"Your Highness! Your Highness! His Majesty has finally awakened!" A maid came bursting into the room. "Okay, okay. I'm coming." I tell her standing up. "I'll see you later." I hug Jeanette. She just nods solemnly. Then I left the Emerald Palace heading to the Garnet Palace.
She must be disappointed with what I have planned but it's the best I can do. It's not like I could convince Claude to actually accept her as his daughter now or even neice. I don't even know if I can get him to agree to what I have planned now. But I'll try my best. It wouldn't be good for her to stay anyways considering how she is being treated here. If I was a moment later that day she would have already been dead.
After Claude was asleep, and escaping from Felix's gibberish that was obviously a diversion from it all. I left to go to see Jeanette only to find several knights on guard about to kill her. I was so nervous when I ran in between her and the knights. Ordering them to stand down and everything. It was more surprising they even listened. It's been a couple days now and I have made a plan to help her. Just now it's time to actually do it. I'll do my best.
"Princess!" Felix waves at me with a smile. I walk over to him as we walks towards me too. It was still shocking to think he was trying to distract me for the other knights.
That's why I could tell Felix feels a lot of tension between us and awkwardness since I haven't even mentioned it and was kind of giving him the cold shoulder. That's what I've chosen as a sort of punishment for lying to me. It wasn't about Jeanette but it was still disappointing that he was trying to keep me from knowing what was happening. I've been disrespected by everyone outside of the Ruby Palace and I'm sick of it. It was even more so disappointing that it was Felix of all the knights. I wish he would have just told me.
"His Majesty is right in there." Felix awkwardly points to a door. I nod before walking off. I give two quick short knocks on the door and immediately a voice says to 'come in'. Claude was faced away from me on a couch. I walk over and sit on the couch opposite that faced him. The coffee table in between was filled with several different desserts. Yummy! But it's not really the time for this now.
His gaze was still as fierce as ever. I just stared at the sweets on the coffee table. There was an uncomfortable silence between us. Should I break the silence?
"How have you been recently?" Claude breaks the silence instead. This was the last thing I expected him to say. "I've been fine. We were finally able to rid of the black magic and I remember everything now." I explain to him. "Where we you?" Claude asks another question. "Arlanta mostly." I answer again.
"We had knights there. We had knights all over and and magicians yet we couldn't find you."
"We used magic."
"Where did you live?"
"Library's actually."
"Money?"
"We just pawn off ornaments from the Ruby Palace." I lie. Illegal counterfeit money really.
"You left without my permission."
"I haven't left the Palaces in eighteen years. We only went and found out how to rid of the black magic and once it was gone we returned."
Claude stayed silent. Let's propose my idea now.
"Jeanette. Don't kill her please. I ask this as favor to me. I think I deserve at least one favor from you and that is for you to spare her. Let her marry Ijekiel Alpheus and just live her life with that ducal household." I tell him, looking him in the eyes.
Claude stayed silent for a long time. The silence was uncomfortable and the already heavy tension worsened with each passing moment. His face remained unchanging but I could tell he really wanted to say no and was quite upset.
"Do you honestly and truly wish for that?" Claude finally speaks. "Yes." I answer without hesitation. "I'll even speak with Ijekiel about it and I've already told her." I tell him. Is he really going to allow this? At least this easily?
"Don't meet with her anymore. She's dangerous." Claude glared but it didn't seem directed towards me but it still made me feel uneasy. "Lucas is working on concealing her magic so it doesn't effect anyone anymore." I explain. His face harden with his eyes becoming ice at the mention of Lucas.
"M-My magic is also all stable so I won't absorb it anymore." I tell him.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Claude asks motioning to the food on the table. I smile nodding grabbing a piece of strawberry short cake. It was so soft, moist and really really sweet! So yummy!
As I glance up I could see Claude's face slightly scrunched up in disgust as he scanned the table of deserts. He really does hate sweets. I sort of want to tease him.
"Your Majesty! This is quite delicious! I've never eaten something so good in such a long time!" I smile at him before taking another bite. Claude looked away from the deserts and up at me. "Eat as much as you want." He says as he looked at the desert I was eating.
