Reincarnating into a Beautiful Woman

Chapter 4

That night, Celine couldn't bare to sit in anguish anymore. She slipped on darker clothes, wrapping fabric around her head to cover everything except for her eyes. Then, she headed straight to the east wing of the palace complex.

At night, the domes were illuminated under the moon, and the gold-tinted onion domes appeared to be luminous. Because of the stealth and speed she acquired from her koi, Caelina's feet were as light as feathers and no one could detect her presence.

When she arrived at the eastern palace, there were no signs of servants or guards in this secluded area. If Celine hadn't known that the second prince lived here, she would have assumed that it was abandoned.

Suddenly, Draco formed a shadow over her and pulled her away from the hall. They hid behind a pillar as two men dressed in black ran towards a certain direction without making a sound.

Assassins?

Celine was still wary of killing humans and didn't want to be the cause of someone's death. Instead, she told Draco to drag them away from this place and make sure they never come back. In one swift motion, Draco transformed into a large bird and flew towards the assassins. He bit into their necks and they flew off, away from the palace before they could yell out a cry.

Alone, she proceeded her search for the second prince and quickly found the room. She entered without a second thought. A horrible stench immediately filled her nose. It was worse than what she usually smelled and she wanted to run away. The room was so small that it could pass for a storage room. There were objects scattered everywhere, but in one corner of the room there was a pile of garments and fabrics cushioning a malnourished, shirtless boy who sat facing away from her. To her horror, his bare back was filled with scars, and she could see his ribs poking out because he was too thin.

"Are you here to kill me?" The boy croaked out.

How could such a scrawny boy even manage to talk?

"..."

"Kill me then"

As he slowly turned around, he threw a knife as hard as he could in her direction. Because he was so weak, she easily dodged the sudden attack.

Celine unraveled the black fabric hiding her hair and face, then looked up to see the boy widen his eyes with a dumbfounded expression.

The boy had never seen such a beautiful face in his entire life and mistook her for an angel. He almost wanted her to take him away from this state of torment and thought she would be his savior.

"I've been looking for you."

She confidently closed in on him and the boy stiffened as he realized that she was just a person. He blushed in embarrassment but couldn't look away, and the girl drew closer then paused with astonishment. He was definitely Asian, with black hair and more narrowed eyes. His eyes were almost black but she noticed he still possessed the same gold color that Laith and the Emperor possessed.  Celine felt at ease and almost nostalgic looking at his familiar face.

The Emperor slept with a Krastian woman? Then does that mean the Krastian concubine who was brutally murdered here is his mother?

"Are you hurt anywhere?" She cautiously asked.

The boy just stared at her incredulously and gave her an icy glare before looking away.

Celine noticed he wasn't hurt, and the scars on his back seemed to be given to him when he was younger.

"Aren't you hungry?"

The boy continued to avoid her and refused to answer.

"What's your name?"

"...."

"Well, I know you're the second prince. You're supposed to be 7 years old, but you look like you're 4." Celine made sure to speak as soft as she could.

The boy seemed to look frustrated and seemed to shoot daggers with his eyes when he finally looked up.

After pondering why he wouldn't answer, Celine realized that maybe he didn't reply because he couldn't understand her! This prince was neglected and barely given any food let alone be educated. The story she had read never mentioned why the second prince became a villain-like character, but Celine now confirmed that it was because of his painful upbringing. He must have a lot of hate and emptiness in his heart, and Celine felt terribly sorry for him.

"Sorry... " She muffled and paused. "I'll be back soon. I'll take care of you now... I'm here so you won't starve anymore... My name is Celine, it's nice to finally meet you." She pointed to herself when she said her name and awkwardly left the room in haste.

****

Throughout the rest of the night, the boy thought about the silver haired girl who had mysteriously came to visit him. He couldn't understand her words and for some reason didn't want her to know, but he noticed that she acted as if she knew him. Her stares weren't as hateful and ugly as the people who usually visit him. He couldn't stop thinking about how heavenly she smelled.

He had seen her figure from afar in the japanese style pavilion that the Emperor gifted his mother. He always believed that she was an angel tending to his mother's garden after she passed.

When he finally cleared his thoughts, he noticed a delicious smell coming from the door. Servants usually brought him very small scraps of food during the daytime, but he was confused since it was the middle of the night and the food they brought didn't smell as delightful.

He crawled towards the tray and found multiple different dishes displayed in front of him. Food he had never seen before made him involuntarily drool. Although he should've been wary of the food, he was too hungry to care and hurriedly ate what was on the tray.

After he finished feasting, he realized that there was also a pile of neatly folded clothes next to the tray. He held it close to his face and thought it was the softest fabric he had ever touched. It smelled like the mysterious girl.

The boy's stomach started to ache and so he clutched onto the clean fabric and crawled back to his corner to sleep. He concluded that there was something bad in the food he had just eaten and thought he was dying. But it didn't seem to be a painful death and he didn't mind.

The boy slept soundly that night while thinking about the silver haired girl.