《The Reincarnated Young Lady Decided to Change Common Sense》


 Prologue

    I loved to travel.


    I had heard people say that life was a nasty game, but for me, wandering around overseas was a real RPG.


    I was always an otaku, a total indoor person who mostly watched anime, read books, or played games when I was in Japan.


    Was it after watching a certain anime in which a girl somewhere traveled around on a talking motorcycle (Kino no Tabi)?


    Or perhaps it was long ago when I admired the sight of a grand thief¡¯s lover straddling a motorcycle and riding off in style¡­.


    I couldn¡¯t quite recall, but I would say that by the time I was in high school, I was already obsessed with the urge to travel the world with great interest.


    I was uncertain if it was an escape from reality, but while I was still immersed in anime, books, and video games, I was steadily preparing for a trip around the world.


    My high school studies had been disastrous, but I took my English language studies seriously.


    I also dabbled in Chinese and Spanish to the point where I could hold a conversation.


    I also started taking Tai Chi seriously, something I had been doing with my grandfather since elementary school because I thought it would be good for my physical fitness and self-defense.


    It was also when I was in high school that I took the plunge and began learning the tea ceremony after reading a book about an experience in which someone was asked about Japanese culture abroad and felt that they knew nothing about their own country.


    In college, while preparing for traveling, I saved up money for the trip by working as a tutor and teaching junior high school students at a private cram school.


    Incidentally, I had studied relatively seriously as a middle school student, but I had changed into a complete idiot by the time I entered high school, so I could not work with high school students, no matter how high the hourly wage was.


    Also, I got a motorcycle license! After all, traveling should be done on a motorcycle!


    After graduating from college, I set off on my long-awaited trip while everyone else around me was getting jobs.


    The trip was fun¡­ I think.


    The ruins and castles often seen in games, the deserts and jungles, and the horizon that seemed to go on forever, seemed to be a natural part of the trip.


    To be honest, it was tough at times, and there were times when I actually almost died, but¡­


    No, I actually died¡­ yes, me.

 CH 1

    Eh, did I become a Baby?


    Since a moment ago, I feel like I was suffocating¡­


    Oh, no! I couldn¡¯t breathe! I¡¯m dying!!


    I was struggling desperately, feeling like I was drowning in the water¡­


    Suddenly, I felt someone¡¯s hand supporting my body and scooping me up out of the water¡­


    I rushed to pump a lot of air into my lungs¡­


    I had an irresistible urge to scream out loud, and I was screaming as instinct dictated!


    ¡°Ogya!!!¡±


    Huh? That was weird.


    As I would expect, ¡°ogya¡± wouldn¡¯t be a good choice. I mean, I was not a baby.


    Even I, who had abandoned my precious feminine power in some developing country, thought it was a bad call.


    At the very least, ¡°waaaa¡± or ¡°woo~¡± or even ¡°wooah~¡± would be much more tolerable¡­.


    Anyway, ¡°ogyaa¡± was not acceptable.


    I would like to know where I was¡­.


    ¡­I was not in the desert, right?


    Drowning in the desert¡­


    Yeah, that would be possible that he plunged head first into a pile of sand.


    My vision was blurred, and I couldn¡¯t see my surroundings clearly¡­


    Meanwhile, I was being held by a huge person, washed, wrapped in a clean cloth, and laid on a bed.


    All the while, I was completely helpless.


    Because my arms and legs were so heavy, I was unable to move them at all.


    I felt like a person in need of assistance.


    After a while, various people (all giants!) came to me. They looked at me closely and brushed me lightly.


    From the sound of their voices, it sounded like some were men and some were women.


    However, since they all seemed to be friendly toward me (I could somehow guess this from my long travel experience), there seemed to be no big problem at the moment.


    Well, I have been trying my best to grip my hands, but I could hardly do anything with them, so I guess I would have to ask these people to protect me for now.


    A few days passed (by sense) while I was bedridden like that, and my vision started to become gradually clear today.


    It was about time to accept the reality.


    Yes, it would appear that I had become a baby.


    You know, not that ¡°I¡¯m a child with an adult brain¡± thing.


    Though I have passed the child stage and reverted to being a baby.


    I wondered if I had been snorting some kind of weird drug from an Arabic country.


    Anyway, it seemed to be an undeniable fact that I was now a baby.


    The people around me did not seem to want to harm me at all, which was a relief, at least.


    Whatever the case may be, I couldn¡¯t escape what I had become.


    For now, I had nothing to do, I was sleepy, and I would think about it again when I woke up.

 CH 2

    End of a Journey


    Today, I looked in the mirror for the first time.


    More precisely, I saw my reflection in the mirror.


    I had beautiful skin, pink hair, purple eyes, a slender nose, big eyes, a small mouth, and a clear complexion.


    What a cute girl! I was so cute.


    I could say it with certainty.


    I was sure the girl in the reflection would turn out to be a beauty!


    All babies were supposed to be cute, right?


    Were they all the same?


    No, no, that¡¯s not true.


    My mother showed me a picture of me as a baby, saying, ¡°You were pretty when you were little, too¡± and to tell the truth, I was ugly.


    That was a shock to me¡­


    Similarly, the picture of a certain beautiful idol girl I saw on TV when she was a baby looked cute even to me, a self-proclaimed child hater who thought small children were troublesome.


    I always thought that a beautiful girl who was recognized by everyone would be beautiful from the time she was a baby, regardless if she was an ordinary person with not much difference from other girls.


