'Do you know how fate works? No? It's ridiculous. It does whatever it wants'
Cael scoffed to himself internally as he looked at the girl in front of him, peacefully drinking her tea. He couldn't help but feel envious of her, sitting on a proper chair while he was perched uncomfortably on someone's lap.
'How can I enjoy my delicious tea if I'm feeling uncomfortable?'
He irritably mentally smacking Claude's head for being so unreasonable. This tyrant was becoming more unreasonable every second. Why wasn't he allowed to sit on the chair? He couldn't sit on the chair because the emperor said no.
'Why make a chair if you won't sit on it?'
He glanced between Athanasia and his untouched tea, he grew irritated seeing his untouched crimson-pink tea, known as 'lipped tea.' It was so tempting, but he hesitated to drink it, fearing it might spill and wet the emperor with tea.
' maybe it's good if this bastard is drenched with tea... He deserves it.'
While the two conversed, he didn't bother to join in. He isn't interested in their conversation at all. He isn't one to pry into someone's business. Maybe he is, but not entirely.
'They are talking whatever they want... Should I leave them alone?'
Noticing the emperor spacing out and the grip on his waist loosening, he attempted to escape but was stopped by the suddenly tightening clutch. Feeling uncomfortable, he racked his brain to escape from the clutch.
"Your Majesty, could I sit on this chair?"
He asked the emperor for the umpteenth time, pointing to the chair beside the tyrant Emperor. The emperor's cold gaze stayed on him for a moment that felt like an eternity. To worsen his irritation, the emperor ignored him and lazily rested his head on top of his.
'Should I punch him?'
Cael felt the urge to punch the emperor's face and make him ugly, gladly claiming responsibility. Thinking about it again, he wished that Athanasia had punched the emperor.
Feeling the burning gaze on him, Claude looked down at the boy on his lap, then at the chair for a moment as he zoned out.
He snapped out of his trance when he remembered the chair and ordered the knight three meters behind them.
"Felix, get that chair out of here"
The latter followed the emperor's ridiculous order. Cael couldn't do anything but question his entire existence. What? How unreasonable and ridiculous these two could be?
"Cael, you can sit on my chair!"
Cael gaze shifted to Athanasia, this kind girl lending him a hand, for which he is very thankful. This girl is an angel, unlike his good-for-nothing father.
'Athanasia knows how emotions work.'
"Thank you."
Because of his gratefulness, a faint smile appeared on his face, and his anger lessened a little bit. These two are the reason for his misery, and he wouldn't forgive them easily.
A month ago, this father-daughter duo changed their chat time every morning since the chocolate incident. It would have been better if they hadn't involved him in their tea party, which he didn't want to be a part of. Why? Because whenever they had tea time, he couldn't sit on a proper chair.
Claude's behavior regressed, behaving immaturely, which isn't cute, but rather creepy. For example, right now. And he didn't get paid for being a babysitter.
"Ho..How insolent. Did I give permission?"
Cold, jeweled blue eyes glared at them, his blonde eyebrows furrowing deeply as he emitted a hint of bloodlust.
'See? He's a brat. It's a little scary.'
"PAPA~! Athy thinks that Cael is getting uncomfortable! Look..."
A cheerful voice was heard, Athanasia— the owner of that voice— did her best not to waver, continuing her cute act. Cael was surprised by how brave the girl could be.
Seeing the emperor pay no attention, a tempting plan surfaced in his mind.
'He won't get angry if I punch his face. Right?'
Ready to punch the emperor's handsome face, his upcoming actions halted when he heard a cold voice.
"Is that so? He didn't tell that to me."
Claude shifted his bored eyes to the boy in his lap. Observing the frown on the boy's nonchalant face, he couldn't help but stifle a small giggle. He then shifted his gaze to the knight three meters behind them to signal him.
Upon hearing his stifled small giggle, Cael couldn't help but shudder. Why was he laughing? What is so funny? It felt incredibly creepy.
"I thought you didn't like sitting on my lap."
'Damn, yes. I don't like anything about you at all...
Except the gold statues in your palace.'
Rubbing his temples, he glared at the madman, unable to understand how the immature madman's mind worked.
'Should I amputate it? To make his mind function right?'
He couldn't catch a break because of these two grown adults.
'Like father, like daughter, a fitting quote for these two. They are both immature.'
