Author's pov
Several years ago, in Obelian Empire
'I guess this is it...My brother, Anastacius finally getting his bride' the young Claude thought as all the nobles and royals gathered through the ball.
This was around the time when Claude was Second Prince of Obelia who earned his title as Prince due to his talented in intellect and magic. And also, he was around 16 or 17 years old when he was the Second Prince.
It was before he met Diana who got him with her Siodonnaian fashion, he wore the Obelian lavish clothing, a fine black suit embroidered gold along with a cape hanging from his shoulder.
He stays away from the crowd and going to the corner since he doesn't like public events despite, he's often forced to go due to his status as the Second Prince and it was the Emperor's orders.
Ungrateful father.
"Your Highness..." Claude soon turns around and seeing the young Felix who was in his knight's uniform and looking at him.
"Felix, you're here too? Why are you wearing knight's uniform? Especially you came with your father, Duke Robane" Claude soon said which Felix rubs his heads awkwardly.
"I am still an Imperial Knight, Your Highness. Besides, my father is still begging me to take my place as the heir of the family, but I kept rejected it and telling him that he has my cousin"-Felix
"Felix, you're too weird" Claude spoke up with a blunt voice which makes Felix sunk gloomily and depressively by Claude's words.
Yup, it was around that time when Claude was entering his tsundere phrase.
"Look, it's the Emperor and the Crown Prince" one of the nobles soon said as revealing the young Anastacius who was around his late teens or early twenties, and the father of Claude and Anastacius.
The Emperor Thanasis de Alger Obelia.
Like Claude and Anastacius, he had golden hair and the jewel blue eyes, symbolized his inheritance of the Imperial Palace. He shown to have similar appearance of Anastacius like his slightly messy hair but longer than Anastacius's and his bangs parted to his right side of his face and falling to his eyes. He wore official military outfit adorned with a fur, red cape and wearing black shoes.
He walked towards the throne alongside with his crowned heir and his favorite son, Anastacius who was around that time, in his late teens or early twenties.
He soon sat on the throne which Claude hided his resentment while Felix put out a poker face since he wasn't a big fan of the Emperor Thanasis.
He had many good reasons why.
"Today, my son, Crown Prince Anastacius is finally meeting his future bride! The First Grand Princess of the Kingdom of Nordia, Grand Princess Ingrid Magnusdottir!" He declared loudly which everyone were surprised before they soon clapped their hands in joy.
And around that time, Penelope Judith was almost succeeding to break her judgement and she was cheating on Claude with Anastacius.
"See that, Anastacius. I got you a perfect candidate to be your wife, the First Grand Princess of Nordia is known to be one of the most beautiful women in Nordia as well, well-educated, diligent and brilliant Royal Princess" the Emperor Thanasis soon said and bagging his good work which Anastacius awkwardly laugh through his perfect smile.
"Yes, Father. You did" he said with his perfect smile and his smooth tone but also, hinting his disbelief.
The Emperor smiled and looked forward towards the crowd who were praising him and overjoyed to see the appearance of the Grand Princess of Nordia.
"I would suggest for you to break it off with the eldest daughter of the Count Judith, Anastacius" The Emperor soon spoke up which Anastacius were stunned and looked at his father with his blue jewel eyes widen.
"You really thought I didn't know about your little affair with your brother's fiancée? Anastacius, I taught you too well for you to be messing around with your brother's women from the rank of a mere count. You're starting to disappoint me, Anastacius. So, break it off quick, I got you a bride of well known status and of Royal blood. You're starting to show your mother's pettiness and shameful traits, why you can't be just humble like Claude?" The Emperor said which Anastacius was shocked and his hand turned into a fist.
He was furious by him getting caught by his father and also, he comparing him with Claude.
The son he didn't defend or treasure him like the woman he loved, just treated him like a spare and neglected him.
Anastacius felt he was slapped by the biggest insult of his life by his own father.