    From my point of view, the lovely baby in the mirror was definitely a ¡°beautiful girl¡±.


    The baby in the mirror reached out her hand to meet mine, as I fearfully reached out mine.


    She made the same movement as I did.


    Was this cute little girl me?


    The baby me that I had been shown in the past was not this cute.


    Or rather, I was ugly.


    I didn¡¯t have pink hair and purple eyes because I wasn¡¯t in an anime.


    Although, I was now surrounded by people with all kinds of hair color and eyes.


    The woman who often accompanied me was a beautiful woman with crimson hair and crimson eyes, and the man who came in the morning and at night had dark blue hair and deep purple eyes.


    The other women who took care of me in various ways also had brown hair, green hair, blonde hair? And Ocher? It varied¡­


    Anyway, there were many people who looked like they would never have this natural hair color.


    I was thinking that people here were all flashy.


    But when I thought about it, there was not a single country I had traveled to where everyone¡¯s hair was this colorful, let alone at an event.


    The clothes were also unfamiliar to me, which gave me a strange illusion that I was at a festival, but when I thought about it, the people here were strange.


    Not just in the way people were dressed or the way they looked.


    I couldn¡¯t understand their language at all.


    I had traveled to many countries.


    Even if I didn¡¯t know the language of a country, I would learn at least greetings if I had to.


    However, the language spoken by the people here was completely unfamiliar to me.


    At least, none of the countries I visited had a language with a similar atmosphere to the one spoken by these people.


    The hair and eyes that seemed to be out of the norm.


    A language I did not recognize at all.


    And, crucially, my appearance as a beautiful girl (beautiful infant) reborn¡­


    Yes, I had been completely reincarnated.


    This was not a great detective story, but a reincarnation into another world¡­


    So, that means I died, right?


    When?


    The last thing I remembered of my trip was riding my motorcycle on a desert road¡­


    I didn¡¯t remember anything after that.


    Did I die at that time?


    Once I got out of the oasis, I could count on one hand the number of times I passed cars or people on my bike in a day¡¯s ride¡­


    So, a car accident would not be a likely scenario.


    ¡­Oh, a mugger!


    I heard that there were robbers who tackle foreign tourists on their bikes and rob them of their belongings when they fall down¡­


    Or worse, they were gunned down¡­


    I did remember hearing about a foreign tourist who was shot and killed in an ethnic conflict agitation, though the location was supposed to be far from that place¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    Because I was certain that I died.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    That night, I cried a lot for the first time since I came to this world.

 CH 3

    My Daughter is Super Cute! ~Alyssa¡¯s point of view~


    (Alyssa point of view)


    I am Alyssa.


    I am a nobleman with the title of Duke in Moshevni Magical Kingdom.


    In a sense.


    Because I used to be a commoner until just a few years ago.


    In short, I became a duke because I married David, the crown prince.


    For some reason, David wanted to marry me, but I refused!


    Because if a commoner becomes royalty, they would definitely be tormented.


    When I told him what I was concerned about, he said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be a son-in-law¡±.


    As expected, it was not good for a royal to be adopted as a son-in-law into a commoner¡¯s family, so a ducal family was created as a branch of the royal family, and our house became a Duke, even though it was an anomaly.


    Incidentally, in this country¡¯s aristocratic system, aristocracy was granted based on the blood of each individual, so I normally would not become a duke just because I married David.


    However, the Dukedom was created as a special measure to accommodate David¡¯s selfishness in marrying me, a Commoner. So, I was also appointed as a duke, not only David.


    Well, that is not really what I care about.


    My daughter Amelia, who was born recently, is super cute!


    She is adorable! She is so cute!


    She has clear skin and well-defined eyes and nose.


    Cute little mouth.


    Pink hair and pale purple eyes like amethyst.


    She looks like a spring cherry blossom floating in the morning mist that I once saw in Yamato Kingdom.


    David was frustrated¡­or rather, uneasy, when he saw Amelia¡¯s light-colored hair and eyes.


    In general, those with light-colored hair and eyes tend to have less magic power, you see.


    I don¡¯t mind it, though.


    The Moshevni Magic Kingdom is a country where magical power is supreme.


    To put it bluntly, it is founded on the power of magic exclusively.


    The citizens, who have a much higher amount of magic power than those in other countries, make money by exporting magic stones that can only be obtained in the Moshevni Magic Kingdom, and it is filled with magic power.


    No matter how much magic power a person spends, as long as they are alive, it will return on its own, even if they are sleeping.


    Those with high magical powers are like those born with a magic purse that produces gold coins.


    Well, they don¡¯t work, usually.


    Here, let me explain the social structure of this country.


    First, the government collects all the magic power of the people as taxes.


    Otherwise, people would sell their own magical power for a living instead of working.


    However, it is not necessarily true that it is meaningless to not have a high magic power.


    The minimum wage in this country is half of the amount of each person¡¯s magical power.


    Therefore, the higher the magical power, the higher the salary.


    And since those with high magical power are guaranteed a high salary from the start, they naturally do not work diligently.


    The only people who work diligently are those with little magical power, who cannot live on magical power alone.


    Of course, there are those who want to earn more money, those who like the work itself, and also those who are highly conscious of their work.


    But, on a whole, people in this country, especially the aristocrats with high magical power, have a lot of strange pride and do not want to work.


    This is my impression, having been taken around other countries by my father when I was a child.


    The world does not revolve around a simple amount of magical power, you know.


