Chapter 2: what the heck just happened?

Its been at least three days since I woke up.
Food is given in a silver platter and capable maids were here watching me like owls.
But there is one single fact that I realized.
I am stuck.

A maid known as Marielle is diligently serving me.
For some strange reason, she seems to be observing me quite intently.

[I'm seriously being watched.]
Were the first thing that came to my mind.

Although, they seem to do what I want.
Whenever I was bored, they swiftly gave me books.
Whenever I was thirsty, they gave me tea.

As for the book's they gave me it threw me off a little.
Novel's, stories and many other things nobles in this read in their spare time.
Such as [The Crown first love.]
[Mama Ate my Daddy.]
And finally,
[Johnny who got kicked by a horse straight Into A Well, Then Rose As Their King.]
And many more...

I requested a map of the palace and as well as the city from the maid.
She had a puzzled look on her face but explained I simply wanted to study.
Buying that explanation she gave it to me

As for the first few day's here...
Well, my tears have already gone dry.
There's no point in sobbing in the corner.
I need to get out of here.
ASAP!

Was the first thing that came to her mind.

If they discovered I'm not a noble.
Then technically I'm practically screwed, aren't I?

->Deceiving royalty.
->Found a lie and is actually a commoner.
->Head's roll's off.

"I won't accept dying like that!" were her desperate thoughts to the situation.

Estel has made observation around the room,
There are gaps in the maid schedule where she is left alone.
And during that time, she had secretly made a very long rope made out of bed-sheet.

[Now that I think about it, This wasn't the first time I thought about escaping.
But now that I remember my life as a thief, I have a bit more confidence in doing so.]

Estel once desired to escape her stressful life as the second princess of the demon-king.
But due to the dangerous forests and capable servants of the demon-king,
her probability of escaping is completely either death or punishment by her own father.

There was simply nothing she could do during that time.
But now that she remembers her life as a thief,
the past experience she held will now be put to the test.

Was what she thought...

As the moment passes by
The maids have finally left her alone an opportunity for her to escape has finally arrived.
The maps given to her were completely memorized by her from top to bottom.
As well as the location where her only escape resides in.
But she encountered a problem on the most crucial moment of her life.

[I'M AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!] was her situation.

The floor she was in...
Were two stories high, however, for a small girl like her such height were likely three stories high.

[I never imagined my post-trauma from my own death would return to haunt me.
But if I don't do anything I'll Die!, I will seriously die!, get yourself together Me!]
as she focused herself as the only chance for her escape was now at hand.

Throwing the rope made out of linen cloth she was sure none of them were faulty that would lead to her death. But even so, the dread of falling off still lingered in her mind as she began to climb down.

[One...
Two...

One...
Two...

One...
Two...]
Slowly she descended down the rope through the window gritting her teeth,
reminding herself of the coming danger if she failed to escape.
As she peeks downward, she realized that the rope she made only covered half of the building.

[Wha-what... should I do...] 

while dangling she recalled her fall, causing her to completely freeze.
The image caused her face to pale, as she began to tremble and slowly panic.

She looks around to see if there's anything she could do to save herself from the situation she was in.  A tree branch reaches out close to her, but it simply reminded her of the rooftops where she fell and croaked.

Now she has two choices.
Go back up and safely return to her room while facing death, or...
Attempt to grab the branch and descend down the tree as she makes her way to escape.

She shook her head a bit to focus her mind
As she then told herself.
[Come on Estel you can do this!]

With a pale and desperate smile on her face, she kicked the wall and reached out to the thick branch reaching out to her. On the first attempt she didn't reach it, but there was another problem she was unaware of...

The rope she was holding unto were beginning to unfurl itself due to her weight.
Despite her skillful knotting her own weight and attempts are causing it to slowly loosen.

But she was desperate.

As she made a second attempt. She finally caught it, but then her own weight on the rope finally snagged, as she realized only her right hand on a branch was the only thing keeping from falling.

"Hya!" were the only noise she made, trying to restrain herself as noise would only draw attention to her. Using her skill from her past-life, she reached her left hand and slowly pulled herself up.

Despite being treated like a princess in the demon-king castle.
Estel has trained both physically and mentally making her both athletic as well as knowledgeable.
Sadly even with those two things, the fact she lacked wings were her greatest concern as dangerous creatures in the forest she lived in was an extreme threat that after she studied the creatures she could only shudder how a small girl like her could survive.

She resigned herself to her fate until her fateful situation to be finally free of her home has finally arrived.

[There's no way I'd die like this!
Now that I'm finally free from that hell hole.]

That was how much she hated and despised her life in her own home.

After calming herself by hugging the tree, she finally calmed down.
Not a moment to lose she descended down the tree.

The clothing she wore was the same clothing she left in the story.
However, the maids were able to fix the damage on her clothes as well as cleaned it as if brand as new. They seemed to smile every time they gaze at her with a proud look on their faces.

A girl with dark blue haired with a bit of silver on tips of he hair.
Were now making her escape in the palace.
As she opened the map and gaze where she was now located.

