Who made me the Emperor's twin sister?!

Ch 2

ᶠⁱⁿᵈⁱⁿᵍ ʰⁱˢ ᵇᵉˡᵒᵛᵉᵈ

*4 yrs. later...

Claude was trudging along the familiar hallways of the palace with a half conscious mind.

His thoughts were currently about a certain blonde and their quarrel earlier.

'Well, it's not necessarily a 'quarrel'. What she said we're merely the...truth' He thought to himself as his mind replayed their earlier exchange.

𝓕𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴

"I've lost. From the beginning till end, I've been toyed with." The voice of a man rang out through the uncomfortable quiet room of Diana. Said woman was sitting near the window, looking at her fellow blonde with saddened, but nonetheless stubborn eyes. She knew that her decision pained him... She knew, yet she could not bring herself to regret it. If she were to be given another chance to repeat this moment, Diana knew that she would, without a doubt still choose her unborn child.

"I'll even kneel if I have to! If I don't at least do this, I fear that you will disappear completely! I know... I know that this is just another useless emotional plea... Even knowing that, I'm here again. Although I know how this ends...Don't think about anything else! Make a decision for you and you alone. Don't go, choose me. Now, in this moment. Not the child who is eating away your life but me!" Claude's choked voice pleaded and begged the woman. But deep down, the emperor already knew the answer he'll receive.

" I love you..."

" You already know what my decision will be Claude. I will always choose our child." She said while stroking her bulging stomach with a loving smile on her face. "Besides-" Diana turned to look back at the crying emperor before her. " You shouldn't say words you don't mean"

At those words, the blonde man's head snapped to stare at the pink eyes of the woman he cared about.

"Wha-"

" I can see it, you know. Every time you look at me, or more specifically my hair, you'd have this far off look on your face. As if you were remembering someone important. Someone... precious to you." Diana looked straight at his eyes as she said these words and Claude could do nothing but stare back in shock and guilt.

" Only then will a true and genuine smile blossom on your face. A smile so pure that no one could ever hope to be the cause of it, not even I." Her eyes were full of sadness as tears threatened to fall from her moist eyes. But her smile still remained. "That Claude... That is love. Whoever this mysterious person is must be really special to have your eyes practically shine with love at the very reminder of her"

"If you know this, then why..." He trailed off as he looked at her questioningly. Not denying the things she accused him of.

"It's because I love you. Your heart may not have me in it, but being able to stand by your side, at the very least is enough for me. It hurts to see you staring at me, knowing that you don't really see me. But nevertheless, I still long for your affection, hoping and thinking that maybe-just maybe, you'll also love me one day...I hope you can forgive this selfish and greedy woman for having such thoughts."

𝓔𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴

Claude couldn't really deny her words. He does care for Diana, just not in a way that most people believed.

That night when he first saw her, what draw him in were her hair. Her soft golden locks that reminded him so much of his twin sister. The sister he loved, loves and will always love. A love that wasn't supposed to be felt torwards your own twin.

He knows it's wrong... He knows better than anyone... But he can't help it. In his moments of need and whenever he needs a shoulder to cry on, she will always be there. Willing to offer her shoulder and comfort him to the best of her abilities.

Her kind and caring nature was what attracted him to her, but he fell in love with her courageous and somewhat terrifying side. A side that she only shows whenever someone she cares about is being hurt or being bad-mouthed.

Flaws, she may have had many. But to the emperor, she was perfect in every sense of the word. Her flustered face whenever she makes any mistakes is adorable and endearing for the blonde.

When the news of her death reached him, Claude was devastated. He was heartbroken. He knew that there's no way an assassin could've broken into the Emperor's room in broad daylight and with all the knights stationed outside his doors. Plus, even if by miracle, someone did manage to get into the room and kill his sister, her body should be there as proof of it. There's no way an assassin could run away carrying a dead body. And what would he even need Claudia's dead body for? The information the previous emperor gave was just too suspicious and doesn't make sense.

The moment he understood this was when Claude knew. He knew that an assassination was impossible, which leads to only one conclusion. His so-called 'father' killed his own daughter. Claude swore revenge and vowed that one day, he will kill him and anyone that stands in his way of getting his just revenge. And he did just that...

So when he say someone who resembles Claudia somewhat appeared before him, Claude wasted no time to call for the woman.

Getting to know Diana, he came to realize that the dancer was unlike any other woman he knew, besides Claudia of course. The emperor knew that if he wasn't already in love with his twin, that there was a possibility that he would have fallen for the blonde dancer.

But no matter what he does, no matter how much he tries, he just can't bring himself to forget her and his heart will always long for her love. A love that will never be given to him once more. Not when she's no longer here...

In time, he came to view Diana as a friend. Nothing more nothing less. But when the servants came to gossip about how much of a perfect couple they would make, and when Diana herself expressing some type of affection at him that was not merely platonic. Claude just went with the flow.

He knew it was cruel of him to play with Diana's feelings like that. But as each day, week, month, and year passes without Claudia beside him, he became more desperate. Desperate for anything and anyone just to, at the very least, lessen his pain. And Diana became just that. An escape whenever it became too much for him to handle.

So when he learned of her dying because of the child inside her, he panicked. He became so distraught and anxious of losing the only person that was keeping him sane till now.

And that anxiousness turned to anger and hate to the thing that was taking away what was grounding him to this world.

Claude's feet came to an abrupt halt as he suddenly feels something calling him. Beckoning him to follow.

Unconsciously, his body began to move on its own as it lead him to a hallway filled with dusts and spiderwebs. It was obvious that it hasn't been cleaned for quite some time. Nonetheless, he continued moving.

He stopped in front of a wall as the calling became stronger than ever. Claude put his arm on the stones surface as purple and blue light began to emanate from it. Soon, a door replaced what was once an uninteresting wall.

Now more curious than ever, Claude twisted the door's handle and looked inside the room in wonder. He was about to step inside to get a better view when he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw someone he never thought to see ever again.

"Claudia..."