    For this reason, I don¡¯t care much about it, but as a former Royal, my husband, who has never left this country and reigns at the top of the value system of the magic power supremacy, seems quite concerned about the fact that his child may not have enough magic power.


    Nevertheless, he seems to adore his daughter beyond reason, and for what it¡¯s worth, ever since she was born, no matter how busy he is with work, he will always have time to pay her a visit even if he had to stay overnight in the Royal Palace.


    He usually says in a proud tone, ¡°It is the job of nannies and maidservants to take care of children of the nobility, and it is not good for parents to be so close to their children¡± despite his contradicting action.


    Does he think I am unaware of his actions?


    That he comes to visit his daughter every morning and every night while I am away from home, and fondles her with his slack-jawed face.


    Next time, I will put a mirror next to Amelia¡¯s bed.


    If only he would realize the reality of what a supposedly strict nobleman actually looks like when he interacts with his daughter¡­.


    (Oh, no. Amelia will be scared.)


    Remembering Amelia¡¯s condition last night, I hurriedly abandoned the attempt.


    Amelia had never cried the night before, but the fact that she was crying non-stop all night long made me a little upset, but at the same time I was relieved to know that Amelia was just a normal baby.


    (Still, Amelia looked so cute at that time!)


    Last night, while taking a bath, Amelia accidentally discovered her reflection in the mirror and was astonished to see her eyes wide open.


    Amelia was so cute that I almost screamed as she fearfully reached for the mirror and gazed in wonder at her reflection, which moved in time with her own movements.


    It was not only me, but also the other attendants who were with her, desperately holding back their expressions as they looked at her in agony.


    Well, I am surprised that Amelia, who has been silent for a long time, suddenly started crying more loudly than ever before after we returned to the room a while later.


    It¡¯s natural for babies to cry.


    She¡¯s been too quiet until now.


    I was so busy last night that I completely forgot about Amelia¡¯s reaction when she was in front of the mirror!


    I¡¯ll definitely have to brag about it to David.

 CH 4

    First, Understand the Current Situation


    After crying a lot last night, I feel much calmer.


    It is a privilege of babies to be able to cry as hard as they can without any hesitation.


    I think this is the first time in my memory that I have cried so much without any shame or embarrassment.


    Maybe that¡¯s why I have changed my mood so much in just one night.


    I still have plenty of hard feelings about not being able to go back to my old world and not being able to see my family again.


    However, I also feel a sense of excitement similar to when I start a new game or leave Japan, so I think I¡¯m going to be okay for now.


    Now, let¡¯s start the new game.


    I guess I¡¯ll start by understanding the current situation.


    Okay, let¡¯s start with the status.


    ¡°Status Open!¡±


    ¡°Window Open¡±


    Item Box Open.


    ¡­


    Yeah, it doesn¡¯t work.


    I was not serious about it.


    I just thought I should check just in case.


    I didn¡¯t die during a game in the first place, so there¡¯s no way it ended with this setting.


    So, what else can we expect as a benefit of reincarnation?


    So-called ¡°cheat ability¡±?


    For now, I¡¯m going to concentrate on the center of my body, the Power, and the flow of magical power inside my body¡­


    As expected, I don¡¯t feel anything.


    I feel some heat, but it¡¯s the same heat I felt when I was practicing tai chi in my previous world, so technically it¡¯s not a flow of chi, but just a blood circulation effect.


    When I focus my attention on a part of my body, it is quite natural to feel a sense of heat from that part, and that¡¯s why I also have magic power! I have magic power!


    Yes, I¡¯m still trying to escape from reality.


    Since something fantastical like reincarnation into another world actually happened, reality, fantasy, and wishful thinking are all mixed up together.


    I have to keep my cool here.


    For now, I don¡¯t think my life is in danger.


    Everyone here is very kind.


    From the looks of it, the standard of living here seems fairly high.


    The rooms are spacious and not too dirty.


    Medieval Europe?


    It¡¯s not exactly the kind of setting you often see in otherworldly fantasies.


    It¡¯s more like a Western-style retro house from the Meiji era.


    It¡¯s basically Western, but with a subtle Asian feel.


    The clothes, too. The clothes are surprisingly simple, not like a dress, similar to the Ao Dai and Chinese clothes I saw in Vietnam.


    It looks like a traditional costume without much embroidery or fancy decoration.


    Yes, I think it¡¯s pretty cool.


    But that kind of clothing is not suitable for everyone.


    What should I do?


    I can¡¯t do anything.


    I¡¯m a baby right now!


    I¡¯m going to grow up to be a super beautiful girl, so I¡¯m totally fine with that kind of clothing¡­ probably.


    So, that person with red hair is reading a book, right?


    Well, well¡­ for now, that confirms that there are books in this world.


    That¡¯s a relief.


    I can¡¯t imagine a world without books.


    I won¡¯t ask for anime or video games, but I can¡¯t comfortably become a NEET in a world without at least some books.


    Well, you see, being a NEET is a dream of life, you know?


    It¡¯s very high on my list of things I want to be in the future.


    Well, I don¡¯t really have to worry about that.


    The lights¡­ they¡¯re not candles or gas lamps, no matter how I look at it.


    I guess it¡¯s electricity.


    I don¡¯t see anything like a TV or radio.


    Maybe it¡¯s not yet developed?


    The windows are transparent.


    Currently, I don¡¯t know how advanced civilization is, but this must be a rich person¡¯s house.


    The standard of living is pretty high.


