NOVEL NEXT Ch. 2
It had been several months since I possessed Lucilia.
At first, I thought it would be easy to live as Lucilia. The task seemed very simple.
Live quietly and stay unnoticed! How hard could that be?
The Opal Palace where Lucilia lived was small and might be a bit boring, but it wasn’t forever, just three years.
I thought three years would pass by quickly. At least, that was what I thought…
“I’m going to die…”
I muttered to myself as I laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The old, worn-out ceiling came into view. A large section of the wallpaper in the left corner had peeled off, exposing the wood underneath, which reminded me of something.
“Ah, I want to eat chicken.”
The moment I muttered to myself while looking at the wallpaper that was peeling off in the shape of a chicken leg, a loud sound came from my stomach.
Grrrrr.
I rubbed my eyes for no reason. The ceiling looked blurry, but it must be just my imagination.
“I’m hungry…”
I turned to my side and whimpered.
Ever since my possession, I had been suffering from chronic hunger.
Lucilia was twelve years old this year. It was an age when she should be eating a lot. Even if the table was full of food, she would finish it all and then ask, ‘What’s for dessert?’ as she put down her spoon.
But at this crucial time, the food that Lucilia was eating…
“Your Highness, it’s Laura.”
Just then, a maid entered my room, holding a tray in her hands.
Ah, one thing I’d learned after living here for a month.
No servant in the Opal Palace knocked when entering my room. They all just announced their name in a grumpy voice and came in.
In another palace, such behavior might get them beheaded, but in the Opal Palace, that was the norm.
“Please eat.”
The maid named Laura placed the tray on the table and left without any greeting.
Sighing deeply, I sat down and sighed again as I looked at the tray.
Hard black bread of unknown origin, a watery soup with barely any ingredients, and a rough salad that looked like it was made from weeds in the front yard.
How was this fit for a princess?
Even though I was starving, I forced myself to pick up the spoon, but my face twisted before I even tasted the soup.
“The, the smell…”
A sour and unpleasant smell wafted up. It was obviously spoiled soup.
“Today is ruined too.”
I threw the spoon carelessly. The small spoon hit the tray with a clattering sound.
“Damn thieves…”
I was so drained that even my curse came out weakly. I muttered my complaints to no one in particular.
“Just how much are they embezzling?”
Originally, princes and princesses received a budget from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the operation of their own palaces.
The problem was that there was no one in the Opal Palace who actually worked for Lucilia.
The servants of the Opal Palace each had their own masters to serve, and they worked here to monitor me.
The head steward was a man of the fourth prince, the cook was someone from the fifteenth princess, and the general workers were distant relatives of loyalists of the seventh princess… something like that.
Even for a lowly princess, you never knew when she might turn into a rival, so they were prepared to keep an eye on her. I applauded my gloomy brothers and sisters.
So, the servants had no intention of doing their actual jobs. They were only interested in reporting my every move to their true masters and embezzling the palace funds.
Since there wasn’t much to report on my movements, they focused more on the embezzling part.
Therefore, my life was in such a mess.
“Let’s go out.”
I left the meal behind without hesitation and stepped outside.
In contrast to my aching stomach, the weather was clear. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy, cotton candy-like clouds.
“Oh my, Your Highness! Where are you going?”
I flinched and stopped in my tracks.
A maid with short blonde hair was looking at me with a laundry basket in her hand.
Was her name Mariam, or Miriam… anyway, she was a newcomer. She was about two or three years older than me, the youngest among the servants.
I spoke in the most natural tone I could muster.
“A walk in the forest.”
She smiled brightly at my answer.
“I see. Have a nice walk!”
Then she bowed and headed toward the laundry area, smiling cheerfully.
I stood there in a daze, surprised by the unexpected event.
A maid had greeted me? With a smile?
But a few seconds later, I realized.
‘Aha, she’s being friendly to get information from me. I mustn’t fall for it.’
Before I knew it, I had become a cold city princess, unable to trust anyone’s kindness.
It meant I had adapted to the Esperusa imperial family, but it also felt like my original humanity was diminishing.
My sister should come soon. I thought of the original story as I trudged towards the forest.
The Esperusa Palace, where the emperor and the imperial family lived, was more like a region than a building.
Centered around the Solem Palace where the emperor resided, various palaces were scattered, and the scale was enormous. There were forests and rivers between the palaces.
The Opal Palace, where I lived, was the most remote. It was small and surrounded by a forest, making it difficult for outsiders to come and go.
At first, it felt suffocating like I was living in exile, but now it was the opposite.
Now, I understood how blessed this space was.
“Yap!”
Deep in the forest, I checked that no one was around and hiked up my skirt to my knees. Then I tied it with a belt to keep it from falling.
And then I ran.
Through the empty forest, freely.
I felt a thrilling sense of liberation.
“Ah!”
