I couldn't be alone, but I had plenty of supervised free time, so I decided to start reading. However, there didn't seem to be a proper library in the royal palace (apparently the country didn't have one — basically, they didn't have the budget for it). There were people who collected books privately, but the system here was to ask a maid, who would then request the books from the person in charge. Of course, there were quite a few books inside the palace, but not enough to call it a library.
Cass asked me,
"What would you like to read?"
"Something about magic spells?" I replied.
"Huh?"
She gave me a dumbfounded look. I didn't think I had said anything strange, so I asked,
"Did I say something weird?"
Cass smiled wryly and answered,
"No… It's just the first time you've ever asked to read a book about magic."
"Really? (I played dumb) I suddenly got interested."
"Oh? Did something in class catch your interest?"
"No, the classes are boring. I was just wondering if there was anything interesting."
"I see…"
"Yeah. The only thing that seems interesting is martial training."
"Eh!!"
"Is that so surprising?"
"Yes, it is! Before you fell ill, you used to run away from martial training all the time. Did something happen to you while you were unconscious? Maybe God played a prank on your head?"
I felt a jolt in my chest, but I just laughed it off.
"I don't feel like I've changed, though?"
"But even the way you speak has changed!"
"Has it? I don't really remember how I used to talk."
"I see…"
There was no choice but to keep dodging the topic.
Cass was my personal maid (though she was actually Mother's personal maid). I wondered what her background was. It felt like she had been raising me since I was very young, but I couldn't just ask her directly. Where had the original Robby's memories gone? No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came up. Unlike typical isekai stories, there was no flood of previous memories. Waiting for them to appear wouldn't help.
Since I couldn't ask Cass, I decided to ask Mother instead. Even though she was my mother by blood, in my mind she was simply a beautiful older woman I was close to — but someone I absolutely could not lay a hand on. That's why "Mother" felt more natural than calling her "Mom."
Even so, I couldn't just go see her whenever I wanted. I had to make an appointment in advance. It seemed like a hassle, but that was how the system worked here, so I had no choice but to follow it.
When I asked Cass to arrange the appointment, she looked surprised and asked,
"Prince Robby, is something wrong?"
Why was she surprised? She was the one who told me about the system. Apparently, the old Robby knew about the appointment rule but would still barge into Mother's room whenever he felt like it, play as long as he wanted, and leave without even saying a proper goodbye. Even though it wasn't me, I felt embarrassed by how much of an idiot and how spoiled the previous Robby had been. Even for a ten-year-old, that was too much. In this world, the age of adulthood seemed to be fifteen, so ten years old here might be like fifteen in Japan. There were even some maids who looked around the same age as me working in the inner palace.
"Mother, excuse me for the intrusion."
"Oh my!!"
I thought I had greeted her normally, but Mother's eyes widened. She looked at Cass and suddenly started shedding tears. I stood there confused, wondering why she was crying, when she rushed over and pulled me into a tight hug. I could strongly feel her ample, soft breasts pressing against me. Since I couldn't just grab them with my hands, I lightly wrapped my arms around her back and returned the hug. Even that felt incredibly good.
Mother said, still crying,
"Robby… You've finally… You've finally learned to greet me properly! Oh, Cass, all your hard work over the years has finally borne fruit. Thank you so much, Cass! No matter how many times I thank you, it won't be enough!"
She released me and hugged Cass tightly instead. Cass also seemed deeply moved and began crying.
"Princess Doreen, at last… this day has finally come! Since waking up, Prince Robby has been studying as if he's become a completely different person. All the long waiting was worth it. I truly feel that Prince Robby has finally awakened from his long slumber."
Mother and Cass hugged each other and cried loudly. The other maids attending Mother also started crying along with them. I had only come to visit Mother's room, yet it had turned into this dramatic, tearful scene… Well, I was the cause of it all.
After a while, the tears finally subsided. Mother turned to me with red, swollen eyes and asked with a smile,
"So Robby, what brings you here today?"
Her smile was breathtaking. No wonder the King had chosen her — she really was beautiful. Her smile was indescribable. She was 100% my type, which made it all the more unfortunate that I could never do anything about it.
I needed to get to the main topic, but Cass was standing beside us with a big smile on her face, listening intently. There was no way I could ask about Cass's family background in front of her.
So, with no other choice, I said,
"I've been thinking a little about my future…"