'Cold.'
A chill ran through my body, and I shrank.
I tried to fumble for the blanket, but my arms wouldn't move as I wanted them to.
I felt the hard, cold floor on my shoulders and hips.
Now that I think about it, one of the arms that was lying on my body was very numb, and the back of my neck felt very sore, as if someone had hit me.
Wait, I got hit and passed out!
"Aah."
I opened my eyes with a start.
“Where is this...”
I instinctively looked around to figure out my location.
Contrary to expectations, the place I was lying in wasn't like an underground prison.
The bathroom, decorated in an antique style with red lavatory and black furniture, gave me a sense of where I was.
'It looks like a bathroom attached to Kavala's residence.'
I'm not sure, but I was definitely caught and mistaken for a thief after being caught by magic or something similar.
But why did the guards lock the thief in the bathroom of the Empress's Palace?
'By the way, what is that smell?'
I frowned at the unpleasant smell that sharply stung my nose.
The bathroom was full of burning incense sticks, as if someone had left them there, but there was a pungent smell that couldn't be erased, even with all the incense sticks.
'The smell of blood?'
I had a feeling that might be the case, but I couldn't be sure.
Because I've never smelled the scent of blood so vibrating throughout the entire space in my life.
Frowning at the awful smell and looking around carefully, I discovered some suspicious objects on the sink.
'Knife?'
Small knives, each as big as my palm, were neatly arranged according to size and shape.
They were ornate swords that appeared to be for decorative or ceremonial purposes.
"Why are there so many knives in the bathroom? What are they for?"
I don't know.
'That's not important right now.'
If the guards mistook me for a thief through some magic or something, doesn't that mean no one knows I've snuck into the Empress's Palace yet?
'There's still a chance to rob the warehouse!'
First of all, if I can get rid of the shackles on my wrists and ankles.
But somehow, I felt like I could solve this shackle.
I'm unusually thin compared to other people. My wrists, my hands, even my bones are thin.
That means the shackles are pretty loose on me.
It seems like these chains were made to fit the thief's body, but the thief seems to have thicker bones than me.
I twisted my hands around in the loose shackles that were too tight for my wrists. They seemed to slip off, but they wouldn't.
'It's not easy.'
I thought it might come off if I applied a little more force, but the problem was that I didn't have enough strength.
After struggling for a while, I looked around the bathroom and found a bottle of perfume on the shelf near the bathtub.
'There are so many things that smell good, so why does it smell so bad here?'
With that thought in mind, I moved my body like a caterpillar and went near the bottle of perfume.
I struggled and barely managed to raise my upper body.
I gasped for breath, which had gotten heavier as I did so, and put the bottle of perfume in my mouth and placed it on the floor.
Somehow, I managed to remove the bottle cork and pour the perfume on my wrist. A strong fragrance spread, and my hands, slippery from the oil, slipped free from the shackles.
'That's it!'
In the same way, I was able to free all the chains on my wrists and ankles.
'Let's get out of here quickly.'
I crept to the bathroom door and put my ear against it, listening for any signs of life outside. There was no sign of life.
I carefully turned the handle, seeing that the lock was on the inside, and the door opened unexpectedly easily.
'Let's see, where is this place...'
I quietly left the bathroom and looked around, startled.
'Isn't this Kavala's bedroom?'
A spacious and luxurious room decorated in an antique style.
Anyone could see that this was the Empress's bedroom.
There were more scented candles burning in the bedroom than in the bathroom. Thanks to this, I could see my surroundings clearly even without the lights.
I was dumbfounded.
Why did they catch me, mistake me for a thief, and throw me into the bathroom attached to Kavala's bedroom?
'What...?'
Something feels strange. What could it be?
No matter what assumptions I made, my imagination was not able to comprehend this situation.
'I don't know.'
I don't know what happened, but either way, this was definitely a stroke of luck for me.
'My goal was to hide in Kavala's bedroom, but you threw me here!'
I moved diligently, listening to the sounds outside, and searched through the Kavala's belongings.
Finding the magic key wasn't difficult. It was stored in the first drawer of the bedside dresser.
'It's more flimsy than it looks?'
But that was a mistake.
I clutched the dice-shaped key, the size of a fist, with both hands and looked outside through the curtains to gauge the time, and then I realized.
'The window is locked by magic...?'
When I put my hand near the window, my hand bounced back.
Just in case, I put my hand on the doorknob, and my hand just flew away limply.
Kavala did not mismanage her keys; she simply hid them in a safer place than anyone else.
And I'm trapped in a magically locked Kavala bedroom.
'If you didn't know that and tried to get in here on your own, you would have failed.'
It seemed like she really didn't like other people coming in and out of her bedroom.
Otherwise, why would she put such a great spell on a bedroom?
'Even the Empress's Palace wasn't this secure.'
