Chapter 10: Even Past-Life Memories Can Be Useful
“I canât remember it⊔
If she couldnât remember, then perhaps it wasnât a problem, but Faustina simply could not recall her own death.
Perhaps it had been such a terrible way to die that her memories had forcibly erased only the cause of death.
The last thing she remembered was crying in regret over the sins she had committed in a cheap inn room, then falling asleep on a hard bed.
If she had died in her sleep, it would make sense that she couldnât remember it.
Shaking her head and deciding to stop thinking about it for today, Faustina recalled that the king and queen had safely returned from the neighboring country a week ago, and queenly education had resumed.
First, she was checked to ensure she hadnât neglected her preparation and review.
Once it was judged there were no issues, she proceeded to learn new material while reviewing previous lessons.
Just like last time, queenly education personally taught by the queen was several times stricter and more difficult than the lessons she received from tutors at the ducal estate.
In her previous life, she had cried many times, and this time as well, even with her memories, the number of times she cried could still be counted on one hand.
However, she never cried where people could see her.
As the crown princeâs fiancĂ©e and a future queen, that was not permitted.
“I wonder if Elvira properly received queenly education after I died.”
Elvira, who had been quick to cry and try to escape whenever she disliked or found something unpleasant, would she have been able to endure the education given directly by the queen?
For Faustina, who needed to have her engagement annulled and have Elvira become the next fiancée, this was an important matter.
“But itâs not something I can say myselfâŠ
Brother did say heâd ask Father to change Elviraâs tutor, so maybe sheâll change more than I expect⊔
After Elvira skipped her lessons and went to Bernhardâs place when he visited Faustina, Kane had given her a harsh reprimand.
Kane then proposed to Citrine that Elviraâs tutors be completely replaced.
Even if she didnât marry into royalty, Elvira would someday marry into a noble family.
It would be unacceptable for a daughter of the Wittgenstein ducal house to be incompetent, and being nothing but selfish was also no good.
At the same time the king and queen returned from the neighboring country, Elviraâs tutors were replaced, and no matter how much she cried or resisted, none of them indulged her.
“FuwaaâŠ
Mother must be really stressed too, since Father told her not to spoil Elvira, so she canât help her anymore.”
Even so, once her lessons ended, Elvira immediately had tea.
She avoided sweets, since eating too much would make her gain weight.
Elvira, who had strong confidence in her appearance, apparently hated the idea of gaining weight, so she reluctantly gave up sweets.
Faustina lay on her back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“Her Majesty is always so beautiful⊔
The current queen, Sierra Nora Garcia, was a daughter of the Fwarrin ducal house, known as the most moderate house in the kingdom.
As his name suggested, Duke Fwarrin was said to have a very gentle and easygoing personality, a pacifist who disliked conflict.
However, his political skill as the head of the highest-ranking noble house was remarkable.
Faustina knew several famous stories about him.
Before Faustina and the others were born, he had been the first to sense a major natural disaster and instructed the chancellor to have the nobles prepare in advance.
Some nobles dismissed it, thinking it would never happen, while others prepared but still suffered great damage due to their location.
The responses afterward differed greatly between those two groups.
After queenly education ended, Faustina would spend ten minutes having tea with Sierra.
During one of those times, Faustina asked why Duke Fwarrin had been able to foresee the natural disaster.
Sierra smiled beautifully and said,
“My father isnât a mage or anything like that, so he doesnât have prophetic abilities.
He simply noticed that there were cycles to past disasters, and that year fell within a period when especially large disasters tended to occur.
Even if nothing happened, taking measures to protect the people and the land is never a waste, since you never know when or where something might occur.
In fact, there were times when my fatherâs predictions were wrong, but by carefully examining his territory, he sometimes discovered small problems he hadnât noticed before.”
“It sounds like you greatly respect Duke Fwarrin, Your Majesty.”
“Yes.
Fufu, just between us, all right?
My father was so carefree even at home that my mother was always worried.
