Chapter Five

I could feel the cold sweat slowly running down my back while I stared at the boy that may be my half-brother, a prince.

'I should have stayed in my bedroom. What will happen to me when the King discovers that I escaped? I can't believe that I will die just because I was curious!'

That phrase "The curiosity killed the cat" kept echoing in my mind.

'What should I do?!' I thought desperate.

"Prince Dylan, are you alright?" Asked the maids, worried.

"Y-Yes, I am." The young boy answered looking back to the maids. But then, he stared at me.

I closed my eyes afraid of him seeing them. 'Maybe I should just run before they catch me.'

But then, Prince Dylan said confused. "I thought I saw a boy just now."

"But there is no one here, Your Highness." The maid said though she was looking in my direction.

'...So I am still invisible!' I realized.

Without thinking twice I got up off the ground and ran away from them. But clumsily, I hit a decorative vase, making it fall to the ground, breaking it.

But I didn't look back, I just kept running hoping that I was still invisible.

It took me hours before I found my way back to the northwest area. I was so nervous that I didn't realize where I was going. This place is so big that you can easily get lost here.

At least I discovered how long my invisible magic works on me. The problem is that it's too exhausting, it takes too much mana. I spent most of the next whole day sleeping.

I liked exploring the palace, but it was a scary experience as well. I thought my heart was going to explode when I bumped into the prince back then.

"I will never explore the palace again. It is too risky." I swore to myself.

Well, I broke that promise.

Just three days later I explored the palace again. And… it became kinda a hobby to me now.

Don't blame me. I know it is risky, I know that I will probably face a horrible punishment if I ever been found out.

But…

'I have nothing fun to do here!'

This place is boring. No, my life is boring. Being stuck in a small area, where there is nothing but old books to read, study books.

It is boring!

I've passed more than two years only studying.

I miss so much my video games, social media, internet, movies, series, animes, and books, not like these old academic books, but romances! Something, anything, to entertain me, there is nothing here.

Now that I found something exciting that I can do, I will.

Yes, I may or may not lose my life doing it, but it is still worth it.

I've been exploring the palace for a few weeks now. This place is so huge that I still didn't see everything. Actually, I didn't go so far yet, I just explored most of the west side, I didn't even get close to the main area of the palace.

But, today is the day I decided to go there, where the royal family lives and where there are more people around.

I know it will be risky, but I am curious about the royal family. Well, technically, they are my family so it's normal to be curious about them. And there is a place that I want to go there.

"Have you heard about what happened last night?"

Just a few meters away from me, on my way to the main site of the palace, three maids were talking to each other. I got close to them so I could hear what they were talking about.

I know it's rude, but thanks to the servants' gossips now I know more about the royal family and how this world works as well.

"You are talking about the ghost, aren't you?" Asked one of the maids.

The maid nodded her head. "Two maids said they were walking through the west side last night when they heard someone playing the piano. When they found the room where the music came from, there was no one there, the piano was playing by itself!" She said, scared.

'Oh… It was me.' I realized.

Yesterday, while I was looking around the west side, I found a room with a piano in there. In my past life, I had piano classes, playing was one of my hobbies.

Last night when I played the piano keys for the first time in years I just forgot that I was in another world, that I am a bastard, that I was invisible, I forgot about the King, I forgot about everything.

For a moment I was in peace.

Playing the piano felt like home to me. I remembered when I was a kid in my past life coming home after class showing what I learned to my family, it was just the basics, but I felt so happy.

But, suddenly two maids opened the door of the room, bringing me back to reality. I left the room quickly after that.

"So the palace is really being hunted!" Shouted one of the maids.

There are rumors about a ghost haunting the palace... thanks to me. Since the day I bumped into the prince the rumors started. The vase breaking and my noisy footsteps made everything worse.

"But you guys think that the late prince Hugo is the ghost that is haunting the palace?"

When the maid asked that, they all looked at a picture in the wall behind them.

It was a painting of the royal family when the current King was still a child. There was the late King and Queen in the back and the two princes in front of them. One of them was my father, a young white-haired boy, the other one was his younger brother Prince Hugo. He had light blonde hair and golden eyes as any royal member, he pretty much looked like me.

'Though, I think my hair is lighter than his hair was.' I thought while looking at the painting.

"Prince Dylan said he saw a boy before the vase suddenly got broken. And, His Highness said that the boy had light blond hair and golden eyes, like a royal. It resembles the late Prince Hugo, right? He was so young…" Said the maid looking at the picture of Prince Hugo on the wall.

