With The Fifth Loop, The Third Prince Has Been Added To The Cast. - Chapter 1.2

“How about this book?”

Of course, I couldn’t recommend to the prince a textbook I used for gaining knowledge.

A prince and a noble lady probably needed different kinds of knowledge anyway.

So, I walked over to the bookshelf full of novels—a place I hadn’t visited in a long time—and picked up the very first novel I read after entering this academy.

It was a mystery novel, but not just about solving crimes. It had grand battles, thrilling adventures, and even romance at the end. The story changed so quickly and excitingly; I had read it over and over again with a racing heart.

***

“Have you read this one before?”

“No, it’s my first time seeing it. I’ll borrow it and read it right away.”

Prince Camus looked truly happy as he took the book from my hands.

Maybe he likes books too.

***

“Thank you very much.”

As I watched him walk away, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Surely, that would be the end of it. Or so I thought at the time.

***

“The book you recommended the other day—it was amazing!”

I almost said, “Again?” but somehow held back.

It was a few days after I recommended the book. I was still unsure of what to do in this fifth life and felt stuck.

Then once again, in the library, Prince Camus called out to me.

***

“I’m so glad you liked it.”

“Of course I did—it’s Cheryl’s recommendation! Every page was exciting, and I finished it so quickly!”

Maybe he was a bit too excited?

His polite speech from before was completely gone. On top of that, he suddenly called me by my first name.

We weren’t close. As far as I knew, the prince always used girls’ last names when speaking to them.

Of course, even if he called me casually, I couldn’t really complain—he is the prince, after all.

***

“Ah—sorry! I called you by your first name without asking. I was hoping I could call you Cheryl… is that okay?”

It seemed he only noticed the name part, not the speech.

Maybe he was still too excited to notice anything else.

I used to get that excited over books too… and realizing that made me feel that the past two years I kept repeating were kind of empty.

“Please call me however you like, Your Highness.”

I didn’t have the right—or even the position—to say no.

That’s what I meant by that reply. But it didn’t seem to please the prince.

“That won’t do.”

“Huh?”

As I tried to leave, he firmly grabbed my arm.

The cheerful prince from moments ago was gone. Now he looked very serious.

I couldn’t hold his intense gaze and quickly looked away.

“I want your permission. If you don’t like it, I won’t call you that. I don’t want to if you don’t want me to.”

Did my opinion really matter that much?

He’s a prince—he could call me whatever he wanted. That’s what I thought, but the mood was too serious for me to say it out loud.

“Then… please call me Cheryl. If Your Highness wishes to do so, I would be honored.”

This time, he seemed satisfied.

His expression clearly showed how happy he was—it was almost worrying how easy he was to read.

Was it really okay for a prince to be this open?

I had always assumed royals would be more mysterious and unreadable.

“Then… can you call me Camus too?”

“Th-that’s a bit much…”

Calling a prince by his first name is only allowed for family, a fiancée, or very close friends.

But then the prince looked noticeably upset.

That made me feel like I had done something terribly wrong.

“U-um… then, may I call you Prince Camus…?”

With just those few words, he brightened up immediately.

Again, his emotions were incredibly easy to read—it made me feel oddly nervous.

“Yes, yes! That’s perfect for now. Thank you!”

For now? I wondered. But I decided not to think too deeply about it.

“So, today—can I recommend a book to you?”

“Eh!? Y-yes, it would be a great honor.”

I partly accepted because saying no would be rude.

But more than that… I was honestly curious.

What kind of book would someone else recommend to me?

“And also, I want to hear another recommendation from you too! That last book was so good—I really want to read more of your favorites!”

“Y-yes, I’d be happy to.”

And so began the strange but heartwarming days of book exchanges between me and Prince Camus.

***

“Did I keep you waiting?”

“No, I just got here too.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

Prince Camus smiled with relief and sat down beside me.

Since then, we met many times after class at the library to recommend books to each other.

It didn’t stop there—we shared our thoughts after reading, and naturally, we got excited talking about our favorite parts.

His polite way of speaking completely disappeared, and now his casual tone had become the norm.

But it was different from reading books alone.

These were fun, comforting, and exciting times.

After many such meetings, we decided—for the first time—to each bring a book from home instead of using the library.

So instead of meeting in the library after school, we met in the courtyard during our lunch break.

“So, did you bring yours?”

“Yes, this is mine.”

I handed him the book I brought from home.

He took it and studied it with great interest.

“It’s a book I read when I was little, so it might seem childish. And… maybe it’s not something a boy would usually like. But it’s a story I’ve read many times.”

It was mainly a romance story. He might not enjoy it.

Still, when I thought about the best book I had at home—this one came to mind first.

“A book you’ve read again and again? I’m really curious now! I can’t wait to read it!”

He really looked happy to receive it, and I felt relieved.

I was worried he might say, “Can you recommend something more for boys?”

“Here’s mine. It might not be very girly, though. It’s an adventure story my older brother recommended to me once—and I ended up loving it.”

I wasn’t sure which brother he meant—the First or Second Prince—but knowing that at least two royal brothers had read and enjoyed it was enough to catch my interest.

Besides, so far, none of his recommendations had let me down.

“I love adventure stories too. I’m really looking forward to reading this.”

I took the book from him.

The more I looked at it, the more I wanted to go home and start reading right away.