Loathed Treasure

Chapter 4: Adventure

"Well, actually you had it before you told me. There's still some potential in you for magic" He told me in a soft tone and grinned very widely at me.

Why is he smiling like that?

*snap*

~ 3rd POV ~

SWISH

They both teleport to the back alley and Athanasia lits up with delight that she finally gets to know what life's like outside the palace.

"Papa, we're outside!" She said in amazement. She has been stuck in the palace since she was born and never went into the empire. But it changes now for her.

"Yes. Now follow me or else you'll get lost" Anastacius stepped out of the alley with Athy behind him.

The street lights shine on them exposing their new color features. The light reflects off of Anastacius' blacks and his hair glosses up. Athanasia's black hair shimmers in the light and her bright pink eyes like her mother's lits up at the glamorous sight of the festival. The best pre-birthday gift she could ever ask for. To go outside.

They walked through the crowd and explored the town square. Athy's tiny legs try to keep up with her father's pace but she was no match for his full-grown adult legs. The crowds pushed them apart as she squeezed in between to get to Anastacius. From his waist to his back, and then she only has sight of his head.

"Papa! You're going too fast" Athy shouted as she ran out of breath, running right behind him. "Papa!" She shouted once again as he disappeared into the crowd.

She stopped running and stood still, realizing that she had been abandoned. 'Of course!' she cursed at him inside her head. 'He's not a father! He's Anastacius, the cruel emperor that the empire hates!' She puffed her cheeks in fury.

Anastacius, a man with greed and ambition, never cared for anyone nor his own little brother. Spoiled by the family only because he was the crowned prince and even stealing his brother's fiance. Showed no mercy to his enemies and brother ultimately leading to his dethronement. Why should he care for his daughter or even his niece?

She should've known that he never cared about her in the first place. She never thought about that because deep inside she hoped he could be the daddy that even previous Athanasia desired for. In the end, he was the father that she will never have nor wished for.

'How can he leave me here?!' She trembles in exasperation that he left her, a 5-year-old. 'Just why?! Alone in town?!' She thought again.

The people passed by young Athy, oblivious to the fact that there was a lost child in the middle of the road. Take a quick glance at the pitiful child before quickly looking away.

"...Papa" She whispered then a teardrop rolled down her cheek. 'Don't leave me' She prayed.

SWISH

"There you are!" He appears behind her and lifts her up. She looked back at him with teary eyes in shock. "Did I go too fast?"

"Papa!" She cried to him. "Don't leave me!" She hugs him by the neck tight which caught him by surprise.

'Tsk. How bothersome' He thought as she continued hugging him. He took little Athy off of his front neck and sat her on his neck.

"There. Now we won't get separated" He gives her a smile and she returns it while she questions his behavior.

'Why is he like this all of a sudden?' She thought. 'Should I pull onto his hair tight for payback?!' She grabs onto his hair tight while thinking about how hard she should pull back. However, she quickly backed out after realizing that he too has the power to kill her whether she's a little girl or not.

"Daddy!" She hugged his head and lay her face in his fluffy hair only to regret it after getting some strands in her mouth. "Pff!" She spits out the hair to the side.

"Don't get too comfortable on my neck" He was annoyed by her but also questioned his behavior towards her. 'Why am I letting her sit on my neck?' Nobody sits on him.

"Where are we going?" Athy asked him while looking around the streets and appreciating the decorations. Fascinated by every light and color around along with food but she wasn't hungry.

"To watch the show" He then stopped in the crowd and in came a parade of many festive floats and entertainers. "Amazing isn't it?"

"Woooowww!" Athanasia awed in astonishment. "The festival is very beautiful and big, papa!" Her eyes sparkled at each amusement that the festival provided. Dancers, performers, colorful works, and much more.

They both watched the show together and enjoyed each other's company. Later, before the end of the parade, Athy begins to become tired and sleepy as she yawns.

"Sleepy already?" He smirks. "It's almost over so just stay awake for a bit"

Athy laid her head and most of her upper body on him, not caring about the consequences anymore. "Daddy..." She yawns again.

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?" She asked and he twitched. Athy was very sleepy and began talking unconsciously without even thinking who he truly was to her.

"...." He remains silent as he feels his heart throbbing hard that he grabbed his chest in frustration. 'Did the spell wear off?'

"Because I love you, papa," She said softly. "And for my birthday, I want pa-"

He pokes her in the forehead and casts a sleeping spell on her before she can even finish his sentence. They teleported back to her room and he switched her back to pajamas before putting her in bed. Then he took off her bracelet and the black color in her hair fades away as the blonde comes back from the roots. He stands next to Athy who was sleeping peacefully.

"You're infuriating but useful" He hovers his face over hers. "Your power is the only reason why you're alive" He glares at her with contempt and anger for a reason that he refused to accept.

He picks up a strand of her hair and absorbs some of her mana making her hair glow bright in the night. "You have a very excessive amount of mana."

'Just another reason to be alive' he thought, convincing himself that Athy is just a pawn.

"Papa" Athanasia speaks out softly in her sleep, making his heartthrob again. "I want papa" She turns to the side, facing him.

He stares at her in disbelief, bewildered, confused? He was having mixed feelings about her as he tried to process the emotion within his heart.

"Stop it." He gets up and turns his back on her. He looks at her sleeping, chubby face blankly and felt his pure hatred for his brother, Claude.

He teleports back to the wizard tower and rests to recover his mana. He gets a pain in his lower abdomen due to using magic too much. He held his stomach and smiled in pain.

"That brat..." He cursed. "I'll steal everything from you, Claude"

His eyes glow up and back to blue jewels on his pale face with a thirst for murder. 

End of Chapter 4

|Word Count: 1825|

AN: I wonder. Should I torture Jennette? If so, how? Hmm. My brain is dead.