I looked out the window once more.
It was still very dark, but I could vaguely see my surroundings, so I knew the sun was rising.
Fortunately, I didn't seem to be unconscious for too long.
'I have to get out before Kavala comes back.'
How can all the doors be locked with magic?
I stood leisurely in front of a wall.
There was a reason I thought that if I just found the key in Kavala's bedroom, the rest would be easy.
I was on the lookout for the secret passages in the palace.
'It's an escape route, so you can't get in from the outside, but you can get out from the inside.'
Every time I sneaked out of my quarters without the maids knowing, I did it that way.
I manipulated a secret device hidden in the wall.
The secret passage door opened softly and without a sound.
Kavala would never have dreamed that there would be such a secret passage connected to my room.
This is a secret known only to the Emperors and Empresses of the past.
'My mother broke the taboo and told me her secret.'
Now that I think about it, my mother probably suspected that the Empress and the Prince were after our lives.
I leisurely left the Empress's quarters through the only door that was not enchanted.
The secret passage was not only unmanaged but also not exposed to sunlight, making it a not-so-pleasant space.
The dampness had caused a musty smell to spread, and the floor was black and slippery, covered in what could be either water stains or moss.
As the door closed behind me, I was plunged into pitch-black darkness, unable to see a thing.
An instinctive fear of the unfamiliar space shrouded in darkness came over me.
But I opened my eyes wide and shook it off.
"There's no time to tremble here. I need to move diligently, taking care of even the smallest things, to contribute to Andrea and Kavala's misfortune and my own happiness."
The fact that those who made me so miserable and desperate are living happily is something I fear more than this darkness.
I gritted my teeth and cautiously walked down the stairs leading to the basement.
I descended the stairs and felt along the damp, damp wall. Something slippery, unknown to me, clung to my hand. A chill ran down my spine, a feeling of discomfort.
But I kept repeating to myself:
"I'm not a greenhouse flower. I'm not weak. I can do anything."
After feeling around the wall diligently, I found a torch and flint hanging on the wall.
At each entrance to the secret passage, torches and flints were prepared.
Tick! Tick!
After much effort, I managed to light the torch, however clumsily.
'Let's go to the exit closest to the treasure vault.'
In the complex underground passages without any landmarks, I just went forward relying on my intuition.
And finally.
'Treasure!'
As I safely hid in the warehouse, all sorts of neatly arranged jewels sparkled before my eyes.
A chill ran through my body, and I shrank.
I tried to fumble for the blanket, but my arms wouldn't move as I wanted them to.
I felt the hard, cold floor on my shoulders and hips.
Now that I think about it, one of the arms that was lying on my body was very numb, and the back of my neck felt very sore, as if someone had hit me.
Wait, I got hit and passed out!
"Aah."
I opened my eyes with a start.
“Where is this...”
I instinctively looked around to figure out my location.
Contrary to expectations, the place I was lying in wasn't like an underground prison.
The bathroom, decorated in an antique style with red lavatory and black furniture, gave me a sense of where I was.
'It looks like a bathroom attached to Kavala's residence.'
I'm not sure, but I was definitely caught and mistaken for a thief after being caught by magic or something similar.
But why did the guards lock the thief in the bathroom of the Empress's Palace?
'By the way, what is that smell?'
I frowned at the unpleasant smell that sharply stung my nose.
The bathroom was full of burning incense sticks, as if someone had left them there, but there was a pungent smell that couldn't be erased, even with all the incense sticks.
'The smell of blood?'
I had a feeling that might be the case, but I couldn't be sure.
Because I've never smelled the scent of blood so vibrating throughout the entire space in my life.
Frowning at the awful smell and looking around carefully, I discovered some suspicious objects on the sink.
'Knife?'
Small knives, each as big as my palm, were neatly arranged according to size and shape.
They were ornate swords that appeared to be for decorative or ceremonial purposes.
"Why are there so many knives in the bathroom? What are they for?"
I don't know.
'That's not important right now.'
If the guards mistook me for a thief through some magic or something, doesn't that mean no one knows I've snuck into the Empress's Palace yet?
'There's still a chance to rob the warehouse!'
First of all, if I can get rid of the shackles on my wrists and ankles.
But somehow, I felt like I could solve this shackle.
I'm unusually thin compared to other people. My wrists, my hands, even my bones are thin.
That means the shackles are pretty loose on me.
It seems like these chains were made to fit the thief's body, but the thief seems to have thicker bones than me.
I twisted my hands around in the loose shackles that were too tight for my wrists. They seemed to slip off, but they wouldn't.
'It's not easy.'
I thought it might come off if I applied a little more force, but the problem was that I didn't have enough strength.
After struggling for a while, I looked around the bathroom and found a bottle of perfume on the shelf near the bathtub.
