The awakening ceremony went quickly. When the duke declared that I had awakened, everyone was surprised, and Mother was delighted. Back in my room, I was told I would be tested, just as before. Once I heard that, I left. The test mattered, but first I needed to confirm what I had learned before I died.

The first person I wanted to see was my sister, Lady Elena. No. Before that, I needed to check one more thing. I turned to Flora, who was walking ahead of me.

"Do you still see Elena often?"

"Of course. Unlike the other young masters, Lady Elena has never stopped looking out for you. She's such a kind person."

Her words left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Really? What does she usually ask?"

"Oh, whether you're doing well, what you've been up to lately, whether things have been hard for you. After the awakening ceremony, she asked what ability you'd gained, too."

Taken at face value, it sounded like an older sister's concern for a younger brother she loved. Before, I might even have been grateful for her attention. Now that I was suspicious, it all sounded different.

"Aren't you telling her about me a little too freely?"

Some of what I felt must have come through. The smile on Flora's face stiffened slightly.

"I... Ah... I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

She seemed to remember what had happened when I was a baby. I'd lived peacefully for the years leading up to my awakening day, but before that, my life had been threatened more than once. Of course, I'd also died more than once, but I was the only one who knew that.

I'd been too lenient with her. I needed to change my approach. Winning people over was important, but if that was all I did, I'd be nothing more than a little kid everyone doted on. I walked on, considering what to do next, while Flora led the way with a dejected look.

"Come in!"

A charming sitting room. A young girl greeted me with a bright smile. The room was both luxurious and charming, just right for a duke's daughter.

"This is your first time in my sitting room, isn't it, Alex?"

Thanks to the arrangements made in advance, appetizing refreshments were waiting on the table in the center of the room. My sister took my hand and led me to a chair. Her personal maid poured the tea, and Elena kept talking, gesturing this way and that even as the maid filled our cups.

"... I was watching you and Father, and my heart was pounding. When Father said you really had awakened, I was so happy!"

Her face was still full of joy. This sweet child had coaxed information out of people so she could have me killed? Besides, she was still young, and not especially clever. But I had no other suspects.

We chatted about ordinary things after that. I gave halfhearted answers while watching for a chance to ask my question. The chance came soon enough.

"... Oh! That's right. What ability did you awaken? Have you found out already? Or do they give you a separate test or something?"

There it was at last. And it was no ordinary question. "Wow, you know a lot about awakenings, don't you?" I asked with an innocent look. Elena's face turned red.

"No, it's just..."

She hesitated, then stuck out her tongue. Looking embarrassed, she leaned forward and spoke quietly.

"I don't know much about it myself. Mother told me."

I leaned toward her, too. Better that the maids didn't hear, so I lowered my voice. "The duchess did?"

"Mm-hmm. After she saw you awaken, she told me all kinds of things. She said I should ask about your ability, too, because she might be able to help."

The back of my neck went stiff. Trying not to let it show in my voice, I pressed on. "So all those things you've been asking Flora about me... that wasn't your idea?"

Elena pouted. "No! Mother did ask me to find out, but I did it because I wanted to help you, too!"

I watched my sister argue her case, her face flushed. I couldn't see a trace of deceit in her expression. Unless she was a con artist like no other, or had been reincarnated like me, the little girl before me had simply been used. By her mother.

"Thank you for looking out for me all this time."

I hid the stiffness in my face and thanked her as sincerely as I could.

"You don't need to thank me. As long as we can stay close like this... Hee-hee."

Keeping my head lowered, I went on. "I couldn't have thanked her when I didn't know, but now that I do, I can't just let it pass. I should thank the duchess, too."

"Honestly, Alex, you talk even more stiffly than our brothers do."

Elena muttered that, then asked, "Shall I ask her for you? Mother would always be happy to see you."

"I'll arrange a visit myself. Oh, that's right! I'd like to surprise her, so please keep it a secret that I found out."

"Okay! That sounds fun. I wish I could be there to see it."

"You can't. I have my test, and you're busy too. We can make time for the three of us to meet another day."

Elena nodded, looking disappointed. We chatted a little longer before I left her room. Had Flora noticed something? She looked a little confused, but she said nothing.

The next day, I took the test. It was held in the ducal family's training ground behind the mansion, the same place as my first test.

"Hah... Hah... Hah... Is the test over now?"

I sat on the ground, panting. Miguel and the knight commander stood before me, staring in surprise. Miguel answered in a hurry.

"Ah... Yes. Yes! We've checked your endurance and stamina by having you run, and we've seen how you handle a sword. Your inherited ability really is remarkable."

Unlike last time, I'd given this test my all. I'd gritted my teeth and run, "leveling up" several times along the way. When I swung the sword, I'd drawn on my memories from the previous runs to make each swing as clean as I could. I couldn't reveal the mana I'd discovered by chance yet, so I kept it hidden, but everything else was enough to astonish them both.