The advantages of sitting on Claude's lap frequently. His indestructible shield was leveling up. Now it was level 5, much better than level 1. However, if this madman used half of his mana, it would break, so it was still useless.
'My shield had been nerfed.'
He also found out that the skinship system only worked on Claude for unknown reasons. The system is choosy. Initially, he thought it only worked on boys, so he tried it on Felix. Cupping the red-haired face earned him a creepy gaze, so from that day on, Cael didn't dare to meet his gaze.
There was a change in Claude's demeanor. He softened a little bit (?) and sometimes showed a small expression on his face. For example, right now! He is smug.
He wasn't surprised when Claude didn't get angry much. He is just an emotionless bastard. He noticed that Athanasia lowered her guard when she found out about that.
'As expected, the story is progressing... It's much better.'
He sighed in relief when his butt felt a familiar sensation—a chair. Finally, he could sit on a regular chair and eat to his heart's content.
The duo resumed their conversation. What changed is how Claude always responded to Athanasia's questions and sometimes started a small talk.
'As expected of Athanasia, she can melt anyone's heart.'
There was something strange he noticed. Claude was so talkative when they were alone, talking about whatever came to his mind, sometimes making dad jokes. It wasn't funny. He is more horrified than amused. Just imagine, Claude being emotionless while making pun jokes?
'To be honest, it's funny if you ignore the one who is saying a not-so-funny joke.'
"Who's changing your clothes?"
He looked up when he heard the person he was thinking about talked. To his surprise, Claude looked at his outfit and then shifted his gaze to his sister's attire. What is wrong with that?
"I change myself with my nanny's help"
'... She insisted on helping me dress up.'
Looking confused, wondering why Claude was asking about his clothes. Is there something wrong with them? They were much more comfortable.
"Never mind."
The latter looked away as if he hadn't asked the question at all. He is back to his dazed state, and they didn't bother the emperor anymore, except his sister, who left Claude stunned by repeating what her late mother had said.
'This tea is so tasty compared to lemonade.'
✧༺♥༻✧
"Athy drew you! This is for you! If you don't like it, just throw it!"
Cael looked confusedly at the girl in front of him, handing him two papers with a very crude drawing of stick figures with small, mismatched colors.
The drawing was much worse than that of a three-year-old, by his standards. However, he could still comprehend what the drawing depicted.
There were two stick figures: one red-haired, flying with wings, and the other blonde-haired, wearing a dress, looking at the red-haired figure with heart eyes. He wasn't sure about that detail.
In the second drawing, they were holding hands, with the boy having a faint smile while the blonde was grinning ear to ear.
"Is this for me? Thank you."
He asked a rhetorical question, feeling a surge of emotion in his heart. It reminded him of his children, whom he wanted to spoil, but they only made moderate requests, ensuring they weren't overly spoiled.
He recalled the joy when they gave him a simple birthday present for the first time in his life as Cale Henituse. They had planned it diligently and used their own piggy bank, making it very meaningful.
'I didn't miss them at all.' (Lie)
Feeling a sudden pang in his heart, he pushed aside the hurtful feeling. There was no use crying over spilled milk. He wanted to return, but how?
Ignoring his own feelings, he looked at the girl in front of him. At least he could spoil someone in the future, like a big brother to his younger sister.
A faint, genuine smile appeared on his face as he examined the drawing, feeling grateful for the simple gift.
"You're welcome! Kyaa!!♡♡~"
Ignoring the girl's squeal, he examined the drawing more carefully, puzzled by the wings.
What was this girl thinking, imagining him with wings? Where did she get that idea from?
It was too fancy for his taste and bothersome; at least he didn't have wings in real life. The concept was too extravagant for his liking, reminding him of angels and demons.
"What are these wings for?"
Confused, he unintentionally frowned while looking at the drawing. Athanasia misunderstood his expression as disgust, fearing that he might hate it. She replied with utmost honesty, stuttering as she struggled to form coherent words.
"Y-you look like a-an angel, so..."
Although he didn't hear her properly, he didn't press her for more details, seeing how nervous she was. A reassuring smile appeared on his face.
"I'll keep it. What do you want in exchange?"
Feeling a bit awkward about not knowing what to give her, he finally asked, concerned about reciprocating her gesture.
"If you don't want to do it, Athy doesn't mind."
