Chapter 7

Thank you for the favorites and ratings!

"Hmm, there was a rabbit in the garden, huh?"

During dinner, when I brought Kuu-chan in a basket and introduced her to the family, my older brother peered into the basket with great interest. My brother has always loved animals, even in my previous life.

In my previous life, my brother, who was not popular with girls, would say, "I have Piyochan, after all," and dote on his pet canary to the point where our family would be taken aback. Piyochan passed away about half a year before we died in an earthquake, and my brother was devastated. Even though it was an era when the term "pet loss" was commonly heard, it was rare to see someone so downcast.

...He couldn't eat properly for a week and ended up being hospitalized because of it, big brother.

When asked by the doctor about the cause, he admitted that he hadn't eaten much for a week due to the shock of his canary's death, and was scolded fiercely. I remember how he looked when he was scolded.

While I was lost in thought, my brother took the opportunity to pick up Kuu-chan from the basket. Kuu-chan blinked her black eyes and twitched her long ears, looking somewhat wary.

"Wow, she's so fluffy!"

"What?"

"Really?"

Father and Mother latched onto the word "fluffy" and surrounded my brother, who was holding Kuu-chan.

"Really, she is so fluffy!"

"She is fluffy."

Surrounded by the three of them, Kuu-chan seemed a bit annoyed.

"Father, Mother, and Brother, Kuu-chan is injured, so could you please put her back in the basket after just a little more petting?"

"Injured? Oh, you're right."

My brother returned Kuu-chan to the basket, saying, "That was wrong of me." Filibert offered to feed Kuu-chan, so I left it to him and took my seat at the dining table. A maid brought in a cart with the dishes, and a delicious dinner was laid out.

...Thank you, Uncle, for hiring a cook!

Since all of us have memories from our previous lives, we initially thought we could cook for ourselves, but with so many servants, it's tough without a cook. Imagining the face of the unseen King of Stilier, whom I'm scheduled to meet tomorrow, I clasp my hands in gratitude to Uncle, the cook, and the farmers.

This world doesn't have a culture of saying "itadakimasu" by clasping hands, but since we remember our previous lives, we all tend to do it the same way we did before.

"Let's eat!"

The four of us chime in together.

"By the way, Mother, Uncle has two children, right?"

"Yes, two boys. I've never met them, but the older one is twenty-one, and the younger one is eighteen, I think. ...But"

Mother's face clouded over.

"I don't think we'll be able to meet the Crown Prince. We might be able to meet the Second Prince, though."

Huh?

Wait a minute.

Mother, you casually mentioned that the Crown Prince is the Second Prince?

"If the Second Prince is the Crown Prince, does that mean there's some kind of royal scandal...?"

"I don't know what you're imagining, but both the First Prince and the Second Prince are the children of my sister-in-law, the Queen. There are a lot of things going on. I can't go into details here, but the First Prince... Rinalt, has a reason why he can't inherit the throne."

I was about to nod, thinking it might be better not to ask too deeply, but the name "Rinalt" sounded familiar, and I tilted my head in confusion.

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but what was it...?

"It's been twenty-one years since then."

"Yes, it has been twenty-one years. ...I wonder how much longer Rinalt will last."

Father and Mother spoke in hushed, serious tones. My brother seemed more interested in Kuu-chan, who was munching on an apple, than in the conversation about Uncle's family.

...Brother, you're so smitten. You're more smitten than melting ice cream. If girls saw that face, they'd be taken aback, I think.

I left my brother alone and tried to recall the word "Rinalt" that was stuck in my head, but I couldn't remember. If I can't remember, it might not be that important. But, my instinct tells me it is important.

Hmm, hmm, I groaned, and my brother, noticing my groaning, asked, "Is your stomach hurting?"

No, it's not!

Before they changed my meal to porridge, I hurriedly resumed eating. In the end, I couldn't recall anything about "Rinalt" that day.

Thank you for reading!

If you could support me by bookmarking or rating with the stars below, it would be a great encouragement!

Thank you very much.