Was that why the knight commander, who had stayed until the end this time, addressed me with a little more respect?

"Have you ever learned swordsmanship?"

I shook my head. "Hah... Hah... You can ask Flora. This was my first time holding a sword."

It had been well over two months since I'd first held one, but only I—or rather, only my memory—knew that. Flora nodded to confirm my answer.

"I'll report to His Grace at once. Hmm. I think you'll continue training from now on."

Unlike last time, the knight commander already seemed certain. "I'll find a good knight to take charge of your training, young master."

Had I tried too hard? Swung the sword too well? The knight commander's unexpected offer caught me off guard. No, that wouldn't do. I couldn't have some other knight training me now.

"No, I want Sir Miguel here to train me!"

At my hasty outburst, the knight commander looked bewildered, while Miguel scratched his head.

"Would that be all right?"

At Miguel's sheepish question, the knight commander gave me a puzzled look. "May I report that to His Grace?"

"Yes!"

I couldn't let him slip away. I couldn't imagine there was another knight in this ducal house as easy to take advantage of as he was.

The day after the test, they decided that my training would continue, just as the knight commander had said. It would begin tomorrow. Today, I had to meet the second duchess: Duchess Maria de Gresia.

After paying my respects to Mother, I headed for Duchess Maria's room with Flora. As we walked down the corridor, I steeled myself. This was already my third time through these events. The pain of dying was bad enough, but living the same life over and over to no purpose was much harder than I'd expected. This time, I had to settle it.

Despite my grim resolve, the duchess's sitting room, on the other side of the mansion, was serene and beautiful. "Alex, you're here. Come in." She sat on the sofa in the center of the room.

Seeing her gentle smile, the same as always, weakened my certainty a little. My life had been short, but she had always smiled at me. Apart from Mother, she was the one adult in the ducal family I felt grateful to.

Get a grip! I mastered my wavering feelings once more and bowed my head.

"My greetings, Your Grace."

"I told you to call me Maria. You can even call me Mother."

Her playful voice wrapped around me like a warm embrace. I bit my lip and took a chair across from her sofa. As always, refreshments were laid out on the table before me.

Once I was seated, Flora and the other maids left the sitting room. The duchess rose and poured my tea herself. She liked serving tea personally to guests she was close to. It was just like her.

'But doesn't this make it easy for us to talk in secret?'

With all the maids gone, only the duchess and I remained.

'No. Surely she wouldn't go that far.'

I shook off the thought as getting ahead of myself and spoke. "You've done so much for me, and I never properly thanked you. I know they're only words, but I came to tell you how grateful I am."

"What are you talking about? What have I done?"

I told her what I'd heard from Elena. "Elena told me you've been keeping an eye on me through her. I didn't know you'd been looking out for me all this time, but now that I do, I ought to thank you."

"Oh!"

The duchess looked startled. But the look quickly vanished, and her familiar smile returned brighter than ever.

"You found out? I told Elena to keep it hidden because I thought it might make things awkward. You're not upset, are you?"

Her cautious words made me feel oddly guilty. Had I gotten it wrong? Was there something I didn't know? The more we talked, the more confused I became. Perhaps it was that air she had about her.

No matter how I looked at her, all I could see was a duchess who loved everyone and was loved by everyone in return. I couldn't picture her as a sinister schemer trying to kill me. Damn it. I must have been mistaken. I'd have to start over. It couldn't be her.

Mother liked her. The maids liked her, the mansion staff liked her, the first duchess's sons liked her, and I liked her too. Everyone liked the duchess. Even our dear duke...

Wait. Did the duke like her? I'd heard he'd loved her so much at first that he'd insisted on marrying her even though her family was only of viscount rank.

What about now? I'd never heard anyone say. Did the cold-blooded duke treat his wives equally, as one might expect? Or had his love faded?

As the thought occurred to me, I felt something strange. The gentle atmosphere filling the room began to feel uncomfortable. The duchess's smile before my eyes seemed somehow... wrong. The absurd thought made me feel guiltier still, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

And then—

THUD.

Energy began to stir deep inside me. The energy called mana suddenly surged upward, passing through my chest and throat, enveloping my eyes, and flooding into my head. The next instant—

KRAAANG!

A deafening noise rang out inside my head. A stabbing pain surged through me, then vanished.

"Are you all right? Does something hurt?"

I heard concern in her voice, but it sounded different now. It no longer felt warm. It sounded as though she were acting. I raised my head.

The sitting room was the same, yet utterly changed. The gentle air that had filled it was gone. It was a beautiful but cold room, and in its center, the duchess watched me with a stiff smile.