She was afraid he might drift off somewhere like dandelion fluff.”
Faustina had not yet met Duke Fwarrin, so she only knew him through stories.
When she told her father Citrine about her conversation with the queen and mentioned Duke Fwarrin, he said, “Yes, Iâve met him several times.
Heâs very gentle and easy to get along with.”
On nights when queenly education ended, after dinner and a bath, all that remained was to sleep.
If Linsy were to see Faustina rolling around on the bed, she would probably scold her for being unladylike.
At least in her own room, Faustina wanted to be free.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Faustina took out the notebook hidden under her bed, its cover boldly labeled [Various Notes on Faustina].
She got off the bed, retrieved a quill and ink from her desk, and sat back down on the bed.
Placing them beside her, she opened the notebook.
“At this time of year, it should be about⊔
She flipped through the pages and stopped at one.
“Itâs almost timeâŠ
Haa.
I feel heavy just thinking about it.
But itâs fine, Faustina.
Youâre not the same person you were before.
Youâre Faustina, fully determined to annul the engagement.
Even if you still like His Highness while holding your past memories, you absolutely wonât repeat the same mistake.”
She told herself this, said “All right,” and closed the notebook with renewed determination.
From the outside, she might look like someone muttering strangely to herself, but there was no one else in the room.
Odd behavior was fine as long as she was alone.
What Faustina meant by “almost time” was Bernhardâs birthday party.
Last time, she had asked Ludmila and attended Bernhardâs birthday party in an elaborate dress.
However, Bernhard lavishly praised Elvira, who looked like a pure white lily fairy in a white lace-filled dress, and offered Faustina, his fiancée, nothing more than a polite greeting.
Enraged, the former Faustina had snatched grape juice from a server and thrown it all over Elvira.
The pure white dress was instantly stained purple, and since it was poured over her head, Elvira herself was completely soaked.
She was scolded by her parents on the spot, and it became yet another reason for Bernhard to dislike her.
Even though she had done it herself and recalled it herself, Faustina took emotional damage.
“Using my past self as a negative example feels strange, but I absolutely wonât do itâŠ!”
She raised her hand high in determination, but since she loved grape juice, she silently apologized to no one in particular, hoping she could at least still drink it.
Not all memories from her previous life were bad.
The knowledge she had accumulated back then was now useful to Faustina.
Despite the harshness, she never complained and clung stubbornly to her queenly education.
While surprised by how quickly she learned, Queen Sierra placed immense trust and expectation in Faustina.
More than ten hours had already passed since the day began.
Stopping at a good point, the queenly education for the day ended.
Even then, Faustina did not let her guard down.
She bowed with graceful movements, and Sierra nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Then, let us have tea as usual to conclude the day.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
This final tea time was not as queen and subject, but as Sierra, deepening her personal connection with Faustina.
After moistening her throat with the tea prepared by the maids, Sierra suddenly asked,
“Tell me, Faustina.
How do you feel about Bernhard?”
“Huh?”
If this had been during the lesson, she would have been reprimanded immediately, but this was personal time.
Letting out a foolish sound was not punished.
Caught off guard, Faustina could not answer right away.
(If it were the old me, I would have immediately said, âA beautiful and brilliant prince!â
Well, thatâs true, but still.)
While hesitating over how to respond, she said,
“His Highness the Crown Prince, despite being the same age as me, already assists His Majesty in his duties.
I wish to support him as he strives to always remain calm and perfect as the crown prince.”
(This should be fine.)
She felt she had given a satisfactory answer and proudly nodded to herself internally.
“And I believe he is also a very caring older brother.”
“Yes.
More than His Majesty or myself, it is Bernhard who worries most about Neige.
Because of their positions, there are days they cannot see each other.
But, Faustina.”
“Yes.”
“How do you address Bernhard?”
“I call him âYour Highness,â but⊔
Answering with confusion, Sierra smiled wryly.
“I see.
Since you are engaged, I think it would be nice to call him by name.”
“I-I suppose so.
