If you could live another life, what would you want?

If I could, of course I’d want a different life. A family that cherished me. Friends who’d stay by my side. And more than anything, a beloved who’d be with me forever. It’s a simple wish—and the most extravagant one of all.

The boy wanted an ordinary life.

He didn’t need to be rich or powerful. He only needed someone to love and someone who loved him. That would be enough to make him happy.

When he thought back on the life he’d lived before he died, he couldn’t remember much. It wasn’t as if he had many happy memories.

In the first half of his life, he’d lived by the rules and never gotten anything out of it. His memories of his family weren’t very pleasant. He was an illegitimate child, so they never accepted him. He’d never known his family’s love. His birth mother had left him with his birth father after taking a sum of money, and he’d never seen her again. As for his birth father? He hadn’t given him much either. He’d simply made sure the boy didn’t starve. And his half-siblings? That went without saying. Who’d like an “outsider” like him?

When he finally managed to move out and live on his own, he hadn’t received a single cent. His half-brother hadn’t even let him attend his wedding. He’d wanted to build a life and get married, but then his partner cheated on him, saying it was because he had no money.

In the end, he’d died by drowning, pushed into the water by those so-called siblings who shared his blood. It really was a miserable way to go. Every time his head surfaced, they hit him with a stick. When he held his breath and tried to dive, they jabbed him back down. And when he tried to swim, several sticks came down on him at once. There was no way he could survive that.

If he had another life...

He wanted to be born into a good family. He wanted a family that loved him, relatives who cared for him—even if he were just an ordinary person. He didn’t need to be rich or powerful. He only wanted a quiet, simple life. No matter how much money you saved or how much wealth you amassed, you couldn’t escape the emptiness inside.

If he had another life...

He really wanted a family.

“You really want to be born into a good family?”

“Yeah.”

“Then what do you want?”

“As long as I have a family, that’s enough. A family that loves me, and a family I love. Oh, and I want friends—friends who can walk through life with me. It’d be even better if I had someone I loved, too.”

“Don’t you want some kind of cheat power?”

“More than any of that, I want an ordinary life. I don’t want to be exceptional, and I don’t want to be the protagonist. I just want to be a perfectly ordinary person.”

“You’re the most unusual person I’ve ever met. You don’t want any of those things at all. But never mind. You’ll get what you want. Whatever it is, you’ll have it.”

When he died, the god who claimed to oversee the reincarnation of souls said all that and even asked if he wanted a cheat ability. He hadn’t taken it seriously. This wasn’t a novel. Where would all those cheat powers come from?

All he wanted was to live like an ordinary person.

With that small wish in his heart, he left this world, his soul traveling to another.

If he could have another life...

He hoped he could live freely and receive a little more love.

………………………………………………

In the Kaslieno Empire, today was a very special day. The Empress was giving birth, and the vast empire was about to welcome a new prince or princess. As the day approached, the Empress felt nervous. She’d been through this before, but this time, an unprecedented unease had settled over her, as if something were about to happen.

The Empress had a feeling that the child she was about to give birth to would be no ordinary child.

And so, the time came. This labor was even harder than the births of her first two children. She’d nearly suffered a difficult delivery. The baby simply wouldn’t come, putting her through tremendous pain.

“Waaah! Waaah!”

A cry rang out as a brand-new life entered the world. The Empress lay there, pale and utterly exhausted. They said childbirth was the hardest thing a woman could endure, and it was true. She’d given birth to three children so far, and the third had been the hardest.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. It’s an adorable little princess, and the baby is safe and well.”

“The baby... I want to see the baby.”

“Careful, Your Majesty. Here, the little princess is right here.”

The Empress looked at the tiny baby, still wailing. The child was small, wrinkly and ugly, and all she could do was cry. But the bond of blood let the Empress feel her presence so clearly. Her love for the baby ran deep.

This was her daughter, soon to be the Empire’s Third Princess.

But this baby sure had a loud set of lungs. It was normal for little children to cry, but this was a bit much. You’d think someone had died in the family.

Of course, she had no way of knowing why.

The little princess had been reborn with her memories intact.

The little princess was crying her eyes out. She’d been a man—so why had she been reborn as a girl? What a rip-off! She’d never even had a girlfriend, and now she was a girl herself. Not only would she never get a girlfriend, she’d end up being someone else’s girlfriend!

That god had talked about reincarnation, then sent her off to become a princess in the blink of an eye. She’d clearly said she only wanted an ordinary life! And now she’d been reincarnated into the royal family. Was the god trying to get her killed?!

