"Who are you?" Ara asked in a cold voice and my breath hitched.
"Wha..."
"Ara, what are you saying?" Daddy asked and she looked at him.
"And who the hell are you?" She asked sounding completely different.
It was as if someone else was speaking through Ara.
"Ara, could it be that you... don't remember us?"
I found it hard to believe myself yet, I couldn't... How could Ara forget about us...?
"Ara, get a hold of yourself." Dad said as he held her shoulders but she frowned deeply and before I could know Dad was thrown nearly across the room.
My eyes widened as Ara slowly got down the bed and ran her hand through her hair looking pissed off.
She didn't just throw Dad across the room... Am I seeing things?!
"How dare you touch the Emperor, you little runt?"
Eh? Wait, what did I just hear...?
"Just because you seem to be a part of royal family doesn't mean you'd get too cheeky with me." She spoke and Dad stared at her from his place with his eyes wide.
"Ara, Ara, Ara... Who the fuck do you think you're addressing so casually?" She asked as she looked back at me making me flinch as she looked like a completely different person.
And, did she just curse in front of Dad?!
"Emperor?" Dad gasped.
"Don't tell me you don't even know your Emperor, brat?" She said as she stared at him condescendingly.
Brat? Ara called Dad a brat!
"Must I introduce myself to the likes of you?" She shouted and the whole palace shuddered.
"And while I'm at it, where's that backstabber of a bastard?"
"Ar... Wh-Who are you talking about?"
"My brother." She growled and the tremors ran through the ground.
Brother?
Another tremor ran through the palace and I felt as if I would die if I stayed near her.
I quickly got down from bed and ran over to Dad and suddenly the doors burst open with Felix and Lily running inside.
"Your Majesty! Princesses! Are you okay? There was earthqua- Princesses, you're awake!" Felix smiled widely but failed to read the room.
"Princess!" They looked at me happily and then at Ara.
"Princess Amara?" Lily started towards Ara.
"Lily, no!" I shouted making her stop and look in between me, Dad and Ara.
"Princess, are you alright now?" Felix asked as he looked at me and then at Ara.
Ara looked at the two with a look of disinterest.
"Princess?" I stiffened as I heard Ara speak up. The air trembled and I couldn't breath for a moment.
"Has he already usurped the throne after trying to kill me?" She spoke making us all look at her.
"Usurped... the throne?" Felix looked at Dad who was holding me to his side.
"Wh-Who are you talking about, Princess?"
"I'm talking about my snake of a brother, you little shit! Have you all lost your minds?!" She shouted and Felix and Lily at once kneeled with their faces going pale.
I could feel the immense pressure over me which nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs and made my knees weak but Dad held onto me.
"Did you save my life and brought me here? Is that what it is?" She asked looking at Dad.
"Am I hiding from that bastard now?" She hissed as she clenched her fists and then gripped her head.
"You fucking swine, how dare you! After all I did for you... you repay me with this?" She muttered and I could see that she was in pain.
"A- Y-Your Majesty?" I called and she looked at me.
There was no softness in her eyes when her eyes met mine, "Y-You should rest for now, y-you still haven't completely recovered."
She eyed me for a moment before releasing a deep sigh and the thickness in the air slowly dispersed.
Ara stepped back and plopped down on the edge of the bed and looked at us. Felix and Lily still were kneeling while I and Dad were standing at a distance.
Her eyes ran over us before she crossed her leg one over the other and her eyes stopped on Dad.
"Are you my father's illegitimate son?" She asked making him flinch.
She really didn't recognise him at all?
"No." He answered in a calm voice.
What is this? It suddenly feels like their roles are exchanged.
"Then, are you my son?" She asked making everyone flinch.
I didn't know why but even with the seriousness of her tone I couldn't help but feel like laughing as she asked Dad if he was her son.
"No." Dad said and she tilted her head to one side.
"You do have the eyes of the royal family, whose son are you then?"
Dad didn't say anything, he just stared back at her, I couldn't help but recall the time when I and Ara first met Dad. She was being calm and composed as she stared at Dad, it was as if she was being a mirror for him. And right now, Dad was doing the same thing.
"You, child?" I suddenly flinched as she looked at me.
"Y-Yes?"
"Are you his daughter?"
I looked at Dad and nodded answering, "Yes."
"Hm..." Ara hummed lowly.
"What are your names?" She asked. It hurt me that she didn't remember us, but the confusion was more dominating.
I looked once at Dad before I hesitantly stepped ahead and dipped in a curtsy.
"I'm Athanasia de Alger Obelia."
"Athanasia..." She spoke my name, there was no hint of Ara's emotions in that voice.
"And you?"
I looked at Dad and to my utter shock he placed his one hand on his heart and other at his back as he bowed slightly.
"Claude de Alger Obelia."
Dad is bowing?! I'd never seen him doing this! This is the first time he was actually respecting someone like this!
And not only me but Felix and Lily seemed to be in shock as well.
"Claude..." I saw as she pulled her legs up and sat crossed-legged with her elbow resting over her knee and her cheek on her knuckles.
"How interesting! You have quite an impressive amount of mana power yet, you're named that? Are you really an illegitimate son or something?"
My jaw nearly grew slackened as she said that and then she looked at me.
"Yours too." She said.
"It seems like you have some potential at becoming stronger in future. But what intrigues me is that mana flow in your body isn't natural." She said pointing at me.