Athanasia shyly looked at him with her twinkling eyes. He interpreted that as excitement. The girl must have something she likes but can't obtain. His spoiling instinct surfaced. Whatever she wanted to ask for, he is willing to grant it to her.
"It's fine. What is it?"
"You don't really mind?"
He couldn't help but stifle a small giggle at her hesitation. She is so shy, which he found endearing.
"Yes, what is it?"
Athanasia approached him, coming close to his face, and he felt her cold, small hands poking and then pinching his cheeks, leaving him momentarily stupefied.
He didn't notice that the girl seemed to want to bite his soft cheeks, which were as soft as bread.
"Is that all?"
Seeing Cael ask her a question as if he didn't expect it, she interpreted that it wasn't enough and she could ask for more. Looking at how adorable he looked with his confused face, she couldn't help but squeal.
"Kyaaa!! Can I hug you and pat your head too?"
She eagerly asked, and Cael saw no issue with her request, agreeing to it without much difficulty.
"Alright."
✧༺♥༻✧
In the afternoon, Cael found himself contemplating over small things, struggling to decide what to do with the drawings in his hand. Should he throw them away or keep them? Anything but throwing them.
"Haaa..."
A sigh escaped him as he glanced at the newly furnished dressing room, filled with clothes too fancy and colorful for his taste. He missed the simplicity of his sweatshirt from Earth and had no intention of wearing the extravagant attire.
Recalling his return to his room, he was greeted by a surprise: a newly added dressing room adjacent to his own. He didn't want to inquire about how Claude had done it with his magic, despite his curiosity.
Recalling Claude's expectant expression, he pondered over what was anticipated of him, but he chose to disregard it.
When the emperor noticed his annoyance, he grew colder and more aloof. Observing this, Cael stared stupefied at the sullen emperor's back but didn't let it bother him too much.
✧༺♥༻✧
Right, fate is absurd. Nothing makes sense. He had been in his room earlier when he heard Athanasia and Felix's voices, so he didn't do anything aside from rolling in his bed. After the voices faded, he went outside to take a breath of fresh air.
And there he found himself, facing Duke Alpheus, Ijekiel's father. Ijekiel is the second male lead in the novel/webcomics "Who Made Me a Princess."
Right, Great. Seeing the albino-haired man reminded him of Ron, his butler in his second life, which made him uncomfortable, recalling him and his sour lemonades.
He stumbled upon the Duke on his way back to his room. The Duke was looking at him with a neutral expression, which was much better than smiling. If he smiled like Ron, he is ready to use his shield.
After a few uncomfortable minutes, he decided to leave, but the Duke stopped him from doing so.
"Who are you? Are you even allowed to be in this place? Do you know the danger lurking here?"
The duke's words sounded like a warning, to which Cael agreed. Alpheus stared at him, seemingly awaiting a response.
'You're right, I don't like this palace besides the gold statues.'
"I'm just an ordinary passerby, Your Grace,"
Cael flashed his usual grin, hoping to convey his message. The message he intended to convey is, 'I'm just a nobody in this book. Please don't mind me, leave me alone, and don't involve me in your ambitious plans.'
"If you'll excuse me,"
Cael said when he didn't hear the Duke speak, and walked towards his intended destination.
....
'I have to plan something about revealing her to her father.'
Recalling the boy who confidently walked towards the end of the hallway, a hint of amusement appeared in Alpheus' eyes as he continued his way outside the palace.
"An ordinary passerby... No, a shameless liar."
✧༺♥༻✧
In the middle of the night, Claude stood in front of the crappy drawing, now framed in gold and proudly displayed on the wall.
He felt a twinge of annoyance at the absence of a blonde figure in the drawing.
'That's why he asked for a golden frame'
He glanced at the sleeping boy on the bed for the last time before retiring to his room.
"I have to ask Felix to find the best painter."
✧༺♥༻✧
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Author's Note: I have a massive headache, but I wanted to proofread and post the draft I finished yesterday because I'm stuck in bed with a headache accompanying me. I also have a rhinitis (runny nose), which is super annoying and has led to a cold. I'm okay (I'm not feeling well at all 🤒). I'm also feeling dizzy, so if there are any mistakes in this chapter, please let me know. Love a lots❤❤ Enjoy your time reading this slow burn fanfic~ (^з^)-☆Chu!!