Around the time I was about to turn thirteen, having been just an ordinary viscount’s daughter until then, my life completely transformed from that day forward.
“Wait, what? Hold on, what is the meaning of this?”
I had simply been sitting and reading a book, yet an overwhelming flood of memories surged through my head. Memories of a time when I was someone else—another version of myself.
I had been so proud of my fluffy silver hair.
I thought my slightly upturned eyes were cute, like a cat’s, and while my chest was small, my waist was slender enough to make up for it; I believed I was more than enough.
As the daughter of a ducal house and the fiancée of the crown prince, I never slacked in my efforts for that role, firmly believing that I would become the crown princess without incident.
And yet, before I knew it, I could no longer meet with my fiancé, and sitting beside him instead was a petite young lady with straight black hair and drooping eyes.
They were leaning close to each other and laughing like lovers.
I couldn’t believe it, but sightings of their secret trysts began to catch people’s eyes everywhere.
Unable to hold onto the crown prince’s heart, I grew thinner with each passing day.
My body grew heavy, I lost all desire to do anything, and I began missing school at the academy.
By the time my father realized what was happening, my mind was already so sick that it was too late.
Unable to attend the academy anymore, I became bedridden.
Even so, my fiancé and his close aides barged into the estate in my father’s absence, dragged me all the way to the royal palace, and surrounded me as I crawled on the floor in a modest nightgown, showering me with verbal abuse.
How long do you intend to stay my fiancée looking so hideous? Learn your place!
After forcing me to sign the annulment documents, they poured cold water over my head and left me abandoned there.
The polished, beautiful stone floor of the royal palace was freezing, steadily draining all heat from my body.
The abusive insults echoed relentlessly in my ears, and whenever I closed my eyes, all I saw was the prince who had been my fiancé walking away with his new lover.
By the time my father, having learned that I had been dragged away, came searching for me, I was already taking my last faint breaths.
Inside the carriage returning to our estate, I breathed my last.
That was who I was in my past life.
“Unbelievable! Did I really die because of people like them?”
I knew that people with past-life memories were sometimes born into this world.
While no one knew what triggered it, it was often remembered during adolescence.
Rosie Bellfine. That was my current name.
Born as the eldest daughter of the Viscount Family of Bellfine, I had an older brother who was a few years older than me.
While our family held no particular political power, we were a reasonably wealthy viscount family because our domain was situated in a prosperous granary region.
It had been decided that I would enter the academy once spring arrived.
Golden hair and blue eyes.
Since elemental magic affinity reflected in one’s appearance, as expected, my attributes were light and water.
The light attribute was said to dwell in pure, spotless souls, and it often came paired with a second attribute.
Usually, it was water. That was just how compatible light and water were with each other.
Considering my status as a viscount’s daughter, it was rare to be sought after as a wife by high-ranking nobles or royalty.
The only exception was that anyone with the light attribute could be taken as a wife regardless of status, precisely because it was believed to represent a pure soul.
Up until now, I had casually thought that attending the academy would bring new encounters, and that perhaps I might even be noticed by a high-ranking young nobleman.
Now, however, just the thought of royalty gave me a strong aversion to princes, and for a viscount’s daughter to try to marry into royalty—how terribly other ladies would look down on her!
They would undoubtedly berate me to “learn my place.”
Alright, I’ll keep a low profile and stay discreet at the academy.
And if possible, I’ll acquire a practical skill so I can make a living even if I cease to be a noble.
It was only natural for me to think that way.
Though she hadn’t made her social debut yet, Rosie was a beautiful young lady.
Shimmering golden hair, large, dewy blue eyes, and distinctly crimson-stained lips.
Before remembering my past life, I had been aware that I was a beauty to the point of being overly confident.
“Miller, I’m going to research how to look plain. Will you help me?”
“Pardon me?!”
Miller, the maid who had been by her side like an older sister since childhood, clutched her head at Rosie’s sudden proposal.
To think that after serving her while always focusing on making her stand out and look beautiful, she was now being asked to do the exact opposite. Just what on earth had happened to her young mistress?
However, upon hearing about the past life from her young mistress, Miller understood.
Ah, her young mistress was no longer the person she used to be.
It was a common story that regaining memories of a past life could completely alter a person’s personality.
For that reason, Miller immediately went to report to the head of the viscount family and received instructions to fulfill Rosie’s wishes as requested.
“Now then, I’ll do my best! My goal is independence!
I’m going to become a commoner and live on my own without relying on my brother!”
When spring arrived and Rosie entered the academy, her hair was a dulled color, and she wore thick eyeglasses.
Her uniform was worn just as any ordinary student would wear it—neither overly strict nor styled to be fashionable.
She blended seamlessly into academy life as a viscount’s daughter who could be found anywhere.
However, because she intended to work after graduating from the academy, she maintained top-tier grades in magic alone.
Even with excellent magic grades, a plain appearance and the status of a viscount’s daughter meant no nobleman would court her.
She was offered a recommendation to join the Royal Court Magicians, but she turned it down.
An instructor at the mages’ academy next door—that was Rosie’s post-graduation employment.
Now that the graduation ceremony was over, once the graduation party concluded, she would no longer have any involvement with high-ranking nobles.
Refusing the invitation from the Royal Court Magicians had also been a choice made to live without getting involved with high society.
Because the second prince and his fiancée, the duke’s daughter, were in the same year, Rosie had constantly kept her presence erased until now.
Once she moved to the mages’ academy, most people would be commoners, so returning to her original appearance should be fine.
If she did that, she might even be able to fall in love and marry someone.
Rosie was practically floating with joy at the prospect of finally being set free.
She never imagined that just a few hours later, at the graduation party, she would be forced to reconfirm the painful lessons of her past life once again.
Foolish princes really do exist in every world.
As expected, one must never get involved with royalty.
That was the answer Rosie arrived at.