Chapter 2
The place where I live now is called Ruby Palace. I’m told it has been, for generations, the residence of the emperor’s concubines. In other words, the emperor’s harem.
My mother, Diana, was a dancer invited to perform at a royal banquet. Somehow, she caught the emperor’s eye, received his favor, and gave birth to me. Apparently, for a while after Diana entered the palace, there were no other women living in Ruby Palace, so it seems she was indeed favored for a time.
But that, too, was only a passing season. I heard that eventually, the emperor’s visits stopped completely. Diana was of such low birthānot even a commonerāthat she never became an official concubine. And then she died, leaving behind only me, a newborn baby.
After that, a shocking incident occurred in Ruby Palace. On the day I was born, the emperor killed everyone in Ruby Palaceāall in a single day.
After that, the emperorāmy only living parentāstuffed me here and never once came to see me. So the ones who raised me wereā¦ well, eighty percent wind? No, eighty percent the maids here at Ruby Palace. Hmm. Saying that, I really do have a harsh fate in this life, don’t I?
Actually, what Lilly told me was a little different from what the other maids whispered. She said that the emperor truly loved my mother, Diana, and that his rejection of me is because of the sense of loss he feels from her death.
When I heard that, for a moment it sounded plausible, and honestly, I was a bit swayed. The timing of my mother’s death and the emperor’s massacre at Ruby Palace do line up suspiciously.
But still, I think that’s either just Lilly’s imagination, or maybe she was just trying to comfort me.
All the other maids are shouting, “That guy is just insane!” while Lilly alone argues, “No, he’s an insane guy with a reason!” So from my perspective, I can’t help but lean toward their common opinion: “My dad is a crazy person!”
Anyway, that’s why I’ve been living in this haunted castle. Ugh. When I first heard that story, I had nightmares every night. Stashing a baby like me in a place like thisāwhat a twisted taste. But rather than the ghost stories about this castle, I was more afraid of the emperor, whose face I don’t even know.
What if he suddenly snaps again, like when he killed everyone here, and comes to kill me with a “You’re dead!”? I finally became a princess, but my fate is really unlucky.
“Ngah-uh.”
Oh, right. Come to think of it, did I mention what my name is now? In my previous life, the orphanage director just made something up from a phone book, but in this life, my birth mother supposedly named me herself. That name isā¦ Athanasia.
Quite grand, isn’t it? My name means “immortality.”
I found out last night from Lillyāit’s a pretty extravagant name for a backwater princess like me. What’s more, it’s the exact same name as the ill-fated princess from the romance novelĀ The Lovely Princess. I think my mother probably gave me that name hoping I would live a long, healthy life under the emperor’s careā¦
Hic. But the problem is, Princess Athanasia in the novel dies a tragic death at eighteen. And what’s worse, she’s killed by her own father, the emperor! I never used to think about it before, but ever since becoming this baby body, why does that novel keep popping into my head?
“Ugh.”
So this morning, from the moment I opened my eyes, I kept glancing at the door, trembling with fear that that manāmy so-called fatherāmight come for me.
Bam!
Suddenly the door burst open, and I almost had a heart attack. But thankfully, it was just the maids entering. They looked at me in the crib and muttered disapprovingly.
“What, she’s not even asleep yet.”
“Do we really have to be here? It’s not like she can move on her own anyway.”
“You know Lillian is fussy. What a pain.”
Oh, here we go again. Every time they see me, they whisper and badmouth me. Come on, sisters, we’re all stuck in this Ruby Palace together, aren’t we?
“Let’s just treat it as a break.”
“She’s not going to suddenly start wailing, is she?”
“Just rock the crib a little so she falls asleep quickly.”
Anyone listening would think I’m always crying. Show me another baby who cries less than I do! Even Lilly worries because I mostly just babble and rarely cry, but these maids always say things like that.
Am I sad about it? No way! My goal is to live out my days as a nobody princess, just like now. If I grab some of the gold in this room and run away, I could live off it for a lifetime. So please, just forget about me. I’m fine living alone anyway. I don’t need a father who ignores me too.
“A princess who can’t even get the emperor’s attentionāstill, she’s lucky to be a princess.”
Besides, what the maids were grumbling was true. Even though I’m only drinking formula right now, this is still the royal palace, so three meals a day come reliably, the bed is comfortable and warm, and there’s gold everywhere.
As long as I don’t catch the emperor’s eye, I can live without worrying about going hungry. As harsh as my fate may be, when you look at it that way, being a princess isn’t so bad.
