When we went back to my room, it was already filled with toys. A part of the floor was already covered by a baby carpet. So, I made that area my training ground, or rather an area where I can practice walking.
“Go, princess! You can do it!”
Right step.
“Ria, you’re doing great as ever.”
Left step.
“Fifi, careful now you’ll fall.”
Right step.
Cecil, Ser Wayne, and the twins are again inside my room. Ser Wayne insisted on being the one that would help me walk rather than Cecil. Saying he always wanted to have a younger sibling.
Days passed by peacefully. I’ve learned five children are occupying the palace right now. The two children were the children of the Duchess of the North. Her name, if I can recall, was Emilia?
Thud.
“Princess!”
“Fifi!”
“Ria!”
Cecil and the twins hurriedly came to me as Ser Wayne helped me up.
“Are you okay, princess?” Ser Wayne asked me with a concerned look on her face.
“Okay, let me see your knees.” Cecil then proceeded to check up on my knees.
“Is Fifi okay?” I looked at Ashwin as he was about to cry.
“Don’t cry! You’ll freak Ria out.” Ashnor scolded his brother again.
Ashwin bit his lip to stop himself from crying.
I looked at him and smiled. He’s so cute, I want to pet him so I stretched out my hands towards him. He came closer as I patted his head.
“Look at you being comforted by Ria when you’re supposed to be the one comforting her.” Ashnor scolded his brother again.
So I reached my hand towards him too. He looked shy but still came closer.
“Ash!” I tried to say their names but that’s all I can manage.
“The princess is learning our names day by day,” Cecil commented.
“I can tell that the princess is a smart child.” Ser Wayne nodded his head.
“Fifi is calling my name,” Ashwin stated proudly.
“She was calling me!” Ashnor disagreed.
“She was calling me!”
“No, she’s calling me!”
“Right, Fifi?”
“Right, Ria?”
I have never felt like this in my past life. I don’t know if this feeling is right or wrong, but I do know that I’m happy. I adjusted pretty well because of these people. Although I’ve lived for sixteen years already, this is still my first time actually living.
I looked at the toys scattered on the floor.
My mental age is already sixteen or seventeen, but my heart still longed for childish things. Although I don’t play with the toys, I felt happy just by looking at them. I grew up being ignorant of the world outside my cell. Grew up without warmth. Although I was educated, not in a way that I could learn about the world around me.
“Oh! Do you want to play with this princess?” Cecil picked up the toy that I was looking at.
I shook my head.
I felt weird, I felt like I’m a different person. I was deprived of emotions back then, I trust no one. But it’s so ironic that I’ve already learned to trust everyone in this room. Was it because I’m too naïve and gullible in this second life of mine? Or was it because the atmosphere here is the exact opposite of where I came from? That my body tends to feel at peace and relax.
Maybe, maybe not. I don’t want to shut myself in this life. I’ve been given a second chance at life so I’ll make the most out of it.
“Heeeh! Fifi, you’re staring at nothing again.” Ashwin looked worried.
“Are you alright, Ria?” Ashnor did too.
“Your highnesses, there’s nothing to worry about. The princess loves to space out, that’s all.” Cecil smiled reassuringly towards the twins.
“The princess seems to like to mull over things.” Ser Wayne added.
“Maybe she’s hungry?” Ashwin suggested.
“Should I get her a snack?” Ashnor offered.
“There’s no need your highnesses. How could I let you, when I’m her personal maid.” Cecil smiled and got up towards the table.
“Ria, would you like me to read you a story?” Ashnor picked up a book from the shelf.
“Can I listen too?” Ashwin asked his brother.
“Sure, okay.” Ashnor patted Ashwin’s head gently.
“It’s not fair, you’ve been reading stories to me ever since we were taught to read, but until now I still can’t read.” Ashwin pouted.
“I want to read you and Fifi a story too,” Ashwin whispered softly.
