The Executed Saint Reincarnates as a Princess and is Loved by Her Older Brothers - Episode 11

The day after the siblings’ perfect picnic.

The princess’s personal maid, with a beaming smile, presented a box wrapped in a golden ribbon.

“Look, it’s a gift from His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Ah-oo?”

This “a-u?” means “gift?”

What was inside the box was a small pair of shoes. They were made by stitching together incredibly soft leather, and despite their luxurious craftsmanship, they were very light.

“The princes have requested His Majesty the Emperor. They said the princess needs shoes.”

It seems that the brothers who witnessed Angela’s first attempt to stand up went to ask their father, the emperor, to give her shoes.

The Emperor is my father now, right? I haven’t met him much, though…

My brothers come to dote on Angela whenever they have free time, and my mother Josephine comes to see her every day, but I hardly interact with my father.

My father rarely visited Angela or was often absent during family gatherings. Even when he did show up occasionally, he would quickly leave, saying he had official duties.

Given his position as emperor, he must be extremely busy. Unlike an ordinary father, it might be unavoidable that he can’t spare time for his family.

In the first place, Angela is the youngest and a girl. Although she is a member of the royal family, she is not in a position to be involved in the succession of the throne.

Since there are already three male heirs above her, the emperor might not be interested in Angela.

I don’t even know how to interact with His Majesty the Emperor.

For Angela, who still remembers being a commoner, the emperor of the empire is like a being from another world.

No matter how much we are father and daughter in this world, I have no idea how to interact with him.

That said, since he goes out of his way to give me gifts like this, he probably doesn’t hate or resent me. Probably.

Father… when I get a little older, will you finally meet me properly? Or…

In contrast to her three brothers who openly dote on her, the emperor makes no effort to contact Angela, to the point where it feels cold.

Or… is there some reason for this…?

Is there some other reason I don’t know about why the emperor doesn’t want to meet his daughter──?

While wondering, Angela stared intently at the small shoes.

◇◇◇

Also, it was around this time that I learned something I had always wanted to know.

The question is, when exactly is “now”?

If someone had said, “What year, month, and day is it today?” I would have known right away, but such convenient conversations are hard to come by.

I could roughly tell the season by the outside weather, and while the date would sometimes come up in conversation, they never bothered to mention the year.

Amidst all this, I listened to the conversations of my family and servants, pieced together the information, and finally became convinced.

“Now” refers to nine months after Juliet was executed in the Kingdom of Coral.

Angela is nine months old. In other words, Angela was born in the empire at the same time Juliet died in the kingdom.

Um… do I not need to consider the pregnancy period or anything?

Humans have a period of nearly ten months of development in their mother’s womb before they are born.

If, after dying in a past life, I were to be conceived in the womb of my mother in the next life, it might be about time for me to be born, according to the lunar calendar.

However, Angela was already born a long time ago and has grown enough to stand up by herself.

Could it be that a fetus does not yet possess a soul? Or perhaps──.

“There is not a single day without the saint’s presence”…

It is a legend that has been passed down in the Kingdom of Koryu since its founding.

“The saints exists only once in each generation.”

The story I heard countless times when Juliet was a saint.

“When the previous saint fulfills her natural lifespan, at the moment her life’s flame extinguishes, the next saint will be born anew into this world──”

It is hard to say that Juliet lived a full life, but the fact remains that her life came to an end.

Recently, Angela was able to find out her birthday from a conversation her family was having.

I had a vague suspicion, but the day Juliet died and the day Angela was born were exactly the same. This means she fulfills one of the conditions of a saint.

It’s just a coincidence, right?

No matter how much the timing of our rebirths aligns, that’s a separate issue altogether.

As a fundamental premise, the saints of the Koryu Kingdom can only be born to the people of the Koryu Kingdom.

Angela, who carries the bl00d of the Sapphire Empire, could never possibly be the saint of the kingdom.

(There must have been a real saint born in the Kingdom of Koryu nine months ago.)

Angela is the reincarnation of Juliet, but she is not a saint.

Even in the Kingdom of Coral, a girl who will become the next saint is probably growing up around this time.

The child who is the same age as Angela is still an infant now, but eventually, they will be officially recognized and welcomed into the temple.

I hope that child is properly cared for by everyone and lives happily…

I don’t want anyone to have a tragic life like Juliet’s, where they are unjustly belittled and their life is brutally taken away.

The next saint should be properly respected, honored, and treated with care by those around her.

The reason she can wish for that might be because Angela is deeply loved by her family now and her heart is fulfilled.

Just because I had an unfortunate death, I would never wish the same upon others.

Because I was suffering, because I endured hardship, because I met an untimely death, I would never think that others should suffer too.

Of course, I sincerely hope that the next saint, and any child for that matter, will be loved, protected, and grow up healthy. Just like Angela is now.

I’m so happy right now…

Angela was once again savoring her gratitude towards her family.