The sixth prince, who had been executed in the kingdom after being betrayed by the trusted saint, was reincarnated and, in order to seek revenge, became engaged once again to the neighboring kingdom’s “Guillotine Princess.” As a result, he was adored and lived happily.

“…I’m…I’m okay now.”

After resting her cheek against my chest for a while, Princess Abigail gently moved away. I noticed traces of tears in her eyes.

That’s why I was curious.

This is my second life, and I’ve only known her for two days.

Yet, why does she show such affection towards me? It’s as if she has feelings for me.

Of course, as we’re engaged, she might just be trying her best to fulfill her role. But even though I’ve been reborn, I can’t help but feel uneasy about the depth of her emotions towards me.

Then…

“Um… about the story Bridget told you tonight…”

“Huh? Oh, you mean that nonsense?”

Princess Abigail furrowed her brows ever so slightly and nodded slowly.

It seems there’s something bothering her about that woman’s lie.

“Your Highness Gustave, you really never met a girl when you were young…? I mean, of course, it would have been someone other than Bridget…”

“A girl… yes, there was.”

Why did I ask that?

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me about that girl?”

“Uh, well…”

I’m curious why she wants to know about the girl, but considering how I’ve unintentionally hurt Princess Abigail because of that woman, talking about that time might help regain her trust.

I grasped my collar tightly and looked at her.

“Very well, I’ll tell you. The foolish clown’s ridiculous tale.”

◇

It happened when I was seven years old. My mother had passed away shortly after my birth, and I didn’t have a place in the royal palace.

Still, I desperately tried to be recognized as a member of the family, whether it was through my studies, swordsmanship, or etiquette.

Luckily, being the sixth prince, I had access to private tutors who could help me learn. However, as an illegitimate child, they didn’t take their role seriously with me, so I ended up learning everything on my own.

One day, I sneaked into the library, even though I had been kicked out before for not having the qualifications. I had no other options since no one would help me with my studies.

However, on that day, the royal family was having a meeting with other important nobles in the reception room, probably discussing matters related to the kingdom or perhaps introducing one of my brothers to a potential fiancée.

In any case, the entire family was gathered, except for me. I wasn’t considered part of the family.

It hurt and made me feel miserable, so I sought refuge in the library. I ended up sitting in a corner of the bookshelves with my ears covered, but unfortunately, someone came into the library that day.

I had been thrown out of the library before for reading books there, and I was sure I would face the same fate again. So, I decided to leave.

As I wandered through the corridors, feeling lost, I heard a faint sob.

“Sniff…”

A girl sat there, crying while hugging her knees.

“What’s wrong?”

Before I knew it, I had spoken to her. It was rare to find a girl in the palace, and she seemed to have lost her way or gotten separated from her family during their visit.

So, I offered to help her find her family. She didn’t seem willing to accept my help, but I persisted. I asked her about her situation, but she remained silent.

I didn’t know why I did it. I could have just ignored her and walked away. But I couldn’t bear to see a crying girl in the palace, possibly feeling alone.

So, I led her to a place that I thought might help—the palace garden.

She looked at the vibrant, colorful flowers for a moment but returned to her gloomy state.

I couldn’t stand seeing her like that, so I tried to make her laugh by pretending to trip and fall into a flowerbed, or cracking silly jokes, even though I had never really interacted with anyone like this before. My jokes were probably boring, but she laughed.

She finally smiled, and I was relieved.

Afterwards, we sat on the ground together, and she began to talk. She had left her ailing mother behind in her hometown and was brought to the palace by her father, who was always busy with work. He had forcefully brought her here, and it took them two weeks to reach the palace from their lands.

Even after arriving at the palace, she was dragged into a meeting without any concern for her mother’s condition. She didn’t want to be there, so she ran away when she saw a chance.

I couldn’t understand her feelings completely, but if my mother were alive, I would have worried about her in the same way. So, I offered to pray for her mother’s recovery.

“Could I… pray for your mother to get better?”

“Y-Yes!”

As the unofficial sixth prince and just a child, that was the only thing I could do. But she seemed genuinely happy about it.

After saying a prayer, I thought about her family worrying about her and decided to escort her back to the meeting.

“Ah…”

It turned out that we had arrived right outside the reception room where my family was. In other words, her father was one of the guests.

Feeling a little hesitant, she hesitated to enter, but I gently pushed her forward and smiled.

At that moment, a loud voice echoed, “Gustave! Did you take her away?!”

I staggered as I was suddenly struck on the cheek. It was Philippe.

“You good-for-nothing. Take her away immediately, and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Yes, sir…”

I could hear the cold voice of my father, the king, from inside the reception room. The palace knights dragged me away, locked me in a room, and…

…punished me severely.