Rebirth of The Villainess Princess

Chapter 12: Sensing The Danger

There’s something wrong. She could feel it.

On the surface, the emperor and the empress dowager seemed to get along well with each other.

His mother would hug him comfortably and the emperor would smile like a spoiled child. She just couldn’t point out what was really wrong aside from the empress dowager's hidden hostility to her, until Derethus secretly tugged the end of her dirty clothes, beckoning her to silently come outside with him while the empress dowager wasn’t looking.

‘’Come with me. It’s not safe here,’’ he whispered.

She looked at him puzzled, but she followed her intuition, telling her he was right.

However, the empress seemed to have grown two pairs of eyes on her back. Before they could even get to the door, she halted them.

‘’Hold up. Sir. Derethus and…Meredith, right? What are you both hasty for?’’ She said, plastering a kind smile on her face, and whenever she did, two lovely dimples appeared on her cheeks and her eyes would form into two crescent lines. She is beautiful, but compared to her elegant, graceful mother, she looked simple and modest. It was her charm though. Looking at her, Ivanna remembered the beautiful saintess she had ever laid her eyes on. She wondered if she had chosen to stay living at the Cathedral of Calithea. Ivanna always enjoyed her cozy company. Oh, how much she missed her!

Crazy how beautiful she is despite her age!

Derethus turned stiff, coughing to clear his throat. He nudged Ivanna beside him to lower her head before the empress dowager since she was boldly looking at her.

Ivanna mentally facepalmed. How could she forget! She was not a noble princess anymore.

Realizing her own place, Ivanna spoke as politely as she could. ‘’Y-Y-Your Majesty,’’ she even tried hard to stammer, imitating the stiff voice of servants she had often encountered while strolling in Calithea’s palace grounds. Then they performed a clumsy curtsy. She heard Derethus snickering beside her. So she had to control her face not to scowl in annoyance.

“F-Forgive this lowly servant. I-I’ve just been awed…awed by your…your beauty,’’ she tried her effort to look scared and a harmless servant. Derethus, who had tasted her sharp tongue earlier and somehow brute demeanor, coughed, suppressing the urge to laugh.

A burst of soft laughter broke into the empress dowager’s lips. ‘’You do know how to make your master's heart flutter.’’ Then she gave a brief glance to Lovis, who absentmindedly looked at Meredith. ‘’I see…the reason why you’re special to my son.’’

Derethus paled and Ivanna silently pursed her lips. When she peered at the emperor she briefly met his crystal-like deep blue eyes.

Oh goodness, gracious! She misunderstood him.

‘’I…I am no special, Your Majesty. His…His Majesty, the emperor could discard me anytime he needed to.’’

Ivanna cursed in her mind. In her last words, she spoke too fast and too clear for a mere servant like her. She wasn’t better than Catherine. If she knew she would be put in a dilemma like this, then it might be good to learn from her little sister's superb acting skills.

‘’Oh,’’ the empress reacted, disappointed. ‘’I’m envious. My son has a loyal servant like you. Ready to throw away her own life to save his. How admirable!’’

Eh? Ivanna wondered what those last words meant. It seemed to carry a heavy, unsettling meaning behind those words.

Ivanna opened her mouth to speak but a sudden burst of pain emerged inside her. She paled. She restricted herself not to clutch her chest. Fainting in front of the empress dowager would be disastrous — given her ability to sense danger, her intuition told her not to let her guard down around this woman.

‘Thankfully! Even though I'm now in a different body, I've preserved my ability.'

‘’Mother, I’m afraid I have to retire to my chamber. I promise I will see you tomorrow,’’ the emperor finally spoke just as Ivanna needed the most; to get away from the empress dowager.

Derethus and Ivanna right away followed after the emperor.

They passed through long grand corridors. Ivanna was amazed. Solandis indeed possessed enormous wealth.

The lavish frescos on the walls and the towering ceilings, which felt menacing as they passed by, drew her attention. She assumed that the gilded frames of massive oak doors and windows in various chambers cost an enormous amount of gold. And the maximalist furnishings that were strewn throughout the palace she guessed to have been custom-made for the monarchs. Ivanna believed they were genuine works of art well-known artisans crafted.

Calithea, Rocuria, Erudia, Solandis, and Aluresia are five empires that were founded a thousand years ago, and they reign over small kingdoms.

Despite being the smallest of the world's five powerful empires, the Empire of Solandis maintained peace for ages.

They never become involved in any global conflicts or wars. Its sole purpose is to trade over land and water. They have remained as neutral as possible for a long period. Significantly, it offered them great advantages; they were able to preserve peace as other empires battled and strangled each other, while they prospered in silence.

The disadvantage is that the empire never grows, and we can't assert that no one would plan to conquer them. They risk attracting power-hungry and bloodthirsty rulers as their riches grow.

‘’Meredith.’’

‘’...’’

‘’Meredith.’’

She must have been dazed for a time since she failed to hear the emperor call her name twice. Ivanna was completely unaware that they had entered his chamber, and Derethus had vanished.

‘’Y-Yes, Your Majesty?’’

