Chapter 7
The Delinquent Princess’s Self-Indulgent Life Plan
“Dad!”
“Adel, are you hurt anywhere? When I heard that a monstrous bird had broken in all the way here, my heart nearly stopped!”
My father grabbed me and quickly turned me around, checking me over from head to toe before finally letting out a relieved sigh.
At that moment, the other consorts—who had been calming the frightened half-siblings—approached us.
“Roxan, you’ve arrived. I truly don’t understand what all this commotion is about. First monstrous birds invading, and then a fire in the Rosarium….”
“Yes. It seems there was an issue with the barrier’s guardian stone. I rushed back as soon as I heard, so I haven’t yet grasped the full situation at the Rosarium either.”
After giving a rough explanation, Father expressed his gratitude to the Third Consort.
“Thank you for looking after Asphodel until I arrived, Kuncha.”
“Oh, no. It’s not like I did much….”
Kuncha, the Third Consort and the father of Second Prince Rubelio, glanced at me with an awkward expression.
He must have felt guilty—after telling my father he’d look after me, he’d fled with only his own son when the monstrous birds attacked.
“Ahem. More importantly, I heard the fire spread even into the restricted area. I’m worried about the fruit growing inside.”
Kuncha cleared his throat unnecessarily and adjusted his half-cracked monocle, changing the subject.
The effect was immediate.
As his words spread, the banquet hall fell silent in an instant.
As if on cue, countless gazes shifted in the same direction.
There stood a black-haired man in the corner of the hall, blending into the background as if he were merely a servant.
Judging by his disheveled appearance, he must have suffered quite a bit while escaping the monsters—he looked more like a street vagrant than a royal consort.
Clatter!
From the man’s stiff, bloodless hand, a vial of sedative slipped free and shattered on the floor.
My father approached him with a hardened expression.
“Karus. Go to the Rosarium at once.”
“Ah! Y-Yes! Then I’ll excuse myself first.”
At my father’s words, Karus—my mother’s fifth husband—snapped back to his senses and hurried out of the banquet hall.
Watching his retreating figure, other members of the imperial family clicked their tongues.
“A fruit that hasn’t bloomed for three years, and now an accident like this… I wonder if it can even be born safely.”
“I hope nothing happens to the baby.”
I watched the murmuring crowd as though I were observing a well-rehearsed play.
“It is a sacred ground under divine protection, so there’s no need for excessive worry.”
My father soothed the stirred audience.
Some guests left the hall to check on the situation, and Father also dispatched people to the Garden of the Gods.
“Adel, you must’ve been frightened. Let’s return to the palace now. You should take a sedative and rest.”
After that, I clung to my father’s comforting embrace, gripping my gift box tightly.
At last, it had begun.
The real story of <Princess Asphodel>.
In the end, my birthday banquet ended in a muddle.
Naturally, it wrapped up far earlier than planned.
Mother never showed her face to me again.
It was the Third Princess’s birthday, yes—but after such an incident, it couldn’t be helped.
“And so, the snow fairy Serendipity handed the skull knight the key made of red ice crystal….”
Though none of this was his fault, Father stayed by my side all day, worriedly checking on me.
He even read to me at my bedside until I fell asleep.
“…Adel, are you asleep?”
“Hooo….”
I deliberately made soft snoring noises, pretending I had already fallen asleep.
I heard my father move carefully beside me.
A moment later, a gentle touch brushed my cheek.
“Sleep well, Adel.”
Whoosh!
The moment my father left the room and I was alone, I threw off the blanket and sprang to my feet.
“Quickly—quickly!”
Running barefoot across the soft wool carpet, I stopped in front of the mirror hanging on the wall.
A round, youthful face stared back at me.
A chubby-cheeked child with white-silver hair like my father’s, slightly upturned blue eyes.
Without a doubt, five-year-old Asphodel.
With trembling hands, I touched my face and body.
Then, to be absolutely sure, I slapped my cheek.
Smack!
“Ow!”
