Park Jeom-rye Reincarnated As Sophia At 98

〈Chapter 2. Grandma Goes on a Blind Date〉

The next morning.

“Princess, His Majesty is calling for you.”

Just as she was changing clothes, a servant of her father, Hans, came looking for her.

Last night, Sophia had been caught loitering near the kitchen’s back door by a guard.

Now being summoned so early, she figured it was probably about that.

‘Ah, this is gonna be a problem…’

Whenever Hans scolded someone, he did it with an overwhelming intensity.

Just the thought of getting chewed out at her age made her feel faint.

Sophia clenched her eyes shut.

“He wants me now, does he?”

“…N-now? Pardon?”

The servant was visibly confused by her strange manner of speaking.

Wasn’t she supposed to be the foolish little princess who babbled like a baby?

Now she sounded just like a granny from some rural backwater.

It wasn’t just him who found it odd. The nanny and maids nearby also widened their eyes at the word “now.”

They exchanged puzzled glances.

Sophia didn’t seem to care and kept talking.

“I said, does he want me right this instant?”

“Y-yes…”

“Whew… alright then. I’ll be there shortly.”

She let out a long sigh. At that, the nanny and maids burst out laughing.

“Princess, what on earth is going on?”

The nanny asked, bewildered. What kind of nonsense was she spouting all of a sudden?

Sophia frowned in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Your way of speaking—it’s strange. You don’t sound like yourself.”

Sophia turned to meet her own reflection in the mirror.

And suddenly, it hit her like a brick.

Fluffy golden curls, green eyes, baby fat puffing out her cheeks, and those dimples that popped when she moved her hands.

The girl in the mirror, raising her arm, was no longer Park Jeom-rye.

Sophia finally realized just how serious the situation was.

A 7-year-old girl—once considered nothing more than a gluttonous fool of a princess—was suddenly speaking like a country grandma. Of course everyone would be confused.

“Whew, I’m screwed,” she muttered under her breath.

The staff burst into laughter.

“‘Screwed’? What was that?”

“Princess, what kind of speech is that? You sound like an old granny from the countryside!”

Her face flushed with embarrassment. Sophia cleared her throat and tried to recover.

“Is that really so funny? Your belly buttons gonna pop out from laughing or something? Come on, knock it off already.”

On the way to Hans’ chamber.

Her steps were heavy, as if weighed down by lead. Worry made her head spin.

What if she spoke like this in front of Hans?

Hans was notoriously doting. If his daughter suddenly started talking like this, he might call the palace physician in a panic.

‘Should I fake it?’

She tried to recall how she used to talk when she was younger, but it wasn’t easy. Her tongue felt clumsy now, like it had lost its old flexibility.

“Sigh…”

She let out another deep sigh. Seeing the tiny girl sighing like that made the nanny worry even more.

“Princess, are you still feeling unwell?”

“It’s not that…”

Sophia opened her mouth to explain, but paused.

Even she didn’t fully understand what was going on with herself—how could she expect others to?

“…No, it’s fine. Let’s go.”

She sighed again, then stepped ahead of the nanny.

With a troubled look and her hands clasped behind her back like an old woman, she walked slowly forward.

The nanny could only stare in bewilderment.

The princess had been acting strange all morning. She must still be sick—there was no other explanation.

Should she call a doctor? She wondered.

But just then, Sophia turned around and looked at her.

“What’s the hold-up? Your feet glued to the ground or something?”

Her grumbling, scolding tone was unmistakably that of a grandma.

Yet her face was still so young and fresh—it made no sense at all.

When the flustered nanny just stood there in a daze, Sophia waved her hand impatiently.

“Hurry up, I said.”

“Wh-what? Oh! Yes, right away!”

Snapping back to her senses, the nanny quickly followed after Sophia. The sound of Sophia clicking her tongue echoed through the hallway.

Over the past two days, his 7-year-old daughter had been bedridden with a fever. And now, Hans had just received word that she’d been caught loitering near the kitchen late at night by a guard.

At that report, delivered right as he coughed awake in the morning, Hans saw stars.

So that’s why she kept gaining weight even with a controlled diet—she’d been sneaking food like a little rat behind his back.

“I can’t let this slide. She needs a stern lesson today so she’ll never overindulge again.”