    The lodgings in some developing countries in the original world were 100 times worse than here.


    Mosquitoes, G¡¯s, ticks, music blaring as loud as a club all night long, the Koran playing loudly¡­


    I can¡¯t sleep at night in such a place! I thought¡­


    I am freaked out by the idea of transferring to another world, but actually, it might not be that bad at all.


    At any rate, it¡¯s safe, the accommodations seem comfortable, and I don¡¯t have to worry about money.


    No problem at all.


    Having regained my composure, I started to observe my surroundings again.


    The person with red hair sitting on the sofa reading a book over there is probably my mother.


    She often stays with me and treats me differently compared to the other women.


    I always feel like she is there for me because she wants to spend time with me, and not because she intends to take care of me.


    The other women are kind too, but the way they treat me is as if they are at work.


    Besides, the way the people around me responded to that red-haired person was obviously like how Maid-sans did.


    I¡¯m concerned that the red-haired person¡¯s response doesn¡¯t feel like the interaction you would expect of a Lord.


    But well, the fact that she was here and simply reads books instead of working shows that she is not just hired help.


    If an employee is doing something like that at work, their Master would be very angry with them.


    Okay, for now, the person with the red hair is my mother and the head of this place.


    And the other women are the maid-sans of the house.


    I guess I¡¯ll start by building relationships with them.


    Then, there is a man who often comes to the house in the morning and at night.


    Well, he doesn¡¯t look like a bad guy, and he¡¯s probably cool, but he¡¯s not my type of guy.


    The way he is treating me is a little annoying.


    But if he¡¯s my father, that means he¡¯s the husband of that red-haired person, and he¡¯s probably the most important person in this house, so¡­


    Yeah, let¡¯s try to play it safe.

 CH 5

    Am I a Noble? That Seems to be the Case


    My name is Amelia, and I am enjoying a comfortable reclusive life.


    Amelia seems to be my name in this life.


    Probably¡­ I am a bit convinced.


    I am frequently called by that word.


    I think it has been about a year since I started this life.


    When I first reincarnated, I was thinking about how I was going to pass the time with such a baby body that I couldn¡¯t move well.


    My fears were unfounded.


    Eating and sleeping, or rather drinking and sleeping, of course not with alcohol, but with milk, was unexpectedly comfortable.


    I mean, I can¡¯t stay awake for a long time, you know, this body of mine.


    Perhaps the baby¡¯s undeveloped brain can¡¯t handle the amount of information that my adult consciousness is trying to process.


    As a result, I become sleepy so quickly.


    ***


    Still, the length of time I can stay awake has been increasing recently.


    Also, my body has become much more mobile.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m into muscle training these days.


    The body is important for everything.


    Although I am not interested in sports at all, I have been training my body.


    Mainly for traveling.


    I am a below-average runner in short-distance running and marathon running, and I almost fall over when I step on a soccer ball, but I think I have the same level of physical strength as anyone else.


    I can walk all day long with a backpack on my back, and I can withstand the intense heat of the desert, which can easily exceed 40 degrees Celsius.


    By the way, the desert is hot as hell, but there is no humidity, so it is surprisingly comfortable.


    It is quite cool in the shade, and the heat is similar to the heat of an electric heater rather than a sweltering heat, so personally, I didn¡¯t mind it that much.


    Anyway, it was time for muscle training.


    First, stretching while turning over.


    Then push-ups. (My stomach was still stuck to the floor, though.)


    Then, a marathon (crawling).


    As expected, I can¡¯t do Tai Chi yet, but I can do Stands and Qigong exercises in a sitting position, so I¡¯m doing my best in these exercises as well.


    Open my hands wide, relax my shoulders and elbows, and relax all the extra strength in my body¡­ oh, I rolled backwards.


    This body is very hard to simply sit still, and it¡¯s very difficult to keep my balance.


    Well, let¡¯s not be in a hurry and do our best.


    *


    I feel that my reclusive life is coming to an end these days.


    Recently, I have been going out more and more.


    It¡¯s not that I want to go out, it¡¯s just that my mother and the attendants carry me around the mansion and the garden.


    It is what is called a walk.


    And then I found out something.


    I am a super-lady in this life!


    My house is huge, and I don¡¯t even know how big my garden is.


    I can¡¯t see any of the buildings outside or the walls of the house.


    You know, the kind where you need a carriage to get from the gate to the front door.


    I had a feeling that they must be rich, but to tell the truth, it was a different order of magnitude.


    I was so flustered that I switched to calling my mother ¡°mama¡± instead.


    Well, I can¡¯t actually speak yet, so it¡¯s only in my mind.


    There is no way that a person who lives in such a big house and uses many maids is an ordinary person.


    He must be an aristocrat or something like that.


    *


    Later that day, I was so excited about my first outing outside the mansion, and when I found out that I was being taken to the royal palace, I was even more convinced that I was a Noble.

 CH 6

    Royal Palace Visit ~Alyssa¡¯s Viewpoint~


    (Alyssa¡¯s Viewpoint)


    I am Alyssa.


    I am a duke and Amelia¡¯s mother.


    Today is my first outing with Amelia.


    This is the first time for me to show my daughter to my sister-in-law.


    (Should I keep my long-standing grudge? I should not let it go unresolved!)


    My sister-in-law Bella, who was pregnant six months earlier than me, would put on her motherly airs and look down on me¡­. (just paranoia)


    My husband David comes home early more and more these days¡­ (this one is true)


    Anyway, it was a hard time.


