What the, where is this place?
I looked around, kind of panicked. I was just walking, finding flowers but when I lifted my head, there I was. At the place where I've never seen before.
How did this happen when I was just finding some flowers at the garden so big you can't see the edge of? Moreover, I couldn't go back since I wasn't just walking in one direction.
I have become homeless for the first time ever in this life. Let's c-calm down. The palace must be shown if I just lift my head and look since the palace is very big.
Of course, my thoughts were right. I saw a big wall of the palace just right after I had lifted my head. I started running with the flowers in my arms.
"Wut is dis? (What is this?)"
But the place I've arrived at wasn't Ruby palace.
It was a place where there were no people at all. It was a bit empty. No, even more than my palace! It was extremely (?) empty.
Does no one use this place? It seemed to be well cleaned.
(Guys, guess in the comments. Who do you think lives here? Or do you actually think no one does?)
It didn't make sense that I've arrived at the palace other than where I belonged when I was doing nothing but to search for flowers.
Hmm, but wait... No one use this palace?
"Oh?"
My eyes suddenly lit up. Since no one use this palace, maybe I can. Coincidentally I was thinking of where I should hide my valuables, I think this is fate.
Until now, I had divided and hidden them in Ruby palace, but that had its limits too. Also, I feel something off Lilly visiting the head maid.
I quietly silenced my breathing and looked around the palace at each details. After that, I silently started to move, tiptoeing.
From what I got from investigation, this place was cleaned really well, however was a place where there really weren't an ant showing up. Probably this was the palace the last emperer has used and only keep it clean.
That means I only have to be careful of when servers come to clean this place. It;s also very close to my palace. Ahh, no one can challenge my luck.
That is how this forgotten palace became my valuables hideout place.
I have been thinking about this, and I think that I’ve really died after eating that sleeping pill.
It was winter and the room wasn’t heated so was it actually from freezing? Sob.
Well, it isn’t that I want to go back to my old life since I was an orphan and had a miserable life there.
Setting that sh*tty novel plot away, if I just stay quiet without being caught by someone’s eyes there will be food, I don’t have to work for money and just play, have the place to stay of my own (?), even if heaven existed, this kind of heaven wouldn’t.
Moreover, I was able to master the language here ever since I had opened my eyes for the first time. Is it from the original Atanasia? I don’t know.
“L,i,l,l,y!”
I held up the paper with ugly letters on it and smiled brightly. This world’s learning progress and education was very slow, so mastering writing, reading, and well, things with letters here in my age was a thing never happened before.
I’m doomed.
Lilly and the other maids looked at me as if they were facing some kind of genius. Oh my gosh, so creepy.
“Our genius princess!”
After that incident, I started my basic education class. I don’t know if they were motivated by my smartness, the maids who had always loved me started to teach me basic manners.
I knew later that normally nobles in this world start learning basic manners at the age of 8.
“I am always so happy to stand beside Atanasia princess.”
Argh, but I felt somewhat guilty since I have lived some years before, and is being treated as a genius princess by people.
But this isn’t planned out by me! That is why I purposely make some mistakes, just a bit, even though I have a feeling these acts are all for nothing. Wahh.
“Atti is also happy with Lilly!”
One fortunate thing is that these information cannot leave this Ruby palace.
It was really fortunate ‘cause if then, I wouldn’t meet Claude at the age of 9 like Atanasia in the novel! Also would leave before I even turn 18!
Shivers, I will avoid Claude at what cost. I don’t know where it is but I will not even look at the Emperor’s Palace.
Well since it’s Emperor’s palace, wouldn’t it be really fancy and pretty? I’ll just have to avoid places so sparkly, beautiful, pretty, and fancy.
“Princess, would you want some milk?”
“Yas! I don’t like cold ones!”
“I’ll bring the heated warm one.”
Stopping writing on paper, I took 2 bags under my bed that I hid and got into action.
In the bags I have got from Hana while doing aegyo (Acting Cute) were all the valuables I have collected.
After confirming that all the jewels and gold I took was in the 2 bags and they were similar shape and weight, I instantly rolled my dress up.
It revealed my cute pumpkin shaped underwear for kids
I started tying the bags to my upper legs before Lilly came. I had purposely asked for warm milk for more time, but it still wasn’t the longest time.
Eek, but why do these not tie securely?
I had used my brain but moving without being caught, this was the best way.
“There!”
I stood up. My body felt heavy but I’ve got no choice. If I use this method and move these valuables, I would get all of my beauties safely hidden in no time.
Ah, the reason why Lilly went to meet the head maid was to clean my room.
Hearing that, I had a feeling I should fasten my plan.
That is why I am planning to use my daytime nap time for my plan. I have noticed that when sleeping they wouldn’t enter my room. Probably because they realized that I will never wake up before they wake me up.
“Sweet dreams, princess.”
After kissing my cheek, Lilly quietly exited my room.
Waiting for the footsteps to be gone for sure, I stayed lying down.
Slowly opening my eyes, I got into action.
Eek, that hurt. The jewels pressing hard on my skin probably left some marks on my legs. It is hard to move my beauties to a safe place.
Click.
Trying my best to not make any sound, I exited my room.
I was able to go through and out the garden without being caught. Honestly, any maids except Lilly I could control with my cuteness, so it really didn’t matter.
It was tiring to run with this much weight with my small body.
When I reached my destination, I was huffing, and my legs with my beauties were shaking.
Ha, sh*t. I feel like my legs will go numb like this. However, the time I was provided with was only 2 hours so I didn’t have any time to rest.
“Hiya.”
I untied the bags and with my hands, and decided to hide them out here since it could be dangerous to enter the building yet.
Clearing the way with my hands, I found a place to hide. However there was a problem.
I don’t have a tool to dig! Since it has been a while since it rained, my soft and squishy hands would have a hard time digging it. Moreover, if I got my hands dirty, I was definitely going to get caught by Lilly. What to do…
After thing for a while, I ended up hiding them in the bush. I’ll have to come back tomorrow and dig. I’ll ask for Hana for kid’s digging toy set.
Since I didn’t have extra weight I had on me, I was able to go back easily. On my way back to my room, my eyes met with one maid and I almost fainted. But she just passed by. Probably thought I just went to play a bit.
Ahh, huff huff, help, ohmigosh, I’m gonna die.
Click.
“Our princess, it’s time to wake up.”
“Eeung…”
I was so tired that these sounds escaped my mouth. Even though I think Lilly thought it was just a sound of a person sleeping.
“Huh? You sweated a lot.”
I flinched from Lilly’s surprised tone. Yeah, a perfect crime was too much.
“It looks like you have a small fever. Are you perhaps sick…”
“Uhh, room is hot. Sun is sunny.”
Looking around the room, Lilly wiped the sweat off my forehead.
“Starting tomorrow, I will either open the window or cover with curtains. Summer really is coming fast. The room is quiet hot.”
“Atti wanna eat milk. Cold milk please.”
“Even though you drank some before your nap…”
But she still went out to bring me cold milk. And now that I am alone, I completely lost consciousness.
***
Since then, I escaped Ruby palace twice more. It was so tiring and also had a feeling I was going to get caught by Lilly that escaping date was changed once in a few days.
CLT: Update! The emperor will make his first ever debut in this novel the next chappy!