Chapter 4
Today, I was also living a diligent, sincere, and well-planned life.
Eat, sleep…
“Grrr…!”
A baby’s comfortable and peaceful life of pooping.
Over the past few days of living as a baby, I had come to a major decision.
I would help Lucas become the emperor, then quietly receive whatever crumbs fell my way and enjoy a carefree life as an idle layabout!
‘What a delightful word. A layabout.’
I smiled in satisfaction and nodded my heavy head.
After reading various books in my past life, I had even come across books written by commoners, and those contained many words I had never heard inside the palace. “Layabout” was one of those words I learned for the first time then. If I remembered correctly, it meant “a vagrant who lounges around with no money, living off others.” In common households, it was increasingly used to refer to people without jobs. So, I would live as a layabout of the imperial family.
‘I’m going to become a layabout princess!’
“Ha-cha!”
With that renewed resolve, my will surged.
“Your Highness seems in a good mood after taking care of business. Feeling refreshed, aren’t you?”
Reni, who had been watching me from the side without understanding my thoughts, sniffed around as she spoke.
It was absurd enough that she kept watching me every time, but what was even more ridiculous was—
“You’ve had a healthy bowel movement again today.”
Every time, she checked my health by spreading open my diaper, and my sense of shame only piled up more and more.
Someday, I will repay this humiliation in kind!
“Now then, we’ve changed you into a fresh, fluffy diaper. Feeling good, right?”
“Abu!”
Completely unaware that I was sharpening my blade of revenge, Reni peeled off my diaper and kissed my cheek. I struggled to avoid her, but it was useless.
“Kyaa ha ha! Uuu!”
In response to my antics, Lucas also strained his face, turning red, then soon broke into a bright, refreshed smile.
Sniff sniff. “The prince also went. How interesting that the two of you do these things together.”
“Are twins usually like this?”
Sylvia murmured in fascination as she brought a new diaper and changed him.
“Kya-uu.”
“Puu.”
I looked at Lucas beside me, clapping his hands.
‘He copies everything.’
If only I could walk right now, I’d feel much better after giving him a kick. But in this tiny body, there was nothing I could do, which was frustrating and suffocating.
When would I ever be able to walk?
Lying there, I strained to move my legs, but all I felt was the fluttering of my toes.
“Uuu…”
I forced my head up, wanting to see even those flailing toes, but due to the weight of my head, I couldn’t even see them—only my protruding belly came into view.
At this rate, I wasn’t even sure if I could lift my heavy head on my own, let alone take my first steps.
But I couldn’t give up.
“Haa…”
Clenching my tiny fists with no real strength, I thrashed my whole body again for the day I would land a blow on Lucas.
“Abu!”
Tensing my entire body and letting out a spirited cry, my body suddenly flipped over.
“……!”
My sheer determination to get back at the annoying Lucas had made the roll-over successful.
“Ha!”
Slap.
Rejoicing at the success, I flapped my arms, and something soft and pleasant brushed against my hand.
‘What is this? Did Reni place a doll here?’
But it felt softer than a doll, as if it clung to my hand like something coated in paste.
The soft, squishy sensation felt nice, so I kneaded it.
“Ueh?”
Lucas, who had been quiet until now, as I thought he was napping, let out a babble that transmitted through my hand.
‘Wait, don’t tell me…?’
Lucas, whose cheek I had grabbed, blinked as if unaware of what had happened to him. Then his eyes began to well up with tears, and he quickly started to whimper.
“Hrrng…”
“Hashi.”
Seeing Lucas’s eyes moisten, I unconsciously let out an equally baby-like babble.
“Your Highness?”
“Oh my!”
Reni and Sylvia, who had been chatting among themselves, heard the sounds of movement and my babbling, and approached us.
“Your Highness.”
“Uuu?”
‘I didn’t think I could actually hit him…’
Cold sweat seemed to run down my back as I wondered if my strike on Lucas would be discovered.
“Did you just roll over?”
However, Reni, as clueless as ever, seemed more surprised by my prone position than by my hand gripping Lucas’s cheek or the sounds we made.
“Our princess is so quick! She’s only four months old, yet she’s already rolling over!”
“Ha-woo!”
I seized the moment and responded quickly to Reni while flapping my arms.
“The prince’s face seems flushed.”
At Sylvia’s words, she looked at me with envy, then noticed Lucas’s reddened cheek and picked him up into her arms.
For a baby’s grip strength to be so strong that it would hurt, Lucas’s once white, bread-like cheek now appeared slightly flushed.
Feeling guilty for no reason, I pretended to practice rolling again and shifted my body.
At that moment, my eyes met Lucas’s, who was in Sylvia’s arms.
