The Adored Daughter of the Disliked Duke's House: My Magic Power Increases Every Time I'm Praised, So I've Been Perfecting Cuteness Since Infancy! - Episode 1

(I died, this is it)

The night sky, which had completely turned upside down, was covered with clouds, and the moon was faintly blurred.

That month is gradually becoming more distant.
And behind me, the cold surface of the water approaches.

Falling off a bridge in a drunken stupor, or something like that.

(This might be the fitting end for me)

While vaguely gazing at the scenery moving in slow motion, the events of the past float in and out of my mind.

(This is what a revolving lantern looks like.)

It was a slightly decadent, yet ordinary life.

Since I was born, my father has not been around.

My mother was someone whose only reasons for living were alcohol and men, leaving my brother and me at home for weeks on end.

I almost died several times, but I was fortunate to be saved by a kind neighbor and able to stay at a relative’s house.

While living in a cramped space at my relative’s house, I was determined to raise my younger brother to be a decent person until my early twenties.

I started working after finishing middle school and worked like a horse until my younger brother graduated from university.

My younger brother graduated from university, got a job, and got married right away.

That person wanted my brother to cut ties with the family.

It is a fact that we siblings have an impossible mother, and her presence might one day bring misfortune. It is only natural to feel anxious about this.

I scolded my reluctant younger brother and made him do as she wished.

My younger brother and his wife moved somewhere without telling me where, and I don’t know how to contact them.

I had a slight feeling of resentment, but I accepted it for the sake of my brother’s happiness.

And it was also true that by lifting the burden of my brother’s life, my shoulders felt lighter.

From now on, I will live for myself.

I’ve decided.

But somehow, I just can’t do anything about this empty feeling in my heart.

I have drowned in the nightlife.

I hide my ugly face with heavy makeup and go out into the night. Then, I pay for drinks. That way, everyone praises me. They pamper me.

You filled my empty heart.

I finally understood my mother’s feelings, who found purpose only in alcohol and men.

I can only live such a pathetic life.

I hated my ordinary and hopeless self.

So, this is a fitting end.

(If I were to be reborn…)

Even though there’s no point in thinking about such things.
Even so, I can’t help but think about it.

(I want to live a slightly better life…)

──Splash.

My whole body is thrown into cold water.

Painful and cold.

Gradually, the sensation in my fingertips is disappearing.

And then, everything went pitch black.

When I woke up, I was lying in a fluffy bed.

The feel of the sheets against my cheek is smooth and pleasant.

(Where could it be…?)

Surely, I should have been dead.

(Maybe, did you almost die and get taken to the hospital?)

Thinking about such things, I tried to get up and placed my hand on the bed…

I intended to, but my hands won’t move.

No, it’s moving.

I’m repeatedly touching and pulling away from the sheets.

(Doesn’t move as I want? Why!?)

Place your hands on your sides and lift your body.

I just want to do that one simple action.

My body doesn’t move as I intend it to.

Are you even breaking bones?

I thought so, but since I don’t feel any pain at all, that’s not a possibility.

In the first place.

(For some reason, my vision is a bit blurry…?)

No matter what, I just can’t seem to get the focus right.

(Alright, let’s call for help)

You should be able to make a sound.

I took a deep breath and prepared to shout.

However.

“Uh, uh, wah! Wah!”

What came out of my mouth was a cry like that of a baby.

(Wh-Wh-Wh-Why!?)

Despite the inner anxiety, only cries continue to spill from my throat.

“Oh dear, what happened?”

What interrupted was the gentle voice of a woman.

The owner of the voice comes into my view.

With their face pressed closely against mine, I finally managed to focus a little bit.

She was a woman with chestnut-colored hair and adorable pink eyes.

His eyes are gently drooping, and he’s looking at me with a smile that seems like it could melt at any moment.

“Did you have a scary dream? …Lilietta”

The woman effortlessly lifted my body.

(Huh, so easily with an adult woman!?)

It didn’t look like he had that gorilla-like power.

Ignoring my inner confusion, the woman gently pats my back while swaying her body.

Somehow, it feels comfortable.

As if my brain were melting, drowsiness suddenly hit me.

In a hazy consciousness that felt like it might drift away at any moment, a mirror gradually came into view.

In the mirror, a woman with chestnut-colored hair is holding a baby who looks like he might fall asleep any moment, and she has a gentle smile on her face.

I finally understood.

(This is me)

This baby, with fluffy golden hair and ruby-red eyes, resembling an angel, is me.

──I have become a baby.

I was surprised.
I was very surprised.
However, at the same time, there was also a sense of understanding.

(Wonder if I’ve been reborn?)

It must be reincarnation, I suppose.
I definitely died back then, so the next time I wake up will be when I’m newly born.
It felt like a completely natural progression.
I never expected to be reincarnated with all the memories of my past life intact.

As I was dozing off, my mind wandering with such thoughts,

──Boom!

I woke up to the sound of the door being forcefully opened.
At that discomfort, my throat involuntarily trembles.

“F, f, f, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu”

“Oh dear, it’s alright, Lilietta.”

The woman hurriedly starts to comfort me as I begin to cry again.

At the same time, the woman cast a wary glance towards the door.

There was a large man there.

A man with short-cropped black hair and black eyes. His gaze is sharp, and he has a large cross-shaped scar on his face.

If you pass them on the street, they’re the type of person you absolutely shouldn’t make eye contact with.

That person is coming closer and closer to me.

Seeing that, the woman holding me let out a deep sigh.

“Please be quiet.”

“I heard the cries of my beloved Lilietta! How can I possibly remain calm!”

“That beloved Lilietta is crying because she was startled by the noise you made.”

“W-w-w-what…! …Sorry.”

“If you understand, that’s fine.”

What a heartwarming conversation.

Apparently, these two seem to be my parents.

“Sorry, Lilietta. I’ll be more careful from now on. Please don’t hate Daddy!”

I was quite surprised that my father looked so tough, but it seems that his toughness is only skin deep, and he is actually a kind and doting person.

(I won’t ever come to hate you)

I wanted to convey that, but it seems that in this small body, I still can’t speak.

Since there was no other choice, I tightly grasped my father’s rough fingers.

“Lilietta…!!”

Just for that little thing, my father is moved to tears.

And then the father and mother looked at each other and exchanged a kiss on the cheek.

It seems that in this life, I was able to be born to a very loving couple.
With a sense of happiness that felt more than enough, I finally drifted off to sleep──.

A few weeks later.
While spending time as a baby, I have learned a few things.

My father’s name is Bertalius Rosenford.
He is the head of the Rosenford family, one of the four ducal families.

My mother’s name is Marcelina.
The current king’s sister, in other words, a former princess, has married into the Rosenford family.

And then…

“Lilietta, what kind of magician do you think you will become?”

With hope, my father speaks to me.

That’s right.
In this world, magic exists.

In that world, my father Bertalius is said to be the strongest magician in the country.
I am that daughter, and I am considered to have a promising future as a magician.

(A bit of a unique setup, but it seems like this life will be better than the last one.)

And I was expecting that.
There was only one problem.

Apparently, this family seems to be disliked by those around them──.