While heading towards her own palace empress said to herself.
"I remember how we met, I do."
"I only daughter of Duke Antonio of west, Lady Vivian Antonio was forced to marry current Emperor Rowan Arnold Solmere."
Even a single thought of that man, made her clinch her hands into fists.
"Upon hearing that he has a child before because he couldn't keep it in his pants and forced himself upon a palace maid also a low profile noble, I didn't care enough."
"As that maid could have risen to some position to being able to protect both her child and herself because Imperial blood is still an Imperial blood."
Vivian Sighs, and keeps walking after few steps.
She stops in hallway and looks at a potrait of her piece of her heart, her now daughter with she sares a bond way deeper than blood. In the potrait looks like Princess Selene Theofonia Solmere is around 8 to 12 months.
"I wish, I could meet you earlier child, but our first meeting was really too lovely."
"I remember taking a stroll in garden after 2 months of my marriage, my Nia was 3 years old already at that time.."
"As I was taking a stroll, I saw there were several fruits and vegetables growing around in the food gardening area, because the Late Empress, mother of that Jerk was very fond of it."
A soft smile crept into vivian's lips as she further recall's her memories.
I remember I was looking at fruits and vegetables as they looked very delicious and I saw a tiny figure while bending looking something in bushes with a small sling backpack, adorable yet little funny thing was that tiny figure's diapers were visible.
At that time I was amused by this little figure in blue dress.
That tiny figure's head poped out from the bush with few a different types of berries.
Vivian hid behind a bush too.
That tiny entity turns out to be a little girl with chestnut hair and charcoal blue coloured eyes.
Vivian peeked from the bush and saw the girl, she couldn't Stop looking at her as the little toddler was very chubby and chunky.
The little girl Opened her sling bag and there were clearly a single eggs and potato along side with some cherry tomatoes and freshly pulcked out spinach.
"I am getting better at this."
Said by the little girl who was too proud of herself.
Vivian was very curious and shocked as she witnessed herself a food theft but the thief was adorable.
"I should hurry now."
Little girl said as she started to run away.
Vivian took out her heels and held them in her hands and started to follow her so that the little theif could not hear footsteps, which is very astonishing as Vivian is Empire's most noble lady and running around a child bare footed in palace ground didn't suited her character.
The little girl went a little too inside of the garden as the imperial garden was huge and has many natural and magical things in it.
She stoped and saw the little girl near hot springs, it wasn't new for Vivian to see hot spring as the whole imperial paclace had many suprising elements.
She was the girl putting the egg and potato into different hot springs as if she was aware which spring has high and low temperatures.
The Little girl walked towards a very gigantic tree with a very hole shaped like a door which was covered with a cloth probably a badly made curtain.
"Home sweet home."
The girl said and rolled up the curtains from the entrance, Vivian could clearly see that space inside was clearly about 10 by 10 ft, and it's ceiling height was about 5 ft tall.
She came outside to put her spinach in another nearby hot springs which had the least steam coming out of it, she wore her sling bag again which had different berries, cherry tomatoes along side with some bottles and went to a little far away stream to fill up her bottle and wash up berries, cherry tomatoes and came back to unload her stuff.
Young theif went again toward a direction but it was opposite one, she was Headed to swan place's direction.
Vivian again followed her, heels in hands and recalled that head maid told her this palace was given to Princess Selene Theofonia Solmere, it was a comparatively small but liveable place.
Child crept into the kitchen which had no maids and stole some spices, butter, honey and bread and went towards her secret hideout.
Upon reaching back she took out her cutlery from her hideout and removed the potato, egg and spinach with a small fishing net.
She peeled the potato and egg which had turned very soft and sliced it with her cutlery and on the side she putted her blach spinach and cherry tomatoes, she further added some butter, salt, and a little amount of Black pepper.
The little girl ate her meal delightfuly and The Empress of The Nation was shocked as this young child had far more better cooking skills than her own self.
After eating her meals the young lady bought out her bowl and filled it with berries and honey and ate her desert.
After her desert she went to that running stream again probably to wash her dishes and cutlery.
Vivian this time decide to not follow her but check her hideout once she is little far. And as the little child goes away, vivian searches her little hideout.
She sees magic stones at some places working as a source of light and three tables mad up of books in first table there were 5 dressess along side with undergarments, 3 night dress, cloth diapers, warmers for winters, winter scarf and both warm and normal socks some plain sheet and pillow covers, on the second table she could see some other cutlery, kichen clothes, honey, butter and other spices, recently filled water bottles and the third table was alongside with her bed upon which her handbag rested and several hair ties, handkerchief and bandages along side with some herbs, child's bed was made up on 3 layer books, carboards and a lot of clothes pieces, upon touching the bed it was quite comfortable, it had a little bedsheet with pillow and stuff toys, on the ground there was a carpet and beside the door a small broom was there too, Vivian couldn't believe on her own eyes.
After seeing and checking everything she returned to her previous hiding spot and saw the little girl coming with clean dishes now,
Vivian could see her wiping her slightly wet dishes with kitchen cloth and came out with her little toothbrush and in one hand and night dress in another and walked towards a different direction this time.
Vivian saw that she has reached a different hot springs this time, child undressed her self and threw her clothes of today into a hot springs and went inside another to take a bath while brushing her teeth with the little toothbrush.
"A child knows better to how to take care of themselves than most on the nobels."
Vivian whispered to her self.
After some time child came out from the hot springs and wore her night dress, she also took out her clothes which were in the hot water washing all the dirt, germs, and any possible smell from today and she laid it flat on a nearby smooth and flat stone and place some other stone on the clothes to prevent it from flying away, and went with her tooth brush towards her hideout.
After going inside she closed the curtains, turned off the magic stones and went to sleep.
Vivian was so lost into the activities of that little girl she herself had forgotten how much had last as it was already getting dark and she went back to her palace.