The Hidden Treasure

No one turned to look or stare when they saw Princess Lia walk through the hallways unattended but when she turned her back to them, they couldn't help but look over their shoulders at the young girl wandering the hallways of her castle. It was the first time the princess stepped outside of her room without being forced, and by the looks of it, it was voluntarily so they didn't want to scare her away. Lia was grateful that no one asked her where she was going, or why no one was accompanying her. She didn't know what she would say if one were to ask where she was headed, she just wanted to take a walk in the fresh air by herself to clear her thoughts, not be accompanied by chatting maids or guards everywhere she went.

Every turn she took she was left shocked and breathless, the entire castle was just breathtaking. Different antiques, stones, designs, and patterns filled the castle walls making her awestruck. This was something far more than just a castle in a fairy tale, this has become her reality.

Never once she thought reincarnation was possible, but yet there she was, walking inside of a castle and living like a princess. As much as she enjoyed her walk and excitement, her legs soon began to tire out and she cursed her weak child body for she could explore all day and night if she never got tired. It was barely twenty minutes at most since she left her chambers until she felt the need to sit down.

Her original plan was to go to the garden below her room window since looking at it from the balcony made her want to pay a visit even more and not to mention, she didn't want to bump into her brother if she was to go to the flower garden she had her first meal. She could see different flowers and plants growing below, one's she never seen before. They were enough to spike up her curiosity. But her sense of direction wasn't the best.

She didn't need to tell herself twice that she was in fact terribly lost and for some reason, there were barely any guards in sight. Was this castle really so secure? The princess, fully exhausted and tired, sat down against the closest wall, placing her hands on her knees and her head on her hands as she tried to catch her breath. She was beginning to get sleepy but her excitement just kept her going. She kneeled her head against the wall as she looked up at the familiar white patterns of different peculiar shapes, one of which was a flower she'd never heard of. She'd seen them the very first time she awakened in the castle, they were located in her room. They were quite popular that even the silverware had them. But what did they represent? Nothing came to mind as she looked at them. But since she wasn't from this world, how could they even have any meaning to her?

They are probably the kingdom's symbol, she guessed as much as she observed further but soon she started to feel her eyes slowly shutting. As much as she tried to hide it, her small body wasn't used to so much excitement and walking at all. The royal physician knew it and the maids knew it which is why they put in an afternoon nap into her schedule of doing nothing, even though at her age, afternoon naps weren't a thing. Her maids, usually Jennett or Rose would come to prepare her for bed. Lia wasn't fazed by the fact that she had to change clothes three times a day. In the morning when she was served breakfast in the room, in the afternoon for her nap, again after the nap for lunch, and again into sleepwear when its time to sleep. She didn't understand why she had to dress up if all she was planning to do is sit in her room all day and "learn" to read all day.

That was another thing Lia came up with. Learning how to read with Jennett even though she already knew how. It was already oddly peculiar that she knew how to talk even though she "slept" through her entire life, knowing how to read would have been too much. But if she was able to quickly learn how to read, no one would suspect a thing!

Lia was already falling asleep against the wall even though she knew she shouldn't. It wasn't "lady-like" but at this moment she didn't care. Just a little power nap before she'd go back on her way. But just before she could completely close her eyes, the wall behind her moved backward, causing her to fall back with a squeal escaping her lips. Her back hit the cold tiled ground, completely snapping her out of her tired state. She lay on the floor startled at the sudden movement before a face appeared in her line of sight.

A young boy looked at her, his short dark brown hair hanging slightly as he looked down towards the floor. It took Lia a couple of seconds to recognize him due to her vision being upside down. It was her brother, Lucas. She hadn't seen him since she had lunch in the garden and ended up falling asleep on the table. The next day she woke up in her room and haven't heard from him since. It's been four days already and Lia had learned a lot about this world, as well as her new family.

Lia and Lucas weren't the only children of the Emperor, in fact, Lia had another brother who was a twin brother to Lucas whose name was Ethan. Thankfully for the information from some of the gossiping maids and Jennett who even sneaked in pictures of the royal family, Lia was more informed. However, Jennett wasn't able to find a picture of her highness, the late Empress.

All three siblings possessed green emerald eyes which they inherited from their mother but only Princess Lia had the late Empress's similar blonde hair. Both the brothers had dark brown hair, slightly darker than their father's and differentiating them was almost impossible if it wasn't for their two different personalities and facial expressions.

Prince Ethan was completely opposite from Prince Lucas, although the princess hadn't even met him. From what Princess Lia gathered from the other maids and Jennett, Prince Ethan was quite skilled at sword fighting and sword magic, whatever that meant. He was very cheerful and outgoing compared to their other brother. And right now she was able to recognize which brother this was without even seeing the other. Prince Lucas was a book lover, and this one was holding books.

Both the siblings who faced each other for the first time in a while were quite startled. The young prince looked down at his sister slightly taken aback at her sudden appearance on the floor and the little scream that escaped her lips just a moment ago. Lia was still slightly startled at the sudden movement of the wall which caused her to fall back, she didn't see this coming at all. They both stared into each other's emerald eyes before a cold look washed over the prince's face. He stepped over her, like a dog that was in his way before walking away.

