In The Morning

In the fresh morning, Aliester and Magdalene had breakfast together in the palace dining room. This breakfast felt different, at least for all the servants present—Ryan, Viona, and Selina, who were accompanying them.

The royal chefs were a handsome young man and a beautiful woman who resembled each other. They were twins—the man named Pastri Reiss and the woman named Millen Reiss.

The two royal chefs, who brought the food, were quite surprised by the situation. Why? Because Aliester and Magdalene were already so cheerful with each other.

"Is Magdalene feeling better? Do you still have a fever?" Aliester asked the princess with a smile.

Magdalene answered with a cheerful smile, "Magda is happy to eat with Daddy~"

"I'm glad to hear that."

Aliester played his role well. In his heart, he thought, Thank goodness, Magdalene is better now.

"I'm not sure if I'm playing the role of a father well or not, but what matters is that I do my best for this child."

"I have to do this because I promised myself that I would continue the duty of the real Aliester as Magdalene's father."

Aliester still remembered how to use a fork and knife, table manners, and other dining etiquette.

It seemed that the memories of the original Aliester's body helped him so far, including knowing his little daughter's favorite food.

"This is a scone with blueberry jam—your favorite, Magdalene. Eat a lot so you can recover quickly."

Aliester carefully selected several pieces of scones from the table, making Magdalene happy. Not only that, but Ryan and the princess's attendants also looked slightly surprised by this small act of attention.

Magdalene herself smiled as she ate the scone her father gave her, but she mumbled a little—a small protest.

"I hate blueberry jam!!!"

"Why do kids like this stuff?!"

"I prefer the fruit itself rather than processed blueberry jam."

"It tastes weird, unpleasant—but who would've thought that this body actually likes it so much?"

"I guess I have to get used to eating the food I've always hated."

Magdalene carefully took a bite, and to her surprise, the taste of the food she once despised now felt incredibly delicious.

"Hmmm~"

"It's good, right, Magdalene?" her father asked. Aliester gently wiped away the blueberry jam smudged on his daughter's cheek. Of course, the little girl felt embarrassed. Her face turned red from her father's affectionate gesture.

Not without reason—because inside the little girl's body was the soul of an adult woman who had recently died after being betrayed. Now, she had to pretend to be a child for the sake of a handsome father.

"Magda can eat on her own, Daddy!" the little girl pouted with her cute face and puffed cheeks.

She might look like a child who was just learning to use utensils, but her attitude was very mature.

She glanced at her father, who was eating while chatting with the royal chefs about the food. It wasn't the conversation that caught Magdalene's attention, but rather how her father treated her.

"I feel like I'm lying. There's no way I can tell him that his real daughter is gone and I'm just borrowing her body, right?"

"I just need to learn to become the real Magdalene to make Aliester happy."

"In this new life... if possible... I want to live better. Wrapped in love and happiness."

"Besides, now I have a super rich and super handsome father!!!"

"If possible, I want to marry him! Eh? Don't be an immoral woman!! Magdalene is a good girl, I must be a good child so I don't seem like a pervert!!"

She might seem like she was just talking to herself, but to everyone else—including Aliester and the servants—Magdalene looked like she was just pouting with flushed cheeks and a slightly strained expression.

Her father immediately became worried. "Magda, are you okay? Does your stomach hurt?!"

"Eh?! Magda… Magda is fine, Daddy."

It seemed she still had a long way to go to become a proper little princess.

---

Aliester and Magdalene spent time together. It seemed the king wanted to mend his relationship with his daughter based on the memories of this body.

"I don't know what happened before between this father and daughter."

"From Aliester's past memories, all I know is that he chased after Magdalene, and they were together in a place that looked like Helene's grave."

"I don't think Aliester and Magdalene were fighting or anything. How should I put it..."

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it would be best to start over from scratch," Aliester thought.

Holding his little daughter's small hand, he looked at her, "She's so small and adorable. I wonder what her mother looked like—"

Before he could finish his thought, Aliester suddenly fell silent. The princess noticed her father's sudden change and asked, "Father, what's wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so quiet? Did Magda… do something wrong again?"

Magdalene suddenly looked downcast. "Is Daddy upset because of Magda?"

Seeing the princess's sad expression, Aliester knelt in front of her to comfort her.

"Daddy is not upset. And Magda didn't do anything wrong. Daddy was just..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Aliester himself was confused. "Eh? I was thinking about something I shouldn't say to her, wasn't I?"

"Now, what excuse should I use?"

Aliester was suddenly struggling to come up with something, but he thought it would be best to act and speak like the real Aliester.

"Daddy was thinking... maybe we could visit your mother's grave."

"Eh?"

The reaction on his little princess's face surprised Aliester a bit, but he didn't show it. That strange idea came to him because the last memory he saw in Aliester's body was Helene's grave. On the other hand, Magdalene herself looked startled.

"Daddy—no, Aliester wants to take me to this body's mother's grave? But how should I act?"

"Should I just say yes?"

"But on the other hand, I can't say that I don't know Helene, right? She's the mother of this body's original owner. It would be terribly rude to say I don't know her."

"Besides, in Magdalene's memories, she cried near her mother's grave, didn't she? Maybe I can find something there too?"

"A clue that could help me adapt better to my new life..."

The little girl finally smiled and said, "Magda really misses Mommy, Daddy!"

Her words made Aliester pause. He hugged his daughter and lifted her up. "I hope Mommy misses us too."

The two of them headed to the back of the palace.

The palace grounds were vast, filled with gardens, hedge mazes decorated with blooming flowers, greenhouses, an orchard, and fountains. In one part of the grand garden, there was a separate, exquisite greenhouse.

Inside, there was nothing but roses and a beautifully carved tombstone covered with loving inscriptions.

Aliester and Magdalene arrived at the site, standing before the elegant tombstone.

Magdalene jumped out of her father's arms and ran to touch the gravestone, triggering a memory.

---

"Mother! Hic... Magda misses you!"

"Hic... don't leave Magda alone!! Hic, Magda wants to go with you too!!"