“Is the blindfold really necessary for what you are about to show me?”

“Y-yes so pretty please?”

Kneeling before me with a black cloth in hand is Suru with a pleading look on her face as I brushed off her suggestion of putting a blindfold for ‘something’ as she said it.

It’s been like this for quite some time now since I have woken up. Everybody in this house is acting quite oddly as if they’re hiding something from me.

The first instance is during breakfast that instead of eating at the dining hall my breakfast is delivered here on my bed.

The second was when I tried to get out of my room to take a quick visit to my mother’s office; Suru upon hearing my suggestion went into an all-out panic coming up with excuses as to why I can’t leave the room till late afternoon.

Good grief, just what in the world are they hiding from me?

I have already made a rundown of multiple possibilities as to what it is that they are hiding and one of them is maybe a guest is currently present in the house and it’s dangerous for me to meet them....but then again why the blindfold?

If not that then maybe there is someone moving in?

No, Highly unlikely.

...There must be something else.

Most likely the date today is the eye of the storm in this situation.

The date being February 12—No it’s Iyar 12 here right?

I’m still a bit not used to calling it by a different name but I’ll probably get used to it given some time.

Hmmm…. just what is it that is wrong with this day that is making everyone like this, nothing like this happened for the past 3 years so what is it?

It’s not like there is anything special today other than——

——My Birthday.

Ah….so that’s what it was.

It’s my birthday today so they’re planning something for me.

‘Well, isn't that sweet.’

I didn’t really celebrate my birthday that much in my past life since I only see it as just any other day yet despite my indifference towards such celebration my followers would always make a big deal about it as if it’s theirs, looking back now they really are a bunch of bothersome people.

I’m not really sure what’s so special about it when it’s just your date of birth.

It’s not like you accomplished something special during that day other than gaining an age.

Well in a sense I guess you did accomplish something and that is being alive for another year.

Hmmm….But to think they actually planned a surprise party for me, I am really surprised.

Considering the first 3 birthdays I have, we did absolutely nothing special and more so just another day that is to pass.

Not that I hate it since we are for the most part financially unstable for the past years but for them to make a genuine effort this time I guess that means things are going absolutely well.

….I suppose I could play along, they already put so much effort into the preparation so it’s a shame to waste it by being bitter about it.

I’m not really one to kill the fun when it’s already been laid and set.

But….to think it has been 4 years since I was reborn.

I’ve been living here for 4 years but everything still seems surreal as if this was all a dream I would wake up from every time I sleep.

Well isn’t that such a distressing thought to wake up your mind for the day.

Letting out a sigh from the ominous idea in my head I leaned down from my bed and took the cloth out of Suru’s hand.

“Fine, I’ll play along with your games.”

Suru upon hearing my agreement just beamed a smile of total relief.

Taking a seat beside me she took the cloth out of my hand and began tying it around my head turning everything in my sight into fuzzy black.

The creak of the door is what I first heard and the next thing was my small body lifted off the ground followed by soft and timely footsteps.

‘It seems that we are moving.’

After quite some time of moving and walking, we soon reached what I think is the dining hall based on the path Suru has taken and the noise my ears are receiving.

Multiple voices and multiple noises but the most recognizable my ears are receiving is Raiden, Rita, and most importantly my mothers' voice.

Soon I could feel a familiar warmth carrying me now, it seems that I’ve been passed on to my mother and is now being carried somewhere.

After another short walk, I was now put on a chair along with my blindfold removed.

“Well, this is unexpected.”

I muttered out loud as I looked in surprise at the scene in front of me.

Right in front of me is the long table we used to eat dinner from that is usually empty and dull, now decorated with an array of cloth and flowers that complimented the food that has been served.

Good grief they really went all out on this celebration.

And it seems that food is not the only thing they brought as well but everyone as well, and when I said everyone, I mean everyone, even the villagers from below is inside the mansion about to celebrate my birthday.

Looking around more I see Raiden in the right corner of the table along with Rita and Suru on his side.

“Everyone I invited you all here for the simple reason and that is celebrating my daughter’s 4th birthday.”

Along with that proclamation from my mother by my side, a round of applause rang in the dining hall.

“Lady Lorelain, Happy Birthday!”

Everyone said in unison with not one being left behind or being far ahead.

Soon after the round of applause and the in-unison greeting, the focus has now turned to me, the star of this day.

I suppose it’s my turn now to say something….But I have to be careful with my words for if I say something carelessly here or something along the lines of arrogance then the people might think that the heir of the Crestfallen isn’t being raised well resulting in a drop of morale.

‘And that is something I can’t let happen.’

So in any case I just had to make my stance without sounding weak yet not sounding too proud, a fine balance between both worlds.

