Here's the English translation of the passage:
Two months passed, and I turned nine years old.
But that didn't really change anything.
There were still very few people who ever visited the Converta Palace.
Ray hadn't come to see me again after that day. Now that he'd become the Crown Prince and enrolled at Episteme, he seemed to be quite busy.
'Well... I did yell at him properly that day.'
The image of Ray standing there with tears in his eyes flashed through my mind.
He probably hates me now. He won't come looking for me anymore.
Good.
Now I could simply continue enduring this "good" life without anyone getting in my way—
"Dorothy..."
...Except there he was.
Ray, whom I had thought would never return, stood awkwardly at the doorway, nervously looking over at me as I leaned against my bed.
"I brought you a present."
Unable to work up the courage to come inside, he lingered near the entrance, glancing at me cautiously.
Even after I exploded at him that day... how could he still think about visiting me?
Anyone else would've lost all affection by now.
Was he really that much of an idiot?
I stared at him in disbelief.
Mistaking my silence for permission, Ray quietly stepped into the room.
In his hands was a basket...
Filled with tomatoes.
...Tomatoes?
"I grew these myself! They're the first tomatoes I've ever harvested!"
Ray lifted the basket proudly, smiling brightly.
Tomatoes?
Did that mean the Crown Prince had been spending his time growing vegetables?
Ray had officially started attending Episteme and was busier than ever. Having only recently become Crown Prince, he undoubtedly had countless responsibilities and lessons to keep up with.
And yet...
He had been wasting his time tending a vegetable garden?
"Growing tomatoes is really fun! I also planted pumpkins and eggplants!"
Ray confessed that he had secretly made a small garden behind Stipes Palace—the Crown Prince's residence—without Karnon's knowledge.
I already knew, from my previous life, that Ray enjoyed gardening.
Back then, however, our relationship had been far worse than it was now—though calling us "close" even now would be an exaggeration.
Because of that, Ray had tried his hardest to keep the garden a secret from me.
He probably thought that if I found out, I'd destroy it.
He would've been absolutely right.
If he'd told me about his garden before my regression...
I would've destroyed it without hesitation.
Because of that, I'd always assumed the garden had been nothing more than a passing hobby.
But in this life, since I'd treated him somewhat more kindly...
He'd foolishly shared his secret with me.
"...Don't tell me you've been growing these instead of studying?"
I asked while looking at the tomatoes.
You're the Crown Prince.
You're attending Episteme.
And instead of devoting yourself to those responsibilities...
You've been playing around with gardening?
"If you're the Crown Prince, then act like one! Stop thinking about playing around and do the work you're supposed to do!"
Why...
Why had I shouted those exact words at him before?
A bitter sense of betrayal welled up inside me.
Unlike me, who had struggled desperately every single day...
Ray was enjoying his life.
And even so...
He still became Emperor.
While I'd devoted every waking moment solely to surpassing him...
He had spent his days tending a vegetable patch...
And still remained the rightful Crown Prince.
"I've been studying too... whenever I have time."
Ray answered timidly after hearing my sharp criticism.
"Whenever I have time?"
A scoff escaped me.
It shouldn't have been studying whenever you had spare time.
It should've been gardening whenever you had spare time.
No—
You shouldn't have had time to garden at all.
His priorities were completely backwards.
He was already eleven years old.
He should've known what responsibilities he carried.
So why was he still so innocent...
So immature?
Was it because everything had always come easily to him?
Because everything had simply been handed to him?
Do you have any idea...
How desperately I fought just to obtain what had been freely given to you?
I swallowed my anger with difficulty and forced myself to speak calmly.
"...You won't become a good emperor like this, Ray."
Be kind.
Yes...
I have to live kindly.
Even as I reminded myself of that...
A selfish thought arose inside me.
I don't want him to become Emperor.
Why him?
Why was he the only one who could see the Spirit of Light?
Greed began to rear its head once more.
Remembering the countless sins I'd committed, I forcibly suppressed those feelings again.
No matter what Ray was like...
The truth remained unchanged.
I had failed to become a good Emperor.
"Ah... um... you're right..."
Ray's expression stiffened.
He lowered his head.
"...You're right."
That was all?
Compared to the storm raging inside me...
His response felt unbearably light.
Watching my expression carefully, he quietly set the basket of tomatoes beside me.
"But Dorothy... at least try one. They're really good."
Whether he'd understood what I meant or not...
He kept talking about tomatoes.
I deliberately ignored the basket.
If I ate tomatoes grown by His Highness the Crown Prince...
Who neglected his studies for his hobby...
I'd probably get indigestion.
Only after receiving no response did he slowly nod.
"I'll work hard at Episteme too. I'll become a cool older brother."
It wasn't reassuring in the slightest.
I don't need a "cool older brother."
That's not what I want.
So just take care of your own responsibilities first.
The words rose to my lips...
