*Many Months Later*
The bells ring loud and echo everywhere as the people rejoice together. Flowers flew around in the air as the wind carried them and rain down. The palace was loud and jolly with many servants scrambling around on a special day.
Jennette steps inside the palace after months of living outside of the empire and living in Arlanta with Ijekiel. Although Athanasia didn't want her to leave, Jennette insisted and soon she found her own life where she's independent and a freedwoman. Ijekiel, on the other hand, went with Jennette so she wouldn't feel lonely and felt guilty for taking part in his father's plan. Nevertheless, they were able to work it out and fell in love for real.
"What's going on?" Jennette's eyes roam the decorated palace as she walks around. "Oh. I forgot it's today"
"What's today?" Ijekiel asks her and she turns her head over to him with a gentle smile.
"There's a wedding today"
***
Everyone gathers around outside on a wonderful sunny day. The music plays and the couple stands at the altar. They were shy in the public eye but they conquered that fear when they stood by each other's side. Nothing but gleeful smiles on their faces as some cries tear of joy. It was a magnificent day for a couple to get married.
The wedding officiant stands in the center, following the script as the couple waits for their line. Once the question was asked and they responded with "I do". The maids burst into tears along with some knights as they praised them.
"You may kiss the bride" The wedding officiant moves out of the way and lets them have their moment.
The bride smiled wholeheartedly at her groom as he returned it with the same expression. They thought to themselves. 'Who knew they would end up together'. Apparently only some knew. Anyway, they lean into each other's faces slowly as their eyelids closed over. Then when their lips touched, the crowd went wild as they cheered on the newlyweds.
"Give it up for the married couple. Lily and Felix!" They roared and flowers exploded in the air as it rained on them.
"I never thought I would be married" Lily laughed and touched her forehead with Felix.
"Neither did I" He responded and they went for another round of a kiss.
The maids and knights were bonding and crying together about their leaders getting married. From the start, Lily admits to Felix that he was the father and he already knew it. He proposed to her and vowed to love her and raised their child together like a real father. Lily accepted and so it led up to this day. Their co-workers approved of their love and so they became friends. No more of the rivalry and hate between the two sides as they became allies. They all soon forget the past and move on to a new future where everyone is peaceful and friends...enough.
"Hey, your name is Ashley right?" The maid asked the innocent servant that was working at the wedding.
"Huh?" The woman looks at her in bewilderment while staying cautious of the suspicious murderer even though they vowed to be peaceful again. "... Yes?"
"One of the knights has a crush on you" She bluntly tells her.
"W-What?" She raised her eyebrows and began to blush.
"He's over there. Thank me later!" She pushed her to the suitor which put a halt to her work as the maid became a wingman for her new buddy.
As the maids drink alcohol with the knights, one puts her hand on his shoulder and pats it with a frown. The knight faces her in confusion as she nods her head.
"You know... I apologize for brutally murdering your friend. He was an asshole but I gave him a quick death"
The knight's mood gets spoiled as he thinks about his late friend again. "... It's...fine"
Athanasia and Lucas stand from aside and clap slowly as everyone goes wild. Ever since they came back to the empire, Athanasia was immediately crowned Empress of Obelia and restored the empire to its regular state. Meanwhile, for Lucas, he was back to his usual job as Wizard of the Black Tower and as her consort. Athanasia's reputation grew bigger than ever as she became loved by everyone. For the mysterious death of the late emperor, she decided to say he passed away from an unknown disease rather than the suggestion Anastasia gave her. For the disappearance of the Karalis, she announced that the Duchess moved away and went off on a journey of her own which was technically the truth. Overall, everyone was fine with it and focused on the present.
Athanasia had proven her worth of being Empress and everyone praised her hard work in keeping the empire stable. In addition, her friends and family were noticing that they have become younger due to the World Tree branch but never found out about the truth until Athanasia told them. She expected them to be astonished and dazed but instead, they handled the truth well. They didn't freak out or anything and just shrugged it off and continued working. At least they'll have each other and they were fine with that fact.
"I never knew those two would get married" Lucas comments and rubs the back of his ear. He didn't want to attend the wedding in the first place but was soon convinced by Athanasia because she wanted him to take a break.