    My hard work has been rewarded¡­ no, I mean mental hard work!


    Anyway! I gave birth to a lovely, lovely daughter and became a mother.


    And now I am on my way to the royal palace for my first outing with my daughter.


    ¡­Yes, the royal palace.


    I don¡¯t like that place.


    Everyone is seemingly so bossy, and some of them are actually giving me nasty stares or making sarcastic remarks directly to me.


    To be frank, it makes me feel bad.


    Well, I¡¯m a former commoner, and I¡¯m known as the Red Witch of the Kingdom.


    What¡¯s this all about? Why even call me the Red Witch of the Kingdom?


    Nobles really like to exaggerate, don¡¯t they?


    It was David who just barged in my place on his own to marry me.


    It wasn¡¯t my purpose to come here in the first place, it was David and Father who were at fault.


    I¡¯m in a lot of trouble thanks to those magic geeks.


    Thinking of this, I look at my daughter in my arms.


    She is looking at the outside world with interest for the first time.


    The streets of the city are full of vitality and show that this is a prosperous country, even though it looks like a laid-back place.


    The buildings are generally built of stone, but wooden structures can also be seen.


    All the houses were solidly built, indicating the high level of technology in this country.


    The carriage slowly made its way through the streets toward the royal palace.


    Eventually, the carriage passed through a magnificent gate.


    Then, a number of large one-story buildings and the corridors connecting them appear.


    The carriage was parked in front of one of the most luxurious of the buildings.


    ¡°Now, here¡¯s the problem.¡±


    I took a deep breath to calm my mind, handed the girl in my hand to Samantha, the maid of honor, and slowly got out of the carriage.


    ¡°Welcome, Alyssa-sama.¡±


    Bella¡¯s handmaiden, who had met us at the entrance of the building, leads us to the back of the royal palace.


    And the malicious whispers we hear.


    ¡°¡­the Red Witch¡­¡±


    ¡°A commoner¡¯s daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­not much magic power¡­¡±


    And then a new malicious remark.


    ¡°What is that pale-haired baby¡­?¡±


    ¡°Is it her child?¡±


    ¡°What a shame, a child of Royal Blood.¡±


    Forget about it. I¡¯m used to it.


    But I won¡¯t allow you to insult my daughter!


    Just before I could snap, I arrived at the entrance to the king¡¯s living quarters at the far end of the palace.


    I am led to a small arbor in the courtyard deep inside the palace, where I am shown to a small room with a small wooden floor.


    Inside, a beautiful dark-haired woman was enjoying a leisurely afternoon.


    ¡°My Queen, Alyssa-sama, is here.¡±


    The woman turns around at the mention of my name and stands up slowly, smiling at me.


    ¡°Welcome, Duke Alyssa. You have graciously made your way here.¡±


    I reply with an elegant, aristocratic bow.


    ¡°Thank you for inviting me here today. Your Highness, Queen Belladonna.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    We look at each other for a moment¡­


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±, ¡°pfft¡­¡±


    We smiled at each other, this time with a natural smile, and Bella naturally offered me a seat.


    ¡°Long time no see, Alyssa, how have you been?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know. I had a rough time during my pregnancy and right after I gave birth to Amelia. Now I¡¯m enjoying the peace and quiet with my daughter.¡±


    ¡°I envy you. I¡¯ve been so busy with my political duties that I haven¡¯t been able to spend much time with my son. Well, David-sama helps me a lot, and things have calmed down a lot recently.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you decided to have a second son.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re quick on the uptake.¡±


    David had been giving me an expectant look for some time, earning my glare. So, I already guessed this much.


    ¡°You really are the same as ever, aren¡¯t you? Even though you are married to David, he is still an ex-royalty and the elder brother of His Majesty the King.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. It is his fault for marrying me, a commoner.¡±


    ¡°I thought so as well¡­ Well, that can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, and you¡¯ve always been good friends to the both of us.¡±


    ¡°We were indeed quite close those days¡­ I think we¡¯re doing reasonably well right now, but let¡¯s face it, my marriage to David was really unexpected. At that time, he just happened to think that he could get the life he wanted by marrying me. In other words, I¡¯m just a bonus, a bonus. I¡¯m simply a child of a scholar that he respected.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who thinks that, you know. Of course, there is no way that a crown prince would simply give up his right to the throne and marry a commoner.¡±


    As they discussed such trivial matters, they reminisced.


    Back then, Belladonna was still a candidate as David¡¯s fianc¨¦e, when Alyssa was known as the daughter of a great sage, but she was just a commoner student at the academy.


    At those times, David, Belladonna, and Alyssa spent their days together at the institute.

 CH 7

    His Highness¡¯s Visiting My Home (Reminiscence) ~Alyssa¡¯s Perspective~


    ¡°May I visit your home sometime?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    His Royal Highness the Crown Prince David suddenly appeared in the classroom of the general course, which was bustling during recess. At his arrival, the classroom buzz turned to silence, which then swelled up with his words.


    Although there was a clear line between the commoners and the nobles, it did not mean that the two classes did not interact with each other at all.


    The commoners in the general course would learn how to interact with the nobles, and the nobles in the noble course would learn how the commoners think.


    At the Moshevni Academy of Magic, interaction with each other was encouraged as a matter of course, and the school rules forbid the nobles from using their status as a shield to be unreasonable toward the commoner students.


    Some of the nobles actively try to get involved with the commoners in order to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the realities among the commoners, and friendships may develop between commoners and noble students in such cases.


