to raise another child?
Leave that to adults!
You might be a prince and have lots of money, but raising a child takes much more than that!
“It’s safe now, so sleep well.”
As though that was the only reason he’d come, the child stretched out his short arm and patted my head.
“Ow, ah…”
“I’ve been kidnapped a lot too.”
Honestly, it hurt because he couldn’t control his strength.
But his proud smile was so cute that all my complaints melted away like snow.
‘You came all the way here just to tell me that?’
You’re a child yourself.
You’re only five years old at most.
‘Though calling him a child feels strange. Maybe it’s because he’s an imperial prince. He speaks so clearly. And he’s so arrogant.’
Must be the result of intensive royal education.
Kids should act like kids.
‘Wait, if I say that, doesn’t it mean I have to act like a child too?’
There can be mature children too.
I lowered my standards.
Go ahead and act as mature as you want, little brat!
The more you do that, the more blankets you’ll kick holes through when you grow up!
I’ve lived through it all before!
“Ah, that annoying person followed me.”
I guarantee that this “annoying person” is a human being too.
“Guess I should go. Sigh…”
The child let out a sigh and looked surprisingly tired.
Watching him hurry away from the crib, I was suddenly reminded of just how young he really was.
As the distance increased, I could see how small he actually was.
And right now, I was even smaller than him.
“Oh, right.”
The child stopped and turned around.
“My name is Raven. Remember it, got it?”
Let’s be honest here.
What would a three-month-old baby understand?
I wasn’t going to answer.
“Hey. Answer me.”
“……”
“If you don’t answer right now—”
“Bbaa! Bba!”
Sob… my pride.
Several months passed after that.
About three months, I think.
“Do your best, Lady Shana!”
Grunting, I pushed with all my strength!
Push! Push!
Uwaaaah!
I crawled!
I moved by myself!
It was more like an inchworm’s crawl, but still!
“Wow! Woooow!”
“Everyone, applaud!”
“Wooooow!”
Clap clap clap.
A storm of applause erupted.
At the same time, all the strength drained from my body and I collapsed onto the floor.
“Huff… haa…”
“Lady Shana, you’re tired, aren’t you? Here, here. Would you like some water? Shall I hold you?”
“Maria, let her rest as she is.”
The reaction made it seem as though I’d just won a gold medal.
These people had been like this even when I first learned to roll over…
Maria and Bailey in particular looked moments away from crying tears of joy.
Please don’t cry…
I only crawled…
“Sob… Lady Shana, you’ve grown so much already…”
I just crawled…
“You’re only six months old! Yet already so grown-up!”
If an adult crawled around on their stomach, there’d be a serious problem…
“And that’s not all, Maria. Our Lady Shana already understands everything we say!”
“That’s right! Isn’t she amazing?”
“A month and three days ago, she said ‘Bbaa!’ to His Grace the Duke!”
“M-My goodness!”
Are these people trying to kill me from embarrassment…?
“And a month and a week ago, she already called the Duchess ‘Maa!’ Our young lady is a genius!”
“Exactly!”
Just kill me instead…
Lying on my stomach, I clenched my fists and trembled.
I didn’t need to see my face to know it had turned bright red.
This endless shower of embarrassing praise happened several times a day, and honestly…
It was becoming unbearable.
The worst part was that they meant every word!
They weren’t mocking me at all!
“There’s more! When Lady Shana takes her naps, Bailey reads books, doesn’t she?”
“Do you have a problem with that? I still pay attention to Lady Shana.”
“No, that’s not what I mean! You fall asleep while reading!”
“……”
Yep, she does.
Bailey always pretended she didn’t, but everyone knew.
Her cheeks turned red.
“Th-That day I was t-t-tired…”
“Yes, anyway, while you were sleeping, Lady Shana showed interest in the book.”
“Oh my.”
“She practically begged me to bring it to her…”
“…If Lady Shana asked for it, then it couldn’t be helped. Good job, Maria.”
“Right?”
I want to cover my ears.
“So I brought her the book!”
“No way!”
“And then she frowned like this!”
Maria furrowed her pretty brows and made a fierce expression.
But Maria was so naturally cute that even her angry face looked adorable.
Ah, so cute.
It reminded me of the moment my hopes had been completely shattered.
Since I could understand speech, I’d wondered if I’d also be able to read letters just by looking at them.
I couldn’t.
‘It felt like someone was laughing at me and saying, “Isn’t understanding speech enough?”‘
Looks like I’d have to study the alphabet the normal way.
“She looked so serious! Like she was actually reading it!”
“Oh my goodness! How precious!”
“Our Lady Shana is a genius!”
Please be quiet.
Please just leave me alone…
I covered my ears and groaned.
Unlike my mature adult consciousness, whenever I opened my mouth, only things like “Kkyu!” or “Bbaa!” came out.
Nothing dignified.
So I generally tried not to make any sounds.
“But she never actually speaks in front of us…”
“Could it be because she doesn’t have friends her age…?”
“Don’t say things like that. You know how strict the selection process was for us.”
“I know…”
“His Grace the Duke is not someone who compromises when it comes to Lady Shana’s safety. He won’t tolerate even the slightest possibility of danger. Until she’s older, forget friends—”
“But still… won’t Lady Shana be terribly lonely?”
“That’s why we’re here, to keep her company.”
I’m not lonely.
That’s actually the problem.
I’m so not lonely that it’s become a problem.
Trying to make friends for me by throwing me into a group of babies would be far worse.
‘We can’t even communicate. What kind of friendship is that…?’
With Bailey, Maria, and Ella chatting beside me all day long, I was closer to being annoyed than lonely.
Bailey, Maria, and Ella were the people who took care of me.
Since my parents were busy, they spent all day playing with me and looking after me.
Among them, Bailey was around my mother’s age. She had given birth around the same time and was serving as my wet nurse.
My mother was frail and didn’t produce enough milk, so I ended up nursing from Bailey more often than from my own mother.
Breastfeeding is sacred.
I’m not embarrassed.
Nope.
‘I hope she doesn’t suffer.’
My mother in my previous life had also been physically weak and frequently ill.
Is it fate that every woman who gives birth to me ends up frail?
‘If only I could heal Mother the way I healed that wolf…’
I wanted to use that healing ability—the one Raven, that arrogant little brat, had talked about.
But after that, I hadn’t managed to do anything.
‘Logically speaking, how often does an injured person end up around a baby?’
And I wasn’t just any baby.
I was the only daughter of a Duke, who had been kidnapped by my mother’s former nurse and abandoned in a snowfield when I was only three months old.
That’s right.
A Duke.
A real Duke…
This was what people would call a fantasy world.
I had been reborn into the Wentworth Ducal House of the Empire of Bayard, the nation with the largest territory on the continent of El Campa.
My name was Shana Perry Wentworth.
Six months old.
A treasured jewel beyond compare.
“Quickly! Bring His Grace the Duke and the Duchess! They have to witness Lady Shana’s crawling!”
“Yes! Right away!”
Maria dashed off immediately.
I’ve been living like this for three months already.
Something like this won’t kill me from embarrassment anymore.
I’ve grown stronger!
“Now then, Lady Shana! Shall we lie down again?”
“Bbyaaa!”
I’ve grown stronger…
But I still hate the crib!
