Park Jeom-rye Reincarnated As Sophia At 98

Episode 4.

The Prince Is Way Too Cranky. Why Are All Kids Like This?

After the disastrous matchmaking meeting, Hans summoned Sophia to his room.

“Daddy, you called for me?”

Despite all the trouble she had caused, Sophia sauntered in with her hands behind her back, looking completely unbothered.

Seeing her like that made Hans’s head throb with pain. He dismissed the servants.

“Sophia.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“You know how important this matchmaking was, don’t you?”

“Of course. I know.”

“And yet you…”

Hans’s father, the fourth king of the Belmond Dynasty and now the late king, had once declared an independence war against the Altheria Empire — and lost.

As a hostage, Hans was used to negotiate a peace treaty, now known as the “Belfort Treaty.” It was called a peace treaty, but in reality, it was a forced agreement.

The terms were absurd.

The Empire placed restrictions on Aurora’s main industries: fishing and logging.

If production exceeded a certain level, the Empire demanded ‘fishing taxes’ and ‘forest taxes.’

The burden naturally fell onto the people.

The more they earned, the more losses they faced.

In the end, over half the population had to abandon their trades.

Other industries operated as well, but Aurora was a kingdom located in the southernmost, westernmost corner of the Altheria Empire’s borderlands.

It had a major port In Belfort, and the sea route from Belfort to Ashval was the shortest among the empire’s routes.

Thanks to that, Ashval’s specialty goods were most widely distributed from there within the Empire.

However, because the region was surrounded by dense forests to the north, land transport was poor,

Making it impossible to grow specialty goods trade into a major industry.

It’s already been 30 years since they lost their main industries and unemployment rates skyrocketed.

From the late king to Hans — two generation now

Aurora had been stuck in a long economic depression.

The national treasury was drying up, and the kingdom had fallen into a hellish cycle of repaying debts with more debt.

They couldn’t even afford to maintain their army, forcing them to cut their forces by about half.

A dynasty that had lost its honor and now lacked military strength?

It was a clear sign of impending self-destruction.

After Sophia’s birth mother passed away and international alliances crumbled,

Noble factions began questioning the legitimacy of the Belmond Dynasty.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if, by tomorrow, the vassals suddenly rose in rebellion.

Hans had to find a way out — somehow.

Thus, he created an opportunity for renegotiation with the Empire.

Just in time, unrest had begun stirring in the Empire’s northern territories,

And Hans hastily recruited a militia, exaggerating their strength to make it look like Aurora still had a viable military.

This matchmaking and engagement were the results of that effort.

If they could just secure a marriage alliance, there was a chance they could revise the Belfort Treaty.

The political marriage was already decided.

This matchmaking meeting was merely a formality to show the other factions.

But then…

“Sigh.”

Hans let out a long sigh as he stared at Sophia’s carefree face.

She made the crown prince cry.

Even if she was a fool who only thought about food, wasn’t this going too far?

Seeing the resentment in his eyes, Sophia finally opened her mouth, after glancing nervously at him.

“Daddy, I’m real sorry.”

At least she knew enough to apologize.

Hans closed his eyes tightly.

“Do you even understand what you’re sorry for?”

But what would she understand?

She was just a naïve, thoughtless princess.

Scolding her further would just waste his breath.

Hans waved his hand to dismiss Sophia.

Just then—

“I know, Daddy. It was just for show anyway, right?

But I ended up making the prince cry… I wonder what Her Majesty the Empress is gonna say about that.”

Hans’s eyes widened.

Could it be that this fool had something inside her head besides butter and cheese?

Sophia fidgeted with her hands and kept talking.

“The commoners… how must they be feeling? It must be so hard for them.

Every penny they earn gets taken away in taxes.

And it’s all our family’s fault, isn’t it?”

“How… how do you know that?”

“Why wouldn’t I know?

You always grumble about it.

I know. I really do.”

Hans froze, staring down at Sophia for a long moment.

The girl who usually only cared about food and mischief — whether he scolded her or pleaded with her —

Was now looking more serious than he had ever seen before.

The little girl who used to avoid his gaze whenever their eyes met was, for once, not looking away.

Hans was completely shocked.

She had been sick a few days ago — had she really been possessed by some spirit?

Sophia asked him worriedly,

“Did you talk to Her Majesty the Empress?”

At that moment, a spark of hope flared inside him.

Hans leapt up from his seat and thumped his chest proudly.

“I, your father! I already spoke with Her Majesty!”

