Another World

✨~4~✨

The rain and darkness in my life right now felt like it was going to last forever.

I looked at Romania again. I wondered why she was willing to help me. When I asked Sylvia why she was so sure that she'd help me, she just smiled at me and said, "Because she's a kind person, and Your Highness is just so lovable."

She said the same thing when I asked if my older brother would help me.

I had no particular feelings towards him, he never hurt me in any way like his mother did. But to me, indifference was the same thing as being guilty. I didn't directly blame him and just figured out that he didn't care about me. I did give him a reason to hate and ignore me.

Which was fine. When I met him, I would tell him that I'd give up my rights to the throne and he just needed to provide me with enough income to leave the Kingdom. I didn't see the point of wanting the throne at all. I just wanted to live happily with my mother, but now even that has been taken away from me, I just wanted to get away.

I didn't even want revenge, or rather, my mother made me promise that I shouldn't, no matter what, live to get revenge. That I should just focus on living happily.

Happily? Ha. I clenched my fits. I—

"We're here!" Romania said as the carriage door was open. She jumped out as I stood up. I looked at her unfolded as she held out her hand for me to grab onto.

"Come on, Your Highness." She said as she smiled at me warmly. The sunlight made her brown skin look like it was glowing, along with her velvety black eyes.

I looked at her outstretched hand and jumped out of the carriage like her. I looked around while she spoke to the coachman.

We were a few miles away from a Mansion. I guessed that it was where she stayed but why did the carriage stop so far away and not at the main gate?

Once she was finished she pulled my arm. "We'll be going in through a secret entrance at the back." She said as now we walked through the trees, and around the Mansion.

"Why?" I asked simply because I was curious.

"Huh!?" She gasped and turned to me. "Are you finally talking to me?"

I turned away from her, ignoring her again.

She laughed. "Well, I know your story so it's only fair that you know mine, right?"

She let go of my arm to clear some tree branches ahead of us. "I'm the illegitimate daughter of a Baron. My father had an affair with a foreigner, hence my darker, brown skin."

"I do have a younger brother but we only share the same father and are not treated the same. I'm mostly either ignored or treated like a maid, which I'm fine with. Rather than getting fake affection." I looked at her face and she still had a smile on her face.

Was she like me? Well, when I stayed at the Royal Palace.

"I started working at the restaurant to save up some money so I could finally leave this place. Anyway, it works out that I have to help you. After we clean up and eat something, then we'll leave."

"I'll finally leave this damn place for good." She mumbled the last part to herself.

When I looked at her again her smile dropped as she mumbled to herself.

We reached a clearing and that's when she spoke to me again. "We're here! Come on, if I can fit through here I'm sure you can as well."

She knelt on the wall and moved some bushes, which revealed a dog hole. "You can go in first Your Highness."

...she must be joking.

My eyes widened. I looked at her and back at the dog hole she expected me to crawl in. Was her relationship with her family that bad that this is how she snuck in or out?

I knelt and began crawling through the hole, anyway.

"That's it, Your Highness!" She clapped and I wondered if she was mocking me.

When I reached the other side I looked around the estate while I waited for Romania. The Mansion was beautiful and the garden, which was where we were right now, was filled with different plants and flowers.

I was once again reminded of my mother, who when she was alive loved spending time in the garden planting seedlings or admiring blooming flowers.

"Lets go, Your Highness." Romania said once she was out. I followed after her while she took out her purse and began counting how many coins she had.

"Really, why wasn't I born into a rich family which just neglected me? At least they'd give me money." She pouted.

I already guessed that since her family treated her like a maid, maybe they didn't even give her a monthly spending or salary.

I looked at Romania again. Maybe her situation was worse than mine. Although it was small, my mother and I still had an income which came in.

"Hey! Why are you so late? Do you know that the Baron has been looking for you, along with the Butler and the Head Maid!" A woman in a maid's attire, with a similar skin tone to Romania with brown eyes. But she had shorter brown hair, in contrast to Romania's black and long hair.

I guessed she was her friend. But she looked at Romania with some contempt.

"I'm sorry. I've added more money for the trouble. Can you please help him get washed up and clean?" She said as she took the money she was counting earlier and put it in her hand. I guess they weren't friends.

Only after counting the money did the woman agree.

Romania turned to me and smiled apologetically. " I'm sorry. We'll have to part ways for now. I have to go see what the Baron wants. She'll show you where to wash yourself and eat. Then—"

"I didn't agree to feed him." The maid interrupted.

Romania took in a deep breath but still kept smiling. Then she took out her purse and grabbed more coins and handed it to her.

"Is that enough?"

"Hmm."

She turned back to me. "I'll come see you after I meet with my father, I mean the Baron." She said and gave me a pat on the head and then leaned down and whispered. "Remember to keep your eyes hidden."

I nodded and with that, she left.

"Follow me." The maid said walking away. I looked back at where Romania left.

She wasn't even allowed to call her own father, father.

Really, she was just like me. We both had pitiful family situations.