    Some of the nobles and commoners alike tend to be attracted to cool boys and cute girls, and some of these students, regardless of their status, have established extensive friendships with each other.


    Alyssa belonged to this category because of her appearance and her background as the daughter of a great sage, and many of the nobles were willing to get involved with her.


    Still, if the other party was the Crown Prince, it would be a different story.


    ¡°Well, I was wondering if I could talk to your father about magic.¡±


    When the lecture came to an end, I understood that it wasn¡¯t a pick-up line.


    However, he was the royalty who reigned above the nobility, and even though I was the daughter of a great sage, I was still a commoner.


    Well, it would be impossible to agree.


    Absolutely impossible.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s love of magic was well known, so it was quite understandable that he wanted to talk to the Great Sage, the author of the Compendium of Magic.


    It was insane for Royalty to visit a commoner¡¯s house, but since His Royal Highness Crown Prince David usually treated nobles and commoners equally and always respected commoner teachers, he may have resisted the idea of summoning father unilaterally to the royal palace and asking him for teachings.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s statement, at one point, caused me near-panic confusion, but it turned out to be out of good intention and a favorable reason (but it was also a big misunderstanding).


    ¡°It is an honor, Your Royal Highness Crown Prince David.¡±


    Alyssa bowed her head in reverence.


    That was how it was decided that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would visit.


    *


    (Alyssa¡¯s point of view)


    Of course, I accepted.


    Because there was no way I could refuse.


    No matter how absurd it was, it would be impossible to refuse the Crown Prince¡¯s request.


    Well, fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was not arrogant at all, and he was very considerate of our situation as commoners.


    Even father, who was nervous at the beginning, got along well with him after talking about their interpretation of magic.


    At any rate, His Royal Highness Crown Prince David¡¯s visit was successfully managed.


    Oh dear, with this, my peaceful academy life should return to normal again¡­


    *


    ¡°Why is His Royal Highness Crown Prince David in my house?¡±


    ¡°Well, I had a talk with the Great Sage Ryan yesterday, and he told me to come visit him anytime, so I took his word for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Don¡¯t take him seriously!


    There was something called social etiquette in this world, you know.


    You were royalty, so you should have known that.


    Father wouldn¡¯t carelessly suggest something that could be taken as a pledge!


    *


    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s why I think everyone in this world holds magic too sacred.¡±


    ¡°But, Professor, what about the incident in the empire where the tablet disappeared?¡±


    ¡°¡­magic is a more logical thing¡­¡±


    Then they go again.


    I wondered if the Crown Prince was bored.


    I would like him to go home soon so that I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a bunch of soldiers coming in to pick him up again¡­


    *


    ¡°So, why is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince David having dinner at our house?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure Father and the others would have already eaten if I went back now, so I¡¯ve taken advantage of your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And before I knew it, my father and His Royal Highness Prince David were calling each other ¡°Your Highness¡± and ¡°Sensei¡±.


    Today, too, I was made to cook a meal for three for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince David, who visited unexpectedly, thanks to his personal attendant, Samantha, who was watching over us.

 CH 8

    His Highness¡¯ Proposal (Reminiscence) ~Alyssa¡¯s Perspective~


    (Alyssa¡¯s Perspective)


    ¡°Alyssa, will you be my wife?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    After the usual(?) dinner at our house, our living room froze when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince David uttered this line.


    What did he just say?


    My wife?


    What was that?


    Did he really say he wanted to marry me?


    He¡¯s the Crown Prince of this kingdom, right? The next king?


    Did he just ask me to be the Queen of the Kingdom?


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious.¡±


    He seriously wanted me to be his wife.


    To be clear, it was not to be a concubine or a mistress.


    ¡°I want to welcome you into my palace as a full-fledged Queen.¡±


    I looked back into the deep purple crystal eyes that were staring at me with seriousness, and I replied in a clear tone.


    ¡°I decline.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    His Highness¡¯s expression changed rapidly as I responded in a simple and concise manner that left no room for misunderstanding.


    Judging from his expression, he probably did not expect to be rejected.


    The noble daughters around the Prince were trying their best to get him to say this line.


    They most likely thought that all the women in the world were dreaming of a marriage proposal from a Prince.


    He looked as if he had no idea what was going on.


    ¡°I will say it again so that there will be no misunderstanding. I absolutely do not want to marry His Royal Highness Crown Prince David and become a regular Queen!¡±


    How could I talk that way and be disrespectful?


    It was a little late for that, wasn¡¯t it?


    For nearly two years, I had been dealing with His Highness¡¯ frequent visits to my home.


    It was different from when we first met, when I was scared to death just because he was the Crown Prince.


    Those days were gone!


    ***


    I then explained to His Highness, who still didn¡¯t seem to understand the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m a commoner. If I went to a royal palace, I would definitely be tormented. Even within the academy alone, people are whispering behind my back that I¡¯m a commoner who is hanging out with the Crown Prince. I shudder just to think that this would happen in the royal palace, with nobles from all over the country.¡±


    ¡°What! Who would do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who. I mean, I don¡¯t think most of the nobles would find it amusing, just the difference between actually saying it out loud and not saying it out loud.¡±


    I continued.


    ¡°His Highness may think that if he married me, you would be able to see father as often as before, but that¡¯s definitely not going to happen. It will definitely rain blood. I also want to be spared, so please pretend that this conversation never happened. Because I have no intention of becoming a Queen, no matter what!¡±


    When I said that much, His Highness understood, and without further protest, he returned to the royal palace, drooping like an abandoned puppy.


