‘Where should I go?’
The firm commitment quickly collapsed. She was only 8 years old, and it was hard to get out of the hands of this Liliana.
‘…….Because Liliana is my mother.’
Liliana was the emperor’s concubine, and she was Liliana’s daughter.
Yes, you might expect the help of your father, the Emperor, but there was none.
The emperor loved Liliana very much, and he took her in as a concubine. Though, he had never visited Luana before.
There was no way such a person could help her get away from Liliana. In despair, Luana bowed her head. Luana’s golden hair trickled down.
“……Woah.”
The moment she saw her golden hair, Luana’s eyes widened.
Her shimmering blonde was all around, but she didn’t lose its flashy color.
Luana slowly raised her hand and grabbed her hair.
There was one person who could help her. Luana lifted her head and looked into her mirror.
A girl with blond hair and blue eyes was following her with her heads up.
“Imperial symbol…….”
Blonde hair and blue eyes were evidence that they were the successors of the Imperial family. Her twin brother, who was the emperor’s distant relative, does not have them.
Lewis doesn’t even have them… In the first place, what she has is a strange color, shining brightly in this mirror.
And that color reminded me of a person. The image of an elegant woman superimposed on the image of Luana in the mirror.
“The Empress……”
The official successor of this country. It was clear that she would be able to protect Luana from the Emperor and Liliana.
The imperial family tree was a bit complicated. First of all, the Emperor was not a true Imperial heir. Rather, it was the Empress that could be called the official successor.
The Empress was the only daughter of the former Emperor, and was ahead of anyone in terms of bloodline alone. If the first Emperor did not prevent the Empress from ascending to the throne, she would’ve become emperor without problems. But she was an Empress and couldn’t be an Emperor
So, she married the current Emperor, who was a distant royal family, and gave birth to a Prince and became the royal family.
“I have to meet her.”
Luana jumped out and approached the door. I pulled the door in a hurry, but it reminded me that the rattled door was locked from the outside. The door did not open even after repeated turns. Luana touched the doorknob for a long time in frustration.
She said, “I don’t think I can…”
The moment when Luana takes her hand off the door ring that doesn’t open no matter how much she tries.
The moon.
She could hear the door unlocked.
Luana was so nervous that she took a step back. However, even after she waited for a long time, she did not open the door.
She hesitated, but Luana carefully turned the doorknob.
“……Is nobody there?”
There was no one at the door. Luana was right behind the door, so she would’ve noticed if someone opened the door and moved in haste. But she didn’t hear anything.
Luana had to ponder for a moment.
Maybe this is a trap that Liliana dug? Or maybe it’s the maids’ trap to tell Liliana.
‘But…….’
Luana carefully stepped outside. Even if I remained here, I would die in the future anyway. So, I had to move at once so I could see any possibility.
“Ah…….”
As soon as she stepped into the hallway, Luana exclaimed. Today wasn’t the first time I walked this hallway. However, the world she sees now was somewhat special.
Luana stared blankly at the empty hallway. Sunlight came in from somewhere, illuminating the corridor. Her palace is said to be beautiful even with empty corridors.
There was a fine crack on the wall, and an indescribably amount of dust was piled up in every corner. In addition, the only decoration was a curtain that was hung on the corridor window.
But in Luana’s eyes, this place was so beautiful.
It was the first world she encountered when she opened the door on her own.
Luana gently released the doorknob she was holding from her hand. The slowly closing door was too light and too soft, unlike what she had thought.
‘Strange.’
Something seemed to be coming. Luana looked back at the corridor. But then she heard the voices of the maids.
“So today we have a little more…”
“Are you sure… you didn’t put rice in…?”
“Oh, my… the concubine… ..is a bit… ..ah.”
“That’s…”
Luana was thinking and looked around.
If I was caught by the maids, I could be locked in that room.
Not only that, there was no guarantee that there would be another lucky chance of that door opening for her.
‘There!’
As Luana looked around, she tucked herself behind a long hanging curtain.
As soon as she hid herself, the voices of the maids came close to her.
The tension in her heart grew louder and louder.
‘Please just pass by…….’
