Chapter 2 - Find a map

Alright. This is no big deal... I'm Mallory Blackburn. The villainess.

All I have to do to survive is grow up normal and agree to get sold off to some old noble with twenty wives. Seems decent.

Not!

This is a nightmare. If I stay hear until the storyline starts then I need a plan to survive at least.

My best options are:

1 - Run away.

2 - Find a decent young man with an influential background to agree to marry me.

Hmm...

I glanced at my reflection. A child stared back at me with plain brown hair and much darker eyes. From what I read, Mallory would grow up to be a plain beauty. A better word being just plain.

And with how I am now... nobody would marry a kid...

So let's run away first!

All I need is some supplies: a horse and a map.

I could take the survival supplies from what I already have, but a horse? A map? Where do I get any of those things?

Can a baby even ride a horse? I was lost in thought when the door to the nursery opened.

Like a lady carrying hopes and dreams along with her, mother entered, her face buttered up, neck full of fat jewels as she looked around with searching eyes. She didn't glance at me once and, instead, her blue eyes fell upon my brother.

Victor was writing on a little board with some chalks. He was attempting his name... or maybe he was drawing a house? I couldn't tell anymore. He didn't expect to get snatched away so suddenly from his... art?

He was held under mothers arm as she rushed out of the room in a hurry.

Curious, I followed after her. She ran into his room, the door left wide open leaving the display of colourful little suits and shoes all scattered about, visible to any passing eyes. Maids standing around while holding the suits against poor Victor who was currently screaming.

Something was clearly happening.

"This one! No- this one is perfect! Ugh- no I like this one better! It matches his hair!" Mother was throwing suit after suit to whatever maid stood by. Her hands moving at an impressive speed.

"Momma... I don't want sho wear dat" Victor pouted with a puppy dog face and for once mother was not affected.

"No darling", she grabbed his small shoulders, crouching down to be at eye level with him, "it's your brothers birthday. He's the crown prince and one day he'll be king, so you need to be good friends with that wenches child".

I instantly knew who she was talking about. The crown prince who would be my future murderer, the fiancé of the heroine, my brother.

He was born by Cecelia, the first Empress who was praised as the emperors most beloved wife and she also had the most backing out of all the other wives and concubines. Hence, her son was an immediate candidate for the throne.

He was praised as a genius even at the age of two. He speaks better than kids a decade older than him and is already contributing to the assignments of officials in the army. This isn't as surprising as it sound since he was already called the lonely genius in the book.

Growing up, he could never truly speak to someone on the same wavelength. This caused him to feel lonely even when he was surrounded by his peers. The heroine, who happens to also be a genius ends up as his first real friend, curing his lonely heart.

It was beautiful...

But, let's not get distracted.

Mother finally settled on a suit just as I realised something. If mother was heading to the palace for a party that meant that entering the main palace would be an easy task and by entering the main palace I get access to the royal library.

The royal library was described in the book as a room with every book in the world. If you needed any information at all you could find it there.

That meant there had to be a map of the castle there!

Task 1 of the runaway plan: Retrieve the map from the castle and safely return back.

I decided the kitchen had the best exit to take. Confident I wouldn't get noticed I strode through the bustling area. The maids who worked busily, storing away preps and cleaning out the storage cupboards.

I was right. They took no notice of me.

The guard outside didn't even notice me. I could be a ninja... or that guard was basically useless.

I realised I didn't exactly think my plan through when I was trying to find an exit to the garden of dead unkept flowers. It was a dreary place to be lost in, filled with pale, dry, pitiful stalks. And no matter how fast I stumbled ahead I still wasn't getting out of the large place.

It was summer so flowers should be blooming, not dying. I suspected that mother pulled some strings to rack up some more spending money.

The unexpected cry of a crow sounded out to my right. I turned to the loud caw in observation and gave a cry of horror at the large bird that cocked its head in an intimidating manner at me. It was just an inch shorter than me, but that was enough for it to consider me prey, except... it didn't attack me and instead stared at me with wise, curious eyes.

I stared back. Admiring its beautiful silky feathers occasionally, during our staring contest.

"Do you live here?" I asked to it, feeling a bit silly, but I was a child so nobody should care.

The crow leaned back in a surprised way, as if it didn't expect me to talk. It eventually leaned forward and in too sharp movements nodded.

I- It understands! I wonder if it could get me out of here?

"Do you know the way to the main palace?"

The crow stared at me silently in reply.

I knew this was a stupid idea.

And then, to my surprise it jumped so it's hind faced me and started hopping forward in small jumps. I wouldn't have thought much of it, if it hadn't turned back to me with an expectant gesture of its beak.

In awe I followed the intelligent thing, not paying as much attention to my surroundings as I did to its shining back. When it finally stopped hopping, I looked up and gave a delighted gasp.

"T-That's it! That's the castle!" The garden of the extravagant castle was full of finely dressed individuals, all of them walking out of the hall where the bustling and music could be heard, even from our far position.

This crow is amazing... I'm not loosing a connection like this.

"Let's be friends" I said to the crow who stood beside me. Never, in my entire life, would I have ever thought I'd be saying that to a crow of all things.

The crow turned to me with a universal 'caw' and flapped it's large wings, ready to fly.

"W-Wait!", it stopped at my cry and turned to me, "can you help me when I leave? I don't remember how we got here".

It didn't say anything this time when it flapped it's wings and jumped off the soft grass in a graceful flight. I stared after it in astonishment.

Is this what Snow White feels like?