“What did she say?”

“She said sometimes kids get into little scuffles when they’re playing,

So we should just let it slide this time.

But as a matter of courtesy, we promised to hold a banquet.”

“Then what’s there to worry about?

We just have to do well at the banquet, right?

Or… is she hinting there might not be another chance?”

Sophia had hit the nail on the head.

This fool… is not a fool anymore…

Hans shot up from his chair, raised his arms high, and burst into loud laughter,

Tears welling up in his eyes.

“Hahaha!”

“Oh no, Daddy, why are you crying?

I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

“You— you’re not a fool… Oh heavens above…!”

“So, all I have to do is behave properly at the banquet, right?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s it, Sophia!”

Riding the momentum, Hans taught her how to behave on the day of the banquet —

Basic etiquette and all.

Sophia listened attentively until the end, then left the room.

Hans watched her stroll away slowly, hands clasped behind her back, and fell to his knees.

Though he was not a religious man, for today at least, he felt the presence of a higher power.

Tears flowed again as he offered up a prayer of gratitude.

“Thank you for blessing us.”

The next day, the formal dinner with the Romania family was held again.

It was a gathering that Hans had managed to arrange after much pleading,

Even though they had originally insisted on dining separately.

After seeing Sophia’s brilliance the day before, Hans was confident that she wouldn’t cause any trouble with the crown prince.

In fact, this could even be an opportunity to turn things around.

When Eleanor and Leon arrived at the dining hall,

Sophia greeted them with the brightest smile she had ever worn, beaming directly at Leon.

After all, no one spits on a smiling face.

—Or so she thought.

Leon shot Sophia a sideways glare and immediately turned his head away.

He didn’t spit at her, but his attitude wasn’t much better.

But Sophia wasn’t someone who would back down so easily.

In her past life, she had seen everything there was to see —

All the hardships of the world, trials on land, sea, and even in the air.

The cold treatment of a mere little boy was hardly enough to wound her.

Sophia tried to lift his mood —

Whenever their eyes met, she would shrug her shoulders playfully, sparkle her eyes, or flash a big smile, putting on all the charm she could muster.

Sophia took after her biological mother and was so cute that even when she looked at herself in the mirror, she found herself adorable.

Small, plump, and pale, like a little rice cake.

The courtiers at the palace adored her not just for her playful antics, but simply for her looks alone.

So she thought this would work.

—But no.

Is he immune to charms? Sophia wondered.

Every time Leon saw her “cute” gestures,

He glared at her even more fiercely, scanning her up and down with a scowl.

Sometimes he even mouthed insults at her.

“You wanna die?”

It felt like trying harder would only make things worse.

In the end, Sophia gave up on using her cuteness.

“I’m so adorable… How could he be so heartless?”

The icy atmosphere showed no signs of thawing.

She glanced over at Hans, hoping for some kind of rescue —

But he was busy fighting his own battle.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll gather all the vassals for the banquet. Of course, that’s the least I can do!”

He said, forcing a bright smile.

Sophia clicked her tongue in frustration.

How was Hans planning to gather all the vassals with the dwindling influence of the Belmont dynasty…?

Either way, Hans had his own battle to fight, and Sophia had hers.

She steeled herself and began observing Leon, trying to analyze what had triggered his outburst yesterday.

Leon, unlike most children his age, showed almost no change in expression.

The only notable feature was that while everything else about him seemed childlike,

His eyes were fierce — he would glare at people sharply, giving the impression of a nasty personality.

‘He’s like a little grump prince. Maybe that should be his nickname.’

He barely touched his food, nibbling at it without any appetite,

And refused to meet her gaze whenever she tried to strike up a conversation.

What particularly caught Sophia’s attention was how Leon kept glancing at Eleanor every time she moved.

It seemed the Empress had him firmly under her thumb — typical for someone of her stature.

Come to think of it, when her daughter Mija had raised her first child,

She had shuttled the poor kid to endless cram schools, controlling every part of his life.

By the time the second child came along, she’d gotten lazy and just let him run wild.

‘Maybe he’s the firstborn?’ Sophia wondered.

Gathering her courage, she asked Leon,

“Are you the eldest?”

“What?”

“In your family. Do you have any siblings?”

“Why are you asking that? I told you, I’m not marrying you.”

It was a wasted effort.

Leon slammed his fork down and just sipped his juice, his cheeks puffed up in frustration.

Sophia stared at him, despair creeping into her heart.

How on earth was she supposed to get close to this kid?