Luana tried to calm her beating heart. The sound of her heart was so loud that it seemed that the maids who heard this sound would crack open the curtain in front of her.
“So where are you going today?”
“Don’t get caught while walking around, let’s just rest here.”
“Should we?”
The voices of the maids passed by the curtain where she was hiding.
However, even as their footsteps faded, Luana was frozen and tense for a long time.
“Oh my gosh…….”
As soon as her tension was relieved, Luana slumped down on the floor, exhaling her breath she held in.
“Cah….”
But at that moment, all sorts of dust from the curtains landed on her face. Luna, who couldn’t even cough properly because she was worried that her coughs might bring back the maids, frowned and glared at the curtains.
She guessed that she would look a mess because she remained in her palace, but when she looked closely, she looked even worse.
The curtain, which was filled with dust and stains because it was not cleaned, made me feel bad just because it was in there.
‘Come to think of it, that’s why I didn’t have it at a later time.”
Luana’s memories are faintly empty. She could recall the hallway she had been in.
She reached out her hand and placed her hand on the wall behind the curtain, she was impressed by the dust blowing in all directions.
She frowned.
“Ah…” She said.
Luana thought that her mouth was stuffed with dust and she spat out a few times. Still, her mouth was dry.
‘Let’s hurry up.’
The maids might come back, so she had to get out quickly. Luana went the way the maids went.
She turned to the other side.
“Ah.”
Luana, who was about to leave in a hurry, looked at the curtain at a sudden thought. She’s stuck on the curtain.
The lace on the curtain caught her eye.
Looking at it, it seemed like it could be ripped off enough to be used properly.
Luana’s hand, looking around for a moment, approached the curtain.
* * *
Fortunately, I didn’t meet anyone until I left the palace.
Luana sighed a breath of relief. Luana’s long hair was covered with white lace pulled from a curtain.
But if you look at it at first glance, it would be hard to think that it’s gold.
“…Which way should I go?”
Luana looked around and finally sighed.
She must have been where she lived, but she couldn’t figure out where. In fact, she couldn’t get out of the room properly except when Liliana was with her, and it was the first time ever she came out of the palace.
There was no way she could know where she could go to meet the Empress.
‘…….That doesn’t mean I can stay here.’
She had no choice but to be embarrassed by an obstacle she had never thought of. But she had to hurry to avoid being noticed that she had escaped from the palace.
Even though there were no maids around her, it was too soon to be relieved.
“Let’s hide my body first.”
If she looked out from inside the palace here, she would be immediately noticed. As Luana was looking for a place to hide, a garden on one side of the palace came into her eyes. It wasn’t properly managed, and the trees were dense, so it was more like a forest than a garden, but Luana quickly hid in the garden.
And it wasn’t long before I had to regret it.
“…….Ruined.”
Luana suddenly stopped crossing the garden. The trees that stretched out in all directions made her surroundings look the same.
The trees that were too tall for her height made it difficult for the light to reach her. Maybe that’s why it was dark, so it was hard to check her surroundings.
Luana swallowed her saliva in the dark garden without a single light seeping in.
She was determined, but now she couldn’t come back. If it’s like this, she wouldn’t have another chance to come out. Besides, if she goes back and accidentally meets the maids, it might get worse in the future.
As Lua walked through the garden without anyone, she stopped at a sudden sound.
It seemed like someone was around here.
‘Is it because of the atmosphere?’
But when she looked around again, no one was to be seen. Luana continued walking ahead.
“..Uh?”
But that step did not last long.
A very familiar scent was tickling Luana’s nose. Recognizing the scent, Luana’s face became distorted.
‘It’s Liliana’s smell.’
As soon as she realized that it was a rose scent, Luana became uncomfortable.
When I met Liliana a while ago, I couldn’t feel it because I was wandering between dreams and reality, but now I know for sure. It seemed to somehow mixed with the smell of blood in the delicate rose scent.
“I don’t want to……”
Without knowing, Luana repeated what she said before her death. The scent of roses that Liliana always had reminded her of the moment she died.
The faint rose scent gradually grew thicker. She believed death was approaching her.