Chapter – 01
Reincarnated as a Baby!?
(I’m dead…)
The night sky spun upside down above me, veiled by clouds. The moon glowed faintly through them, growing farther and farther away.
Behind me, the icy surface of the river rushed closer.
Falling off a bridge because I was drunk…
(Maybe this is a fitting end for someone like me.)
As the scenery drifted by in slow motion, memories of my life surfaced one after another before fading away.
(So this is what they call your life flashing before your eyes.)
My life had been somewhat bleak, yet painfully ordinary.
I never had a father.
My mother lived only for alcohol and men. She was the kind of person who would leave my little brother and me alone at home for weeks at a time.
We nearly died more than once, but we were lucky. A kind neighbor saved us, and we were eventually taken in by relatives.
Living as an unwanted burden in our relatives’ home, I devoted my youth to raising my younger brother into a decent person.
I left school after junior high and started working. Until he graduated from university, I worked myself to the bone.
After graduating, my brother found a job and quickly got married.
His wife wanted him to cut ties with his family.
It was true that we had a hopeless mother. Anyone would worry that she might someday bring misfortune into their lives.
So, despite his hesitation, I scolded my brother and told him to do as his wife wished.
The two of them moved away without telling me where they were going, and I had no way of contacting them afterward.
I couldn’t deny that I resented it a little.
But for my brother’s happiness, I accepted it.
And once I laid down the burden of living for someone else’s future, my shoulders finally felt lighter.
From now on… I’ll live for myself.
That was what I decided.
But the emptiness inside me refused to disappear.
So…
I lost myself in the nightlife.
I hid my plain face beneath heavy makeup and wandered the city after dark.
I paid for drinks.
And in return, people praised me.
They doted on me.
They filled the emptiness in my heart.
Only then did I finally understand my mother.
She, too, had lived only for alcohol and men.
I hated myself.
I hated that this pathetic life was all I could manage.
That I was such an ordinary, hopeless person.
So perhaps…
This really was the perfect ending for me.
(If I were reborn…)
There was no point thinking about something impossible.
Yet I couldn’t stop myself.
(I’d like to live… just a little better next time.)
Splash.
My entire body plunged into freezing water.
It was cold.
Painfully cold.
Breathing became impossible.
Little by little, I lost all feeling in my fingertips.
Then…
Everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in an incredibly soft bed.
The smooth sheets brushing against my cheeks felt wonderfully comfortable.
(Where am I…?)
I was certain I had died.
(Did I somehow survive and end up in a hospital?)
Thinking that, I tried to push myself upright.
Or at least…
I meant to.
My hands wouldn’t cooperate.
No… they were moving.
They simply kept flapping uselessly against the sheets.
(Why can’t I move the way I want!?)
All I wanted to do was place my hands beside me and sit up.
Yet my body refused to obey.
(Did I break a bone?)
No.
Nothing hurt.
That couldn’t be it.
Then I noticed something else.
(Why is everything so blurry…?)
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t focus my eyes.
(I’ll call for help.)
At least I should be able to speak.
I took a deep breath and prepared to shout.
Instead—
“Waaaah! Waaaaah!”
The sound that escaped my mouth was nothing more than a baby’s cry.
(W-Why!?)
Inside, I was panicking.
Outside, all that came out was endless crying.
“Oh my, what’s wrong?”
A gentle woman’s voice interrupted.
She leaned into my field of vision.
As her face came closer, my eyes finally managed to focus a little.
She had chestnut-colored hair and lovely pink eyes.
The corners of her eyes drooped warmly as she smiled at me with an expression so tender it looked ready to melt.
“Did you have a scary dream… Lillietta?”
She effortlessly lifted me into her arms.
(Wait… she picked up a grown woman that easily!?)
She didn’t look nearly strong enough for that.
Completely ignoring my confusion, she gently patted my back and rocked me.
It felt…
Comforting.
My eyelids grew heavy.
As drowsiness overtook me, I noticed a mirror nearby.
Reflected inside it was the chestnut-haired woman holding a sleepy baby with a loving smile.
Only then did I realize.
(That’s… me.)
The baby with fluffy golden hair and ruby-red eyes…
The angelic little infant…
Was me.
I…
Had become a baby.
I was stunned.
Absolutely stunned.
Yet somehow…
It also made sense.
(Did I… get reincarnated?)
That had to be it.
I had definitely died.
Naturally, the next time I opened my eyes would be after being born again.
What surprised me wasn’t reincarnation itself.
It was the fact that I’d retained every memory from my previous life.
As I drifted toward sleep…
BANG!
The bedroom door flew open with tremendous force.
The loud noise startled me.
“Fwaaaahhh!!”
“There, there. It’s alright, Lillietta.”
As I burst into tears again, the woman hurried to comfort me.
At the same time, she shot a reproachful look toward the doorway.
A large man stood there.
He had short black hair, sharp black eyes, and a massive cross-shaped scar across his face.
He looked exactly like the sort of person you’d never dare make eye contact with if you passed him on the street.
He strode straight toward us.
The woman holding me let out a deep sigh.
“My dear, please be quieter.”
“I heard my beloved Lillietta crying! How could I possibly stay calm!?”
“The beloved Lillietta you’re talking about is crying because you slammed the door.”
“W-What!? Is that true…? I… I’m sorry.”
“As long as you understand.”
What a heartwarming exchange.
Apparently…
These two were my parents.
“I’m sorry, Lillietta! I’ll be more careful from now on! Please don’t hate your daddy!”
Father certainly looked intimidating.
But that seemed to be only his appearance.
In reality, he was an incredibly loving father.
(I could never hate you.)
I wanted to tell him.
Unfortunately, this tiny body wasn’t capable of speaking yet.
So instead…
I wrapped my tiny hand around one of his rough fingers.
“Lillietta…!!”
That alone nearly brought him to tears.
Then my father and mother looked at one another…
And exchanged a kiss.
It seemed that, in this life, I had been born to parents who truly loved each other.
That alone was enough to make me happier than I’d ever been.
With that warm feeling in my heart…
I finally drifted off to sleep.
Several weeks passed.
While living as a baby, I learned several things.
My father’s name was Bertarius Rosenford.
He was the head of the prestigious House Rosenford, one of the kingdom’s Four Great Ducal Houses.
My mother’s name was Marcelina.
She was the younger sister of the current king—a former princess who had married into House Rosenford.
And…
“Lillietta, I wonder what kind of mage you’ll become.”
Father spoke with unmistakable excitement.
That’s right.
Magic existed in this world.
And in this world…
Bertarius was said to be the strongest mage in the entire kingdom.
As his daughter, everyone expected great things from my future as a magician.
(It’s a rather unusual situation… but it still looks like it’ll be a much better life than my last one.)
At least…
That’s what I thought.
There was just one problem.
Apparently…
This family was hated by everyone around them.