I advanced to the garden after shrugging off the excitement of conversing with an animal. Entering the hall was easy, getting past the large skirts that took so much space wasn't. It didn't help that I was a weak one year old, but at least nobody took notice of me.

That is until I bumped into a child just a tad bit taller than me.

"S-Sorry", I said in programmed politeness.

"It's okay". A clear voice that could no way belong to a two year old replied. My head snapped towards the kid who stared at me with large gold eyes. He was adorable and he spoke so intelligently.

I couldn't help but find him cute.

"Aww aren't you a clever boy?" I cooed, irrespective to the fact I was younger than him.

"Everyone says that". The boy replied coldly for a small child.

"Then it must be true".

I didn't want to take advantage of a small child. I shouldn't. But...

I bit my lip as my guilt subsided.

"Do you know where the royal library is?"

I'm awful...

He nodded and grabbed my small hand with his own pudgy fingers.

"Follow me".

"Thank you". I gasped out as he pulled me along. The large skirts parted where he walked, like the sea for Moses. It was kind of impressive.

"My dad takes me to the library all the time so I know where it is. I like to read the books there", suddenly the intellectual two year old spoke a bit more like a child and less like a robot.

"That nice. My dad never takes me anywhere. I don't think he's a good person", I replied in an equally childlike manner.

Hey! It gets lonely when nobody notices you.

"Really? Why do you think he's a bad person?"

"He never visits his kids".

"I see".

He became silent as if he sensed the topic was heavy. It wasn't. At least it wasn't for me. For mother and Victor it would be different.

From what I recall Victor ended up alright, but he never spoke to his father. They had no relationship at all which was more painful than having a strained relationship. Mother on the other hand hated Empress Cecelia with great passion and was almost always ignored by her husband. She would do everything to help Victor be considered a rightful heir and continuously failed.

It didn't end too well for her. She would later attempt to poison the crown prince, which would lead to her execution.

Like mother like daughter.

"We're here" he let go of my hand as we stood before the large set of doors. A guard soldier smiled down at the small boy.

"Found a friend have you? Let me open the door for the Lord and Lady than" he joked as he opened the door while grinning at the two of us.

The soldier seemed to know the boy, so it must be true that he visits a lot with his father. He must be an important child.

The library was a large room, filled with rows and rows of books and not a single person was in charge.

"This place is huge!" I spread my small hands up and gave the child an excited grin. And in my excitement I realised a factor I hadn't considered. "Oh... I don't know how to read..." .

Have you ever felt embarrassed in front of a two year old? It sucks...

"I can help you find what you want", the boy offered.

"Really? You can read?"

No way! Was he a genius?

A sudden bad premonition washed over me. I shook my head.

No. No. Don't be silly.

"Yes".

"Well... I'm looking for a map of the castle. But, something that shows the gardens and the large walls that lead to the outside. Do you think you can find something like that?" I looked around at the books, they seemed to have symbols sectioning them off. I didn't understand any of it.

The child nodded, his face brightened up as he walked through the aisles. I followed after him, admiring my surroundings.

He stopped at a display shelf and pointed to a large paper spread out behind the glass. It was the map. Exactly as I envisioned it. The walls around the entire area, the large castle surrounded by a number of other castles and buildings. The gardens and where they lead to. The green house dedicated to the Empresses love for agriculture. Everything.

"This the map".

I nodded in awe.

"What are you kids doing here?"

I jumped at the sudden voice, swivelling around to where it came from. The boy on the other hand just turned calmly.

"Uncle", he said to the older boy who stood behind us, his arms crossed as he wore a look of suspicion.

He had deep red locks, with familiar golden eyes. His face would definitely grow to look pretty handsome in a few years.

"Shouldn't you be downstairs?" He said to the young boy beside me, and then giving me a peculiar look, he asked, "who's the baby?"

EXCUSE ME? THIS "BABY" IS YOUR SENIOR BY AT LEAST A DECADE!

"My friend", the dark haired boy replied, he grabbed my hand protectively. The red-head grinned at the sight of it.

"Oh. Your friend is it? Isn't she a bit too stupid to be your friend?" He taunted childishly.

"Rude". I glared at the taller boy.

He seemed surprised at hearing that and blinked a few times.

"Oh... she can speak... creepy"...

"That's rude! You're creepy!" I pointed a finger at the boy. I felt angry and a bit humiliated.

"Eh? Me?" He pointed to himself indignantly, "I'm creepy? I'm not the one year old who can speak!"

That... That was a good point.

"It's not creepy..." spoke the small childlike voice from beside me. The child who spoke seemed injured and sad at the insult, despite it not being thrown at him.

"That's right! It's not creepy at all. Everyone's just jealous that we're smarter than them!"

The young boy looked surprised at my words.

"Jealous?" He asked for confirmation.

"Yep. Jeeaaloouus!" I pointed at the tall boy with an infuriating smirk on my face. He flushed in embarrassment.

"H-How dare you! Do you know who I am? I'm the only brother of the Emperor! The Duke of Camellia!"

W-Wait!... t-the duke?! That- That duke?!

Shit...

Let's explain a bit. There were two royal love interests. The first was as mentioned, the crown prince and the second, was the Uncle of the crown prince.

He had a severe inferiority complex after the genius prince was born and extremely low self-esteem. The heroine somehow managed to cure this. I might have skipped over that out of boredom, but either way, he hated Mallory.

He stripped her of her title just because he noticed her glaring at the heroine...

He was the one person I needed to avoid.

Damn it!