Chapter 1: Remembering After Nearly Being Killed

Six-year-old Princess Claudia regained the memories of her past life.

At the same time, she also understood that she was about to be killed.

By the man before her—her blood-related uncle—who had just pushed Claudia out of the tower window.

“Don’t hold a grudge. As long as you die, I can raise Leonora as the princess! And I, as her guardian, will live in luxury—”

“……”

As she fell, she stretched out her hand, feeling a strange sense of novelty at its smallness.

Claudia blinked as she gazed at her uncle’s face growing distant several meters away.

Then, she smiled gently.

(…What a foolish man.)

“!?!”

Her uncle’s face twisted in shock, but she could no longer hear his voice.

Claudia’s body was already falling far below, toward the vast forest spreading beneath.

(To think he believes he can pass off his own daughter as a princess… does he really think that will work? —Though, given that I’ve been confined by my own father and stepmother in this life, even if I were swapped with my cousin, no one would notice.)

As she fell, what came to mind were the words of the maids who attended to Claudia.

[“How unfortunate, having to serve a ‘defective princess’! Even though she’s a royal, she doesn’t possess even a fragment of magic, right?”]

[“With a mother of such low birth, it doesn’t matter even if her father is His Majesty the King. No matter how much she’s called a beautiful songstress, she’s still just a commoner with no family.”]

[“I at least want to go back to the royal capital. Being stuck in such a remote forest, and there are even monsters! Ah, if only Lady Claudia didn’t exist…”]

Remembering this, Claudia almost wanted to giggle.

(To think I, of all people, am called ‘defective’ and ‘without magic’—fufu! In my previous life, such a thing would have been unimaginable.)

Claudia’s past life, Adelheid, had been what one would call a perfect being.

Blessed with an exceptional lineage, overflowing talent, and the intellect to make use of it.

She had been praised by countless people, yet died all too suddenly, leading to her current existence.

And so she was reborn into this life, where even servants looked down on her.

“—Now then.”

The wind sliced past her ears, and birds screeched noisily.

Before she knew it, the treetops rushing toward her looked ready to pierce her body.

Or perhaps she would break through branches holding birds’ nests and crash into the ground.

She raised her small right hand downward and silently chanted in her mind.

(‘Stop.’)

At that instant, Claudia’s body came to a complete halt.

A moment later, the hem of her dress fluttered down gently.

She slowly descended to the ground and clenched her small hand, confirming the sensation of magic circulating within her.

(I used silent chanting just in case, but this level seems fine. For stronger spells, vocal incantation might be better.)

She hadn’t expected much from this body, but it seemed more usable than she thought.

For a child’s body, the activation speed was fast, and it endured the backlash quite well.

In that case, the next thing to consider was what to do from here.

(I could go straight back to the tower. But if I want to crush that uncle’s ambitions, it might be more interesting to wait until I’ve grown a bit. I suppose I’ll take a stroll through the forest for now. The problem is…)

Claudia gently brushed the air, and a mirror appeared before her.

(The issue is that I am dressed in a way unworthy of myself.)

Reflected in the mirror was the figure of a small child, even for a six-year-old.

Emaciated limbs and cracked nails.

Shoes with damaged toes, and an overly plain white dress.

Her hair, grown carelessly down past her knees, was messy and unkempt.

On top of that, her complexion was pale and unhealthy.

Before regaining her memories, she had somehow lived without even a single complaint about this treatment.

“……”

Pouting slightly, Claudia tapped the heel of her shoe against the ground.

(‘Purify,’ ‘Restore,’ ‘Repair,’ ‘Organize,’ ‘Reinforce’…)

As she layered single-word incantations, particles of light burst from her heels.

That light wrapped around Claudia, gently caressing her with a pleasant warmth.

After all the light faded, she checked the mirror again.

(This should be enough, I suppose.)

Thinking so, she ran her fingers through her sweet milk-tea-colored hair.

Reflected there was a girl with large eyes framed by long eyelashes, a straight nose, and small lips.

Her hair, trimmed neatly to her back, shone as if freshly brushed.

Straight and without any curl, it swayed smoothly in the forest breeze.

Her skin had been polished by magic, and her once plain, worn-out dress had been remade into a soft, high-quality one.

Though her thin limbs couldn’t be helped, even her shoes were perfectly restored, leaving her satisfied.

Then, she examined her own eyes.

Large and round like a doll’s, those striking eyes had long been hidden behind overgrown bangs.

Their color was not constant, appearing different depending on the light.

They resembled a mixture of crushed gemstones of various colors, scattered together into a brilliant blend.

[“The great witch. The true mage, Lady Adelheid!”]

[“Your seven-colored eyes are proof that you can wield all magic. You are truly one who should be called the beloved child of magic!”]

Recalling the words of a former disciple, Claudia let out a soft sigh.

There was surely no one who did not know the legend of Adelheid, the great mage.

Even the listless Claudia, before regaining her memories, had heard that name before.

(My modest wish for my next life was simply to live doing whatever I pleased. Yet somehow I was born as a princess of a kingdom, and not only that, but an abused and confined child.)

Looking up at the tower she had fallen from, Claudia narrowed her eyes.

Then, she smiled with the expression of a wicked witch.

(…This is incredibly convenient!)

Today was a day worth celebrating.

Claudia, in an exceptionally good mood, snapped her fingers and dismissed the mirror she had created.

With lively steps, she began walking deeper into the forest.

(Well then, let’s start with a stroll. First, the forest rumored to be a nest of monsters!)

The tune she unconsciously hummed was a song from her past life.

Her childish, slightly clumsy singing echoed throughout the forest.