I was running hard, but then I stopped. Under the tree trunk, white clumps were sprouting.
“Mushrooms!”
I reached out towards the mushrooms. However, just before my hand touched them, a strange sensation spread through my fingers.
“Ugh.”
I withdrew my hand for a moment and then reached out again. The sensation became even clearer.
My fingers felt tingly and cold.
Poisonous mushrooms.
“Damn, they looked so tasty.”
No matter how tempting, I didn’t want to end my second life by eating poisonous mushrooms, so I walked away without regret. After all, there were plenty of mushrooms.
A few steps later, I found another mushroom, and this one was safe. Excitedly, I began to gather the mushrooms.
After months of barely surviving on trash that didn’t even resemble food, I finally found a way to sustain myself.
Using Lucilia’s ability to feed myself.
At first, I tried to find food within the Opal Palace. But the cook managed the kitchen so thoroughly that even when sneaking in at dawn, I couldn’t find a single piece of cheese.
Eventually, I turned my eyes outside. I recalled the forest where Lucilia sometimes took walks.
If I were lucky, maybe I could find some fruit trees?
With that vague hope, I stepped into the forest and was amazed.
The forest was entirely Lucilia’s domain.
I knew Lucilia had hidden abilities. But reading about them in books and experiencing them with my own body were two different things.
The air felt different. I could feel the life force filling the forest on my skin. Moreover, what looked like the same tall trees and dense bushes to others appeared completely different to me.
A heightened sensitivity to plants and animals.
For now, that level of ability was sufficient for me.
“Phew.”
After gathering all the mushrooms, I stood up again. Using my folded skirt as an apron, I carried the mushrooms and walked for a bit.
Finally, I arrived at a small, crumbling hut.
It seemed like an old forest keeper had lived there before abandoning it. Originally, it was a place discovered by Lucilia before my possession.
Lucilia was afraid of this old hut. After discovering it, she never came near it again.
But to me, it was a wonderful hideout.
I opened the door and entered, greeted by a narrow, dark hut. One wall was rotting, emitting a musty smell.
Despite everything, Lucilia was a princess, so it was understandable she would avoid such a place.
But for me, this was nothing! I had lived in a semi-basement room with all four walls covered in mold!
… not that it was something to brag about.
Shaking my head, I lit a fire in the stove. The stove and miscellaneous items were left by the forest keeper, and I was using them well.
While the charcoal caught fire, I skewered the mushrooms on an iron skewer. Once the fire was just right, I placed the skewer on a grill.
A pleasant smell started to waft.
“Ha…”
The once-white mushrooms were turning golden brown, and the mushroom juice was bubbling on the surface, occasionally dripping onto the charcoal.
My mouth began to water.
I fought the urge to eat and held back for a few more minutes. Finally, the mushrooms were perfectly grilled.
The color charred by the fire and the fragrant smell were perfect.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Just as I opened my mouth wide for my first meal of the day.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed.
“Ah!”
I curled up and covered my head. Not knowing what was happening, I instinctively reacted.
What was that? What happened? Did the stove explode? But if that were the case, my body would be in pieces.
Since there was no sign of another explosion, I cautiously raised my head.
“Gasp.”
And I faced an unbelievable sight.
Half of the hut was gone.
What was once a wall was now a gaping hole. No, it was cleanly cut away.
Thanks to that, I had a clear view of someone walking towards me.
The moment I saw that person, I was overwhelmed with terrifying fear.
He was just walking towards me.
Just that, but it was terrifying.
Every movement, every strand of hair, every footstep was frightening.
I wanted to run away, but I couldn’t. If I moved even a little, I felt like I would die instantly.
Shrouded in a murderous aura like a demon, the man approaching me was more of a disaster than a human.
“You.”
He spoke to me. I was so focused on keeping my composure that I only noticed the sword pointed at me later.
“Who are you and why are you here?”
Who… who are you…
Trembling, I managed to raise my head. For a moment, my eyes met the demon-like man’s.
His eyes were a vivid red. Red like freshly spilled blood.
Red eyes…?
“Ah.”
I gasped for breath.
If there was a protagonist, there must be antagonists.
Among the 18 siblings, there was a minor villain who appeared for a single episode, and there were rivals who couldn’t be decisively defeated until the very end.
The main competitors who tormented Imelda were three.
The first princess, Leonor Dunne, known for her nickname
The fifth prince, Rudolf Sol, heir to the Magic Tower and future great mage.
And the twelfth prince, Richard Khan.
He was the strongest swordsman not only among his siblings but in the entire empire.
But in terms of personality, he was the ultimate psycho, heavily influenced by the blood of the Esperusa imperial family.
He enjoyed fights and wars, feeling alive when killing people. If he weren’t a prince, he would have been executed as a serial killer long ago.
“I’ll ask you one last time.”
And the twelfth prince’s symbol was his blood-red eyes.
“Who are you?”