Chapter 2

I looked around the palace for the first time. I could not find any hope there. Nonetheless, this was the biggest house than any house where I had lived in my past life.

First of all, I started to investigate myself. Because there were not many descriptions about Mirthy in the novel. All that I knew about Mirthy from the novel was that she is a beautiful woman who had purple colored eyes and small feet.

Actually, I was so surprised when I saw myself in the mirror. I saw myself as a doll. I felt like I became prettier as I became five years old. Ante harassed me less lately. Is my prettiness the reason for why she’s harassing me less lately?

My hair was silver with some pink shades on them. They were like a precious silver thread. I could see that I had purple eyes on chubby cheeks. I moved my head and then confirmed it was me. Surprisingly, I was so cute.

There was a room filled with mirrors on every side in the princess’ palace. Those mirrors were old, broken, and rusty but some parts were good as they could be used.

In the mirrors, a tiny, pure child was looking back at me. I felt my heartbeat thump. I realized the meaning of the saying that the beautiful die young. 

I think that Ante is not an ordinary person. Even though I had such a beautiful and an adorable face, she still continued to harass me. How couldn’t she feel the need to hug me?

I kept on praising myself over and over again as if still trying to convince myself that this face was completely mine. While I was walking around, I kept poking my cheeks to check that this face was really belonged to me.

I felt my heartbeat.

Although I walked around for such a long time, I was not able to find Ante. She used to leave the palace around this time. I did not know where she went since I was not able to follow her. Anyway, she is not here now.

‘Finally, I will go outside the palace today!’

They say that if you know your enemy and yourself, you can win every battle. I do not want to win every time. I just wish I could win sometimes.

To achieve my win, I had to find out about the geography around here. No one told me about who owned each palace. I clenched my little fist tightly.

‘I know I will not die until I become nineteen years old. Before the time comes, I need to look around!’

However, I was just five years old who was not strong enough to walk around for a long time.

I panted for breath and collapsed besides a pillar. I was in the place one block away from the outside! I was looking at the way to the outside and was about to cry. Right at the moment, I surprisingly heard something moving like there was someone.

‘What!’

My hair felt as if they stood on the ends.

Who in the world comes here? Is it Ante? If it’s her, I would be pinched or hit by her powerful hand!

I shut my eyes tight until the sound of footsteps came near me.

“…… Who is it? Who is in the princess palace here?” the voice asked.

Hiccup.

I started to hiccup and tried to open my eyes slowly.

Hiccup, hiccup.

I was scared. My eyes began to fill with tears. When I opened my eyes, there was a guard who looked quite embarrassed.

“Are you the girl with purple..eyes? No, princess?”

“Hiccup. Waaaaaaaaaaa!”

“No, no. Please don’t cry! Princess! I am sorry! I am really sorry!”

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

Wow, I’ve heard the saying of ‘I am sorry’ for the first time ever.

Because of his saying, I smiled inwardly but I still kept on crying, hiding my happiness in my mind.

No. I was actually really scared. I have never seen anyone else than Ante and the other maids.

Anyway, the guard was embarrassed. I kept crying because I did not want to be blamed for it.

“Hiccup, Waaaaaah.”

“Princess…… Princess.”

“Hiiiccc, Hiccup! Waaaah!”

“Do you want some pies?”

I stopped crying.

“……pies?”

I have never heard the word of pies here before. Were there pies here? Isn’t this the place where you cannot find any dessert?

No, I have seen scenes like a tea party or ball that showed delicious desserts in the novel. I assumed desserts were not in the princess palace.

I glared at the guard. Because of my facial expression, he hurried to give me some pies.

“These are not bad. Well, these are what my wife packed for me to eat for dessert…… She said that they are so sweet because there are raspberries in them. Also, she said that my son really liked them.”

“Yes.”

Oops. I should have said no to him at least one time before saying yes.

I was looking at the pies, like I really wanted it, with my purple eyes filled with tears.

“……. I would get…….. in trouble ……. if I eat something that a strange man gives …… to me.”

“I know! I know! Yes, Yes. I see Ante has been doing good at teaching you. I am not a stranger. I am the chief guard for this palace. My name is Valk.”