    I felt a little sorry for him, but I needed to be clear about this.


    We would graduate from the academy soon, and then we would be living in different worlds.


    I could only hope that His Highness would quickly learn the reality of the situation and behave like an adult.


    Yeah, it was not my fault.


    It was a sensible and mature thing to do¡­


    For a while after that, I didn¡¯t see His Royal Highness Prince David at the institute.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t come to my house, and from what I heard, he was absent from the academy for a long time.


    Did he lose his mind from shock?


    Did he collapse in shock or fell into depression?


    While I was thinking about this, one day, His Highness visited my house again.


    I thought he would never come again, but I guess he had come to terms with his feelings.


    I could not turn away His Royal Highness who had come all the way to visit me, so I invited him inside our house with some awkwardness, and I was stunned again by what His Royal Highness Crown Prince David said.


    ¡°Will you take me as a son-in-law?¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    His Royal Highness the Crown Prince David, or rather His Royal Highness David, had officially renounced his right of succession to the throne.


    He handed over the title of Crown Prince to his younger brother, and after graduating from the academy, he gained a new land and became a duke to support his younger brother, the new king.


    ***


    ¡°This is a decision that has been made and approved by father and those around him.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is that supposed to imply?¡±


    His Highness said that we would nominally get a fiefdom to manage, but there was nothing special to do since the new fiefdom was originally under the direct control of the royal family and was not used or managed in any particular way, or rather, it was just left unattended.


    We would move to the newly given Duke¡¯s residence away from the royal capital, where we would not be visited by any unknown nobles.


    He was going to be at the palace every day to assist the new king, but father and I had no obligations or restrictions, so we could just sit in the house every day drinking tea, reading books, and studying magic freely.


    It sounded like a very comfortable and carefree life with three meals, lunch, and sleep.


    It would seem that the groundwork had already been set¡­


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°In my own way, I have seriously considered how to convince Alyssa to marry me. I understand Alyssa¡¯s point of view. I tried to think of the most mutually satisfactory way¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­How should I put it¡­. I¡¯m amazed that His Majesty the King agreed to such a reckless plan.¡±


    ¡°I told him that if he didn¡¯t like it, I would leave the country with Alyssa, and he reluctantly agreed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to decide to leave the country on your own.¡±


    ¡°I was not seriously thinking of leaving the country with Alyssa, either. If someone tries to make ridiculous demands, you can make them believe that you are much better by making even more ridiculous demands. It¡¯s all just tactics.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say a word in disbelief.


    ¡°And what are you going to do if they still reject me?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to take Alyssa and leave the country.¡±


    I knew it.


    I knew he would say that.


    By the way, he was probably serious about this.


    It was not a tactic or anything, but he must be seriously thinking of abandoning his current position, becoming just a commoner, and living happily with me and father in another country.


    I could tell!


    This was a man who would seriously think and do something insane.


    *


    I guess it was safer to compromise around this one¡­

 CH 9

    Best Friend (reminiscence)


    (Belladonna¡¯s point of view)


    I am Belladonna.


    I am the daughter of the Marquis Vostok and a potential fianc¨¦e of His Royal Highness, Crown Prince David.


    However, I think this title of ¡°prospective fianc¨¦e¡± will soon disappear.


    I was surprised to see Alyssa, a commoner¡¯s daughter, drinking tea in front of my eyes.


    I have known about Alyssa since I first entered the academy.


    She stood out from the crowd.


    It was partly because she was a beautiful girl with crimson hair and performed well in the entrance examinations, but most of all, it was because she was the daughter of a great sage.


    The title ¡°Great Sage,¡± which is a little too grandiose for a commoner, was personally bestowed by His Majesty the King of the Magic Kingdom of Moshevni.


    This title is not a title of nobility, although it has the same privilege as nobility in that it is exempt from taxes, and is encouraged to continue to work on magic research and contribute to our country.


    Therefore, not only his daughter Alyssa, but even Master Lian, who has earned the title of ¡°Great Sage,¡± is a mere commoner.


    Then, how did a commoner become known as a great sage?


    The reason lies in the achievements of Master Lian.


    He wrote ¡°The Complete Book of Magic¡±.


    He traveled around the world as a magic researcher from his youth. He investigated the ¡°stone tablets¡± enshrined in temples in various countries and regions and the spells written on them, and summarized them in a book along with his own views on what kind of magic exists in which region and how it is performed. He has compiled his findings into a book.


    This revealed the existence of magic in faraway and unfamiliar places that were not in our own sphere of existence, and this led to the exchange of magical technology with places with which there had been no exchange before.


    The discovery of new magic, which had previously stalled, led to the creation of many new technologies, including the ¡°Karakuri¡± developed in Yamato.


    Because of his achievements, Master Lian came to be called a sage, and in light of his reputation throughout the world, His Majesty himself specially bestowed the title of ¡°Great Sage¡± on Master Lian, who was a commoner.


    He himself is not an outstandingly powerful magician by the standards of the nobility, even among commoners.


    Of course, he is by no means a magician of exceptional power, nor does he have access to rare magic.


    However, his influence on this world is tremendous.


    Therefore, as a nation, we cannot afford to neglect him just because he is a commoner.


    Why was magic that exists in other lands not introduced to us before Master Lian?


    The reason lies in the method of learning magic and the ¡°disappearance of the stone tablet¡± that occurred about 200 years ago and the subsequent destruction of the Holy Kingdom of Soran.


