The first time she met the boy, her heart seemed to skip a beat. He appeared breathtakingly beautiful and handsome, like an angel. In fact, he was even more stunning than her own mother.
That's what she thought as she curiously poked his face. It felt smooth and pale, like a piece of bread, or perhaps more like cotton.
Her breath caught in her throat when the boy opened his eyes. His golden yellow iris was exquisitely beautiful, shining like pure gold. She found herself captivated by its stunning beauty, desiring to possess it, just like she desired the treasures of the ruby palace.
However, she knew she couldn't be unreasonable. She attempted to engage him in conversation, but the boy averted his gaze and seemed preoccupied. Undeterred, she tried a different approach to capture his attention. She playfully called him "Chilli" and to her delight, it was the first time she heard his angelic and soothing voice. Despite his nonchalant demeanor, he was undeniably adorable.
Cael...huh?
Who is that? There was no mention of him in the book she had read. If he had been included, he would have surely overshadowed the beauty of the main character and become the center of attention.
As a reincarnator herself, she found it peculiar. Perhaps he was a hidden character, omitted due to the book's lack of detail, or maybe the author simply forgot about him.
Expressing her gratitude to the boy, she noticed that his mind appeared preoccupied. Deciding to let him be. The boy ran away, and she chased after him to find out where he came from. But she suddenly remembered that she was in a hurry, and Lily would be searching for her. She had to run back quickly.
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But she soon realized how naive she was when she encountered the dirtbag Claude, whom she didn't want to meet. She almost fainted from nervousness.
'This dirtbag, Jerk! Claude!'
She needed to escape from this palace as soon as possible. Athanasia was scared out of her mind. She didn't know that this palace, which was more humble than the Ruby palace, is where the emperor resided.
Looking at Claude, she felt like she was facing the Grim Reaper. She could feel her soul leaving her body. In the book she read, she was supposed to meet Claude at the age of 9. What happened?
The most absurd thing was that he invited her for tea. On their way to the palace, she saw familiar crimson hair.
Unconsciously, she called out his name. She wanted to escape from Claude and distract him by focusing on the boy. She was so nervous. But what she didn't expect was that the boy didn't even look at them.
'Is he scared too? Maybe he's scared of this dirtbag Claude!'
Claude even threatened her while they were having tea. She was scared out of her mind and was forced to call him 'papa' because she had dug her own grave.
She knew herself well. She is not a comedian or a clown who could entertain people and make them laugh or feel angry or ridiculous. She wasn't entertaining enough, and this dirtbag Claude was seeking entertainment.
She realized that she was a little interesting, otherwise Claude would have killed her in their first meeting. But whatever, The good news was that she had survived.
Even so, she couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment and cringe wash over her. She berated herself for her foolishness and couldn't shake off the feeling of being utterly foolish.
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After returning to the Ruby palace, she crossed out all the choices she had made. Now, her only chance was Plan C: continue to act cute to steal Claude's heart. But she decided to give Plan B a try.
She was too naive. She didn't expect that the ruby palace was so close to the emperor's palace. Felix also informed her that she was going to become a proper princess from now on.
Lost in her thoughts, she remembered the boy she had met earlier. Who was that angel? Felix seemed to know him, so she would ask him if she had a chance to meet the knight.
'Maybe Lily knows him too'
"Lily, do you know Cael? I met him this morning! His hair is red, and he is such an angel!"
she asked cutely, hoping for a satisfactory answer. But to her surprise, Lily frowned. What was wrong?
"I don't know them, Your Highness. It's time for bed,"
'Liar'
Lily completely ignored her question as if she hadn't asked anything in the first place. Whatever, she would find out about him soon enough.
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Claude, the dirtbag, accepted her as a princess. What was he playing at? She would just need to continue acting cute, just like always.
That day, she met the boy again. She saw him talking to the emperor, and it seemed like he didn't like the emperor at all.
He was insolent, nonchalant, and brave. He didn't care about the emperor at all, and the emperor didn't seem to mind his attitude. What was even more shocking was that the emperor smirked faintly. She could see it clearly.
On that fateful day, she finally found out the identity of the red-haired angel.