"They already have a child together too," Athanasia sighs. "He's only a few weeks old" Her eyes wander to the newly married parents going to their child and showering him with love. A wonderful mother and father who loves their child with all their hearts is truly a dream come true. That was happiness.
"So they got married because she was pregnant?"
"Basically but it's also out of love too" She nods her head and watches the scene.
Lucas's eyes move to Athanasia slowly and he stares at her closely. Getting ideas in his head that shouldn't be there in the first place. Athanasia gets chills on the back of her neck and shudders. She jerks her head to Lucas and he immediately changes direction, looking back at the front. She caught him staring at her and instantly knew why.
"... I wait until marriage" She exclaims seriously with a still face.
"I can respect that" Lucas smirks at her slyly and wraps her neck with one arm. "I'm patient....enough" He whispers softly in her ear and her heart jumps.
She steps away from him and pink blush covers her cheeks as her heart pounds fast. "You really...." She is unable to respond properly to his words and just stays a couple of feet away from him in embarrassment.
"Your Majesty!" Lily runs up to Athanasia and hugs her. "I'm so glad you're here!" She smiles and holds her hand.
"Of course, Lily. I wouldn't miss your special day" She grinned at Lily's gleeful face. Athanasia was proud to see Lily finding love and having a child of her own.
"Well, I'm happy that you're here and I'll stay by your side no matter what"
"Oh, Lily...." She just nods her head awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. Lily kisses her forehead and hugs her one last time before going off to her husband.
"Thank you for being here in this world" Lily lets go and walks away.
Before the marriage, Athanasia gave the couple a choice to move out of the palace and live outside on their own with their child. However, both of them chose to stay with her and vowed to continue serving the Crown nevertheless. Hence, Athanasia allows their decision and offers their newborn child to become a royal servant of the palace. They accept and so they decide to raise the child with the help of their co-workers. Some already begin to think the child will grow up to be the best knight in the empire and could possibly serve as a guard for Athanasia's child when she has one.
As they celebrate joyfully and cheer on the happy couple, Athanasia exhales and grins at the sight of her friends and family having fun for the first time in forever. They've been through many hard times and burdens together. But now, all the troubles are over and they can finally focus on the brighter future that's waiting for them.
"I wonder how she's doing" Athanasia mumbles while thinking about her old friend that she hasn't seen ever since.
"Who? Are you talking about her?" Lucas glances at her with a plain face and the bad memory of her villainess's face comes into his mind. That evil expression got stuck in his mind when they were fighting, realizing that Athanasia has never been as evil as Anastasia.
"Yeah. But I hope she's doing fine on her journey around the world..." She sighed just thinking about the optimistic and powerful woman. A unique clone where she's like a chimera but it's not. She's just purely made of magic and somehow became alive.
"Well, considering her personality and... just her, I think she's fine" He reassures her and she agrees.
They already separated so there wasn't any point in going back if she is traveling the world. Athanasia is busy running an empire while Anastasia is adventuring around.
"Ath-Ah! Your Majesty!" A high-pitched voice shouts out from behind and startles them. They recognized the voice instantly and turned around. "It's been a long time!~"
They both stared at the perky brunette standing in front of them normally. Athanasia's jaw dropped and Lucas tilted his head in astonishment the moment they saw their eyes. Jennette still kept the same usual expression and smiled awkwardly as they speechlessly stared at her. Why? Although she looked the same and is fine overall, the only thing that changed was her eyes. They were no longer the blue jeweled eyes that only royals have but instead, they were green emerald eyes similar to her mother. They were dazed by the sight of her green eyes the more they looked into it.
"Jennette...?" Athanasia gasped and walked up closer. But then she shook her head, realizing that it could just be magic so she didn't jump to conclusions and asked her directly. "Are you wearing a different ring?"
"Ah! You guys are shocked by my eyes. Don't worry I reacted similarly when I woke up like this" She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Honestly, I don't know what happened"
"How is that possible?" Athanasia mumbles and Lucas is just as confused. They both scan her mana and notice that there's no black magic within her body anymore. She's just a regular human with no magic now. She's normal....
"I really don't know. It just happened one day and...yeah" Jennette exclaims. "However, I think it's a good thing because this is a chance at a new life too" She stayed positive. "I'll be living the life that I've always wanted. A normal one!"