Clearing my throat I decided to empty my mind as I relaxed my face into a smile directed at the crowd.

This isn’t really that much of a problem or a bother in my case, considering back in my past life I had to constantly act ‘friendly’ when communicating with other aristocrats on a daily basis that faking a smile and a mellow voice has become second nature for me.

Though in the end, it's nothing but a mask I have to put on to avoid conflict with other leaders.

“Yes, Good Afternoon to everyone that is present here with us at this moment and those that are not as well. As the child of this family I do not know how to begin describing the gratitude I am feeling at this moment.

I am fully aware of the situation this domain is going through right now and how taxing it is for you all to maintain the momentum we have gained, So for you to use your already tired mind and body to prepare this all for me is something that I couldn’t just reply with a simple word such as ‘Thank you’.

So instead from the deepest crevices of my heart along with my utmost gratitude for all your hard work up until now, Please enjoy yourself for today and relax to your heart's content, It is after all a celebration that only comes once a year.”

Beaming a smile at the end silence soon followed after my speech made of nothing but flowery words and a mellow voice.

Eh...Is my acting that bad?

No, that's not possible. I'm a pro at this kind of thing. It's implausible for me to even fail or have a minor slip-up.

Then it must have been effective for them to be this silent.

Opening my eyes to see their reactions the first thing that caught my eye is Raiden stifling a laugh on the side while Rita & Suru were utterly dumbfounded.

Well, that’s to be expected after all they are the only ones that are the most well acquainted with me to know that what I just did is pure acting.

Looking around more everyone seemed to have blanked out as if the gears in their mind were stuck and unable to move.

My acting was definitely effective…. Just too effective.

Seeing the awkward silence I turned to my mother on my side to get an answer but instead of answers I only got confusion.

My mother on my side already has a fountain of tears leaking through both of her eyes.

You gotta be kidding, you should have seen through that act more than anyone.

“M-mother, you don’t have to cry that much.”

“But, B-but! My daughter i-is trying h-her best to cheer everyone up so h-how could I not be more proud!”

Damnit, This plan of mine is an utter failure, the acting was too real that it had caused too much of a reaction.

‘Damn it me!’

Panicking beyond compare as I try to calm my mother I failed to notice that some of the villagers are also bursting into tears from my speech even some of the maids are turning to face the other way to hide their tears.

“To think that the new heir of the Crestfallen would be just as kind as her parents we couldn’t ask for more!”

“You don’t have to worry my lady, your words alone are enough for us!”

“We are undeserving of your kind words!”

Things are getting hectic as everyone from the village started cheering for my name as if it’s some sort of anthem.

Mother on the other hand is in the middle of it all, leading the group to cheer in perfect sync as if some sort of maestro.

Rita from the side just shook her head in tiredness looking at the scene, while Suru decided to join in with the crowd for some reason.

Raiden on the other hand just shot up a thumbs up from the side while clearly struggling to maintain his poker face.

‘I might have accidentally stepped on a pitfall I might never recover from.’

After some time of shouting and calming the celebration that has been derailed by the crowd has now commenced as everyone was now enjoying themselves with food and idle chatter.

Suru seems to have calmed down a bit and is now serving the guest in a dignified and clean manner, quite a gap from her attitude.

Hmm…it seems that she can switch off that undignified attitude of hers when working. I guess that’s what you call a professional at their jobs.

Now speaking of professionals, Rita and Raiden seem to be the most proper among all the servants here in the household.

Rita is strict and stern when it comes to her and everyone's job though unlike the usual strictness you’ll usually get from someone of her caliber she seems unusually understanding and open-minded to mistakes made by her co-workers.

Raiden on the other hand uses his stoic personality and friendly demeanor when serving someone, making him someone that can be easily comfortable to be with, leading for him to be the most popular among both the common folks and nobles.

Both have their strong points and weak points but nevertheless, they do their job in the best way possible leaving not a shed of mishaps, as expected of the personal retainers of the Crestfallen their skills do precede anyone's initial expectations.

Returning the glass of water on my hand to the side I noticed my mother slowly approaching me after finishing a talk with a crowd of people.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” my mother asked as she took a seat beside me.

“Not really but seeing everyone enjoying themselves is enough for me,” I replied nonchalantly as I laid back on my chair.

“Heh...You’re really too mature for your age, are you sure you’re not some sort of reincarnated genius?”

“What are you 10 or something? Still believing reincarnation is real.”

“Heh, quite a big talk from a 4-year-old ~.”

“Y-yeah what about it.”

Under my mother's suspiciously curious gaze I turned my head away from her in an effort to hide my annoyance in the topic.

I expected as much for the idea that I’m a reincarnated person to pass their mind in all honesty, after all, there are already multiple books written about reincarnation and the idea of different worlds in this new world of mine.

