Watching Her Journey

5

  'This world doesn't seem to teach reading and writing at an early age.'

  'So when I wrote some letters...'

  The screen showed Athanasia showing Lily, Ces, Hannah and the other maids her drawing with Lily's name on it. Shocked plastered on their faces.

  "Our princess is an intellectual!" Lily exclaimed.

  Athanasia sweatdropped, 'I was trying to live without a spotlight...' she regretted showing them her drawing and letters.

  Some of them chuckled.

  The screen changed to Athanasia with a book on her head and a maid guiding her. 'And thus this came forth my early education.'

  'It makes sense that some maids are familiar with the basic etiquette, since some of them grew from a noble family.' Ijekiel thought.

  "I'm so happy to be by your side, princess." Lily smiled warmly.

  Athanasia was sitting down while holding a paper. "Athy likes being with Lily, too!" The princess exclaimed, giving a closed-eye smile.

  "Aww..." Lily smiled, missing the time when the princess was still a toddler.

  'There wasn't too much damage done. The Ruby Palace is isolated from the outside world. Stories about me won't leak that easily.' The screen showed the outside of the Ruby Palace.

  'I won't even see Claude in the Emperor's garden on my 9th garden!'

  "Yeah, because you will see him 4 years early." Lucas said.

  Ijekiel gave the young warlock a side glance, 'I've also heard from my father about the Emperor meeting the princess before.'

  'And I'm going to run off with the goods before I turn 18! I can't have too many eyes on me.'

  'Hmm... I wonder how did the princess and Claude met.' Anastacius glanced at his brother.

  "Princess, would you like a glass of milk?"

  "Yeah! But I don't want it cold!" Athanasia replied while laying on her stomach, and drawing something.

  As Lily left to get the milk for the princess, she waited for a little while and stood up. She hurriedly arranged her drawings and went under her bed to get her riches.

  "Wow... I still can't help but surprise how your daughter planned this all." Anastacius said.

  Athanasia struggled as she hurriedly tie her two mini bag of her riches to her legs. 'I've been hiding these riches. I was going to stash them in the Ruby Palace for a while...'

  'Go princess...!' Jennette cheered.

  "We should clean the whole Palace soon." A flashback of Athanasia peeking while Lily was talking to a maid.

  "Done!" The princess exclaimed as she finished tying her riches. 'It's heavy... but I have no choice. I'll go back and forth a few times like this.'

  "Just how many times has she already done this? It looks like she's quite an expert." Lucas asked.

  "Sweet dreams, princess." The screen changed to Lily kissing the princess on her cheeks as she went to bed.

  The nanny soon left while the princess waited for a little while to get up. The princess felt a little pain from the riches tied on her legs. The princess successfully managed to got out from the Ruby Palace without any much problem.

  'Alrighty, I got out without anyone noticing!'

  After running a lot, Athanasia slowed down to catch her breathe. And finally she managed to reach the other Palace, she decided to go to the Palace's forest to hide her riches.

  "That's... a lot of work." Jennette sweatdropped at the thought of running back and forth every day.

  'I don't have anything to dig in!' The princess' gaped.

  "Of all things, how did she forgot the most important thing?" Lucas asked, disappointed at the princess.

  'I'll have no choice... I'll keep these hidden and come back tomorrow to bury them.'

  After deciding to leave the riches, the princess quickly ran back to the Ruby Palace. 'I could ask Hannah for a toy shovel.' 

  Lucas couldn't help but shook his head.

  The princess lay down on her bed, lost of breathe. 'I'm dying!' She closed her eyes in tiredness.

  "Princess, it's time to...' Lily stopped and walked towards the tired princess. "Oh my, princess. Why are you sweating so much? It looks like you have a light fever, are you okay?"

  "Hng... the room is hot. There's too much sun." Athanasia reasoned.

  Lily looked up, "You're right... it's already summer?" The sun shined brightly. "I'll put the curtains up tomorrow."

  "I'll drink milk, cold milk please..." Athanasia said, still out of breathe.

  Jennette sighed. "I felt bad for the princess..." she muttered.

  'And after that I ran out of the Ruby Palace a few more times. Once every few days so I didn't get caught.'

  'Smart.' Lucas smirked, 'But it wouldn't be so long for the princess to get caught.'

  'To be honest... I'm so happy with now I'm living right now, I want to stay like this forever, but...' the princess stopped as the Emperor appeared on the screen. He was facing back, wearing his blood-colored mantle.

  The princess turned pale as she continued, 'within these walls lives a tickling time bomb named Claude.'

  Claude hummed on his daughter's description about him.

  'So these pretty things...' ornaments and shining jewelries appeared. '...are my back up, so to say. Back up for that dreaded day.'

  The princess continued to walk to the silent Emerald Palace. 'Not a soul to be seen, as usual.' As the princess continued to walk inside the Palace, she came across an golden angels statues.

  She stared at the golden angels statues in awe, her blue jeweled eyes shining on the sight of golds. 'It's real gold! That's amazing!'

  'This is where, huh?' Claude rested his head to his palm.

  "Wow... I've never seen a gold statue before.." Jennette muttered. Anastacius chuckled at the Lady. "My Lady, I know a place that has a lot of statue that was made of golds. Would you like to visit there someday?

  "Really, Mister? I would like to visit there!" Jennette exclaimed. "But only if the Duke would let me..." her smile fell off, "Don't worry, My Lady. I'm sure the Duke would let you." Anastacius smiled as the Duke looked on their way.

  "If so, w... would you like to accompany me, Mister?" Jennette asked in hesitation. "It would be a pleasure to accompany you, My Lady." Anastacius gave her a closed-eye smile.

  "If there's this many, then no one will notice if I take one, right?" the princess walked closer to the near golden statue.

  As the princess bite golden statue to confirm her assumptions. A figure wearing a white robe came.

  "Oh?" Lucas said, raising his brow.

  The princess still hasn't notice the figure looming around her, until the person spoke up. "What..."

  Jennette felt nervous and scared for the sake of the princess.

   "What is this filthy bug doing in my Palace?"

"To Be Continued."