He immediately sent a servant to summon Sophia and sat back on the couch, waiting sternly.

Soon, the door opened, and in toddled little baby piglet Sophia.

The solemn look Hans had worn completely crumbled the moment he saw her face.

They said she’d tripped while trying to run from the guard last night—sure enough, a scab was forming on her pretty little forehead.

Sophia always managed to get herself into trouble just when he’d start to forget. This time, how had she even fallen…?

He worried she’d be left with a scar. Though he hesitated to speak, Hans forced himself to start.

He had to scold her—if he let her off again, who knew what kind of stunt she’d pull next?

“Sophia. What on earth is the matter with you?”

“Eh?”

Sophia responded with her usual vacant tone. Hans rubbed his forehead and waved the attendants out of the room.

“Come here and sit down.”

He patted his knee. It was their personal ritual of reconciliation.

He would sit her on his lap and nuzzle her with his big, bushy beard. Then Sophia would cry out:

“Papa, papa, it’s scratchy!”

And once they laughed it off, they’d make up.

No matter how much Hans patted his knee, Sophia just stood there blankly, not moving an inch closer.

“Didn’t I tell you to come sit down?”

Growing frustrated, Hans began patting so hard it made his knee throb. Sophia was torn on what to do.

If she sat on his lap, he’d definitely do that beard-nuzzling thing. But she was 98 plus 7 years old now. Combined, that was 105 years of life experience. Sitting on someone’s lap at this age? That was something no sane person would do.

But she couldn’t exactly say,

“I’m Park Jeom-rye, actually.”

‘What do I do…? Guess I’ve got no choice but to suck it up…’

Dragging her feet like she was heading to the gallows, Sophia slowly stepped forward and stretched out her arms. Hans lit up, finally smiling, and scooped her up with joy.

Inhaling the baby scent from her, Hans was utterly delighted. He planted a kiss on her crown and, with a loud ooh-goo-goo, started rubbing his beard all over her head.

Sophia shuddered all over in disgust.

“You little rascal. What were you doing sneaking around the palace at night?”

“I couldn’t sleep ‘cause I was hungry, y’know.”

“Y’know…?”

Hans blinked in surprise at her odd speech. He was visibly taken aback.

‘Well, he is my dad. Maybe he’ll understand at least this much…’

Sophia let out a deep sigh and kept talking.

“It’s all for the sake of eating, y’know. Can’t go starvin’, right? But my belly was rumblin’, and it felt like too much trouble to wake the maids, so I just went myself.”

Hans had no idea what he was hearing anymore.

Was this tiny little girl really speaking like an old peasant granny from some far-off borderland?

“Hehe, Papa! Butter! Cheese!”

All Sophia really knew how to say at that point was butter and cheese.

Clearly, just a few days ago, the words Sophia spoke lacked any logic, let alone proper vocabulary…

‘Could it be… she’s already hit puberty?!’

Hans had heard that kids these days mature faster. He felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

Sophia was taken aback by his expression.

“…Nothing.”

“Is it because of your forehead injury?”

“Ugh, yeah… that’s right.”

Sophia clicked her tongue and quickly jumped off Hans’ lap. She patted his arm reassuringly.

“Papa, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on. Don’t cry, okay?”

“Uh, okay…”

After a while, Hans managed to stop crying. He took a sip of water and, once a bit calmer, spoke resolutely.

“Sophia.”

“Yes?”

“You know the person you’re supposed to meet for the arranged marriage has arrived, right?”

“Yes, you mentioned it the other day.”

Her dry response made Hans break into a cold sweat.

“What should we do? Should we go and greet their parents?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“Okay, I got it. When are we supposed to meet?”

“At dinner today… and… your tone of voice…”

“My tone? Yeah, about that. I’ve been thinking about it too.”

“Thinking?”

“Yeah, my tongue’s all wobbly, and what can I do? I’ll be careful and speak cautiously.”

Sophia replied with mock seriousness. Hans’ jaw dropped.

“Papa, so is that all you had to say?”

“Uh? Yeah.”

“Then I’ll be going now. I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

Sophia nodded, gave a quick bow, and turned away. She walked off slowly, hands clasped behind her back.

‘Should I call a doctor?’

Sophia’s mannerisms were so much like his late grandmother’s that Hans rubbed his eyes several times, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. It felt like a dream.