"W-We should go now. What if he starts haunting us just because we are talking about him?" One of the maids said scared already walking away from them.

"Y-Yeah, we should go." The others maids agreed, quickly they followed the other maid.

Soon they all left.

Alone, I was still looking at the picture. I kept looking at the little boy in the painting. Prince Hugo died from an illness when he was just eight years old. The same age as I am now.

I closed my eyes and I joined my hands in prayer.

'I'm sorry uncle Hugo for ruining your reputation. Because of me now everyone thinks that you are haunting the palace. I hope one day you may forgive me.'

I know it's kinda silly doing that, but I think it's not bad to show some respect for the dead.

'I hope that he got reincarnated already and he is living a good life. Better than mine I hope.'

Finally, I entered the main area of the palace.

I couldn't think that it could be possible, but the main area is more beautiful than the west side. Everything looks more expensive and luxurious here.

Even the hallways are larger here. And there are more decorations around as well.

I already know where I wanna go first.

Though I am curious about the King and his children, I am more curious about something else.

The royal library!

I don't know where it's, though I don't even know if it exists, I will find it.

'Every royal palace has a big library where there are many bookshelves full of books where only the royal members and the authorized people can enter, right? So I may find it if I just look around.'

With that in mind, I started looking for the royal library.

But then… I got lost.

There are so many people walking around here in the main area, I have always to be careful to not bump into anyone. I got nervous. It was the first time I was here. And I can't ask anyone for directions!

'I don't even know how to go back to the west side anymore.' I realized, hopeless.

I was walking around with no direction hoping that I could find my way back to the west side until I heard two women talking.

"Are you taking this to His Highness the King?" It was an old woman asking a young maid, though she was wearing servant's clothing, her attire seems to be more expensive.

The young maid was carrying a food cart. "Y-Yes, Head Maid. His Highness asked for more tea, and Prince Noah asked for more of his favorite biscuits." She answered looking at the floor in a submissive way.

"Then, I will take charge of it. You may go now." The Head Maid said that already taking the food cart from the young maid.

"...Yes, Ma'am." The poor maid kept standing there looking at the Head Maid taking away her chance to serve the King directly.

It seems that the King, the princes, and the princess are having some kind of afternoon tea together. Or at least the King and the youngest prince are.

Curious I followed the Head Maid.

I've never met the King personally, nor my other siblings, except Prince Dylan. All I know about them are from the servants' gossips.

The King is a man around his thirties. He is a good leader and he is respected by everyone. All servants like him.

And now I know that I have three half-siblings, and all of them are older than me.

Prince Dylan is the oldest, he is eleven years old now. The servants say that he is very diligent, he works hard and he is very skilled. Everyone expects him to be the next heir. They say that he will be a good leader when he becomes a King.

The others are the twins, Prince Noah and Princess Isabel. They are both nine years old. All I hear about them from the servants is that they are cute. I don't know much about them besides that.

I followed the Head Maid out of the palace, to the garden. And soon I saw the royal family having tea in the gazebo. They were all sitting in luxurious chairs, and in front of them was a big table full of food, more than they could ever eat.

When the Head Maid arrived, the servants quickly picked up the teapot and tray, taking them to the royal family's table.

I kept looking at them from afar. I couldn't hear them talking, but they seemed happy.

My legs froze when I saw the person I most fear in this world, the King. I had never seen him before personally. I only saw him in the paintings hanging on the walls of the palace.

'I am invisible now, if I want I can get close. No one will see me after all.'

Forcing myself I got close to the gazebo. I went up the steps of the gazebo. But, when I climbed the last step, it creaked, making a loud noise, enough for all of them to hear it.

Then they all looked in my direction, the royal family and the servants.

Surprised I stepped back, forgetting the stairs behind me, making me fall.

"Ouch!" I shouted when I fell.

"Is that… a boy? From where did he come?"

Facing the ground I could hear the servants around me. That moment I knew I wasn't invisible anymore.

I didn't have time to think. As soon as I got up from the ground I ran away from them, trying to use the invisible magic on me at the same time.

I knew it worked when I heard a maid screaming. "It is a ghost! A ghost! The palace is really being haunted!"

Though I knew I was invisible I still kept running, heading back to the palace. I was panting when I entered a random room so I could calm down.

Then I looked inside the room, noticing where I was.

I was inside the royal library!