Chapter 1

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 1

Chapter Title: Fourth Regression

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I blinked my eyes several times to clear my blurry vision.

Pushing myself up from the fluffy bed with great effort, I finally sat up and gazed at the mirror hanging on the wall. What stared back at me was...

Chubby hands like plump maple leaves.

Pudgy arms that looked like stubby frankfurters strung together.

Soft, bulging cheeks puffing out.

A three-proportioned body that refused to move as I wished.

This squat little frame that even a somersault wouldn't make look older than four.

I stared vacantly at my reflection in the mirror, thinking.

'Again... I regressed again.'

To have to relive this wretched life once more!

My name is Leblain.

My life wasn't always a mess from the start.

For a heaven-forsaken orphan like me, being declared the "Child of Destiny" as the only child born on February 29th with holy power was certainly a stroke of luck.

Thanks to that prestigious title, the Empress Dowager had me adopted into a noble house.

I simply sat on her lap and picked one of the portraits she offered, and just like that, I became the child of the family I chose.

There were three options.

1. Duke Amities, the righteous hero who safeguards the empire's order.

2. Duke Ballua, from the renowned house that produced a thousand scholars.

3. Duke Duvered, who possessed immense military might and wealth but was known as the villain of villains.

In my first life, I chose the Amities family.

In my complete baby mindset, I picked without knowing better, but Duke Amities turned out to be a pretty decent father.

Prudent, just, and rational—he was the kind of stepfather I respected and followed.

Life was quite peaceful back then.

'Until the real Child of Destiny, Mina, appeared in this world.'

That's right. I was actually a fake Child of Destiny, born from a misinterpretation of the oracle.

Unlike me, who could barely manifest holy power despite training with just three or four hours of sleep a day, Mina was the perfect Child of Destiny.

She summoned spirits during droughts and once averted a war with her prophecies.

And not only that—the bright, sun-like girl won everyone's love.

Even my adoptive father, Duke Amities.

She seemed like the perfect blend of him and his first love, as if that woman had given birth to her in another dimension.

Father and Mina were drawn to each other like fate. In the end, with the Holy See's help, she became his second daughter.

And I...

'I was sacrificed for Mina during the ritual to seal the evil god.'

The first time I regressed, I was thrilled. I thought it was a new chance at life from the gods.

In my second life, I chose Duke Ballua.

And got beaten black and blue by him every single day.

That guy was a real bastard.

He'd smack me around with his pot-lid hands under the guise of "education," only bothering to clean me up and dress me properly when we had to go to the imperial palace.

My last day in that second life was the same. After a thorough beating, I smashed my head into a desk corner, and when I opened my eyes... I'd regressed again.

In my third life, I ran away.

But what could a baby do? I joined a gang of beggar kids, endured all sorts of hardships, and starved to death.

After three regressions—now on my fourth life—I finally realized.

'Yeah, this place is hopeless. Time to defect.'

No sooner had I thought that than the door burst open, and in walked an elegantly dressed elderly woman.

She scooped me onto her lap and beckoned. Soon, a maid brought three palm-sized portraits.

"It's time to choose your father."

She smiled most kindly.

But I knew.

How cold those eyes would turn the moment my fake identity was revealed.

The Empress Dowager stroked my fluffy hair and held out the portraits.

"Come now, Child of Destiny. Make your choice."

I looked at the three portraits, my uniform bursting at the seams, and rubbed my eyes with my pudgy fists. Then I steadied my breathing.

'Calm down. I need a place to stay anyway.'

I couldn't end up scavenging with beggar kids and dying like in my last life.

A quiet family where I wouldn't starve or freeze—somewhere I could just lay low until I could defect.

That's the family I'd choose.

'In that case, this time—'

"My goodness."

The maid and the Empress Dowager's eyes widened at the portrait I chose.

Arriving at my adoptive family with the Empress Dowager's edict, I swallowed hard upon seeing the man who would become my father.

'He's seriously handsome.'

He was a dazzlingly beautiful man whose mere sight could make a day fly by.