"Your Majesty! I announced the arrival of the First Grand Princess of Nordia!!! Grand Princess Ingrid Magnusdottir!!!" The announcer spoke up as everyone made space to see the Grand Princess of Nordia.
But instead of seeing a beautiful princess from the north, they saw a unknown hooded cloak man with the symbol of Nordia on his cloak.
"That's the Grand Princess of Nordia" Felix mumbled as the hooded person walked towards the Emperor before they stood in front of Emperor and being meters away from him.
"You're a citizen of Nordia...Where is your Grand Princess? I demeaned to know where is the future wife of my son?" The Emperor asked harshly towards the hooded person as he wasn't pleased by this.
"The Grand Princess Ingrid...She isn't coming, Emperor Thanasis" the hooded person spoke which turn out to be a man.
The Emperor Thanasis became enraged and strictly demanding why the Grand Princess isn't here.
"Here's the letter why, Emperor Thanasis. I'm going to read it out loud" the hooded man soon said as revealing a letter before opening it up and read it out loud.
""Dear Emperor Thanasis de Alger Obelia, you piece of shit. How dare you send one of your mages to deliver your blackmail request of my hand for marriage with your oldest son while writing your bullshit on? Especially insulting my sister, Ylva about you prefers me than her because she's vegetarian, stupid, arrogant, and lousy son of a bitch who isn't even my ruler since I serve one ruler, myself and my family. So, here's my rejection your f***ing, retard and horseshit's request. F*** you and yes, I am throwing the goddamn middle finger on this shit. So, f*** off, you dumbass, shitty bastard, cock sucker, injudicious retard, arrogant weasel tyrant who can eat horse's shit, to f*** yourself straight to hell. Even my siblings agreed to f*** yourself. Long live the monarch in Obelia can suck their own balls"" the hooded man said every word of the letter and sounding flawlessly sophistication.
The Emperor was speechless along with everyone who were shocked by the vulgar language letter of the Grand Princess of Nordia who basically and savagely insulted the Obelian Emperor of most prosperous and great empire in history.
"W-W-W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!" The Emperor shouted and standing up furiously.
The hooded man laughs by his outburst and looks at him with those seemingly glowing golden eyes with slit black pupils.
"That was the letter of the Grand Princess, Emperor of Obelia. You really thought she would just obediently followed your blackmail of a request like some helpless princess? Nah, you don't know her at all... That's why I came here to say all what she wrote in her letter as a payback. After all, it's my duty as her brother to protect her from dumbasses emperors like you" he spoke which Claude and Felix were surprised when he said.
'Brother? As older brother to her? Is he...' Claude thought in surprise.
"ARREST HIM!!!!" The Emperor screamed which the hooded man smirks when he saw the knights rushing towards him fully armed.
The hooded man leaped high over the knights who were shocked by his leap before he lands on the floor with his feet and dashes quickly to the window and jumps into it.
Everyone were shocked as he fully escaped from the Imperial Palace and getting the Emperor more furious.
"Find that bastard! I wanted him dead! Find him and kill him!!!!" He ordered furiously and letting out his outburst.
While the Emperor was pissed and the nobles stunned by this event, Claude and Felix tried to hold their laughs by finally seeing the Emperor getting what he deserved.
Even Anastacius tried to hide the satisfy smirk with a concerned expression towards his father.
Back in the present
"So, that was the King of Nordia, your older brother...King Klaus Magnusson?" Claude soon asked which Ingrid chuckles with a smirk on her face.
"Klaus wanted to do it to rubbed it all of that to the face of your pathetic father. He did deserved for throwing those lousy threats and insulting my little sister Ylva for being vegetarian, stupid bastard" Ingrid soon said which Claude looks away by knowing his father was incompetent man.
He thought it was stupid of him to think he didn't want Second Grand Princess Ylva to be candidate of his brother's wife despite she was also one of the most beautiful women in Nordia and well-educated woman too, because she was vegetarian and he didn't want a non meat eater to give his future grandchildren the same trait from her.