Only to be swallowed once again.
"But Dorothy..."
Seeing my expression darken, Ray hurriedly changed the subject.
"Don't you ever want to go outside?"
"...Why?"
"You've never left the Imperial Palace before."
His words made me realize something.
Even though I was already nine years old...
I had never once stepped outside the palace.
There was no one outside I wanted to meet.
Nothing that required me to leave.
I didn't attend Episteme either.
There had simply never been a reason.
Everything I needed existed inside the palace.
If something was needed, people came to the palace instead.
When clothes needed to be tailored, the tailor came.
When I wanted something to eat, the imperial chefs prepared it.
If I wanted to take a walk, the palace gardens were large enough to wander all day.
Besides...
I'd already ruled as Emperor once before.
I'd traveled throughout the Empire.
There was nothing about the outside world that could satisfy my curiosity.
"Why don't you try going out just once? Staying inside the palace all the time must feel suffocating."
Recently, after attending Episteme, Ray seemed to have discovered the joy of leaving the palace.
He excitedly described the outside world.
How many people there were.
How free everyone looked.
How many strange and unfamiliar things filled the streets.
He talked as though he'd discovered an entirely new continent.
Seriously...
Did he think I was an idiot?
Everything he described...
I already knew.
Not only knew—
They were ordinary sights.
Just things that happened to be rare within this old-fashioned palace.
"I'm sure you'd enjoy it too, Dorothy. You're smart, so you'd notice all kinds of interesting things."
He smiled brightly.
"...Maybe someday we can go together?"
"No."
I rejected him instantly.
Ray visibly deflated.
"Princess... don't you really want to go outside?"
My nanny asked quietly.
Ray's words from a few days ago seemed to have stayed on her mind.
Ever since he officially started attending Episteme, he'd been visiting me much less often.
She seemed genuinely worried.
According to her, Ray had been my only real friend.
Now even that was disappearing.
After all...
Ray was practically the only visitor who ever came to Converta Palace.
Her concern wasn't unreasonable.
Personally...
I'm grateful that he's too busy now.
Life was so much quieter.
So much more peaceful.
"You'll feel much better after getting some fresh air."
She continued trying to persuade me.
She'd been bringing up the subject almost every day for two weeks.
"You might even find something outside that you really like! There are so many amazing things to see."
I wasn't curious.
Not in the slightest.
But my nanny insisted that someone as intelligent as I was couldn't spend her entire life inside these palace walls.
She wanted me to see the real world.
To experience more.
To learn more.
She believed those experiences would help me become a better person.
After hearing that speech over and over for days...
I finally surrendered.
Well...
She wasn't wrong.
Never leaving the palace even once in nine years...
That was a little excessive.
I wasn't some fairy-tale princess trapped in a cursed castle.
"...Fine."
There wasn't much point in stubbornly refusing forever.
Taking my answer as a sign of positive change, my nanny happily began preparing for our outing.
"Just to be safe, we'll only stay out for an hour or two."
She fastened a cloak around my shoulders.
That...
Was where everything began.
"Good. You delivered the conditions to that woman properly, right?"
"Five large gold coins. She has one week. Red Well."
I listened quietly while a cloth covered my eyes.
Rough straw scratched beneath me.
The dry air smelled of dust and sand.
So...
This was...
"A pretty rich little lady, by the look of it."
Child kidnapping.
On my very first outing...
I found myself caught up in something unbelievable.
The moment we stepped into a deserted street...
A loud thud rang out.
My nanny collapsed.
Immediately afterward, someone covered my mouth and nose from behind with a cloth.
Then everything went black.
They'd brought me here.
Apparently they'd kept my nanny alive long enough for her to wake up and go collect the ransom.
Judging by their conversation...
They still had no idea I was actually the Imperial Princess.
I'd regained consciousness some time ago, but the lingering effects of whatever drug they'd used left me drowsy.
So I remained motionless, pretending to still be unconscious.
Believing I hadn't awakened yet, the kidnappers continued chatting freely.
"When we tried leaving with the girl, that woman started screaming she'd rather die than abandon her. So I told her, 'Then should we kill both of you? If you want the girl alive, bring the money.' She cried all the way out. Hah... maybe we should've kidnapped and sold the woman too."
The kidnappers burst into laughter.
Seriously...
Life could always find new ways to become even more miserable.
More than fear...
I felt anger.
I wanted to live a good life.
So why was everyone so determined to interfere?
"When should we kill the kid?"
"Once we're sure we've got the money. Before that... she might still be useful."
"A little brat wearing clothes worth more than my house. Makes me sick."
"People like that deserve to be burned alive."
One of them spat loudly onto the floor.
To think...
That someone who had once ruled as Emperor...
Would end up like this.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
I'd been kidnapped...
By pathetic little criminals like these.
But what truly infuriated me...
Was that I had no strength left with which to fight them.
