Resetting Lady

Different circumstances yield different results.

There’s no choice but to admit that things were not the same as before with Crown Prince Gueuze. Carynne’s presence here was the result of a random accident, unlike when Gueuze had intentionally drawn her in at the age of 117.

“Taxidermy is best done after you’ve cleanly ended their life first.”

“……”

How can I escape this imminent death? How do I manage to appease Crown Prince Gueuze?

Last time, it was Gueuze who approached her first. He had thoroughly investigated Carynne’s past and had discovered her connection to murder. He believed that only Carynne could understand him and demanded her understanding.

But this time was different. Carynne hadn’t been involved in any killings yet, and she didn’t know what Gueuze thought of her.

Moreover, since she had been kidnapped alongside Isella, Gueuze would assume anything Carynne said was merely a desperate attempt to survive.

And he would be right—

“No.”

Carynne looked up at Crown Prince Gueuze and replied.

—Except, she had her memories. She had knowledge. Over the many lifetimes, she had heard and experienced things. She wasn’t a seventeen-year-old newly arrived in the capital. She was someone who had lived through over a hundred lifetimes, who had repeatedly navigated the intricacies of high society in this era.

“Your Highness, aren’t you curious why my mother left you?”

“I already told you…”

“It was because you couldn’t give her a child.”

Bang!

Gueuze slammed Carynne’s head against the floor, his hand gripping her hair. Her head throbbed, and the impact left her dazed. She opened her mouth in shock, more from the suddenness than the pain.

With her head pinned to the floor, Gueuze growled. His composed demeanor had vanished entirely.

“You’re quite fond of that flapping that tongue of yours, aren’t you? Let’s start by cutting it out.”

“Did I say something wrong? Ah, my head hurts, please stop, Your Highness. There’s no need to rush the torture.”

“Shut up.”

His hand grabbed her hair again, lifting her off the floor. Carynne tried her best not to grimace, speaking as calmly as she could.

“My mother spoke about living again, but you didn’t believe her, did you?”

“You think you’re older than you look, too, huh?”

Gueuze had said something similar to her once before. Catherine must have told him about rebirth, or about people who were more experienced than they seemed. But from the tone of his words, he didn’t believe it. ṙÄΝő₿ÊṢ

Catherine knew this too. Even knowing that, she had tried to choose this man. But in the end, she couldn’t.

During the time when it was just Raymond and Carynne alone in the mansion, Raymond had reflected on her words and said something similar.

“The idea that having a child would break the curse… that’s probably why she didn’t choose Prince Gueuze.”

“What do you mean? Oh, don’t move! I’m still painting.”

Raymond furrowed his brow as Carynne scolded him for shifting. She was focused on her canvas, and when he moved, it made her job harder. He brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and avoided her stern gaze.

“I’m talking about Catherine, your mother.”

“Yes… She didn’t choose Crown Prince Gueuze because of all his issues, right? He’s a serial killer, a pervert… It’d be humiliating to be his mistress.”

And he’s losing hair as he gets older, too.

Carynne had briefly worried that Raymond might also lose his hair with age, but then she remembered the portraits of his ancestors hanging in the mansion, all with thick, flowing hair. She felt reassured—hair was everything when you got older.

“I think there was a more desperate and direct reason than that.”

“You know more about my mother than I do?”

“No, it’s not about her. It’s about the crown prince. Rumor has it… he can’t father children.”

But he’s fully functional. Carynne frowned, recalling her experience with his less-than-enthusiastic lower half.

“So, then… Prince Lewis?”

“He isn’t Gueuze’s son.”

Carynne thought of how much the king doted on Lewis. So that’s why. It all made sense now.

“What a completely useless stick… or should I say, man.”

“Exactly.”

So, that’s how it was.

Carynne thought about Prince Lewis, the boy everyone believed to be Gueuze’s son. Now, she understood why Gueuze hated him so much, why he was jealous enough to stab him to death in the end.

Lewis wasn’t Gueuze’s son—he was his younger brother. A child the king had intentionally fathered and then passed off as Gueuze’s own.

Her mother had no use for such a man. He couldn’t meet even the bare minimum requirement of providing an offspring. No amount of gold or power could compensate for that. Catherine had no need for someone who couldn’t give her children, someone who couldn’t grant her the escape she desired.

His depraved tastes were probably just a secondary issue for her mother.

“Your Highness.”

How could someone be so worthless?

“My mother loved you, Crown Prince Gueuze.”

Catherine had written countless times in her diary, “Gueuze, you goddamn bastard. Die.” Did she really love him? It seemed unlikely. Could anyone truly love a man like Gueuze? Not if they were in their right mind.

But right now, Carynne could lie as much as she needed. If telling him what he wanted to hear could save her life, she could fabricate a hundred stories.

“But Your Highness didn’t trust her, and since you couldn’t give her a child to end this cycle of rebirth, she had no choice but to leave… Do you think she wouldn’t have told you?”

She didn’t need to.

“My mother didn’t want to hurt you, Your Highness.”

Gueuze’s hand, which had been gripping her hair and shaking her, suddenly stopped. He looked slightly confused.

This was just the beginning.

“Your Highness, my mother lived multiple lives, and so have I. Even if I die, I’ll come back, so death doesn’t scare me.”

“…Then I suppose dying one more time wouldn’t be a problem for you. As a reward for this amusing story, I’ll decorate your corpse with jewels.”

“Even though I carry your child?”

“…What?”

Carynne glanced down at her belly and spoke.

“Just wait a few months. You may not see it yet, but inside me is a child that looks just like you. We were together in a past life, Your Highness.”

“…Oh, for heaven’s sake. I really don’t like crazy women like you.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Who would believe such nonsense?”

Crown Prince Gueuze chuckled, his face full of disbelief.

“You just admitted a moment ago that I can’t father children. Lewis isn’t mine. And Catherine left me for that reason? Fine, let’s say that’s true. Then how in the world could you claim you’re carrying my child? None of this adds up, and I’ve never even touched you!”

“I’m telling you, we were together before. Having a child may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Things are different now than they were twenty years ago. Medical technology has improved.”

Steadily, slowly, keep talking. Carynne licked the edges of her front teeth, careful not to lick her lips—it would make it too obvious that she was lying.

“Why else would I be here, feeling this fear?”

“Hah…”

“I’m not afraid of dying because I’ll come back. I’m not afraid of this place because I’ve been here many times. And I’m not afraid of you, Your Highness.”

Carynne took hold of Gueuze’s hand, grip weakening. At some point, the knot tying her hands had come undone. It must have loosened when Gueuze had slammed her head to the ground.

She wanted to shoot him in the head right then and there, but she held back. She didn’t have a gun. For now, all she could focus on was survival.

She forced a smile, pulling up the corners of her mouth with effort.

“Because you are my husband, Your Highness.”

***

https://www.patreon.com/subliminalwayfarer

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!