Very stupid of him.
"My father was definitely lousy and incompetent....wait a second, isn't all werewolves can eat meat?" Claude soon said which Ingrid looks at him in disbelief before she sighs.
"We can eat human's food, especially meat and other foods like chocolates or beer. Even there's some who can vegetarians too" Ingrid explained to him which the cold-hearted Emperor 'Huh' in surprise and he discovered something new.
The Wolf Warriors can be vegetarians.
"I see...But why are you here and how do you know Diana and the Sultana Anaya?" Claude asked coldly which Ingrid slightly scoffs.
"I am their guardian, despite they are already adults, they're still children to me. I mean I am 2'000 years old but that doesn't matter. But also...How dare you make that stupidity like your sperm donor did...Even Anaya wanted to gut you out" Ingrid harshly said which Claude surprised by he reminded with his cold expressions.
'No wonder why she is close to them. She been with them when they were children... That could explain more about what happened five years ago' Claude thought.
"What I did, I thought for the greater good and protection for Diana and Athanasia. Don't you think it won't be soon unlit the Obelian High Society find out about Athanasia's existence and about Diana's true identity? Those hounds will find out and this will be political problem and scandal for both nations. A unmarried Emperor and an unwed Princess had a child together who is the successor to the Great Obelian Empire. Siodonna already has their heir while Obelian Empire doesn't" Claude explained to her which Ingrid groans.
"I understand that, you stupid brat. But that was stupid and impulsive of you to just send that request without Diana knowing. Especially after everything she went through when she was young and leaving Obelia...That poor girl...." Ingrid soon said which Claude was surprised when she mentioned that.
"What? What are you talking about? Did Roger Alpheus really threatened her?" Claude asked angrily which Ingrid looks at him and sighs.
"He didn't threat Diana, that mutt doesn't have even the audacity to do it....It was something else that made ran away from you and protect Athanasia..."-Ingrid
"What was it? I demand to know, I am her future husband and the father of her daughter, I need to know what went wrong"-Claude
".....Diana was fated to die in childbirth" Ingrid spoke up which Claude was stunned when she revealed that painful truth.
Diana was originally destined to die in childbirth, corrected by the Book of Fate.
"What? How that can be?! She told me that-"-Claude
"She lied, the magician told her that she wouldn't survive childbirth due to Athanasia's mana that was mixed with Diana's bloodline...She did lied to you because she was afraid, no, she was terrified to be forced to make a decision and the cruel fate that she managed to escape" Ingrid explained more before she took out 'Lovely Princess' book.
She soon offered it to Claude while he was confused.
"You will understand if you read it" Ingrid soon said which Claude looked hesitant but he soon grabs it and open it before the pages light up and revealing everything to him.
Claude soon dropped the book in shock and horror as his jewel blue eyes trembled out of confusion, rage and horror.
Ingrid sighs by knowing Diana can't hide it anymore.
This time, she can't run away from it.
"That's the Book of Fate, it's one of the books that connects to Fate and the fates of different people in different nations or places. Diana was going to die and make the decision to give birth to Athanasia despite she was going to die...the decision she was forced to decide by your desperate pleads... Athanasia was fated to live as a forgotten and neglected princess without knowing familial love....and she was going die on her 18 birthday for a crime she didn't commit...She was fated to die by your hand, Emperor of Obelia" Ingrid soon said as Claude finally understood why Diana left him with Lily and went back to Siodonna.
It wasn't the ambitious Duke Roger Alpheus who threatened her nor the concubines whom he kicked out.
It was the horrible fate awaiting for them and she knew despite her attempts and pleads to protect Athanasia, he was fated to kill his own daughter for a crime she didn't commit along with Lilian York.
One of the people Diana cares deeply.
And he was fated to betrayed her and became the last person he didn't want to be.
His own father.