"Your Highness, he is your younger brother by two months. Cael de Alger Obelia"
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She asked Felix for an explanation about the boy. She noticed that Lily seemed to hate the angelic boy, although she wasn't sure.
She found out that he was the illegitimate son of the emperor, just like herself. The angel boy had almost died as an infant, just like her. Lily seemed to frown upon hearing the explanation. She definitely hated him.
'Why...? He is more pitiful than me'
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Later that day, in the night, she found out why Lily hated the boy. It was because his mother was a concubine, just like her own mother. Lily hated the woman because she was an attention seeker, and when she died, Lily directed her hate towards her only son.
Lilian York admired Athanasia's mother, which was why she hated the fact that Claude had another woman beside Diana.
Feeling sad for him, Athanasia pitied him. He had been completely forgotten as an infant and abandoned in a shabby palace.
She couldn't deny that she had been fortunate to live a life of luxury and privilege as a princess, while he had endured the hardships of a commoner.
'I guess that's why his clothes look like those of a commoner'
She had always thought that the only sibling she had was the protagonist of the novel she read, "Lovely Princess," Jenette de Alger Obelia. But she had been proven wrong.
Maybe the boy had died as an infant in the original story, and because of her, a foreign soul had reincarnated in this world, changing his fate.
That was the final conclusion she reached.
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The dirtbag emperor invited her onto his overly fancy and royal boat. She met the angelic boy for the third time.
She sat beside his younger brother, while the emperor looked at them with slight amusement, as if they were clowns.
On the royal boat, she and the emperor were the only ones conversing. It was more like she was the only one entertaining the dirtbag.
When the emperor grew bored of talking to her, he looked away and busied his mind with something she didn't want to know.
'Ohhh... Looking at him, the emperor is quite attractive' she admitted it albeit more stiffly.
His features were undeniably perfect. His cold, piercing, and jewel-like blue eyes were captivating. His body seemed to be flawlessly sculpted, as if it had been crafted by the gods themselves. His sharp jawline, long nose, and blond hair added to his allure. It was impossible to deny his perfection. He possessed an irresistible charm that made him a heartthrob, capable of stealing the hearts of women. It was no wonder that Diana, Athanasia's mother, loved him so deeply.
'His personality says otherwise'
Something caught her eye-a blue lotus. Some force seemed to attract her to it, and she felt a strong pull towards the lake. Before she knew it, she had fallen into the water. Panic washed over her as she struggled to stay afloat. She didn't know how to swim.
'Someone, please help me!'
she cried out desperately, looking towards the boat where the emperor sat. But to her dismay, he merely glanced at her with a bored expression, showing no intention of saving her.
'That dirtbag! He said not to worry! Liar! Jerk! What a heartless bastard!'
She was filled with a sense of impending doom, realizing that she might meet her demise. Desperation consumed her as she pleaded for someone to come to her rescue. She fought against the water with all her strength, swimming frantically. However, an unseen force seemed to pull her down, adding to her despair and making her struggle even more futile.
'Please...! Oh...my...'
She was certain that she would drown, but just as she was losing hope, In her moment of distress, she caught sight of an angel swimming towards her with grace and elegance, using his shield to protect her. Despite his seemingly indifferent demeanor, she could sense the kindness within him.
Filled with gratitude, she made a solemn vow to herself. She would dedicate herself to caring for this angel, ensuring that his life would be filled with peace and happiness. She wanted to repay him for his selfless act of saving her life.
But that wasn't all. She felt a sense of joy in having a cute and angelic brother, even if he seems troublemaker and willing to sacrifice himself easily.
'I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU, MY CUTE DONGSAENG'
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Author's Note: I want to let you know that the novel and webtoon of 'Who Made Me a Princess' have many differences, including their endings. In this story, I will mix their ideas and history and use them as a reference. Be aware that reading this story may spoil parts of the novel that are not included in it. Also, I haven't reread the novel, so if I make any mistakes, please let me know. The same goes for the 'Louts of the Counts Family' and other historical references in this story, which are my own creations. Should I call them my own fantasies? Anyway, thank you for the 1k reads on Wattpad and your support on AO3. Lots of love to all of you! ❤️❤️