My cheeks stung sharply from the force of my own hands.
I slapped myself a couple more times, but the pain was unmistakably real.
Clutching the mirror, I shuddered.
“Am I really not dead? Is this truly my third run?”
An immature voice spilled from my lips without thinking.
A chill ran through me, making my whole body tremble.
‘I really… really came back.’
Even now, I could almost feel the ache in my chest where one of the Fourth Prince’s underlings had stabbed me.
Yet when I changed clothes after the banquet earlier, my body showed not a single scar—not even the faintest mark.
—Alright. One more time. This really is the last.
This was real.
Somehow, I had truly been given one more chance.
After a brief moment of private awe, I quickly checked the divine power within me.
“Tch. Nothing.”
As expected, aside from the tiniest chick-sized trace, all my divine power was gone. I pouted.
Of course—it hadn’t awakened yet.
The eyes reflected in the mirror were blue, not gold.
Naturally, the spirits—those ghosts I’d spent such a long time with under contract—weren’t here either.
But they’d come swarming back like bees to honey once I awakened my divine sight. Recontracting them wouldn’t be difficult.
‘Still, this is my third and final chance. Would it really hurt to give me a little bonus?’
There’s a reason people say how you feel going into the bathroom and coming out is completely different.
Now that I’d actually been given another chance, I couldn’t help grumbling inwardly.
“Zerkain… that bastard.”
Thinking back to what happened before my death made my teeth grind again.
I couldn’t quite remember whether my traitorous younger brother had lived or died by the spirits I sent after him.
I thought he was a cute little kitten—only to find out he was a sneaky hyena ready to sink his fangs into my neck at any moment.
All this time, I’d believed the despicable final villain had sweet-talked my adorable little brother into turning evil…
But at this point, it seemed more likely the brat was rotten to the core from the start.
I recalled what had happened at today’s banquet.
Asphodel’s fifth birthday.
The monster invasion.
The fire at the sacred Rosarium.
In the Rozantina imperial family, women do not give birth directly.
Royal children are born in the Garden of the Gods—called the Rosarium—under the blessing of Demetea, the Goddess of Prosperity.
According to the novel’s setting, every person in this world possesses a unique magical energy.
Thus, when the imperial family desires a child, the sworn partners are brought before the gods to the sacred Rosarium.
They pour their blended magic into the flower beds, where a new sprout grows and bears fruit.
After time passes, the fruit blooms into a flower—and a child is born.
At present, one such fruit—destined to become my sibling—was growing in the Garden of the Gods.
Today’s fire, when examined closely, was a grave incident in which the empire’s sacred ground nearly got destroyed by the novel’s final villain.
But that wouldn’t be revealed until much later in the story.
Early on, it merely served as the catalyst for the heroine Asphodel to take an interest in her sickly younger brother.
A pitiful prince, born a month later before completing his growth due to the severe damage caused by the Rosarium fire.
That was the very brother who betrayed me—the Fourth Prince.
‘So… what should I do now?’
After living Asphodel’s life twice, I’d learned one thing.
If you leave the seeds of disaster unattended, they will always obstruct you later.
And unlike the real heroine Asphodel, I wasn’t that kind-hearted.
The villains who would eventually plunge the novel into ruin could wait until I built up my power.
But the black-hearted younger brother who dared stab me in the back…
There had been affection once, but thinking about how he trampled everything I worked so hard to achieve in my past life filled me with resentment.
I had no intention of looking kindly upon the one who killed me.
Honestly, my feelings of betrayal and hatred were stronger than anything else—strong enough to make me crave revenge.
And this time was truly my last chance.
I couldn’t afford to leave behind any element that might ruin my plans.
I pressed my lips together and stared at my reflection.
Even if this was the powerless body of a child…
Wouldn’t it still be possible to crush a single, unbloomed fruit right now?
The face in the mirror looked unbelievably innocent and cute—far too pure to harbor such vicious thoughts.
But those blue eyes gleamed sharply.
I decided not to waste the opportunity that had finally come to me.