Some of them are fictitious while some are quite believable.

One of the books I’ve read about a case of reincarnation is that he was from a world where magic and monsters aren’t a thing and they solely rely on something called Tron that is just another form of magic with different rules and ways of using it.

Another one is some sort of logbook of a person that basically documented a pile of findings comparing his world to this world, where his world had nothing that is connected to magic or anything but instead they focus on science and harnessing electricity to the point that they can travel towards the farthest stars.

All of them seem quite ludicrous and overall ignored by the masses as they are more so seen as just ramblings of a crazy person but in my eyes, all of them are probably real.

After all, I have experienced the magic of reincarnation firsthand myself and for all, I know other gods besides Chronos might have reincarnated another person for their own personal gain in this world as well.

In the end, all of the things that are happening were all due to the interference of the gods but still why are they interfering for, what are their goals other than to watch, and most of all what is Chronos' reason for reincarnating me here?

He said it was a favor but in the end, I do not know who it was that I gained favor from.

Another thing he said that adds to my bafflement is the reason for everything that has happened to me and will happen to me can be found in this world.

Just what does it mean, are all my misfortunes pre-planned by a higher being or was it just really a snap of fate that I’ve found myself here.

Another dozen questions had resurfaced in my mind as the idea of my life being all pre-planned sent shivers down my spine to the point that I didn’t notice my hands tremble from anxiety.

The idea of my life being nothing but just an already written book shook my very core for that means everything I have done and everything I have said till now was not done out of my free will but just merely a step that has been already said that I would take.

“Lore are you okay? You seem unwell, do you want to rest?”

Suddenly in the middle of my unnerving thoughts, my mothers' voice of concern cut me off.

“Ah—yes I’m fine just thinking of something,” I replied with a forced smile in an effort to not worry her in any way.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m fine just feeling a bit peckish.” Reaffirming my answer, mother with a still hesitant look let out a sigh before resting back on her chair

“Oh...if you say so but if you ever need something be sure to tell me okay?”

“Yes, I will.”

Reassuring her with a soft smile mother just replied with a pat on my head along with a defeated look as if saying ‘I can’t win against you’.

While I do hate the way she always treats me like I’m some sort of glass figurine, her usually annoying protectiveness brings my ominous thoughts to a halt this time around.

My fear is still there but it has subsided to the point that I could think more clearly.

Damn, what am I even doing?

This day is supposed to be a merry joy day as it was my birthday and yet here I am with such thoughts plaguing my mind.

‘Damn me.’

Letting out a disgruntled sigh I leaned forward to the table to grab a few fruits to quell my irritation.

‘It Tasted better than expected.’

After a long while since the celebration had started people slowly dispersed one after another and by the time midnight hit the dining hall was now devoid of guests with a few servants left to clean the place up.

Raiden seems to have left to escort the villagers safely back to their homes.

Suru on the other hand appears to have passed out during the party after getting carried away by the crowd of people into a drinking game.

It took about 15 maids along with Raiden to subdue Suru’s drunken antics without hurting her in the process.

I suppose I have to always keep in mind to not let this woman near alcohol less I want to create a drunken monster.

Fortunately, Rita is still wide awake after all the chaos that occurred and is now overseeing the cleanup in Suru’s place.

At this point, my mother and I had decided to leave the dining hall and make our way to our respective rooms to rest but to my surprise, my mother invited me to stay in her room for tonight.

Knowing it’s just for tonight and how sad she would feel if I declined, I tiredly agreed to her proposal.

After some scuffle between us again due to the fact that I don’t like taking a bath with someone, we finally lay on the bedside by side.

“Here's your goodnight kiss~,” Mother said as she leaned her face closer to my forehead.

“Don’t want it,” I replied nonchalantly as I turned my body away from her.

“—Eh? Y-you, don’t..?”

“Yeah.”

“...I see.”

Almost whimpering mother moved away a bit from me as if a bit hurt by my flat-out refusal.

Well, great I feel guilty now.

Scratching my head in annoyance from my mother's response I let out a grumble before giving a soft reply.

“Tch—A….hug is fine.”

“R-really?”

“......Yeah”

“Then pardon me.”

A bit hesitant at first, she soon decided to snuggle up to my back wrapping her arms around me.

Her chin rested in my head along with her large chest pressed against my back to the point that I could feel the beating of her heart.

“Lore I’m sorry if it took this long for mommy and everyone to celebrate your birthday.” Mother uttered in complete dejection.

Though I expected for her to feel this way towards everything that is about me it is still nonetheless painful for me to hear her beat herself up over such trivial things.

I don’t really understand why she felt that way and what kind of emotion is filling her heart at the moment so I couldn’t empathize with her emotions at all so it would be disrespectful for me to act as if I understand her when in reality I couldn’t.

