My Next Life as a Heroine: All Routes Lead to Het!?

Part 2

It had been about an hour since I woke up with memories of my past life. I wasn't sure how to describe it - had I become Maria Campbell? Or had Miss Campbell become Maria Danville? Perhaps it was more of a blend? In the end, the only thing I knew for sure was that I was still Maria. And being Maria meant falling for Katarina, at least in my mind. As such, I'd wanted to prepare immediately for my future meeting with the duke's daughter. It was with that thought in mind that I had sprung from the bed... only to promptly fall to the floor, and skin my knee upon the concrete.

Of course, it would have been strange for a five year old not to cry out after skinning her knee... I didn't want to cause suspicion, which is why I immediately started to outright bawl, hands clutching at my leg as I rolled upon on the floor. It was definitely just me trying to act like a five year old, okay? It's not like I'm actually a crybaby. Though, really, even with extra memories, I still had the underdeveloped brain of a five year old... Crying over a skinned knee wouldn't be at all unusual, I don't think.

The thing is, once I started crying, I couldn't seem to stop. My mother and father knelt down beside me with worried looks on their faces. Mother in particular opened her arms for me, but I made no move to go to her. I just laid there, crying, until she took the initiative to scoop me into her lap.

Then Father looked at my knee, with a faint smile on his face, and said "It's only a scratch. Would you like your mommy to kiss it better?"

Mother barely waited for my nod, lowering her mouth to place a quick peck upon my knee. As she did so, a soothing feeling came over me, and I found myself smiling a little as the tears stopped. Embarrassment? What's that? Five year olds are allowed little things like this.

"Thank you, Mother," I whispered, softly, aiming a small smile at my parents. For some reason, however, my mother's mouth opened in a little "o" of surprise, and even Father looked taken aback. I wasn't sure what had caused it, until Mother finally spoke.

"Mother?" she asked. "Since when did my daughter become so formal?" there was a teasing tone to her voice, but I could see the worry in her eyes. Come to think of it, my memories of this world were all of calling Mother mommy...

...No way I could do that, huh? Even if I said that I was five, I was still a teenager on the inside. There was no way I could put up with something so embarrassing as calling my mother mommy! But insisting on calling her mother would only create suspicion... In that case, would "mom" do? I decided to give it a try.

"Five is too old for mommy!" I declared, puffing out my cheeks and doing my best to look grown up. "I'm going to call you Mom from now on!"

"...Is that so?" Mother's eyes still held a faint glimmer of wariness as she looked me over, but after a moment it faded and a small smile came over her face. She probably thought that it was just me acting out. Nothing to worry about. I hoped.

"I'm still Daddy, though, right Maria?" That came from Father, of course. His brow was creased with worry as he looked at me. Was he worried about losing his precious place in his daughter's heart...? If I rejected him, would it serve to speed us along the route where he left Mother and me behind, thinking of us as some made up noble's problem? There was no way I could risk that...

Thus, after only a moment's thought, I resigned myself to being a Daddy's girl; at least for the time being. "Daddy is daddy! Mom is mom! As long as we're a family, that's how it'll be!"

Father looked immediately relieved, and even Mother cracked a small smile. She probably just thought I was a child, trying to act grown up. If only she knew the truth...

"Mom. Daddy. Can I go out and play?" I looked up between them with my most innocent expression. One where I bit my lip ever so slightly, while opening my eyes as wide as they could go. I was sure no one could resist the pure innocence of this look, but for some reason my parents looked hesitant.