For the ending you long for somewhere deep in your heart
I'm giving this to you
"Heavens! Are you alright?!"
Athanasia felt her head spinning for she fall hard on the ground.
"Dear, are you alright? Oh no.. Theodore! go call the royal doctor"
"But you're bleeding too"
"Non-sense! The life of this lady comes first, hurry!"
As her consciousness was slowly fading, the only thing she could remember was a beautiful woman in white dress, long (hair color) hair with (eye color) iris looking at her with worry, telling her to stay conscious, not even bothering to care about the blood on her shoulder that is currently staining her white dress. But soon enough, she close her eyes, in her mind was how the lady currently holding into her seems familiar.
Soon enough Athanasia woke up in what it seems was a guess room inside the imperial palace all alone. At first she was confused, her head was hurting and throbbing, making her remember that she was currently travelling into different dimensions with Lucas, but on their way back to their current timeline, somehow she got lost and end up falling, crashing into someone in the process which leave her in this current situation.
"But where am I? What world is this?"
She whispered
She had never seen that lady in any dimensions nevertheless there current timeline, yet she feels and looks familiar.
A few minutes after, one of the royal doctors when into the room to check on her.
Once she was left alone in the room, she had thought that nothing seems to have changed in this world, everthing seems to be similar yet there was one existence that was added, which was the lady earlier. She doesn't even know why she was so bothered about it.
"I think that I have seen her somewhere before, but I can't point out when or where"
She spoke to herself once again
Once again someone knocked on the door before coming inside.
"Lady, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"
It was the lady with a (hair color) locks and (eye color) iris, Athanasia could also notice the bandage showing of behind her what it seems like new white dress
"Yes.."
She wanted to ask who she was, but didn't find the timing appropriate, after all thinking of how she just showed up unannounced inside the palace must have been a huge uproar right now
"Strange, you really looks like him"
Athanasia heard the (hair color) haired female mumble
"Anyways, I'm glad to see you're okay now Lady..??"
"Atha-- Atty, it's Atty"
"Just Atty?"
The (hair color) haired female spoke softly
"Yes"
Sensing this is a different from the other dimensions she've seen and went into, she lied about her name
"Well my name is (First name)(Last name), I serve as the Saintess of the Temple"
You smile at the right in front of you whom you didn't notice was quite shock
At the moment Athanasia was currently thinking if she went back into the time where the founding of the first emperor is, but being quite honest to herself, she knew that this is the same time for her father's regain. Same staffs inside the palace, same interior design, same mood. But this dimension has something no dimension has. A saintess.
As Athanasia was about to reply, someone burst through out the door.
"Theodore"
"Your Holiness! I mean Your Majesty, why did you suddenly run off like that?"
Athanasia was quick to recognize the former Holy knight that disappeared a couple of years ago in there timeline. There was no news about him, he just disappeared without any trace. Given the fact that there is a Saintess in this world, of course he would he the one to become the aide of the Saintess.
"They told me the Lady was currently awake"
You reason out with a smile
"Well I understand that but this is you walking out in the middle of your conversation with his majesty"
Theodore stated obviously at distress
"What's wrong with that?"
You blink innocently at Theodore
As Athanasia watch you and Theodore bicker, there was something the makes him feels odd. Not in a bad way but in a good way. It seems familiar, really really familiar as if she had seen this before.
Then the door once again burst out open, the first person Athanasia saw was her father, mindlessly about to greet him and call him father but
"My Empress"
What?
Athanasia almost said out loud
"I don't appreciate you suddenly walking out in the middle of our conversation just for a Lad-.?"
As soon as Athanasia and Claude eyes meet, Claude, or should she say this dimension Claude eyes widen
In the middle of the silence, a soft laugh can be heard. It was you who was laughing so hard you're about to fall of the chair right beside the bed.
"Hahaha I told you she looks just like you"
You utter in between laugh
"I was about to believe you had another child with another woman if it wasn't the fact that I was your only woman and I'm always by your side"
You stated still laughing
"Watch what you're saying (First name)"
There was a hint of displeasure with Claude's voice
"Yes yes"
You chuckle and brush him off
"Anyways I was just checking up to Lady Atty, there is nothing wrong with it, don't act as if I'll disappear as soon as I leave"
You laugh once again
Just like that, the conversation just went on.
It was a strange sight foe Athanasia whom only saw her Father act in such a way, not even to her mother, Diana whom came back miraculously a couple of years ago. There was something strange about him in this world. Athanasia never saw her father look into her mother in such a way like that.
That was what in her mind for a couple of days.