“That’s okay Ashwin, you’re also good at other things that I can’t do.” Ashwin comforted his brother.
“We’re twins, we complete each other.” He added as he sat down and opened the book.
Although they argue a lot, there’s no mistake that they truly love each other. Ashnor always looks out for his brother, he scolds him because he loves him. Ashwin always want to make Ashnor laugh, although sometimes he would go out of line. But at the end of the day, they depended on each other more than they depended on other people.
Ashnor was about to read when someone knocked on the door.
Cecil went to open it as Ser Wayne stood up while carrying me.
“The Emperor has requested to eat dinner with his children and grandchildren at eight in the evening.” A man in a black suit, with dark red hair, no older than sixty was at the door.
Cecil and Ser Wayne bowed respectfully at him.
“Thank you for informing us Lord Occidens.” Cecil bowed again as the man walked away.
Cecil was about to close the door when the twin’s maid arrived.
“Your highnesses, we must get you ready for dinner.” She bowed down.
“You’re being rude to Fifi,” Ashwin complained.
The maid looked surprised as she remembered I was also a part of the Imperial family. Then she bowed down.
“I am so sorry. I greet her highness, the princess.”
“Okay, let’s go Ashwin.” Ashnor offered his hand to his brother and they walked towards the door holding hands.
“We’ll see you later Fifi!” Ashwin smiled and waved at me while Ashnor only bowed lightly at me.
The maid also saw Ashnor’s gesture.
When they left, Cecil immediately prepared a dress for me. Along with shoes and light hair accessories. Ser Wayne left seconds after Ashnor and Ashwin. Other maids also entered the room to help me get ready.
The emperor huh. Ever since he left this room that night, I never had the chance to see him again. I remembered how he looked at me, I could tell that he was disappointed in what he was looking at – which was me. Was he also disappointed with the crown prince? I never heard anything about a funeral service for the crown prince. Was he ashamed of him? It doesn’t sound right that the crown prince is outside the palace. So maybe something must have happened for him to be outside the capital.
Cecil carried me in front of the mirror, again. It became a habit of her after dressing me up for the day, she would want me to look at myself in the mirror. The other maids already left the room.
I wore a red and white floral long-sleeved dress, with a ribbon on my waist. The shoes were colored red while the socks were white.
“You’re so pretty, princess.”
Someone then knocked on the door so Cecil opened it while carrying me. The other side of the door was Ser Wayne.
He bowed at me.
“I’ve been tasked to escort the princess towards the Emperor’s palace.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
The walk towards the Emperor’s palace was quiet until Ashwin ran towards us.
“Fifi!”
He was followed by Ashnor and a beautiful lady in an emerald dress. She has red curly hair and fair white skin. She walked with grace as she chuckled at Ashwin.
“Now, now Ashwin, you’ll scare the princess.”
“We greet the Duchess of the South.” Cecil and Ser Wayne both greeted the lady.
“Is this the princess the both of you were talking about?” She looked at her sons then smiled at me.
“Hello there, princess. I am your aunt. You can call me Aunt Lucil in the future.” She smiled warmly at me.
She was then followed by a woman in a blue robe dress. She was also fair and regal. Her straight blue hair is tied in a ponytail.
“Oh! This is my dragon. She’s called the blue dragon.” The duchess introduced her dragon to me.
“When you get older, you’ll soon have your own dragon too.”
“Okay, let’s go. We don’t want to be late for dinner. Come on kids.”
Ashwin smiled up at me one more time then ran off to his mother. Ashnor only bowed at me and walked calmly.
“Filthy.” I turned my head towards the voice and saw a young boy.
He’s around four years old or five. He, too, has red hair and red eyes. He was staring rudely at me as he walked past us. He was followed by a maid, who was carrying a baby girl, and a knight.
This was my first time seeing them. Ashwin and Ashnor told me about them. They told me how they dislike the boy, just like how they dislike his mother – the Duchess of the North.
Nix de Sanguis Draconia.