The Obelian Anthology

The Best Birthday Present Ever

Story Title: The Best Birthday Present Ever

Source: Suddenly Became A Princess One Day [Novel], Volume 4, Book 13: The Return

Author: Plutus

Artist: Spoon

Disclaimer: Story and art are not ours, only the translations. Translations are not 100% accurate. The story title is made up.

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Wake up!

It was immediately dark in front of me.

"Huh?!"

How much time has passed?

I woke up, shuddering.

Ugh. What, what is this? What was I doing just now? Where am I? Who am I?

I was confused about my identity for a moment, so I looked around intently and soon remembered what happened last night.

Ahhhhh!

This damn black psycho! What the hell did you do to me and Claude? As soon as you got back, you murdered a father and daughter! Oh, you crazy bastard!

I groped my head instinctively searching for the branch somewhere but it was gone. I didn't die just like Lucas said... rather it felt strangely refreshing... But it wasn't supposed to be like that!

Ugh. But what about Claude?

A moment later, I saw Claude lying dead right next to me and shook him violently.

"Oh, Dad! Dad!"

Maybe Lucas moved us to a soft bed because we weren't on the cold floor where we fainted.

Seems it was dawn already as well, as the dazzling sunlight gradually shone, and the surroundings were very calm.

I shook Claude up and was suddenly stunned.

Oh, my God, he's not dead?! Are you breathing?!

I can't see the branch that was stuck in his head last night. The bloodshed didn't seem to have happened! But why isn't he moving?

I was so terrified that I put my ear to his chest. And it was only after hearing the beating of his heart that I could barely breathe out with ease.

Wait, where the hell did that man Lucas go after doing this to us? Did he flee because he knew I wouldn't stay still when I opened my eyes? Was that it?

"Um."

Just then, I heard a suppressed groan from below. I lowered my head in surprise.

"Daddy! Are you awake?"

Though he wasn't fully conscious, he frowned as he felt a slight pain where he hit the floor yesterday. I checked Claude's condition as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Daddy, are you hurt anywhere? How's your head? Head? Head!"

Uhuh, I was most worried about the head that Lucas mercilessly stuck a branch into. Luckily, I wasn't injured but I don't know about Claude, he was hit in his head with something bigger than mine.

Gradually, as he started to regain focus, his eyes were transfixed to me. Immediately after that, Claude's countenance suddenly shifted.

"Daddy?"

Oh, what, what is it? Is there a side effect?

Lucas, you son of a bitch, you acted like you'd do something good for me!

Somehow, while I was agitated, Claude had been changing his reaction as he was lying in bed. His face, which had been looking at me for a while now, soon hardened, and for a second, he frowned as if he had been hit in his stomach. There were alternating calm and rapid currents in his jeweled eyes.

"Athanasia."

In such a crevice of confusion, he finally called my name. I held my breath as I faced him.

Is it just me? It was indescribable in words, but something was different.

"Athanasia."

This wasn't how he had looked at me nor the voice he had used to call me until yesterday,

I watched breathlessly as the man before me whispered my name again in a low voice. Finally, Claude's face was imbued with tranquility. His eyes gazed at me like the deep sea which regained its calmness at the end of the storm and seeing him like this tightens my chest to the point of suffocation.

Without hesitation, he hugged me firmly with his arms at my back and I rubbed my stinging nose against his chest.

Oh, it's my dad. It's my real dad.

"You seem to have gotten a lot heavier."

"Daddy, you idiot."

Listening to the sound of his low laughter lingering in my ears, I gave him a stronger hug as if he would disappear again.

That's how Claude came back to me on the morning of my 15th birthday.

Indeed, as Lucas said, it was the best birthday present ever.

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Translator's Notes:

This should have been the last chapter we translate but my curiosity got the better of me. There are some things that have been happening and being mentioned in the manhwa that I want to check in the novel (like what's up with Aeternitas, and Lucas erasing his emotions). I know there's an MTL floating around somewhere, but I want us to make our own translation and interpretation of it.