Claude woke up once more, his usual dreams of Diana was filled with a little girl with his eyes instead. Was it the infant Diana had left? Then again, her last words were for him to take care of her.
It was his dreams, yet he was a spectator. The dreams consisted of him being a good father to her, but whenever he said her name, he couldn't hear it. The girl stared back with the very same eyes he possessed with a bright smile as she called him.
"Good morning, Daddy!"
"Daddy, look what I drew!"
"Where's Daddy?"
The dreams showed him a life. Specifically, his whole life, maybe it was of another universe, but it was his life still. They showed him their fondest moments, like her debutante ball where they danced together (and Duke Alpheus wanted to introduce someone to him, most likely the offspring of his bastard brother and his own ex-fiancée), their saddest moments, everything, including the moment Claude forgot his own daughter.
He had wanted to kill her, and when she had disappeared slowly right in front of his eyes, smiling sadly, tears dripping down her face, Claude had woken up.
"Goodbye, Daddy."
He didn't want to hurt her like his dream self had, but he couldn't bring himself to find the girl. What if she leaves just like her mother had?
Well, he certainly didn't need to.
Because a young girl of soft, flowing golden locks came barreling into him, coming in contact with his legs and was thrown back by the force with a soft 'oomph.' He noticed Felix's horrified stare as he recognized the girl.
"Felix." He called out as he stood straight. "Yes, Your Majesty?" He answered, trembling a little, and before Claude could say anything, the young girl that had bumped to him raised her head and squealed. "Felix!" and ran to him.
Claude was baffled. His own daughter ran to someone else, but perhaps she didn't recognize him. "Girl." She stared back at him, and as she did, Claude could almost see the gears turning in her head. "Y-You're.." She had stammered and refused to say anything else as she buried her face and held on tight to Felix.
As he caught sight of her terrified eyes, he remembers the dreams of her. She was terrified of him too, but unlike right now, she hadn't known Felix. He turned to Felix, already expecting an explanation. The red-haired knight sighed, "As you may know, I have found love in a woman named Lilian York," At that, Claude nodded. He had told him countless times about the woman working in Ruby Palace. Felix had fallen head over heels for the woman, sighing dreamily at any sight of her.
"Lilian York works for her, and we helped her get accustomed to her life." He blurted out, and Claude remembers his dreams once more, where he had met her when she was five, wandering around his palace, hiding from her maids. 'So you raised her.' He thought.
He looked back to the child, still hiding her face in the knight's wear. "How old is she?" He asked, and something akin to surprise appeared on Felix's face, but he answered, nonetheless. "Four years of age, your majesty, turning five in a few months." Claude nodded as he neared the child, crouching in front of her. She had noticed the shadow looming over her, and she hesitatingly looked back at him. "What is your name?" He had asked, hoping his voice was soft enough to soothe her.
"A-Athy's name is..." She stammered and looked at Felix for approval, the man nodding with a smile. "Athanasia. Athy is Athanasia."
Claude had been stunned. Diana gave her the name that meant 'immortality,' maybe in hopes she will live longer than her mother had. She had called herself Athy as well, maybe that was her nickname.
