Chapter 1 - Part 1
Lelia wanted to get out of the Imperial Palace as soon as possible. To do so, she needed assurance to protect herself.
[I’ll go back in a few days…]
It was likely that the emperor would continue to travel back and forth from the cabin for several days until the relationship between him and Juliana was resolved.
Emperor Perseus used to find comfort in that cabin when he felt tired and exhausted.
And now it was the same for Lelia.
That cabin was a cherished and beloved place for Emperor Perseus and Young Juliana, but to Lelia, it was like the arms of a mother.
So Lelia had no choice but to grumble about going back to the tower.
***
It was, as expected, a few days later.
Lelia witnessed the servants of the Imperial Castle carrying all kinds of dolls.
[Wait, then…]
Lelia’s forehead wrinkled.
It was time for the officials to begin to discuss what to do with Lelia.
In addition, it was also when she had to say ‘I’m sorry, Princess’ 100 times to Juliana.
But that won’t happen because Lelia had no intention of stealing Juliana’s doll.
[Even if I avoid the incident, the officials will still have the meeting.]
Emperor Perseus did not want to hear Lelia’s name, so he delayed the meeting until later.
Lelia bit her lips in anxiety.
She was anxious about what she would do if Emperor Perseus changed his mind.
He might suddenly feel sick and ask her to marry a strange guy.
It’s a good thing to marry after becoming an adult. In this world, however, there were cases in which a son-in-law or daughter-in-law was brought in from a young age in order to learn the customs of the family in advance.
If Emperor Perseus tries to drive her out quickly like that because he doesn’t want to see her…
[Should I kneel down in front of him?]
In any case, the emperor would have married Lelia to a normal man.
[Because he doesn’t know that I’m his daughter and he hates me.]
Besides, after leaving the Imperial Palace, it was clear that the surveillance would be worse and stricter than before.
Rather, she thought that she may miss these days when no one cared about her, and she was happy.
[Oh, that’s terrible!]
That afternoon, Lelia packed her bag and left the tower. She wanted to search the cabin as soon as possible and find some magic tools that could be of any help.
[…Okay, there’s no one.]
Lelia slowly approached the cabin, confirming that there were no signs of activity around it.
She looked inside through the window just in case.
[Thank God.]
For the time being, Emperor Perseus will not come here.
[Because he’s just starting to become an idiot for her daughter, he will be busy playing with Juliana. The same goes for those two brothers.]
As soon as Lelia confirmed no one was there, she opened the door of the hut and carefully entered the cabin.
First, she opened the door of a secret warehouse that was hidden under the wooden floor. Emergency food was stashed inside, and she packed a few glass bottles in her bag.
She then began to search through the bedside and desk drawers.
She made sure to be as careful as possible since it was an area that Emperor Perseus might have touched or opened. She was behaving like a cat, stealing things, for a while.
Creak
Suddenly, in an instant, she heard the sound of the front door of the cabin opening behind her back. Lelia’s body stiffened at the sound. She was so surprised that her heart almost fell on the floor.
[I’m sure I didn’t see anyone from the window a while ago.]
She had looked out of the window multiple times, in case somebody would come but it was futile now.
Lelia closed her eyes tightly. She felt the piercing gaze behind her.
[Who is it? I will have to come up with good excuses.]
After she made up her mind, it was then she slowly tried to turn around.
“Who are you?”
She heard a low voice from behind that seemed very angry, which gave her goosebumps all over her body.
[Is it Emperor Perseus?]
If so, he might execute her immediately.
She couldn’t turn her head to see who the person was, as she stood there under the immense pressure on her whole body.
The little child’s shoulders trembled, and the person standing behind her made it difficult for her to move.
Lelia turned her head around, and blinked in a daze.
Only then could Lelia see the person who had come into the hut after her.
[Who is it?]
Fortunately, it was not Emperor Perseus.
However, the man didn’t look like a member of the Imperial Palace, Imperial Guard, or an attendant.
He was a young man, perhaps in his late 20s, who wore a uniform made of high quality fabric like the ones worn by the aristocrats.
He looked like a knight with a sword hanging on his waist.
The man placed his hand on his sword and frowned down at her.
“Who are you? A maid of the Imperial Palace? Are you here to clean?”
“Well, I’m…”
He looked at Lelia from head to toe, with a gaze full of hostility. She didn’t look like a maid in those robes. The maids of the Imperial Palace wore clothes made of fine cloth. The robe worn by Lelia was what she wore at the temple. Unfortunately, she had grown a lot from when she was younger, so there were no clothes that fit her anymore other than this.
“What’s your name?” The man asked, raising his chin.
[Should I lie?]
She was afraid to answer honestly because she didn’t know who he was. However, before Lelia could tell him her name, he said “No way…”
The man, who was looking at Lelia for a long time, stared at her eyes and smiled as if he remembered something.
“…The daughter of the late Princess Iris?”
“…!”
As Lelia’s eyes grew larger in surprise, he twisted one corner of his mouth.
“How dare you come here? This is what Elizabeth left behind! The ex-princess, your mother, had been so hard on her and bullied her!”
The man was furious, which caused Lelia to sit down and shrug her shoulders.
She was afraid.
The murderous aura of the man, a knight with a sword, was too much for Lelia, who was still a young girl.
“How dare a rat like you be here? Get the hell out of here!”
At those words, Lelia was startled and opened the door of the cabin to run away. She didn’t turn around to look at the small cabin. Instead, she fled as if a large beast was chasing her from behind. After returning to the tower, she collapsed onto the bed.
There was something wrong with her body …She couldn’t stop trembling.
Lelia covered herself with a blanket and calmed herself down. With memories of her previous life, it was fortunate that she didn’t act like a child. If she were a normal seven-year-old child, she might have fainted at the spot earlier. Or maybe cry or have a seizure like Oscar.
Lelia instinctively hugged the little rabbit doll, wiping away the tears from her eyes.
“…”
When she thought of her friends, who had rabbit dolls like her, she seemed to calm down surprisingly quickly. Lelia patted herself on the back of her head, as she did to calm Oscar when he used to suffer from seizures. Fortunately, the tremor subsided.
But then, somehow, she felt uneasy, so she looked out of the window to see if the man had followed her or not.
Fortunately, the area around the tower was quiet.
[What a surprise…]
Lelia stroked the rabbit doll with a sigh of relief.