No way. Ante had not taught me anything like that ever.

I rolled my eyes and opened them wide. I saw that his face became brighter. But, he quickly hardened his face.

“Valgu?”

“Yes, yes. Valgu. You can call me Valgu. Are you alright with that? Please have some pies now. If someone sees you crying, I would be…… No, nothing. Never mind. Humhum.”

“Pies…… Valgu…… Then, could we be friends now?”

“No way! How could I be friends with a princess? I cannot be your friend.”

No, you are not right. As you said, you are the chief guard. That means it is better for me to make you my friend for my life. I also couldn’t help wanting him as a friend especially that Ante has harassed me over and over again because she needs to beg a guard for firewood.

I attempted to make the cutest face by puffing up my cheeks.

“She told me that if someone gives me something to eat was not a friend……. I can’t eat……”

I closed and opened my eyes filled with tears.

Tears were falling on my cheeks. I saw Valk’s eyes. I caught on that he was perplexed and embarrassed.

He spoke out loudly.

“Yes! I am your friend! Now please eat some pies, princess!”

I smiled inwardly.

He was my first personal connection. Even though he was just the chief guard for the secluded princess palace, he was still in the position of the chief.

Shining before my eyes were some delicious pies with purple jam in them.

Yum-yum. Yum-yum-yum-yum.

“Is it good, princess? You have jam on your cheeks.”

“Oh yes, yes…… It’s soooo good.”

I devoured the raspberry pies quickly like a beggar, putting jam on my cheeks.

I felt like I was about to cry because I ate something oh so very delicious. I was originally not the one who cared much for this kind of sweet food but it was the first sweet thing I’d ever tasted since I became Mirthy here.

Ante has never given me anything sweet. I sometimes caught her while she was eating her snacks. I would wonder what she was eating but she would just stare at me. Unfortunately, I could just tell that she didn’t want to give me any.

She was not the easiest person. Even though I have such an adorable face, she never opened herself up to me.

Ante kept telling me that I was chubby and did not look like the queen at all. Before I found the mirrors, I assumed I was ugly.

Now I can understand why the knight could fall in love with Mirthy when he saw her at first sight. It is all thanks to her beauty. In the novel, Princess Mirthy used to hesitate to show herself to others because she thought she was ugly. But then, she realized that she was actually beautiful when the knight named Mihail, showed her to many people. Since then, she had been called one of the most beautiful people in the world.

Falling in love for the first time at nineteen and death at the same age.

That is such an awful misfortune.

Until she became nineteen, she had thought that she was ugly. What is the matter with an ugly face? Even though she had not known about her beauty, she should have at least tried to be outside the palace at least one time.

That was the reason why when I found a room filled with mirrors, I was shocked because of my real appearance. I could not believe that was actually me. I looked around to see if there was another pretty child.

When I raised my right hand, the pretty child in the mirror raised her left hand.

When I raised my left hand, the pretty child in the mirror raised her right hand.

That meant she was me.

‘I have been doing great at enduring unkindness and abuse. I became already used to it. I am great. Yes, I am doing great.’

I kept nodding my head, while eating the jam that was on my cheeks by using my finger, after eating up the pies.

I could see Valk was satisfied with that as I gobbled up the pies.

“Haha, well. Haha. I’ve already known my wife is good at cooking, though. Haha.”

“Cooking?”

“Yes, princess. It is called cooking that someone makes food like those pies.”

“I have never eaten something good as your pies before.

“Really? Was that so good like that?”

He grinned with delight. It’s probably because he was praised by a member of the royal family and that people say that children do not lie.

Yes, I am a member of the royal family. Yet, I was abandoned.

According to the novel, the hand of Mirthy is clear like she has not washed dishes in her life. That means Mirthy does not have to work to make money for living. She is a princess that the king does not like though. I guessed she could get something from the king.

If my guess is right, that means that Ante who harasses me, the chief guardian Valk, so-called Valgu, and other guards have been stealing those that the king provides.

‘They each probably think that they are stealing just some of them but there has not been my share ever.’

I sucked my fingers while thinking of how I could solve this problem.