With The Fifth Loop, The Third Prince Has Been Added To The Cast. - Chapter 7.1

The news of my broken engagement with Lord Franz and my new engagement to Prince Camus quickly spread throughout the academy.

Most people weren’t surprised at all about the broken engagement. It was like everyone had been expecting it.

On the other hand, my engagement to Prince Camus became a hot topic—so dramatic that I felt embarrassed just hearing about it.

Here’s the general story that was going around:

Prince Camus fell in love with me right after he entered the academy.

But because I was already engaged to Lord Franz, he sadly held back his feelings, wanting my happiness.

Later, in our second year, my younger sister Claire entered the academy. Lord Franz, instead of making me happy, ignored me and stayed close to Claire.

He even said cruel things to me and used violence.

Prince Camus couldn’t stand it anymore and bravely stepped in—rescuing me from Lord Franz and winning my heart.

I’m not sure exactly when Prince Camus started liking me, but… honestly, that version of the story isn’t far off from the truth.

Some students had apparently seen Lord Franz grab my arm roughly, so both the students and the nobles took Prince Camus’s side. Everyone saw him in a positive light and supported him.

Thanks to that, no one saw Prince Camus as a villain who “stole” someone’s fiancée. Instead, people viewed Franz and Claire as the bad ones. I felt so relieved about that.

Even so, it’s still very embarrassing that my broken engagement and new engagement are spreading like a dramatic love story.

***

“Sister… this is too much!”

When I turned around, I saw Claire standing there—holding a knife.

I was so scared, my legs froze. I couldn’t move.

I thought I could finally be happy with Prince Camus in this life… but maybe things really weren’t going to work out.

As I slowly closed my eyes, thinking that…

A voice I didn’t recognize spoke up:

“Lady Cheryl, are you alright?”

“Eh?”

I quickly opened my eyes. A man I didn’t know was holding Claire back.

“Let me go! That hurts! Stop it!”

Claire shouted and struggled, but the man didn’t move at all—he must have been a knight.

“Cheryl!”

I heard footsteps rushing toward me. I didn’t even need to look—I could tell from the voice that it was Prince Camus.

“I’m so glad… you’re safe.”

He hugged me tightly from behind.

Feeling his warmth, I finally felt the fear leave my body.

“You’re the future princess. Just in case, I assigned you a guard. Looks like it was the right choice.”

“…Ah…”

Even now, Prince Camus was protecting me.

Knowing that made me so happy; I couldn’t put it into words.

“Your Highness, what should we do with this person? ”

“She tried to harm my fiancée. Take her to the palace. My father will decide her punishment.”

“P-Punishment? No, I didn’t mean—! ”

“She pointed a knife at the future princess. Even if she’s your sister, there’s no way she’ll escape punishment.”

Prince Camus faced Claire with a cold, unwavering look.

Realizing she couldn’t talk her way out of this, Claire finally gave up and went quiet. The knight took her away.

“Prince Camus… I’m so sorry. Because of my family, you were troubled again…”

“It’s alright. But even if she’s your sister… I can never forgive her. She’s tried to kill my Cheryl… so many times…”

“…Huh?”

That’s when I finally understood what had been bothering me back in Prince Camus’s room.

Claire tried to kill me only once—in this life.

The Cheryl who worked hard for Lord Franz and tried her best was someone from my previous three lives.

And Prince Camus had said he’d wished for me again and again…

“Prince Camus… Have you also… repeated your life?”

His eyes widened in surprise. Then, he gave a sheepish little smile.

“You caught me… Yeah. Cheryl, I’ll tell you everything.”

As he said that, he reached out his hand to me.

Slowly, nervously, I placed my hand in his.

***

Once again, I found myself visiting Prince Camus’s room.

I was allowed to sit on the same soft sofa as before, waiting for Prince Camus to speak.

“It’s not widely known, but those born of royal bl00d each possess one unique ability,”

“A special ability…?”

I had no idea.

It felt like I was about to be told an incredible secret of the royal family.

“Yes. The First Prince, Cedric, has the ability to see the future. The Second Prince, Philip, possesses the power to heal, and I have the ability to manipulate time.”

“Manipulate… time? ”

“I can stop time briefly or rewind it slightly.”

“You mean…? ”

“Yes. Every time you died, I was the one who rewind time to repeat the same two years again.”

The shock was so great, my emotions couldn’t catch up.

I didn’t even know whether I felt happy or sad.

“Why would you do something like that…? ”

“Because I wanted you to live and be happy.”

In this fifth life, it was the first time Prince Camus and I had a proper conversation.

I wondered—why would he go so far for someone like me, whom he hadn’t even spoken to in our first life?

“Remember what I said? I fell in love with the way you devoted yourself wholeheartedly to that fiancé of yours. Even though he never appreciated you, you still gave everything for his sake. It infuriated me at times, watching you put in so much effort for someone like him. But because it was you, and you wished to marry him, I kept hoping your efforts would be rewarded.”

Prince Camus had been watching me, caring for me, even when I didn’t know him.

“In the first life, when I heard your engagement had been annulled, I went looking for you. I thought maybe, just maybe, now I had a chance. But when I finally found you… you had already chosen death. You were cold… lifeless. It hurt so much to see someone who tried so hard end up like that. I just wanted you to be happy, so I rewound time. But the farthest I could rewind was to that one moment.”

Apparently, in order for Prince Camus to rewind my time, it had to be a moment that we both experienced.

And the oldest such moment within his power… was that one.

Which meant that Prince Camus had also witnessed that scene.

“In the second life, I had a faint hope that maybe you’d given up on Franz Eldred. But again, you devoted yourself even more than the first time. I decided to just watch over you. But then, this time… you were killed. By him, of all people…! When I found you again, you were already cold…”

Recalling it, Prince Camus trembled and cried.

Maybe even then, when I had died, he cried like this—for me.

“In the third life, again, you hadn’t given up on Franz Eldred. I watched over you as always, and this time, it was your sister who killed you. Still, I thought you’d never give up on Franz. But then, for the first time, you moved to annul the engagement yourself. Yet… you were still killed by him.”

“By him…?”