Renata, cleaned herself properly making sure that she did not hit the bottom of the tub and then held the borders to come out of the tub slowly.
Wiping herself, she walked toward the closet only to see all her dresses were shot. The kids grew fast and could not wear dresses for long.
So, even though her dress was new and untouched, she was not able to wear them.
"How annoying!'' She picked up the dress that looked largest among the scrawny ones and wore it, yet it ended only upto her knees.
Holding her hair in her hands and making a small bun, she walked towards the mirror and saw herself again. It still felt so surreal!
The room, the palace, she only has bad memories here.
"If I stay here, I am only going to repeat my past and die with their hands." she had to leave.
But where? She had never left the palace in her past life except for the palace of her fiance who was the one who killed her too.
Then where!? Should she just run away? No, she had to find more about the town and make a strategy before doing so.
But for that.. She had to go out and survey her surroundings too.
"Tsk! There is not even a nib or parchment." with only a pacifier and a few toys around. Her room looked more like an abandoned storage room.
The layer of dust on the table, she could even use it to write her plans.
What was she supposed to do now? Should she go out and look around more? But what if her step mother found out about her.
More than her father who had neglected her all his life, she was more afraid of her mother who used to beat her and torment in the name of accidents.
Throwing tea on her fair hand in the name of a slippery cup to slap her in the name of discipline. She always had an answer for every action.
And with that innocent look on her face, no one would ever doubt her. That was why she was a scary woman.
She was truly a nuisance.
All she wished was that her mother would never be able to find her. She remembered hiding in the closet for days hungry with the fear that she would punish her again.
"No! You have to show courage Ren, you are not that weak now." she took a deep breath as she walked towards the door.
Opening it, she peeked and noticed that there was not a single soul out.
The maids must have been enjoying the sun as they have said. She was relieved that no one would stop her small exploration.
She remembered a hole in the garden boundaries of the palace. Her maids had used that to meet her lover and steal things from her palace in the past only to be caught by the knights later.
She was punished heavily but the gems never returned to her palace. It was kept by the knights or transferred to her father who knew!
But if she would be able to find her small treasure, she could just take it back as she was the true owner of those gems.
And she was sure the maid would never doubt her. But where had she kept it?
Should she go and check the room assigned to the maids? She nodded her head as that would be a good start.
If she would have wealth and the way to go out would be ready. She would be able to leave as soon as she would find a way to hide herself.
She was sure there would be a few orphanages which would take her and give her a princess-like treatment if she would offer a good amount of donation.
"Ha! The tasks are only increasing with time." Now she had to arrange three things..
Money.
Passage to leave,
And good donation
Well, if she could adopt good parents then it would be better than an orphanage where there was no surety of food. She did not want to spend her next life in hunger too.
First things first, she shook her head as she did not want to keep increasing her troubles and break her morale.
"Why are there so many stairs?" Though she had the mind of an adult, she was still a baby with a body and the stairs were large and too many.
The maids live in the attic while the lower portion was all for her in the name. Most of the rooms are rusty and locked. She wondered if they have precious jewels too?
What if she would enter them through a window and make a hideout there. She would collect precious things and would keep them there.
Finally reaching the door, she took a deep breath and opened the door,
"Aaahhhh"