Soon enough, the next day arrived. Instead of taking the time to adjust to her new lodgings, Viola wanted to immediately begin carrying out her mission and refused to delay by even one day.
The first thing she needed to do was find out about Guinev’s whereabouts. However, for now she had to play the role of an obedient hostage. To avoid drawing suspicion to her activities, she needed to act like the other princesses: drink tea, read books, and pretend to embroider.
After breakfast, she made her way to the training hall. As she entered, the teachers welcomed her as if they had been anticipating her arrival for quite some time.
“During the six-month training period, your daily routine will consist of the following. The first meal time is set at 9:00 A.M. Please keep to it as much as possible.”
The head instructor paused to check that Viola was listening closely before continuing with the unrelenting list of duties.
“After breakfast, you will be given light tea and your lessons on the history of the Arpen Empire will be conducted from 10:00 A.M. to noon. Lunch will be served until 1:00 P.M., and then you will be given a rest period, so please return to your room during that time and take a nap. From 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M., you will be tutored on imperial etiquette and dance. Following 5:00 P.M., you may relax as you see fit.”
“…!”
Viola frowned in dismay at the agenda that had been laid out before her. The timetable was tight. Though it seemed like she would have more time for leisure in the evenings than in the mornings, she knew that numerous restrictions would be placed on her actions once the sun went down. In the end, the packed timetable was just another way to keep the candidates from doing anything else.
‘It’s like you’re telling me to only move at night. Actually, perhaps this is better for me?’
She hadn’t been planning on making any moves during the day, anyway. First, she needed to acquire some materials to even begin carrying out her plans. Since the main gate was heavily guarded, the only way to leave the Royal Villa was to climb across the formidable wall surrounding the main gate using a rope. Of course, she then needed to find a disguise for when she reached the other side of the wall. Viola wondered where she could find a rope, and for the rest of the morning she concentrated on how to best organize her mission.
Eventually, it was time for history class.
“The Arpen Empire owes its origins to the God of Water who once resided in the Lake of God. Because he bestowed his blessings upon the land, the empire was able to acquire the vast wealth that it still holds today.”
Viola’s history teacher recited the lesson eloquently, making sure to emphasize praise for the God of Judith.
“According to legend, the god’s appearance was so beautiful that even the celestial gods envied him. He had loved the Arpen Empire with all his heart, gifting the land with unending blessings. The god showered the empire with gifts and displayed affection equivalent to the love he had had for his lover who once lived in the empire. So…”
This version of the Arpen Empire’s history was completely different from what Viola had learned in the past. She sensed that the instructor was merely presenting fabricated tales designed by the empire to promote their image to the new princess candidates. Really, this lesson sounded like it had been taken from a fantasy novel. It was even recorded in the textbook Viola had been given that the first emperor was not a man but rather the son of a god. In the end, the goal of these history classes was just to deify the emperor.
He was described as benevolent and devoted to the people, but the reality of his actions did not line up with his description. It didn’t make any sense in the first place to say that he had great devotion for mankind while also acknowledging that he killed so many people he even earned the moniker “Emperor of Blood”.
‘I wish it was time for the rest period already…’
This charade tired her. She wondered if it would be possible to take a turn around the gardens instead of a nap during the rest period. Finally, her faux history lessons concluded, and she was permitted to begin her free time. Viola stood up, shook the weariness from her body, and headed out.
She beckoned over to Rosha who came running.
“Rosha,” she cautiously whispered in the younger girl’s ear, “there’s something I need you to do. Try to acquire one of the maid’s uniforms.”
♛
Before long, a week passed. Rosha had used her lively and charming personality to ingratiate herself with the head maid in charge of the Royal Villa, and after a while she was allowed to venture beyond the premises. Not long after, she hurried back with a palace maid’s uniform hidden under her dress. As soon as she returned to the suite she shared with Viola, Rosha tore up one of the floorboards and stashed the uniform in the space beneath.
In the meantime, Viola busied herself with fashioning a rope using whatever materials she could gather around the villa. She tore bed sheets into thin strips and braided them together by hand to make a sturdy cord. At one end, she attached a makeshift hook.
“This will be good enough. I should be able to move around right now.”
Viola began mentally laying out what she had learned about the palace’s interior. All her information was garnered from conversations between the maids, which had been enough for her to draw a rough map of the palace in her head. She looked to the distance where ornate roofs were visible beyond the wall.
“The Crown Prince’s Palace is to the north, and the Emperor’s Palace to the west… then that means the building immediately past the dense forest is the Crown Prince’s Palace?”
A tall wall had been built in the middle of the forest for extra security. Behind her was a wide road leading to the main gate of the Royal Villa. On her other side, an intricate garden meandered from the road to the wall. The garden consisted of tall, ornate hedges arranged in the shape of a labyrinth.
Viola watched on, waiting for the guards to ease their patrol.
‘Okay, the guards are relaxing for a moment. Let’s head out.’