Absorbing the fact that this dimension was indeed different from this one, in another dimension including her original timeline, her father always end up with her mother, so there was him, but this one, there was no Diana, there was no her, she doesn't know if Jenette too exist in this world but that doesn't seems to be the case.
So right now, she was having a stroll with the saintless, also the current Empress of the empire, the wife of her Dad. As was invited to stay at the castle upon lying, not technically a lie that she had lost her memories and had nowhere to go.
"(First na--), I mean her Majesty"
"Oh please just call me (First name)"
You smile at her as both of you walk peacefully along the flowery path
"Well, I just wanted to ask how long have you known his majesty?"
"His Majesty? Well I have known him back when we were children"
You answered the young lady's question
"That long?"
Athanasia was surprised
"Yes, we we're childhood friends along side Anastasius which was the former Emperor"
You added, quite wondering for the topic seems nostalgic
"Wow, then how did you--"
"How did we turn out like this?"
Athanasia nod as you follow up her words
"Well to be honest I'm not quite sure how we end up like this"
You stated, hands on your chin as you seem to wonder
"Although I did have a feelings for his Majesty early childhood, he never seem to recognize it nor cared about it, but everything changed three years after his coronation"
You stated
"As far as I can remember there was supposed to be an imperial banquet"
By the mention of the imperial banquet, Athanasia thought that that was where her father and mother was supposed to meet. But wait, supposed to be? those that mean it didn't happen?
"But the night before the banquet, I was surprise to see the Emperor walking his way into the Temple in the middle of the night and just straight up hug me really tight, he was even crying, he was looking at me as if he was still surprised to see me in there hahahaha it was as if he hadn't seen me for a very long time when it was just a few days of me going out of the palace"
"I was really surprised, pull the fact that that was the first time I was ever lead by someone. But then he suddenly kneel in front of me, he was still crying, begged for me not to leave. I wasn't even going anywhere. Yet he still insisted that I should stay by his side, that he had a dream where I suddenly disappeared, that he had suddenly forgotten about me. It was cute to see him scared to live a life without me"
You could not help but to smile as you recall that night. It was quite surprising, it feels like there was something that had happened to him that made him act in such way, at the same time you're thankful for that dream, perhaps it was the one that made him realize about his feeling for you.
"In the end the imperial banquet was moved, and rather than having an imperial banquet, it became an engagement banquet"
You explain with a smile
Athanasia was listening carefully, no wonder why things turns out like this. Because her parents ever get to meet in the first place. She should feel bitter about it, yet she can't. There was something inside her that somehow made her feel relief that she doesn't even know why.
"That was wonderful"
Athanasia utter
"Why are you crying dear?"
You chuckle at her as she look at with you wide eyes upon pointing out that she was crying
With a sniff Athanasia replied while you went to wipe her tears
"I was just happy for you"
Athanasia said with a sincere smile on her face
"Why such a lovely lady you are"
You smile back at her, still wiping her tears
Athanasia didn't know why she was feeling such thing. But she was genuinely for you and for her father in this dimension. Suddenly, something broke inside her.
"Does his Majesty treasure you?"
"Well of course, he can't even stay that much without me by his side, see?"
You pointed out the Emperor currently in the distance making his way towards you
"That's a relief, Saintess-nim. I'm glad you're happy, I'm sorry I forgot about you till now"
"What?"
You look back towards the Lady, but saw no one beside you
"Atty?"
You call her out but found no one
"But she was just right beside me a mo--"
"(First name)"
A strong pair of arm warp itself around your waist, a chin suddenly resting on your shoulder
"Why are you out here all alone?"
Claude whisper on your neck
That made you giggle,
"Actually I thought I was with someone right now"
"And who is that bastard who dares --"
"Now now your temper Claude"
You laugh and face him
"But seriously, I think I was with someone right now, a lady whom looks just like you"
You stated with a silly smile on your face
"What non-sense are you talking about"
He frown, and this made you pout at his words
"The only lady or a girl that would look like me would only be our daughter"
He stated with a smug look on his face that made you blush, burred your face on his clothes
Then you heard him chuckle,
"I love you"
"I love you too"
You smile at him
The first time you heard those words was a few years ago, that night. You never seem to believe it, not in a bad way but in a way where it felt like those words where so good to be true you felt like you're dreaming.
"(First name)"
You could only humm in return as you withdraw your face from his chest and meet his glaze
Slowly and gently he lean down, resting his forehead with yours as he ask,
"Will you stay by my side?"
There was a moment of silence before you smile
"Always, your highness"
You said with a chuckle
Then your lips meet.
This time, in this time.
He would do anything for you, will always be there for you. Today, tomorrow and every single day after that.
The ending you never had
If not in this lifetime, perhaps
I could love you in another
The Other End