ᴡᴍᴍᴀᴘ: ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Lovely? Yes.

My take on the canon side story of the Lovely Princess verse and LP athy takes up her father's role when Jennette doesn't. 

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Athanasia's eyes moved from one document to another, shuffling papers this way and that as she tried to rub the sleep away from her eyes. She stifled a yawn, feeling her eyelids droop as she shook herself awake again, making sure to double check before her signature went on anything.

She had to do everything perfectly. Nothing must be out of place. Everything had to be exact, precise. She had to be the heir apparent everyone needed right now, even if she wasn't on paper. 

Everyone needed her as a princess after years of ignoring her, because it had been an entire week since her father, the emperor of Obelia had fallen into a coma, and had not stirred since.

She had no time to prepare herself before she, the unloved princess, was ushered into his office and made to sit down in his chair and had a pen and paper shoved into her small, shaking hands. 

Her eyes were wide and still filled with trepidation as her shoulders shook under the burden that had been passed onto her feeble stature.

She had been training, learning for this her entire life, since she was but a few years old and yet, with Jennette here, she had thought it would go to waste. 

It was obvious to anyone that with Jennette being the loved princess that she was, it was only a matter of time that father would strike her off the Imperial registry, or at the very least, rally for a way to replace her as his heir.

Because with all due diligence in her studies, he had kept her the heir apparent and had no reason to change it with his lack of heirs, that was- until Jennette became Jennette de Alger Obelia. 

Jennette Margarita, her elder sister, the princess who was so lovely she had captured the heart of all who came to know her. With no exception, Athanasia was included in that.

Until Athanasia had seen Jennette be accepted into the family that she had never felt love from, had never received any form of affection from- and Jennette came and tore down father's walls and became his lovely, beautiful daughter.

So unlike Athanasia, who- with her name, would have been a beauty- and yet, she was nothing compared to Jennette. 

Everyone's glances slid right off her, her blonde hair suddenly dull, her Obelian gem eyes dimmer than Jennette's, her face was just so-so, always haggard with dark circles from studying late into the night.

She had no suitors to speak of, always being the wallflower at balls, even at her own debutante, having no escort, she was passed off for other eligible young ladies, and the way they snubbed her made her feel unworthy of stepping into the palace. 

She was born a princess, but why was it that her life was worse than that of a commoner in the empire?

Athanasia was used to it though.

Being alone all her life, the way that she was always passed over for someone better. So while Jennette cried by father's bedside and refused to do any of father's work as crown princess, Athanasia was pushed to do so instead, and somehow, life became more bearable for her.

Her dark circles grew darker, her voice became more hoarse as time went on, and as the days passed into night, and as father continued to not wake, Athanasia grew accustomed to sitting at that large desk by herself, writing up new laws and signing papers for dignitaries. 

She grew used to staring down the long table of old men who hated looking at her, and slowly, they too grew used to her sitting at the head of the table where his majesty's place was.