“……”
“……”
The vivid odd-colored eyes that had been teary just moments ago were now perfectly clear, as if nothing had happened.
As I looked into those eyes, my heart suddenly felt cold.
‘Could he… also have memories of a past life?’
That suspicion made my heart pound as if it would burst out of my chest, and my blood seemed to run cold.
“Hehe.”
“Oh dear, the prince drooled again? Let me wipe that.”
Sylvia quickly took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped Lucas’s mouth.
Well, of course. Reincarnation? Ridiculous.
Even while Sylvia wiped him, Lucas continued to drool as if a flood had opened in his mouth.
“Are you hungry? Why are you drooling so much?”
“Nya-mu nya-mu.”
“I’ll go prepare some milk right away. Please wait a moment. Reni, could you watch the prince for me?”
“Sure, go ahead. Oh, and please bring something for the princess as well.”
“Got it.”
Sylvia laid Lucas down on the bed, who was moving his mouth, and headed to the kitchen.
Lucas, lying there with his mouth open and drooling, looked like nothing more than an ordinary, clueless baby.
For a brief moment, I felt ashamed of the chilling thought I had about him.
How was I supposed to make a child like that into an emperor? The future looked bleak.
I would have to pay the price for the hardships that awaited me ahead.
“Teeeh!”
Take my righteous strike!
Once again pretending to practice rolling, I rolled closer to Lucas, flapping my arms and striking his cheek.
“Your Highness, Prince. I’ve brought a new toy today.”
Reni handed each of us a doll, one in each of our arms, as we sucked on our fingers.
“I made these for the two of you. Cute, aren’t they?”
Lucas seemed to like the doll immediately, as it was quickly soaked in his saliva.
“It seems the prince likes his doll. How about you, Your Highness?”
I had a faint memory of holding a similar doll during my childhood in my past life.
Despite its appearance, the fluffy tuft of fur felt very soft in my hands.
“I imagined and made it myself.”
Reni shrugged her shoulders proudly.
The doll’s face had a mane like a lion, with its eyes, nose, and mouth clustered together, and ears that stretched long like a rabbit’s. Its appearance didn’t resemble a normal animal, so I had assumed it was some kind of mythical creature.
And she had imagined this strange thing herself?
I looked between the doll and Reni with a cold, unimpressed gaze.
“Abu.”
I tapped the doll’s belly as if to say I wanted it taken away.
“It seems the princess likes it very much.”
“Daa!”
Misinterpreting my action, Reni beamed and placed the doll back into my arms.
However, I quietly pushed it aside when she wasn’t looking.
“Your craftsmanship is always so consistent.”
Sylvia, who had been watching Reni hand us the dolls, said with a sigh.
“From your perspective too, it’s quite cute, isn’t it?”
Reni asked Sylvia proudly, but Sylvia’s face was deeply creased.
“Do you really think His and Her Highnesses like this?”
“Of course! I stayed up a whole week making it!”
Reni turned back to look at Lucas and me without a hint of doubt.
“……”
“Umm umm.”
Lucas had his doll completely soaked in drool, while I was pushing mine away but then subtly grasping its fingertip when Reni looked at me.
“…Your Highness.”
Seeing that, Reni approached me as if on the verge of tears.
“Do you not like it, Your Highness? Is that it?”
“Uah bu.”
How could I possibly say that out loud?
Sylvia and I both looked down at the doll Reni had made with indifferent expressions.
“Kya-uu.”
The only one who liked the doll was Lucas.
“Grr…”
Had my brain shrunk along with my body?
The more I tried to think deeply, the more I felt hungry and sleepy. Perhaps I was becoming a baby ruled by instinct.
‘Let’s eat first.’
“Ukaa.”
I patted my stomach and licked my lips, moving my small mouth.
“Are you hungry, Your Highness? I’ll go bring some baby food right away.”
Reni, who had become more perceptive, smiled and went to the kitchen after noticing my gesture.
Soon after returning, she propped me up against the head of the bed and presented a bowl filled with some unknown thick liquid.
What is that? The color looks strange.
She had mentioned earlier that I would soon start baby food—was this it?
“Today I’ve put some effort into making something special for you. Say ahh. Aah~”
After the doll, now this. Reni was becoming increasingly suspicious.
Still, I thought cooking and crafting were different skills.
Maybe her cooking would be fine. Let’s try it.
“Aah—ngh.”
Forcing down my unease, I sucked on the spoon she brought to my mouth and swallowed.
“How is it? Tasty, right?”
Reni looked at me with expectant eyes.
“Hic!”
The moment the baby food entered my mouth, it felt like every hair on my body stood on end.
“Eek…”
The food I had in my mouth dribbled out of my open lips.
What on earth is this taste?!