'There are so many things that smell good, so why does it smell so bad here?'
With that thought in mind, I moved my body like a caterpillar and went near the bottle of perfume.
I struggled and barely managed to raise my upper body.
I gasped for breath, which had gotten heavier as I did so, and put the bottle of perfume in my mouth and placed it on the floor.
Somehow, I managed to remove the bottle cork and pour the perfume on my wrist. A strong fragrance spread, and my hands, slippery from the oil, slipped free from the shackles.
'That's it!'
In the same way, I was able to free all the chains on my wrists and ankles.
'Let's get out of here quickly.'
I crept to the bathroom door and put my ear against it, listening for any signs of life outside. There was no sign of life.
I carefully turned the handle, seeing that the lock was on the inside, and the door opened unexpectedly easily.
'Let's see, where is this place...'
I quietly left the bathroom and looked around, startled.
'Isn't this Kavala's bedroom?'
A spacious and luxurious room decorated in an antique style.
Anyone could see that this was the Empress's bedroom.
There were more scented candles burning in the bedroom than in the bathroom. Thanks to this, I could see my surroundings clearly even without the lights.
I was dumbfounded.
Why did they catch me, mistake me for a thief, and throw me into the bathroom attached to Kavala's bedroom?
'What...?'
Something feels strange. What could it be?
No matter what assumptions I made, my imagination was not able to comprehend this situation.
'I don't know.'
I don't know what happened, but either way, this was definitely a stroke of luck for me.
'My goal was to hide in Kavala's bedroom, but you threw me here!'
I moved diligently, listening to the sounds outside, and searched through the Kavala's belongings.
Finding the magic key wasn't difficult. It was stored in the first drawer of the bedside dresser.
'It's more flimsy than it looks?'
But that was a mistake.
I clutched the dice-shaped key, the size of a fist, with both hands and looked outside through the curtains to gauge the time, and then I realized.
'The window is locked by magic...?'
When I put my hand near the window, my hand bounced back.
Just in case, I put my hand on the doorknob, and my hand just flew away limply.
Kavala did not mismanage her keys; she simply hid them in a safer place than anyone else.
And I'm trapped in a magically locked Kavala bedroom.
'If you didn't know that and tried to get in here on your own, you would have failed.'
It seemed like she really didn't like other people coming in and out of her bedroom.
Otherwise, why would she put such a great spell on a bedroom?
'Even the Empress's Palace wasn't this secure.'
I looked out the window once more.
It was still very dark, but I could vaguely see my surroundings, so I knew the sun was rising.
Fortunately, I didn't seem to be unconscious for too long.
'I have to get out before Kavala comes back.'
How can all the doors be locked with magic?
I stood leisurely in front of a wall.
There was a reason I thought that if I just found the key in Kavala's bedroom, the rest would be easy.
I was on the lookout for the secret passages in the palace.
'It's an escape route, so you can't get in from the outside, but you can get out from the inside.'
Every time I sneaked out of my quarters without the maids knowing, I did it that way.
I manipulated a secret device hidden in the wall.
The secret passage door opened softly and without a sound.
Kavala would never have dreamed that there would be such a secret passage connected to my room.
This is a secret known only to the Emperors and Empresses of the past.
'My mother broke the taboo and told me her secret.'
Now that I think about it, my mother probably suspected that the Empress and the Prince were after our lives.
I leisurely left the Empress's quarters through the only door that was not enchanted.
***
The secret passage was not only unmanaged but also not exposed to sunlight, making it a not-so-pleasant space.
The dampness had caused a musty smell to spread, and the floor was black and slippery, covered in what could be either water stains or moss.
As the door closed behind me, I was plunged into pitch-black darkness, unable to see a thing.
An instinctive fear of the unfamiliar space shrouded in darkness came over me.
But I opened my eyes wide and shook it off.
"There's no time to tremble here. I need to move diligently, taking care of even the smallest things, to contribute to Andrea and Kavala's misfortune and my own happiness."
The fact that those who made me so miserable and desperate are living happily is something I fear more than this darkness.
I gritted my teeth and cautiously walked down the stairs leading to the basement.
I descended the stairs and felt along the damp, damp wall. Something slippery, unknown to me, clung to my hand. A chill ran down my spine, a feeling of discomfort.
But I kept repeating to myself:
"I'm not a greenhouse flower. I'm not weak. I can do anything."
After feeling around the wall diligently, I found a torch and flint hanging on the wall.
At each entrance to the secret passage, torches and flints were prepared.
Tick! Tick!
After much effort, I managed to light the torch, however clumsily.
'Let's go to the exit closest to the treasure vault.'
In the complex underground passages without any landmarks, I just went forward relying on my intuition.
And finally.
'Treasure!'
As I safely hid in the warehouse, all sorts of neatly arranged jewels sparkled before my eyes.
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