If I grow up well and get past being a toddler, I’ll grab some gold at the right opportunity, run away, and live a prosperous life.
So first, I need to get out of this crib. To do that, like Lilly says, I have to eat well, exercise hard, and grow up strong. Heave-ho. I kicked my legs diligently while lying down to build leg strength.
“But in the end, she’s a candle in the wind. One wave of a hand and she’d be dead without a sound.”
“Right. And we just happened to be assigned to a place like thisā¦ Did you hear? The story about a ghost appearing in the kitchen every night.”
“It’s terrifying. That could be us someday.”
The maids kept glancing at me and whispering. But I understood them. Even I don’t want to live in a palace where so many people were killed, of course not. As soon as I save up enough escape funds, I’m out of here! I reaffirmed my resolve.
“Hehe.”
I was in a very good mood. When I smiled goofily at what I saw before me, Lilly looked at me warmly and smiled back.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Ooh!”
Oh, my precious gold. How pretty. Excited by the round gold ball, I acted cute toward Lilly. As I giggled and rubbed my cheek against hers, Lilly seemed happy too and kissed my cheek.
More time passed, and I could now crawl across the carpet with little effort. Whenever I did, my eyes gleamed with greed for the gold and jewels scattered all around the room. It truly was the royal palaceāthere was gold leaf everywhere, and jewels were even embedded in the walls. Wait, this is real gold and real jewels, right?
Anyway, every time I struggled and reached for the gold-painted ornaments and jewels, Lilly seemed to think I liked shiny things.
After that, she brought me gold rattles and mobiles, making my eyes pop. Since this was where the concubines used to live, the palace itself was dazzling, but due to budget cuts, I didn’t even have many toys of my own.
“If you get bored, I’ll bring you something else.”
Lilly’s already pretty face seemed to glow with a halo. Sister, you’re my gold mine!
“Gyaa. Owah.”
I lay on the carpet and played with the ball Lilly brought me. Since I couldn’t walk yet, there wasn’t much else I could do, so Lilly must have given it to me to roll around on the floor. I’ll have to pack this carefully and take it with me later. Ehehe. Oops, drool.
Life at Ruby Palace was incredibly peaceful. I was a bit nervous at first, but after months of complete silence, it seemed increasingly likely that the emperor had truly forgotten me.
Lilly and the other maids, who had been tense worrying that the emperor might bring another bloodbath, now looked clearly relieved. Of course, the ghost stories about the hot baths and kitchen were still popular among them, though.
I ate well, exercised hard, and slept soundly, growing stronger every day. Lilly’s care was attentive, so I grew into a healthy baby without any major illnesses. Still, I hope I can walk soon. Then I can save up my escape fund faster.
Maybe it’s my imagination, but I felt like the ornaments in my room were slowly decreasing, which gave me an odd chill. Was Lilly moving them because she was afraid I’d knock them over while crawling? Wah. No, my gold. Give me back my gold!
“Waaah!”
I stopped playing nicely with the ball and called Lilly with a loud cry. My bottom felt damp. Hic. Embarrassing, but I need a diaper change.
“The mage of the Tower is said to possess the greatest power of any living mage.”
I was sitting in Lilly’s arms, looking at a picture book. But calling it a picture book was generousāit was more like a history book that condensed the story of the kingdom since its founding into a single volume, with a few illustrations thrown in.
Since I was curious about many things regarding this place, I listened quietly, but there’s no way a normal baby my age could understand such difficult content. Hmm. Lilly must be very interested in early childhood education.
Still, the stories Lilly read from the picture book were fascinating, so I listened with wide eyes. Among them, one thing in particular captured my interest.
That was the existence of magic! Apparently, there are mages in this world! I thought it might not be just an ordinary foreign country, but it really is a different world! Ugh, honestly, when I first heard the emperor was a mage, I didn’t believe it. But seeing it in a book like this, I have no choice but to accept it.
“This one!”
When Lilly turned the page, I pointed to an illustration without missing my chance. It showed a black tower wrapped in thorny vines.
“They say that if the Tower mage so wished, wiping an entire empire off the map would be nothing.”
I was excited by the existence of magic, something I’d encountered for the first time. I want to see it too! I want to see magic!
“That is why they say they freeze their own hearts.”
Only now was this boring history book starting to feel like a fairy tale. The story Lilly told me about the black tower mage was incredibly interesting.
“Because if emotion instead of reason, or passion instead of calm, were to consume their hearts, that power could be used for personal matters instead of great causes.”
“Ooh.”
