Chapter 5

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Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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The dining room was also incredibly spacious.

Well, it was originally a palace, so it was bound to be large.

The steward, Filibert, poured tea with graceful movements, and a delicious cake, generously topped with large strawberries, was placed on the table.

I was told that since I must be tired from the journey from Lovarta, I could greet my uncle tomorrow, so I planned to spend the day lounging around the estate to recover from the travel fatigue.

...Ah, the sweetness of the cake is seeping into my body!

The jolting carriage ride had been exhausting both physically and mentally, so the fragrant tea and delicious cake were incredibly soothing.

I was quite surprised, but my uncle had already hired the staff. Good job, Uncle!

I didn’t expect to be able to enjoy such an elegant tea time so soon after arriving!

I had sent a "Sure, okay" reply to the letter from Prince Marius, who unilaterally broke off our engagement, and then immediately left the country. The journey here was really hectic.

I had anticipated it, but I packed my things and fled in the middle of the night, as if I were running away. I reported to my grandfather that I was leaving and set sail the next day.

By now, the letter I wrote, calmly accepting the end of the engagement, must have reached Prince Marius.

I think there will be some complicated procedures for the engagement cancellation, but I’ve left all of that to my grandfather.

My grandfather was furious when he read the unilateral engagement cancellation notice from Prince Marius, so he wouldn’t sign any documents that would be disadvantageous to the Felsenstein Duchy.

Given my grandfather’s capabilities, I believe he will handle everything well.

...Well, I ended up leaving everything to my grandfather, but thinking back, there was no grandfather character in the otome game I played in my previous life. Maybe he didn’t appear because he wasn’t necessary for the story, but if he had been in the game, I feel like he would have used his power to prevent his granddaughter from being executed... Oh well.

There’s no point in thinking about things I don’t understand.

Thank you, Grandfather. I’ll write you a letter when I calm down.

With my stomach comfortably full from the cake, I decided to take a walk around the vast garden to get my body moving after the long carriage ride.

You know, it’s really huge.

There’s even an artificial small forest in one corner of the garden.

You must be thinking, how large is this estate? It would probably take about an hour to walk around it leisurely.

My golden hair, which curls into ringlets without even using a curling iron, swayed gently in the warm summer breeze.

My hair is soft, but it curls into ringlets on its own. I sometimes think it’s almost like a cheat. Isn’t it scary to think about hair that curls on its own?

It becomes straight after washing, but it curls up again when it dries. I wonder what kind of strong curl it is.

The hair, which sways in the wind and returns to its original position, reminded me of the spring toy that used to go down the stairs with a "boing boing" sound. I kind of liked it. I could watch it for a long time.

When I walk around aimlessly, I tend to think about unnecessary things.

I actually quite enjoy thinking about trivial things while walking.

Or, will I have the luxury of aimlessly walking around from now on?

Until now, I was busy with education for the role of a prince’s consort and other things, and I hardly had any free time except when I returned to the estate during the off-season.

When I was in the capital, my schedule was always full with consort education, parties, and charitable activities.

I even had a dedicated secretary from the royal family to manage my schedule.

In my previous life, I used to play games whenever I had free time, but now I had a packed schedule with studies and work. I did a good job, I think. Looking back, it was quite a grueling schedule.

"Freedom is the best!"

I couldn’t help but raise my hands to the sky.

Free time, hooray.

Freedom, hooray hooray.

I’m going to enjoy my leisure time, which I’ve been lacking, by walking around and lounging!

But, I should also think about work at an appropriate time.

Since I fled the country before the game started, my father is still the Duke of Felsenstein. That means we are still a ducal family, but since we are not in Lovarta, we don’t receive any income from the estate or the money paid to the duke.

The money from the estate goes to my grandfather, who I left in charge. I can’t ask my grandfather to "send me money, please" so boldly.

My mother is the princess of Stilier, but since she married into a neighboring country, she doesn’t have a budget.

There are no taxes paid to former royals who don’t perform public duties.

My father doesn’t have a title in Stilier either.

In other words, if we do nothing, we won’t receive a single yen—er, a single dalar in this country’s currency.

...Wait, isn’t this situation bad?

We’ve received such a large estate and have so many staff, so the cost of maintaining the estate and paying the staff must be enormous.

Huh?

Huh?

Don’t I have no time to enjoy my leisure?

If we don’t find a way to earn money soon, we might roll down the hill into poverty, won’t we?

Oh no, I turned pale.

Neither my father, mother, brother, nor I had thought about this at all. Shouldn’t we immediately hold a family meeting to discuss how to make money, which we’ve never considered since our reincarnation?

Just as I arrived in front of the small forest in the garden, I suddenly stopped.

I can’t just walk around leisurely!

I turned to head back to the estate, but then I heard a rustling sound behind me.

I turned around and saw a fluffy, black creature peeking out from the bushes.

A large ear.

A fluffy, round shape.

Big, black eyes.

"A wild rabbit!"

I couldn’t help but shout in excitement.

The loud noise must have startled the rabbit, which trembled and ran into the forest.

"Wait, wait!"

When humans see something run away, they naturally want to chase it.

I decided to chase it and pushed through the bushes into the forest.

I quickly found the rabbit, which was crouched at the base of a tree, watching me warily.

...Hmm? Something seems off.

Is it weak? It doesn’t seem to be trying to run away even as I approach.

"Are you hurt?"

It was hard to see because it was black, but upon closer inspection, its hind leg seemed injured.

Maybe it got caught on something or was attacked by a cat or something.

This time, I approached slowly so as not to startle it and gently picked up the rabbit. It was trembling but remained calm.

"It’s okay, don’t be scared. Let’s take care of your wound, okay?"

The rabbit didn’t struggle, as if it understood my words.

I decided to put off the family meeting about making money and return to the estate to tend to the rabbit’s wound.

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