A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 3

"Nanny, nanny, Athy wants chocolate." Hannah looks at me awestruck. "My sweet princess, you'd like some chocolate?" I extend my arms in front of the tall statured woman, looking up at her with my big jewel eyes. "Yeah! Athy loves chocolate. Athy loves Hannah too," I butter her up. "Hannah, what are you doing?" The other maid interrupts and I gobble up the pieces of chocolate Hannah gave me. "Headmaid Lilian already said you can't give princess snacks as you please." I know Lily is very paranoid about my health. It's comprehensible since I'm a princess. No one wants to die by the hands of my father, although I doubt he'd give a damn about me. Besides, Lily cares about me. "It's just one piece, Ces," Hannah retorts. "You won't be the only one giving her chocolates." Ces remains stiff. Pulling on the frill of her maid attire, I whine out, "But Athy wants chocolates." I can see her resolve crumbling from the depths of her chocolate-brown marbles. "I really can't-" And it shatters when I bat my eyes at her. And before you know it, I have a few more rocks of chocolate wrapped in a silk cloth in my hand. "You can't tell Lilian, okay?" I acquiesce to her request. I wouldn't tell Lily about it. I thank her and peck her cheek in return. Hannah's gaze burns into the skin where I kissed. She's jealous I gave it to Ces. I stride off for the garden, the maids' arguing voices a distant now. 

Time really flew away. Years flew by like leaves in the fall by the wind. I'm now 5 years old and dare I say, it was easy to survive my stay here. Initially, I made the maids' lives a hell for being rude to me but later, I used my adult brain in my skull to side them with me. It wasn't that easy of a job and I wouldn't want them against me now. And about the missing trinkets and fineries, I wasn't imagining things. Turns out, the maids were all looking out for themselves before me. Unlike the Emperor's Palace, Ruby Palace wasn't made of people from noble families. I was as helpful to them as a scarecrow in the field as they slowly pecked the Ruby Palace's budget because they got aware of the zero interest Claude had in me. They even stole jewels from the walls as they had nothing to be scared of. I was agitated that they were stealing from my means of survival and even considered telling on them to the emperor but I guess he'd want my head first. All this concluded in Lily fighting for me with the head maid. As a result, she got promoted and the head maid got toppled over. by who? I couldn't care less except for the fineries which never made their way back to me. On the contrary, I got to hide some goodies without making Lily suspicious. 

"where are you going, princess?" Another maid crosses my way. "to pick some flowers." For Lily. She wipes my mouth, conscious of the fact that I had chocolates without Lily's knowledge. "you have to keep it a secret," I call before finally heading to the garden. Ruby Palace is known for it's scenery. From stunning assets carved out of stone or clay to figures of naked women, to beautiful fountains and different types of flowers. Speaking of fountains, I remember my hands are soiled with the chocolate. I should clean off in there rather than wiping them on my dress. That would be noticeable and wouldn't be quite princess-like. although, nothing about my life is a true princess-like but let's just be real. I dip my hands under the water, rubbing the dirt off my palms. My feet slip on the freshly-watered grass and I stumble forward on the stone slab. Thanks to the walls of the fountain for not being too short and keeping me from planting myself face-first in the pool and drowning myself.

How beautiful! My eyes glue to the reflection in the clean water before me. I never saw myself before today. I'm adorable and a spitting image of my mother, but these unique eyes are from my father. Jeweled eyes are only possessed by those of direct line to the imperial family. I stare at my reflection for quite a while before picking out the most exquisite flowers from the garden. The moment my attention snaps from plucking out the posies, I realize that I'm too far gone from the palace. Where am I? How far did I walk? The stone pillars before me don't seem like Ruby Palace. I step inside to explore the place. This looks abandoned with huge pillars all over. Is nobody using this place? If that's the case, perhaps I can use it. My eyes glint with the thought. I can hide my escape fineries here as long as I'm careful when they clean because this place sure doesn't look dirty. It's final then, I'm gonna use it as my secret hiding place!