A delicately sculpted jawline, as if chiseled bare.

Sharp eyes with brilliant cyan-blue irises.

A straight nose and perfectly shaped lips.

A solid build hidden beneath his shirt.

Tall stature.

Broad, imposing shoulders.

The eerie part was how this stunning man's gaze was as cold and piercing as a murderer's.

The kind of stare that would make you flinch like a spear through the crown of your head.

The man, who had been gazing at me intently, finally parted his perfectly shaped lips.

"Did they send this little flea to be raised for slaughter?"

To cut to the chase, I'd chosen Duke Duvered—the villain of the world.

'He was the final boss in my first life, after all.'

I worried it might be jumping into another pit, but the other options were too lame.

The man's adjutant, standing beside me, replied in a deeply troubled tone.

"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's decree requests that you raise the child."

Duke Duvered slowly stroked his sharp jaw with long fingers and rose to his feet.

"She's lost her mind."

Then, without a hint of hesitation, he declared,

"Send it back."

"But Your Grace, this is a chance to mend ties with the Church. Rejecting the Empress Dowager's request outright could complicate matters later."

The adjutant tried to persuade him fervently, but I shook my head inwardly.

'No, Mister Adjutant. You're wrong.'

I'd never lived past twenty, but this was my fourth life.

With the experience I'd accumulated—

'Threats from the Empress Dowager or the Holy See won't faze him one bit.'

But that was a problem for me.

This was the only place convenient for running away once I grew a bit.

Duke Amities prioritized the greater good over individuals, and Duke Ballua valued honor above life—they wouldn't give a "Child of Destiny" sent by the Empress Dowager even a moment's chance to flee.

This man, who had no interest in me, was perfect as a stepdad.

'Looks like there's only one way.'

I pounded the adjutant's pant leg with both fists.

"The tax inspectows awe coming unannounced on Decembew 7f! (Unannounced tax audit on December 7th.)"

Both men's gazes snapped to me.

"Pardon?"

The adjutant seemed not to understand my words. His face showed only surprise at the sudden babble.

I wanted to thump my chest in frustration.

'Ah, this immature body.'

My pronunciation was already tricky, and since I hadn't regressed long ago, my tongue wasn't working right.

This was my trump card.

I'd seen it clearly in my previous lives.

This winter, there would be an unannounced tax audit targeting the Duvereds.

Of course, the tax-evading masters of Duvered paid an enormous fine.

With three sons, he'd understand, right? Even with my slurred speech, people experienced with kids usually got it.

But I held onto hope only to abandon it quickly.

A cold-blooded man like him wouldn't have raised an heir himself. He probably wouldn't get it.

'If only I could write. But with speech this bad, there's no way I could handle a pen—ack!'

In the blink of an eye, Duke Duvered scooped me up.

His sharp eyes pierced right in front of me, sharp enough to make my legs go weak.

"An unannounced tax audit on December 7th?"

...How did he understand that?

I was amazed, but that wasn't the issue.

Worried he might find my un-baby-like knowledge creepy, I tried to sound as innocent as possible.

"Uh-huh. Shh, it's a secwet! (Uh-huh. Shh, it's a secret.)"

"Nos."

Duke Duvered turned to his adjutant.

The adjutant, who had been a bit flustered watching us, quickly composed himself and replied.

"Yes."

"How far along are the ledgers?"

"What...? It's just a four-year-old child's babble. Do you truly believe it?"

"Do you think a four-year-old baby knows the phrase 'unannounced tax audit'?"

"...I'll check immediately."

With that, the adjutant dashed out of the room.

Left alone, the duke and I stared at each other.

'He really is scary...'

With this looks, wealth, and power, I'd wondered why he remained celibate after losing his wife. Now I got it.

'Women must have been too scared to approach.'

He strode over and tugged the bell cord. Moments later, a woman in a maid uniform entered.

The duke jerked his chin toward me indifferently and said,

"It reeks of horse feed."

"Shall I help bathe the little one?"

"Yes."

The woman bowed with me in her arms, and I dangled from her neck as we left the room.

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