She’d seen it countless times on TV. Members of the royal family were always scheming against each other. A dozen princes fought over the throne, and killing their fathers and brothers was nothing unusual. And now she’d been reincarnated into royalty? Wasn’t that just forcing her into the succession struggle?

She absolutely didn’t want to compete for the throne. She only wanted a peaceful life!

And on top of that, she was a princess. Wouldn’t she be sent off as a pawn in some political marriage one day? No way!

That was why the little princess had cried so miserably from the moment she was born. There was no other reason. The whole thing was absurd.

And so, the little princess—still less than a year old—came into this world as a member of the noblest family in the land, even though it wasn’t the identity she wanted. In her previous life, she might have envied someone in her position. But after being reborn into royalty, all she felt was danger. This was a place that could swallow you whole and leave no trace. She had to find a way out of the palace.

After spending some time in this world, she’d figured out that it was different from the one she’d lived in before. It was probably another world. There seemed to be some strange powers here, too, but she didn’t know if they were magic. She’d only just arrived, and she hadn’t even learned the language yet.

She’d been given her own palace. Apparently, every member of the royal family—or rather, every child of the emperor—had a palace of their own. For the first time since coming to this world, she understood how nice it was to be highborn. Such a huge palace, all hers—and it even came with lots of maids and stewards. As soon as she was placed in her crib, a crowd of maids gathered around her with toys and bottles.

“The more I look at Her Highness, the cuter she is. Look, she’s looking at me! As expected of Her Majesty’s child.”

“Is Her Highness hungry? Or would you like a toy?”

“If Her Highness is tired, go ahead and sleep. You’re still so little, so you should get plenty of rest.”

“Aaaah, yaaaah!”

“Does Your Highness want to say something?”

“Aaaah, yaaaah...”

Damn this body! She wasn’t even a year old and couldn’t talk!

The little princess was furious. Being reincarnated was bad enough, but why did she have to become a girl? Couldn’t she have been reborn as a boy? Even if she had to be royalty, she didn’t want to be a princess. She wanted to be a prince.

“I know! Her Highness must want to see Her Majesty. But Her Majesty has returned to her chambers. What should we do?”

“There, there, Your Highness. Your mother will come see you tomorrow. Now go to sleep.”

“Aaaah, yaaaah!”

Who wanted to see her?! That wasn’t it at all! She was just trying to roll over. Lying on her back was uncomfortable!

As a princess of the Empire, she had a future beyond imagining. But being part of the royal family meant getting tangled up in the struggle for power. Even if she didn’t want any part of it, there was nothing she could do.

Maybe she should just wait until she was a little older, then leave the palace.

She didn’t feel any sense of belonging in this world. That damn god had promised to make her happy and reincarnated her, so why had it sent her into the royal family? She couldn’t handle royalty.

Even so, the next day the little princess met her birth mother, who brought along a little boy. She didn’t know him. He had short blond hair and a handsome, refined face, bright sapphire-blue eyes, and an expectant look on his face.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. Your Highness.”

What?!

This harmless-looking little guy was a prince? Did that mean he was her older brother in this world?

“Wow, is this my little sister? She’s so cute! Little sister, I’m your big brother—your real big brother!”

“Haha, be gentle. Your sister was only born a little while ago.”

“I’ll be careful, Mother. She’s so tiny and cute. She’s completely different from Leona.”

The guy who called himself her big brother poked her cheek with his finger. The little princess was annoyed. She hated those so-called older brothers and sisters most of all. It was her supposed siblings who’d killed her in her previous life.

“Aah-woo!”

Without hesitation, she clamped her mouth around his finger and bit down hard. But she didn’t have any teeth yet, so it didn’t hurt. The prince stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

“Little sister, you like biting me? Haha, go ahead! You can bite your big brother as much as you want.”

You’re happy that I bit you? Is something wrong with you?

Is this guy a total masochist or what?

“All right, don’t tease her. She’s your little sister. Here, Veltia, this is your older brother, and I’m your mother.”

A pair of gentle hands picked her up and drew her into a warm embrace. They patted her back softly, stroking her. That smile was like sunlight—probably the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen.

Was this what a mother’s smile looked like? She’d never experienced anything like this, so she wasn’t sure. But this woman’s smile really was beautiful. When she smiled, it was as if the whole world melted.

Mother... She’d never felt anything like this before, and she didn’t even know what love was. But...

It was warm.

Those hands marked the beginning of her journey into paradise—and the beginning of her witnessing another side of it. But that was all a long time in the future.