Chapter 7

Ralph, who had been waiting a little distance away, let out a small scream in his heart.

-- Is this child Prince Arnold?

Ralph seemed not to know Arnold's face.

(What's going on...? This isn't the Arnold I know.)

Claudia's former fiancé was a blonde, blue-eyed prince. The Arnold in front of her had a different face and a different voice. However, the red-haired Arnold didn't seem to be lying.

In this world of the novel "The Arldifia War Chronicles," magic did not exist. However, those blessed by the gods could wield mysterious powers that could be called miracles. In fact, Claudia herself, blessed by a god, had recalled her memories from her previous life and could hear the thoughts of people she liked. So, almost all mysterious occurrences were attributed to the gods.

(Does that mean Arnold is also blessed by a god?)

At that moment, a strange voice echoed in Claudia's head.

-- Even if time rewinds, do you still want this?

It was a hoarse male voice, neither Ralph's nor Arnold's.

Suddenly, a strong wind swirled around Claudia's feet, lifting her skirt. She quickly pressed her skirt down with her hands. She felt something cold crawling on her ankle and saw that a strange hand with long, sharp claws was gripping her ankle.

"Ah!?"

As she screamed, the wind subsided, and her skirt slowly returned to its original position. Arnold's eyes were wide open.

-- Pa

(Pa?)

Arnold's yellow eyes moved awkwardly to the side.

-- I could almost see Claudia's underwear, but I didn't... No! I didn't want to see it! I didn't! But I saw Claudia's legs...

Arnold's cheeks gradually turned red.

-- Should I apologize to Claudia? No, but I didn't see her underwear...

Holding a book to his chest, Arnold looked embarrassed. Claudia wanted to shout, "Stop it, don't make that innocent face and keep saying 'underwear'!" but she held back.

Arnold stood up abruptly, his face still red, and said, "S-see you later!" before running away.

(Seeing him so embarrassed makes me feel embarrassed too...)

Since there was no point in sitting there any longer, Claudia stood up, and Ralph approached her.

"Shall we return to the party, Lady Claudia?"

When Claudia nodded, she heard Ralph's voice in her head.

-- ...White.

It seemed Ralph had seen everything clearly, and Claudia, overwhelmed with embarrassment, covered her face with both hands.