"It has the traces of my mana in there, as if I had personally tended to you. But why? And why can't I remember it?"
Her eyes grew sharp and I stiffened, it was as if I was dealing with Dad from 9 years ago. I had to walk on the sword's edge again.
"That's right." Dad answered and her eyes turned on him.
"You were the one who tended to her Mana." Dad spoke and her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Why would I do that though? And when did I do that?"
Nobody could answer that.
She wasn't behaving like the usual Ara, did that mean that she even forgot everything about the book, "The Lovely Princess"?
"That's because, you cherish her, as for why you can't recall it... we have no idea about that... Your Majesty." Dad spoke, his tone was somewhere in between respectful and hesitant.
It was obvious that he wasn't used to talking in that tone but currently, I was afraid. This Ara was capable of killing us all if she snapped.
"Interesting." She said before her eyes turned on Felix and Lily.
"You, apple head. Come here." She said and Felix flinched before he stood up and walked towards her.
She looked at him as if observing something, "Are you Paseton's brother or son?"
I could see Felix getting confused, wait, Paseton, it seemed like I'd seen that name somewhere.
"Heh? Amidst all the shit he managed to plant a seed."
Ara, just what are you talking?!
"N-No, Pri- Your Majesty. I am not Paseton's son or brother." Felix said and she cocked her brow.
"You look a lot like him though, the same red hair, the same black eyes, even the body proportions seem similar it's just you're a lot lankier than that ogre."
I could see Felix starting to get flustered.
"P-Pardon me, Pr- Your Majesty, but Paseton was the name of my ancestor." Felix said and it suddenly clicked.
It was in a book that I'd read the name. Paseton Robane was the most trusted knight of one of the greatest Emperors of the Obelia.
"Ancestor? Are you kidding me? I taught that bastard how to swing a sword and he's an ancestor to you?" She spoke making all of us to stare at her in shock.
She taught who what?!
Paseton Robane was the strongest swordsmaster of the history and Ara taught him how to use a sword?!
"Well, whatever, just go back." She said and waved her hand shooing him away and Felix quickly came up to us.
Her eyes then fell on Lily.
"And you?"
"My name is L-Lillian York, Your Majesty."
Ara nodded slightly before her eyes came back on Dad.
"Claude..." She spoke and I suppressed the flinch.
She was addressing Dad so casually that I was getting scared that Dad might snap.
"Yes?"
I stared at him as he answered, she kept looking at him while he stared right back.
She slowly let her feet down and walked towards us, with each step I could feel my heart beating faster.
She stopped before Dad and I felt the strong pressure come upon us, I all but sank to the ground and beside me even Dad fell to his knees with his eyes going wide, I looked up at Ara who smirked down at us.
"I'm impressed with your courage of standing before me. Your name doesn't suit you." She said as she reached out and placed her finger under Dad's chin making him face her.
"The eyes that hold this kind of fire should not be insulted with that name." She said as she looked down into Dad's eyes.
"Once I kill my brother, I'll give you a good position and a proper name." She said and then tilted her head to one side looking at me.
"You sure you're a father of a child? You don't seem quite old."
What the hell?!
She then let go of Dad's face and crossed her arms at her chest.
"For how long was I out?" She asked.
"Ten days." Dad answered since I was too scared to open my mouth and I guess even Felix and Lily too.
"Ten days... he must have manipulated the nobles faction then, Father always supported him so, he must have agreed to it. I guess I'll just have to make a blood bath at the audience hall." She spoke as she rubbed her neck.
"Is he coronated already or is it still remaining?"
What the hell is going on? Who is she talking about? How are we supposed to answer?
"Ugh, whatever I could just go down the palace and rip each and every brick apart." She said as she turned and suddenly coughed.
I saw her doubling over and coughing, I tilted my head and saw the blood dripping from her mouth, my eyes widened instantly.
She looked at her hand which had blood and then at her chest. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I heard her low laughter. I couldn't help but hold Dad's hand as I was getting scared.
Her laughter turned louder and she straightened up before turning around looking at us with a mad glint in her eyes.
"Is this why you're keeping me here?" She asked.
"That bastard cursed me with black magic...?" She laughed and shook her head.
Black magic?!
"I should have known... That bastard wouldn't just let me live if he wanted the throne." She continued laughing as her body slightly swayed and her eyes started glowing.
"Athernitas, you bastard. Just my death wasn't enough for you, was it?"
I felt Dad flinch but that wasn't much shocking than what Ara had said.
Athernitas?
"I'll find you, you bastard." She laughed as her body swayed more, she was struggling to stay on her feet as she seemed like a furious, injured tigress.
"I'll find you and rip your limbs apart with my own hands."
She coughed more blood and her eyes rolled back making her body start to fall.
"Ara?!"
We all dashed to her and Dad held her before she hit the ground.
I couldn't understand what was going on but suddenly, Ara wasn't Ara anymore.
What was going on? Why did she mention Athernitas? And what did she mean by her being cursed by black magic? Just what was going on?!
***
Hello everyone,
How are you guys?
I know this chapter is a bit confusing but patience is all I ask.
I won't rant much today but if you guys have anything to rant about just comment.
And, thank you so much for all the votes and comments, I really, really appreciate them and it makes my day happy after reading your comments.
Anyways, big twist is here!
So, I'll wait for your reactions.
Have a great day everyone!