Ahaha⊔
Not “Your Highness,” but Bernhard.
It was one of the things her former self had longed for, and at the same time, something that could never be realized.
If she even tried to speak Bernhardâs name once, she felt she would be cut down on the spot by the murderous hatred and disgust in those lapis-blue eyes.
(He allowed Elvira, but not me.
Thatâs because of what I did.
Of course.)
Faustina quietly watched Sierra drink her tea.
Neigeâs honey-blond hair and deep indigo eyes came from Sierra.
Both Bernhard and Neige had inherited the queenâs beautiful features.
Her beauty was such that no one would think she had two sons, and she was admired by women throughout the kingdom.
Faustina reached for her own teacup and drank.
The flavor was sweet and fruity.
Why Sierra had brought up calling Bernhard by nameâŠ
Calling him âYour Highnessâ should not be a problem.
Besides, since she did not know when the engagement would be annulled, she planned to stick to âYour Highnessâ or âCrown Princeâ as much as possible.
Tea time ended.
After thanking Sierra, Faustina left the room accompanied by several maids.
Tea at the ducal house was delicious, but the tea served at the royal castle was also wonderful.
Thinking idly about what dinner might be tonight, Faustina heard a maid walking slightly behind her suggest that she go see the crown prince.
Remembering that he was probably training with the sword around this time, Faustina declined, saying it would be rude to disturb him.
Why did the maid look disappointed, her brows drooping, Faustina wondered, but as she continued walking, the carriage area came into view.
âŠIf Sierra had added that his training was already over when she asked Faustina to stop by on her way back, Faustina might have gone to see him.
Seen off by the maids, Faustina gazed at the scenery passing by at a steady distance from inside the moving carriage.
âTen days later.
A dress arrived from the royal family addressed to Faustina.
Her head filled with question marks, Faustina stood before a wooden box wrapped in fine cloth.
Kane, who had happened to witness her receiving it from the castle messenger, was also there.
Along with the dress was a letter from Bernhard.
[Faustina,
At my upcoming birthday party, I want you to come to the royal castle wearing the dress I sent you.
Please wear it and tell me what you think.]
“Why would His Highness give me a dress for his own birthday partyâŠ
What do you think, Brother?”
“âŠWith you being like this, His Highness really doesnât get rewarded, does he.”
“Huh?
Why is that?”
“Think about it yourself.”
“Ouch!”
She received a sharp flick to the forehead.
As Faustina glared at him resentfully, Kane sighed and closed the lid of the box, wrapping it back up in the cloth.
Then he turned to Linsy, who was standing by.
“Take it to the room where we keep valuables.”
“Understood.”
“Not my room?”
“Just in case.
All right, Linsy, Iâm counting on you.”
“Yes.”
After watching Linsy leave with the box, Kane told Faustina, who was still pondering the reason for storing the dress elsewhere, that they should head back to her room.
(The news that a dress arrived from the royal family will quickly reach Father and Mother, and Elvira too.
Keeping it in a different room for safety is probably wise.)
Since the tutors were replaced, Elvira had at least begun to take her lessons seriously.
She still threw tantrums and made selfish demands, but the frequency had decreased.
If things continued smoothly, that would be ideal.
Ludmilaâs indulgence had likely improved as well.
However⊠when it came to Bernhard, it was a different matter.
After the king and queen returned and queenly education resumed, Faustina spent less time at home, traveling back and forth between the estate and the castle.
Bernhard did not visit on days she had queenly education.
There were days without it, depending on the queenâs schedule.
On those days, he always came.
Irregular visits.
Since she could not escape in advance, Faustina met him properly.
(I heard the servants saying itâs hard to stop Elvira from going to him whenever His Highness visitsâŠ
This is something that has to be addressed with Elvira herself, so itâs difficult.
If we donât stop it now, it could become troublesome later.
Maybe I should talk to Father about arranging an engagement for Elvira.)
Even though their personalities were completely different, both sisters were troublesome in their own ways.