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♔｡:*•.─────
𑁍̤ ❛ HAUNTING ―― LINGERS BEHIND . . .
𝘈 𝘚𝘔𝘌𝘓𝘓 𝘖𝘍 𝘚𝘐𝘓𝘒 *
a fanfiction based on a crossover between 'who made me a princess' and 'death is the only ending for the villainess' // tw : just in c...
┈ each time you fall in love , it's clearly not enough . ❜
..
PROMISE ME
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THE NEXT MORNING was peaceful . claude found himself staring out of his palace window ― watching the scene before him with a newfound sense of intrigue ; in front of him , was athanasia ― concentrated on writing something down , as penelope explained with a book in her hand .
he had felt jealous at first . after all , athanasia was the only family he had left ― the only family that hadn't treated him like the discarded spare , other than diana . he was jealous , possessive when penelope had first started getting along with his daughter . it irked him how athanasia would prefer going to penelope when she had any problems regarding academics . or how excited she got sharing things with penelope .
but that jealousy faded in meantime , and he found this .. warm feeling bubbling in his chest every time he saw both of them together . it was ineffable , but oddly soothing for some reason . perhaps this is how they would have looked ― he mused ― had diana survived childbirth .
somehow he doubted that . he couldn't see diana in penelope . not even if he wanted to . they were simply too far apart . diana's liveliness was incomparable , she was like a warm gust of breeze that made one forget reality for a moment , just as she had back in the day . how she had diverted his own mind from the harsh truth of his , grey― dull world .
but penelope was .. different . she wasn't summery as diana . and while diana was the exotic dream ― penelope was the grounding reality . she was cold , still like the night . she wasn't brazen and free-spirited , but rather she was composed and dignified ― standing beside her would make any man feel like a king , and standing in front of her feel like you're her subject .
yet ― somehow she had started feeling familiar to claude . like an ever lingering sensation of comfort , of support which ensured him that even if he were to give up for a while , it will be okay .
" blessings and glory upon the sun of the empire " felix addressed , gently placing the pile of papers that were sent from the office for the emperor .
" shall i call in someone else to take care of this ? " he questioned , noting how immersed the emperor was in his own trance . but it seems not , for claude simply dismissed him with a wave of his hands .
hours passed , and with each minute ticking in the clock ― claude sped his rate of signing and checking the documents . he had promised athanasia to join her for tea , after all .
it was then , a crumpled paper ― stained with water and ink ― appeared amidst the pile . brows furrowed , fingers reached out to take the paper up from the pile and examine it .