    Magic in this world was given to the people living in this land by the gods in the heavens long ago.


    People can use magic by chanting words or spells given by the gods with their own magical power.


    The power and perfection of the spells are determined by the amount of magic power, the correct image of the spell, and the correct pronunciation of the spell.


    Incidentally, this is also the result of Master Lian¡¯s research, and it is written in the Complete Book of Magic.


    The ¡°Complete Book of Magic¡± is now the bible for serious students of magic, and has even been officially adopted as a textbook in magic studies at the Moshevni Academy of Magic.


    The problem, however, is pronunciation.


    The words of the gods are so advanced that they are terribly difficult to pronounce.


    Usually, a person who is eager to learn magic first learns the spell from a teacher and memorizes it.


    Then, when they have learned the pronunciation of the spell to a certain degree, they go to the temple to learn how to pronounce the spell correctly.


    The ¡°tablet¡± is used for this purpose.


    Spells are written on the stone tablets in the temples in the ancient script of the gods, and when a person traces the letters with their finger, the voice of the gods and the correct pronunciation of the spell echoes in the mind of the person who traced the letters.


    Those who wish to learn a spell go to the temple where the tablet is enshrined and repeatedly listen to the correct pronunciation of the spell to acquire the correct pronunciation.


    This is the way to learn magic in this world.


    The problem here is that once a spell is learned, it cannot be used forever.


    Even the correct pronunciation once learned will gradually fall apart with continued use.


    The accuracy of the magic is gradually lost, and eventually the magic itself ceases to work.


    This is why people regularly visit temples to maintain the accuracy of their spells by touching the tablet and listening to the correct pronunciation.


    Therefore, no matter what kind of spell, it cannot be learned or maintained in a land far away from the temple where the spell is located.


    For this reason, there has been no spreading of strange magic to other lands, and no one has bothered to investigate the magic if it is unusable anyway.


    So, why not just move the tablet itself?


    In the past, there was a country that tried to gather all the stone tablets in the world into one place, intending to monopolize magic.


    It was the Kingdom of Soran, a great country that had achieved world domination.


    Seven days later, all the stone tablets collected from the temples to the capital disappeared.


    This is what is known as the ¡°disappearance of the stone tablets¡±.


    The kingdom lost a lot of magic in this incident and went into decline. The royal family fell under strong opposition from the people, and the Kingdom of Soran was destroyed.


    Today, the Solan (formerly known as Soran) Empire is newly established, but the effects of the loss of the tablets are still felt 200 years later, and the once great power of the Soran Empire has faded away.


    After this historic event, temples were declared inviolable, and the world came to realize that the stone tablets were protected but not monopolized.


    Thanks to this, even people from other countries, such as Master Lian, were able to freely research rare spells that could have been considered national treasures¡­.


    Anyway, as the daughter of a great sage who had made such great achievements, she was the focus of attention from students and teachers throughout the academy from the very beginning of her enrollment.


    Perhaps it was only natural that His Royal Highness Crown Prince David, a magic enthusiast, would be interested in her.


    However, it was during the tournament that his Royal Highness¡¯s feelings turned towards her.


    It was the final of the team competition between the Royal Capital and the Vostok Domain.


    Standing against me, leading the Vostok team, was His Royal Highness Crown Prince David.


    And standing alongside His Royal Highness was a girl with red lotus hair, Alyssa.


    Slowly, a hand was raised in front of me, and beautiful words were spun.


    Then the flames that had been started gradually took shape and transformed into a golden firebird.


    It was a phoenix, the spirit that presided over the flames, spoken of only in mythology.


    It was a beautiful magic I had never heard of or seen before.


    Her teammates were in a state of panic at the sight of the phoenix she unleashed.


    It was only natural.


    A great spirit of fire that existed only in mythology was now descending on me.


    Even I couldn¡¯t stop shaking.


    ***


    The result, of course, was a disastrous defeat for the Vostok team.


    It was so one-sided and cruel that it was hard to believe that it was a final exam.


    Later, it turned out that the phoenix magic Alyssa had used in the final was no more powerful than a simple fireball, a mere scare tactic, so to speak, and everyone¡¯s interest in the spell rapidly waned.


    Nevertheless, the phoenix that Alyssa created at that time was truly beautiful, and it is an undeniable fact that Alyssa¡¯s fan base grew rapidly after that tournament.


    It was after that tournament that I, too, started to communicate with Alyssa, and now we have established a relationship that can be described as that of close friends.


    The final of the tournament.


    Until then, somewhere in the back of my mind, I underestimated her for being just a commoner¡¯s daughter, but that day, I was unintentionally drawn in by the fiery crimson-haired girl standing gracefully with her shining incarnation of flames.


    It was impossible for His Highness, who was standing beside her and watching her up close, not to think that she was beautiful¡­


    As expected, after that, His Highness went to Alyssa¡¯s house to learn magic from the great sage, and upon graduation from the academy, he officially announced his refusal to succeed to the throne and his engagement to Alyssa.


    I, who was originally supposed to marry the crown prince and become a legitimate wife, became engaged to the newly crowned second prince, His Royal Highness Prince Carlos, but in hindsight, I think it was for the best.


    ***


    Between the two of them, I preferred Carlos to David because he was cuter and more to my liking.


    I am happy that David married Alyssa, and thanks to that, even now that I am queen, we can have tea together as sister and sister-in-law, just like when we were students.