"Here! Try some! You'll surely like it!" I tell him as I hold a piece of cake out towards him on my fork. Claude stayed frozen still glancing down at the cake and me. A small smile played on my lips as I watched him.
Wait. What am I doing? What am I thinking? Teasing Claude? Telling him he owes me a favor? To have this much fearlessness? Did I eat something strange today? He is just staring at me and the cake too. Is he planning how to kill me for offering such a thing? He looks so disgusted by the cake he might just be.
Slowly I began to retract my hand looking down. Gently, gently, gently. Suddenly a hand grabbed onto my wrist yanking me forward a bit. I look up at Claude with confusion as he eats the cake off the fork as his jaw clenched and I swear his eye twitched. He began chewing as I remained frozen wide-eyed watching him eat the piece of cake. He finally managed to swallow it as I sat back on the couch.
We remained in silence just staring at each other. I can't belive he did that. That was the last thing I would have ever expected. I've never seen so many expressions on his face before either. Well it was all disgusted looks actually. But it was still quite..hilarious? I covered my mouth as a small giggle escaped my lips. I tried keeping my lips tightly sealed to prevent anymore noise but it was no use before I broke out into fits of laughter. He was so digusted! How can someone be so grossed out by just simple sweets? Even tears are forming in my eyes!
I countined to laugh for awhile before finally calming down. I wipe my eyes as I looked up Claude. He was certainly going to kill me now. But at least I got a good laugh.
"I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty." I giggle slightly. Claude stayed silent as he poured himself more tea and drank it all in one go. "Were you just teasing me?" Claude asks with a scowl still on his face as he sets down his tea cup.
"No, of course not. I just wanted you to try it since I thought it was delicious." I tell him. It was mostly true. The cake was delicious and should be shared. I knew he didn't like sweets but I didn't expect him to actually eat a bite or look like he has been poisoned when he took a bite.
"I'm glad that you at least tasted it! Even though I could see you're not much of a fan of sweets." I say before taking another bite of my cake. This is quite nice. Claude may be pretty upset at the moment but there isn't much tension it feels like. I'm actually enjoying myself.
"Athanasia." Claude says making me look up at him. "Yes?" I ask. He really seems upset now. "All these past years, none of it was your fault." Claude says looking at me. Why is he being so eeire suddenly?
"You didn't deserve to be treated that way either. I just want you to know that. Never think any of it was because it was your fault and that you deserved any of that mistreatment." Claude says. Is he trying to apologize? He doesn't seem like he is asking for forgiveness though. He doesn't deserve to be forgived anyways. But I still want for us to be on good terms. I'd rather not wallow over the past in self pity. It would just make my life more miserable than it has to be. I've already already been slowly learning how to move on from all of it without forgetting it. I have learned my lessons from it and forgetting it would just bound me into making the same mistakes again. My lessons of growing will not be in vain.
"I know that it wasn't my fault. I don't know why I was treated like that and I've asked that myself a lot growing up. Even though I still don't know, I honestly have given up on trying to figure it out." I tell him. Claude stayed silent.
For some reason I felt like just getting everything out so I continued. "You know growing up I didn't ever care to be treated like a princesss to be a princess. I never cared that others despised me. That even my own maids stole from me and didn't really take care of me for a long time. That the only person who truly cared for me since the begining was only Lily. My mother was dead before I could even remember a single thing about her. My father left me in a palace made for concubines where he massacred everyone the day I was birthed. Then neglected me. I grew up fragile and always on edge. But I'm no longer like that. I've come long ways and I am proud of myself. I'll remain happy." I tell him smiling. Yes, I am happy.
"You deserve to be happy." Claude tells me. Jeez. How frustrating. "Let's continue this still, however. Spending time together." I say.
I still wanted to have good relationship with Claude. He is my father. But now I know I will be happy even if we can't a have good relationship. I won't let him alone be the reason for me to be unhappy. Not anymore.
"Okay. Let's continue to spend time together."
But us having a good relationship will still definitely help make me really happy.