Prologue part 3: Peaceful days in Baral

The days that followed were truly like a rebirth.

The people at the mansion were much younger than I remembered at age nineteen, which puzzled me a little.

The maidservant, Catherine, was still the same cheerful, smiling girl she used to be as if the tears of that day were a lie.

In addition, she's still young, in her twenties, and very pretty. I was so happy to see her that I repeatedly hugged her around the waist because I was a child, confirming her happy smile.

"I love you so much, Catherine. Even when I'm a grandmother, I want you to stay by my side.

"You little girl. You've been acting strangely spoiled lately. Are you turning into a baby?"

"I'm a child again!"

Everything I saw was supposed to be something I had seen before. But looking closer, everything was fresh.

The environment that surrounded me at the age of six was very kind and pleasant.

The nineteen-year-old me had been tormented by the people of the palace and had been on edge, but now, having returned to my childhood in this way, my heart is soothed by the monotony and peace of everyday life.

In the midst of this life of love and kindness, I slowly forgot my love for the Crown Prince and my resentment for the saint.

Or to be more precise, I had no choice but to forget.

The Crow family was quite a country noble family.

The province of Baral, where our territory is located, is quite far from the royal capital, and it's a quiet place with grassy hills and forests.

Here, green grass flutters in the breeze and a small forest grows lushly.

Looking up to the far north, the big blue mountains topped with white snow, made the backdrop of Baral Province always magnificent and beautiful.

A wild rabbit hops on the green velvet hills, and a majestic antlered deer occasionally appears among the forest trees.

Because of the abundance of nature's blessings, rural life is maintained at a reasonable level.

A beautiful, clear stream flows through the rolling hills carpeted with greenery, and children play in the water.

Every year at the end of the summer, the entire village holds a jousting tournament, and people watch it with apple candies in their hands.

It's such a peaceful province.

The Crow family's mansion was a large and historic building, with the structure of a local lord's mansion.

The house consists of a large hall and dining room and a large courtyard, with stables and a well.

Outside the grey stone gates, there was a field owned by the Crow family, which was cultivated by the farmers.

However, the Crow family was not wealthy, and the mansion was quite shabby. For a noble family, they were quite poor.

It consisted of two buildings with stables in between, but one of them was half destroyed and not in use.

My parents had died in a carriage accident, and we became family of three, me, my younger brother and my grandfather, the head of the family.

Nevertheless...

"Yes, it's nice and peaceful."

This is where the happiness is.

The days went by so calmly and simply.

I fed the chickens in the courtyard and learned to study from my tutor.

Normally, I would learn embroidery and sewing, but in my case, my grandfather also taught me magic.

I can use magic.

In this world, not everyone can use magic. A magician is born by chance, like drawing a lottery.

The source of all things is water, fire, or wind, and sorcerers are the ones who can manipulate that power at will.

Magic is a source of pride for me.

Even for a poor aristocrat, as long as I have magic, my people will never be impoverished.

My grandfather used his magic to make and sell magic stones, a side business that helped the family considerably. A magic stone is a mass of accumulated magic, and even people with little magic power can use it to assist their magic. It was like a fuel, so to speak.

My grandfather was an expert in water magic.

So when my brother and I, three years younger, were playing by the well, we were often chased by water rabbits and cats.

I loved this time the most.

In a bright garden full of flowers and greenery, there was a kind grandfather watching over me and my brother as we frolicked.

"Nyanko (kitty)! Come here!"

My three-year-old brother runs up to the clear water cat with a big smile on his face and tries to touch it.

The cat flinches away, occasionally stopping and running away from him as if to provoke him.

My brother lets out a high, clear, babyish laugh and chases the cat across the grass.

My grandfather looked at my brother with a grin on his face.

"Grandfather, teach me how to create a water cat!"　

I clung to my grandfather's hand and begged, and he turned his eyes, the same color as mine, around.

"You're not ready yet, Liesel.  If you try hard enough, you might be able to create a butterfly."

"A butterfly! Tell me, how do you do it?"

Magic is fun.

My grandfather smiled softly and gently took my right hand in both of his.

"Look deep into your heart. Picture in your mind the butterfly you think is the most beautiful.

"What do you mean, "look into your heart"? How do you do that?"

My grandfather laughed and shook his head from side to side.

"Try to do it every day. Surrender your power to the magic of water. Practice makes perfect."

My grandfather said, and then patted me on the head.

It was our daily routine to visit the graves of our parents behind the mansion at dusk.

The gravestones of my parents stood side by side in the lush, ivy-twined cemetery.

Occasionally, my grandfather would place a flower he had made with magic on each of their graves.

I called this flower "the most beautiful flower in the world." Made with water magic, it was as clear as glass, yet it emitted a seven-colored glow when it caught the light. Despite its hard appearance, it is as soft to the touch as an ordinary flower.

How can Grandfather make such beautiful flowers?"

When I looked up at my grandfather's face in the setting sun, his face crinkled up in a smile.

"Because I loved your mother and father with all my heart."

Then he returned his amethyst eyes to the gray tombstone. There were some tears in his eyes.

My parents died when I was four years old, so I barely remember them.

However, the two people who were supposed to be closest to me were not there, and it just became a huge hollow in my heart.

My grandfather hugged me and my brother tightly with both arms and said.

"Liesel, Ethan, I hope you will live a long life. Live a lot longer than your mother and father."

Wrapped in the warmth of my grandfather's large body, my brother nodded innocently.

"Yes! We'll definitely live up to a hundred years old!"

I bit my lip as I clung to my grandfather with my brother, pressing my cheek against his slightly prickly sweater and its warmth.

(I will definitely survive. I will never aspire to be the Crown Princess!)

This Liesel Crow (Returned) is going to bet her life on it and change the way she lived in that empty life.

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