ᴡᴍᴍᴀᴘ: ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Debutante.

She had finished getting ready for her debutante ball, ascending the steps in her pink dress of silk and roses, with Felix's helping hand, she spots her fahter at the bottom of the marble staircase, waiting at the carriage. 

As she gets closer, he glances at her, then a second, lips parting slightly, she smiles, hoping she looks presentable to him as she thought she did not half an hour ago in her room.

He extends his hand, clearing his throat, "You look very pretty." 

She looked prettier than usual, which was saying a lot, coming from he who didn't care much about what to wear on the daily. He had thought it was Diana coming down the steps, but he knew Athanasia was different. 

If Diana was the sun, Athanasia was the moonlight, skin almost like white jade. Her hair set in long waves, a small platinum tiara nestled on top, a small ruby on a chain in the middle of her forehead. Indeed. 

She truly was Diana's daughter.

The short carriage ride to the other palace yielded small talk, mostly consisting of Athanasia chatting animatedly with Claude gazing out the window, and at her as she talked. As they walked down the long hallway to the entrance of the ballroom, he noticed her take a small breath, her nervousness betraying her, then- they were announced. 

"His imperial majesty, Emperor Claude de Alger Obelia!"

"Her royal highness, Princess Athanasia de Alger Obelia!" 

There they stood. Under the bright crystal chandeliers, and Athanasia positively glittered under them. Claude finally found a purpose for those dratted lights. To make his daughter stand out amongst all the other rabble.

Speaking of Athanasia, she hadn't moved in a while, he glanced over, and she stepped closer to him, tightening her grip on his hand. Ah- she was still nervous. 

He looked down at the gathered people, how useless these nobles were, and silently ordered them to bow, his presence overpowering those in attendance. They were able to catch his air of murderous intent, and shakily, all the people bowed in front of them. 

"If you want, I can keep them like this the entire night." Athanasia's grip lessened, and she put a hand to her mouth, her nails were a matching shade to her dress, a small bracelet on her wrist- he noted, and some of her tension seemed to fade with his actions. 

Straightening her back further, she smiled up at him saying, "They waited for this night too, Papa. They don't have to."

 And they descended, the gathered people slowly raising their heads as they noticed the two reaching the bottom of the staircase.

She let go of his hand, and he could almost see wings on her back as the light illuminated her. They faced each other, a curtsy and a bow, and came together again for the dance. Although father-daughter dances between royalty during debutantes were rare, they weren't unheard of. 

As they danced, his hand on her back, hers on his shoulder, he could feel how thin she was. She had always loved sweets, how could she be so thin? 

He would send over more chocolate once this was over, he promised silently. As he groused over this, she stepped on his foot and faltered ever so slightly in her footing. 

A chuckle escaped him before he realized it, and she froze before she pouted, "I did practice!!!" 

He knew that of course, he had passed by as she was learning, watching her waltz and twirl as her instructor presided over the lesson, and he had fired her once he learned of how impudent she had been, how dare she say that about Diana to his daughter? Her rudeness had known no bounds.