"Are you okay? " Lovis inquired, concerned. She appeared befuddled. She had, after all, lost her memories. He was concerned about it. Meredith would very certainly be in danger. Despite how magnificent it appeared on the outside, the palace was the most perilous place for ordinary people. They must be as cruel as or more brutal than its residents in order to survive.

‘’I’m perfectly fine,’’ she forced a reassuring smile.

''Meredith, I remember. You should get a good rest for now. You can go back to your duties tomorrow. I’m gonna need to prepare as well so I can guide you,’’ he suggested, and took a deep breath.

"You'll have to catch up on everything and remember that life inside the palace is not easy. But don't worry; you shouldn't push yourself too much. Let's take it slowly.''

I know. This is annoying. I just had a second life, but I would prefer not to be entangled with palace matters anymore. Life is indeed cruel. Why can't I escape the exhausting cycle of political intrigue?

She let out an exasperated sigh, ‘’I get it. Many thanks, Your Majesty.’’

Meredith spun on her heels to leave but she forgot something, she had to halt and embarrassingly go back to the emperor for an unnecessary inquiry – that’s what she thought.

‘’Your Majesty, I hope I’m not bothering you, but can I ask who is the managing maid in your palace? I-I’m afraid I didn’t know where my room was.’’

‘’The managing maid?’’

‘’Yes.’’

‘’Uh, it’s you.’’

She tilted her head and then looked around. ‘’How about maids who keep the palace clean and organized.’’

‘’It’s you.’’

Ivanna didn’t feel good about where this was going.

‘’How about the maid who helps and prepares Your Majesty’s…personal matters such as clothes?’’

‘’It’s you and…you have to prepare my bath as well.’’

Ivanna paled. How the hell am I supposed to do all of it?

She had no idea how to do everything – clean, cook, even wearing her dresses and robes, her maids did it all for her. What more to prepare a bath and for an emperor?!

I'm screwed! Would it be believable if I said I had forgotten how to be a maid? I might get caught. Definitely!

She was anxious.

According to Lovis, Meredith grew up with him. She was brought up as a maid. Her training may have faded from her memory, but her talents must have remained. What concerned Ivanna much more was the fact that the emperor had seen her fight. She had no idea if Meredith was also a fighter. It wouldn't make sense. It would be suspicious if a veteran maid forgot her capabilities to serve as a maid but suddenly earned new fighting abilities.

Much to her amazement, the young emperor seized her hands and dragged her somewhere.

‘’Hey–I mean Your Majesty, where are you taking me?’’ She silently scolded herself for forgetting to address the child dragging her with honorifics. Argh! I have to remember I am now a servant and not a princess anymore.

‘’To the bath,’’ he beamed.

‘’Uh-huh, but do you need to guide me there personally? You can just teach me the directions.’’

‘’Eh?’’ They stopped. Lovis turned to look at her, puzzled. "Won't we take a bath together?"

Ivanna gasped and was stunned for a moment. However, a thought crossed her mind. Is this young man teasing me?

It took a brief moment of silence between them when it was Lovis’ turn to be surprised. A perfect arch of a smirk was drawn on her face.

‘’Then, Your Majesty, do take the lead.’’

Ivanna didn’t stop at that, her free hand slowly reached for his chest.

‘’W-What are you doing?’’ His face flushed red and Ivanna could see it. Her grin became even more mischievous.

‘’You started it, Your Majesty. I’ll just take a bite on it.’’ She leaned closer, invading his personal space. Young man, don’t you dare play games with this old hag.

She knew she stank so she did it purposely. Internally, she was laughing, and found amusement in teasing the young emperor.

He got more flustered and was obviously abashed. ‘’N-No! That’s…it’s not what you think. You’re…you’re my only maid so…so I have no choice but to ask you…you to help me soak in a nice...nice bath.’’

‘’Eh? Your Majesty, what do you mean? It’s not what I think. What do you think I’m thinking?’’

And as she pulled her hand away from his chest, something in her hands clinked. They are keys she took out from his chest pocket.

‘’...’’ His mouth turned completely shut and his face, not only his cheeks, turned red. He was utterly embarrassed. His crystal-like eyes glistened as he turned his gaze away from her.

Ivanna suddenly felt bad for teasing the young emperor. However, she failed to suppress her laughter.

A hearty laugh escaped from her lips. ‘’Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to. I just gave in and got along with you. Well, you started it, didn’t you? Then there’s me, who can’t resist teasing you.’’

She wiped tears that formed in her eyes as she laughed.

She looked at him and saw him staring at her, pouting. He resembled a forlorn lost kitten who had been wrong. Ivanna needed to stop herself from having an urge to pinch his cheeks hard.

‘’So young man, let’s get you a bath for now, but let me at least change my clothes first so my stinkiness won’t be transferred to you,’’ then she laughed again and gently ruffled his hair like she was dealing with a little boy.

‘’Young man? I’m not young anymore,’’ he said, puffing out his cheeks.

‘’You are.’’

‘’So you do as well.’’

‘’Huh?’’ Ivanna tilted her head.

‘’We’re the same age. Don’t you remember?’’

Ivanna facepalmed and cursed under her breath. ‘’Oh no! I forgot about that.’’