[This appear's to be the royal garden.]

Inspecting the map she found it quite larger than she had imagined.
As she walked towards her goal, she encountered a young maid who was almost the same height and age as her. The brown hair woven tied neatly on her head, the eyes of an innocent child as she yawns moving to her work.

But Estel saw it as an opportunity and sneaked behind her.
There was no one there, except for her who was carrying a basket of plates she was delivering.
Among the many things she had learned in the demon castle is magic to defend herself.
One of those were.

"Excuse me..." as Estel called out for her.

She turns to look, but as she saw her glowing eyes she suddenly felt weak as she fell, Estel caught her and pulled her by the bushes.

『Sleep』

Her magical powers are among the weakest of her kind, but even so, she was capable of using simple basic spells taught to her by the tutors. She did not show any brimming talent but her knowledge of it was more than enough.

[Ugh... I feel like a criminal now.
But I'm sorry dear maid.
Let me borrow your clothes for a moment.]

As she cruelly stripped her of what she wore.
When she was finished, her clothing was now that of a maid.
Her old clothes covered her bare body as it slept peacefully on the earth.

She sighed as she looked at her innocent face.

[I wish, I could sleep like that.
But first I need to make myself as inconspicuous as possible.]

She pulled out a small knife she used while eating her meal in the palace.
Then finally at that moment, the long hair she had was no more.
A short-haired girl with blue color was the only thing visible.

[With this, they shouldn't be able to realize I was the guest.]

As she looks around, she then spotted a fountain where she threw her hair in it.
But then noticed the shining silver on its tips were still glowing despite her attempt to conceal it.
[I'm sure no one will notice.]

As she walked in the palace in plain view,
she copied how the servants in her room acted and blended in as though she became a part of the staff.
With sharp memories, she remembered where to go, as she finally reached the end of her goal.

The Palace Gates.

The palace was built in a high place if she attempted to scale it.
Only a large fall is waiting to befall her.
The only escape she can reach were the very entrance itself!

The head guard notice her approach from the high balcony
he then said.

"Halt! what business do you have here."

Estel using her sharp wits and guile responded.

"I came here to receive supplies for the kitchen.
Has it arrived yet?" she asked with concern.

"Supplies? we received no news of it."

"This is terrible!" She cried out while poising herself with a troubled look on her face.

"If the supply doesn't come, we won't have enough food for the party his highness is preparing."

The guard felt fear as she mentioned the king.
Estel smiled as his reaction weakened.

"What shall we do?"

"Fi-fine... Just this once!"

he commanded his men below the gate to give her way.
*Clack* as she finally reached her prize to enter and escape.

The bell's of the palace rang.
Alerting the soldiers, they swiftly shut the door almost instantly.

"Eh? What is the meaning of this? Open up!"

"Sorry, lassie looks like the bells for intruders in the palace rang.
Our strict policy does not allow anyone leaving this place under any circumstances while it's ringing.

You need to wait a bit, I'm sure that intruder got nowhere to escape but here."

As he reassures her she was going pale as panic were beginning to give her stomach cramps.

[That intruder is right in front of you!]
She wanted to say that as a punch-line.
But that would likely send her to jail in an instant.

[This is bad, like seriously bad.
How on earth am I suppose to get through these guards!]

A large gate was the only thing preventing her from escaping.
But the guard keepers are keeping their wits above their heads the moment the bell rang.

After a few moments passed by with a troubled look on her face.
The bells continued to ring.

Another maid then appeared approaching the gates with reading glasses above her head and her frilly clothes fluttering elegantly in the distance. She approached Estel who was troubled at the door patiently waiting for a chance to escape.

"Ara, ara... Why is a small maid like you doing outside by the gate and not working?"

She said these words that startled Estel as she turns her head towards the maid.
With Dark hair and an angry expression on her face, she then wears her glasses to sharply glance at her.

"I deeply apologize it appears this child needs a bit of discipline!"

She then reached out for her collar and dragged her inside the palace.

"Eh?" the guards had a puzzled look on their faces unable to discern what was unfolding before them. Estel herself was wondering, what was happening right in front of her but if she were to struggle here now. The guards will no doubt apprehend her as suspicious and will likely send her to prison.

________________________________________________________________________________

After a few moments, the bells suddenly stopped ringing
She was then lectured by the maid to be known as Marissa who is actually the head maid of the palace.

As for the reason she was there.
She heard something strange with her workers saying a maid had wandered off to the gate and proceeded to fetch her.

It was at this moment Estel was now washing the dishes where a party is currently being held.

[I didn't know there was actually a party being held.
I guess as a guest, it would be improper for someone like me to intrude.]

But suddenly a blue vein popped on her head.

[NO! That's not it!
why am I doing a maid's work all of a sudden!
How the heck did it end up like this!]

while biting her lips, she noticed a crying maid-girl wearing her clothes in the distance.
She appeared to be kneeling and asking for forgiveness to the head maid.
[Ah.... even I want to weep now.
I was so close...]

And thus her life as a maid has finally begun.