So left with just one choice I decided to rely on the only thing I know and have and that is being logical and objective.

“It’s fine, I understand the circumstances you have to deal with at the moment, No one will blame you for your slight mishaps.”

I replied in a calm and collected manner… too calm perhaps as upon hearing my reply mother as if electrocuted from head to toe tremble a bit from my reply.

“Y-you’re really wise for s-someone still at the age of a toddler….are you really sure you're not some sort of reincarnated genius.”

She asked once again though now it’s more so just a statement to reconfirm her thoughts rather than a question.

I didn't really need to see her face nor ask her what she was feeling at the moment as I could feel the rapid heartbeat on her chest answering all of my questions.

‘She is afraid.’ was my first thought when she first asked me that question a few hours ago.

After all, why wouldn’t she?

As there are already a few grim things about [Reincarnated People] that I have read and come to know about in this world and one of them is that anyone who claims to be from another world or just has the idea of trying to cross another world would be executed by the church.

The Church of the Eternal to be exact, it’s basically a widespread vermin—I mean religion in this world, it has over thousands of members all across the 3 continents and seems to be governing few existing lands along with the different leaders of each nation.

The most notable thing about them is that they serve a god called Nep. I'm not sure if this is a real god that Chronos knows or just a made-up one that these guys made for the sole purpose of using it as a religion.

Still, that doesn’t change the major fact that they are a danger to people like me that have been reincarnated, though good thing that I read about them this early so I am at least aware of their dangerous presence in this world.

Apart from that nothing really separates them from the religions that can be found in my world other than their extreme ways of doing things and the fact they would execute anyone who claims to be an [Otherworlder] as they call us, for they claim that it was blasphemy towards their teaching that they are the one and only world that exist and should exist.

Honestly, it’s all bullshit at first glance but everyone seems to have believed it and is brainwashed beyond comparison to the point that they would believe them at a snap though I’m glad that no one in this household seems to be infected by that virus of religion.

Nonetheless, they are the ones I have to be the most wary of and the reason for me to hide my origins from everyone around me.

Yet still hearing my mother's voice like that I am barely stopping myself from spilling the truth but knowing the consequences of such actions I managed to swallow it down my throat and let out a dry chuckle.

“That again, I already told you reincarnation is fictitious at best. I'm just a once in a million genius so rejoice for that instead.”

Silence is what I received on the other end bullets of sweat quickly conjured up on my nape and forehead for the fear that my mother didn’t buy that comment.

I wanted to add more things to further my point but something is blocking the words to come out of my throat as if my body subconsciously knows that if I try to say anything more then more suspicion will fall on me.

As the foreboding silence continued on my body and feet began to feel cold whether it’s from the breeze of the night or fear within me is something I do not wish to delve into right now for the only thing I want is for something to break the atmosphere in the room.

And after what felt like an eternity my mother’s soft voice broke the tension.

“You don’t have to be afraid….Reincarnated or not you will always be my daughter and you can best believe that I would do everything I can to protect you from any harm.”

Whispering into my ears in a confident tone my eyes widened in disbelief not for her words but for what I’m seeing as her arms that were wrapped around me tremble ever so slightly as she tries to reassure me.

‘She is afraid that she will lose me.’ I thought as I stared solemnly at both her arms.

She is afraid yet was still able to summon the courage to assure me that my safety will always be at the forefront.

Good grief people like her tend to be the first ones to fall and wilt like a flower in winter but people like her also tend to be the most courageous and dangerous than anyone you’ll encounter.

Letting out a sigh of weariness a soft smile crept into my face as I clutched her hand.

“That promise you just made is both reassuring and terrifying, you know.”

“Well, I’m your mother after all your safety and well-being are the first thing I will ever think of.”

Now rubbing her face to the back of my head my eyes twitch in response to her offhand answer.

Knowing that she still hasn't come to terms with the fact that I want both of us to be happy, I decided to answer back in the best way possible and that is beating that fact into her head till she accepts it as fact.

“And I’m your daughter so spending my days with you and putting you first is the priority that I will always be on my mind.”

And as if expecting that to be my answer mother just let out a laugh as she patted my head.

“I….really can’t win against you.” She said after wiping a few tears on the side of her eyes.

Now seeing the improvement in the mood between us I decided to fire back in an effort to trigger some sort of positive reaction from her.

“Give up, your daughter is a once in a million genius, you can’t win against me.”

“Yeah, Yeah I can’t be any more proud~”

She replied teasingly before dragging my face into her large bosom.

‘Jesus Christ I hope I don’t suffocate during my sleep.’

Soon after another minor scuffle between us as I tried to escape her clutches we finally fell asleep in each other's arms a sight to behold for the maids that have come to wake us up.