CJRD CH 02

Chapter 02

The Moncast Empire’s only princess, Estelle Moncast.

But no one—not even Estelle herself—knows she’s the imperial princess.

That’s because she was kidnapped as a baby and went missing.

Oh, poor Estelle.
How scared she must’ve been…

But don’t worry too much.
Luckily, an elf who happened to be traveling found and rescued her.

.
.
.

Raised gently under the elf’s protection, Estelle grew into a young girl.

One day, she happened to meet the Commander of the Imperial Knights.

“Please take me to the world outside the forest!”
Estelle cried out.

She felt bad about leaving the elf who raised her, but she was curious about the outside world—the place where she was born.

The Commander of the Knights nodded at her request.
He brought her out of the forest and brought her straight to you.

“I’m leaving this child in your care. Please raise her well until she becomes an adult.”

And so, you became Estelle’s guardian.

Estelle’s future will depend on how you raise her.

She might return to the palace and become the next emperor…
Or she could live a quiet, ordinary life without ever learning the truth.

Everything is up to you…

****

I looked out the window at the bright, cloudless sky and sighed.

“The sun’s already up? Great… just great.”

That’s right. I had stayed up all night without sleeping even a wink.

All because of a certain girl who started staying in My Little Sweet House just yesterday.

“So it wasn’t reincarnation… it was possession.”

I had been thinking about this just before I died—
The game where you raise a child and unlock different endings depending on how you raise her.

The game is called Raise Your Daughter.

Why didn’t I realize sooner that I was possessed?

I spent all night pulling my hair out, trying to make sense of things.

Only after seeing a pile of my brown hair on the floor did I finally reach two conclusions.

First: the name.

In Raise Your Daughter, the player’s name is never mentioned.
The main character just calls them “Mom.”

And the name I have now—“Raina”—is super common.
It’s not some rare or fantasy-sounding name like Adelheit or Casiello that might’ve made me suspicious.

Second: the age.

Estelle was 14 when she met the player in the game, right? Then… I’m only a few years older than her.

I may technically be an adult, but I’m still really young to be raising a 14-year-old—even if we’re not related by blood.

“Wait… is it really okay for someone my age to raise Estelle? I’ve only lived a few more years than she has.”

Parents are supposed to take full responsibility for their children.
Even if I’m good with kids, this is different.

At the village school, I only watch over children for a few hours a day.
But a parent cares for their child 24/7.

Can I really raise her well?

I thought back to how Estelle looked in the game—though the image is fuzzier now.

The shy, blushing little girl I first met.
How she slowly grew more mature and calm over time.
And finally, when she became an adult and left me a letter before moving out on her own.

“…Actually, maybe I can raise her well?”

The more I pictured Estelle from behind the screen, the more confident I felt.

And it wasn’t baseless confidence.

I’ve raised her so many times before!

Aside from the one emperor ending I never saw, I cleared at least 50 different endings.

If I counted the failures and repeats, the number would be much higher.

Thinking about that gave me hope.

“Yeah. This is my chance to raise her into an emperor—for real this time. Not on a screen, but with my own eyes!”

Exciting. New. Amazing.

This must be a gift from the heavens.

A second chance, a way to let go of all my regrets.

“Right. If I don’t do it, who will? No one knows Estelle better than I do.”

I clenched my fists and made up my mind.

“Ah, but this isn’t the time for this. It’s morning. Estelle must be hungry—I should get her something to eat.”

I jumped out of bed and ran to the mirror.

My hair was a mess from pulling it all night.

“What should I make for her~?”

I hummed a strange tune as I finger-combed my messy hair and shuffled out of my room.

****

“Thank goodness I had at least something left.”

I’d completely forgotten that I’d run out of groceries and planned to go shopping today.

When I saw the empty pantry, I panicked.

Thankfully, I still had some bread and eggs tucked away. What a relief.

Clack—

I placed the simple French toast I made on the table just as Estelle’s door opened.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning! You’re up early. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks to your kindness.”

Estelle didn’t look tired at all.
Her hair and skin looked fresh, like she’d already washed up.

She must’ve been awake for a while.

I pointed to the steaming French toast on the table.

“It’s not much, but I made it so we could eat together. You arrived late last night—I thought you might be hungry. How about it?”

Estelle was silent for a moment, thinking.

Then she nodded slightly and sat across from me.

Clink, clatter.

The sound of dishes filled the room.

I paused to sneak a glance at Estelle.

She had always been adorable in the game, but in real life? She was even more precious.

Her straight pink hair fluttered gently whenever she moved.
Strands of gold glimmered like sunlight.

Her green eyes, set beneath calm lids, were like pieces of nature.
And her nose had the perfect shape.

Even the way her small mouth chewed toast and the way she held her utensils was adorable.

So cute… so pretty…!

Last night, it was too dark to see her properly.
But now that I could see her clearly, I was amazed by how beautiful she was.

Soon, this girl is going to start calling me “Mom,” like in the game, right? Ugh. Just imagining it makes my heart ache…

Whenever she smiled and called me “Mom,” I always felt so proud and emotional.

And when she became an adult and left me, it felt bittersweet—
Like I was a real parent sending off her child.

Yeah. From that moment, I’ve been her guardian.

Even though we’re not far apart in age, I knew deep down…

I could raise her better than anyone—even better than the old me.

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat to break the silence.

Estelle looked up from her toast.

“How’s the toast? Is it okay?”

“Yes. It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad.”

I smiled warmly and leaned in slightly to speak more gently.

“I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself yesterday, did I? You probably know, but my name is Raina. Raina Morris. Feel free to call me whatever you like.”

“Okay. Miss Morris.”

In the game, she called me “Mom.”
But having her call me that in real life felt… strange, so I left it up to her.

Still… Miss Morris?

That felt way too formal.
I should’ve just told her to call me Raina.

I felt a little hurt.

“Claude told me a little bit yesterday, but I still have a lot of questions about you. Would it be okay if I asked?”

Estelle set down her utensils and gave a small nod.

“How old are you, Estelle? Around fourteen?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Where have you been living until now?”

“In the forest.”

“In the forest? That’s amazing! What did you usually do there?”

“I picked herbs. And I took care of injured animals.”

“You’re so kind, Estelle.”

I pictured her caring for animals smaller than herself.

Just imagining it made my heart melt.

I held my chest secretly, trying to calm myself down.

“It must be overwhelming, suddenly coming here after living in the forest. Everything must feel strange. But don’t worry—I’ll help you with anything you find difficult.”

Her plate was completely empty.

Looks like the toast was to her taste.

“Oh, should I prepare a snack for the afternoon? Do you have a favorite?”

I stood up with our plates stacked in one hand, ready to clean up, when Estelle softly replied—

“You don’t have to go out of your way for me.”