She quickly rolled up and grabbed him by his leg, her eyes still widened. He looked back at her startled.

"What?" He asked, shocked just as much.

"N-Nothing," She quickly replied, not knowing why she had grabbed him in the first place. She quickly let go of him, and glanced down at the floor. She felt embarrassed for stopping him. What did she even expect would happen? They were strangers after all. Strangers who shared the same blood. With a final glance back at his stunned sister, he left.

To not even help someone off the floor, huh? What a little brat, she thought as she stood up, dusting her light blue dress while looking and glaring in the direction her brother left. She wanted to flip him off so badly but she debated against it. She was so deep in thought that when the wall behind her touched her back again, she jumped and almost screamed for a second time. Lia turned around and started cursing at the wall for almost giving her a heart attack. Although from her past life she was rather caring, nice, and composed, Susan is also known for having a slight yet rare anger problem. Especially when it came to stupid people known as her business partners.

She looked at the wall, her eyes widening. The wall was actually a door, she must have been so busy being awestruck that she hadn't noticed it before. She checked the hallways before reaching out for the handle to satisfy her curiosity while she silently prayed that it wasn't locked. She twisted the door handle and pushed it open. A wave of a cool breeze hit her face and the smell of something sweet yet musky filled the air. Her eyes widened in excitement at the realization of what treasure she came across.

The library.

Princess Lia didn't stay long to explore but she did manage to take a quick glance around before leaving. She knew that a maid would go looking for her if she didn't return in time for her ' afternoon nap' and she didn't want to be found here. No matter how much she tried to fight the tiredness that washed over her, she knew that she had no choice seeing as she was in a kid's body whereas her thirty-two-year-old mind just wanted to spend the entire day exploring.

With a little frown on her face, she left the library and closed the door behind her, quietly and carefully to not make any sounds. She didn't know if she was allowed in the library considering that children her age shouldn't be left unattended.

She quickly hurried down the hallway, the same way she remembered coming from but soon came to an intersection splitting into two, from there she was left puzzled. She tried her best to remember which way she came from but due to her curiosity and excitement, the only thing she remembered was staring at the golden spirals on the walls.

Thankfully today was just filled with luck, she spotted a guard on his patrol duty and quickly caught up with him, running with her little feet. She tapped the guard's leg since she was unable to reach his shoulder. Taken aback, the guard slightly jumped before realizing and relaxing that it was just a little girl.

"Sorry, I'm lost," said Princess Lia making sure her voice sounded a bit childlike. A cuteness of a child is one way to a person's heart. She already tested her theory on Jennett yesterday and it worked out well. The guard smiled brightly at the little girl as he bent down to her level. In her previous life, she had a little quirk for naming people in her head, it often helped her remember their true names. Jennette reminded her of her middle school teacher whose last name was Ms. Johnson, while Rose's name was associated with her soft personality that reminded her of the flower rose. Even though Rose was shy and quiet, she did get angry sometimes when the princess didn't take any of her vitamins that were prescribed by the royal physician. In this case, she decided to nickname him Sir Ginger due to his red hair since she didn't know his real name. He also reminded her of a cute ginger cat that belonged to one of her old friends whose name was also Sir Ginger.

"Oh, how can I help you, your highness," he said. She smiled brightly making the grown man blush from her cuteness. She didn't deny it, she knew her child form was cute which is the only advantage that she had in this world, well and the fact that she had her memories.

"I want to go back to my room."

"Follow me, your highness, I'll escort you back to your chambers." he said and began walking. He wasn't walking fast, but Lia had to jog after him due to the fact that she was small. The guard noticed her tired state and offered to give her a piggy ride. Lia debated for a few seconds before accepting, she was too tired to think and she knew that being too trusting can be her downfall as well as, since she was a princess.

She tried her best to not fall asleep so that she would be able to find her way to the library again. Only when she started seeing the familiar hallway that led to her room, she felt her eyes beginning to close. She didn't like the idea of falling asleep on the back of a stranger but she couldn't fight it anymore.

It was quiet at first until she heard someone speak.

"There she is! Thank goodness!" Someone said, their voice not familiar. Lia felt her body being lifted up, carried somewhere, and carefully placed on something soft, a bed she guessed since she was too tired to open her eyes.

"How could you leave the princess unsupervised? What would the Emperor have to say about this!" Sir Ginger whispered-yelled although his voice was rather distant.

"B-But the Emperor has yet to show any care for the princess," someone unfamiliar replied making Lia to want to listen on.

"It's not about if the Emperor cares on not, she is royalty! You are the one who is responsible for looking after her, right? If something were to happen to the princess then you can be imprisoned and it is also unethical to leave a child unsupervised, something bad could have happened!" Sir Ginger's voice raised at the end of his little outburst. The corner's of the princess's mouth lifted a bit, forming a small smile. Although her body was already half asleep, her mind could hear every word of their argument. In some way, the way the guard expressed his concerns to the maid filled her in with a warm and happy feeling. It was rare for anyone but her closest friend to show concern to her in the past, but having a stranger worry was a completely different feeling. In a way, it granted her hope for the future.