"... I see" Athanasia supports her perspective but wonders how it happened.
'Did it die on its own and leaves her body completely?' She thought and rubbed her chin. 'Probably. I'll go with that' She nods and moves on from it.
"So how's life in Arlanta going for you? Do you have any trouble or anything that I can help you with?" Athanasia gives her as much help as she can but Jennette rejects all of them.
"No, I'm fine. Ijekiel has been so supportive and helpful but I'm fine. Thanks for asking!" Jennette grins at her and Athanasia gets relieved from her words. "Anyways, how's life as Empress going for you?"
"It's fine. I've been working a lot but it's going pretty well" She tells her but inside she's dead.
From the start, the empire was in so much chaos that she had to work 10 times harder to fix the mess. Dealing with the people and the system as she settles the palace's problems. There was so much work to do that she lost sleep trying to do them but at least she had some help from her close companions. Eventually, she managed to restore everything and saved the empire from collapsing. Her work hours got lower and she was able to finally rest and have time to herself.
"Well, I'm glad you are!" Jennette said and then Ijekiel joined the conversation.
When Ijekiel found out the truth about Anastasia. He didn't know how to react at all. It was hard to take in knowing that his first love turned out to be a princess and he got fooled by a clone. He realized that he wasn't in love with her for real because if he was, then he would have noticed it. Though he had been suspicious of it, in the end, he failed to realize and so he was heartbroken. Eventually, he moved on from it and began his new life with Jennette in Arlanta. For Duke Roger, Athanasia decides to exiled him for his sins to Arlanta with his son and split up the dukedom, similar to the Karalis. Though he handled it well because he already had a home in Arlanta and just lived there but is still disappointed in himself for using Jennette and failing. Ultimately, They're fine and that's all.
"Your Majesty" Ijekiel bows properly to the Empress with a grin. "It's been a while"
"It has been, Ijekiel"
They all talked to each other normally as the wedding went on. Soon Jennette and Ijekiel leave early. Everyone party until nightfall and they were still powering through especially the energetic maids. Nobody was surprised by their energy because alcohol was present and they went wild with it. Lily and Felix enjoyed their day together as newlyweds and did their dance while caring for their newborn baby. Athanasia and Lucas just watched the whole time while eating the sweets in the back. He would constantly tease her while she scolds him in embarrassment about the things he hints about.
"Your Majesty, would you like to meet our son?" Felix came up to them while Lily cuddled with her baby.
"Sure..." Athanasia nods and Lucas stands by her side.
The two leaned over and looked at the baby in fascination. He had gray eyes like his father and a smile like his mother. Athanasia was awed by the cute face and poked his chubby cheeks.
'So cute!!' her eyes glitter in wonderment as her heart flutters.
For Lucas, he just stared at the baby blankly and didn't feel any heart warm feeling from it like Athanasia. It was just a baby and he gazes at it emotionlessly while the baby smiles at her. Then when it made eye-contact with Lucas, he expected the child to frown and stop smiling. Instead, he laughs with joy and Lucas gapes at him in disbelief.
"... nice" He smirks and straightens his back.
"Do you want to hold him?" Lily asked Athanasia and she flinched.
"A-Ah! Can I?" She gets excited and jumps up gleefully. Lily giggled at her reaction and says yes while giving him to her.
"Be careful, the neck is sensitive"
"Woah. He's so light!" Athanasia carries him and holds him close to her body. She continued to gaze at the adorable in admiration. Lucas leans into her shoulder and they both stare at it with different expressions.
Felix and Lily looked at the young couple in awe while they held the child. They already seemed like good parents in their eyes when a baby was near them. Then a question came into mind as Athanasia and Lucas poke his cheeks.
"Have you ever thought about having kids?" Felix blurts out and the two face him in bewilderment.
"Huh?" Athanasia raised her eyebrows along with Lucas. She gives Lily her son back as Felix teases the lovely couple.
"Since you two are lovers, have you ever thought about having a family?" He grins innocently and Athanasia knits her eyebrows while Lucas rubs his chin.
They both thought hard about their future.
Athanasia reminisces the memory of her old conversation with the lady at the orphanage. Remembering the compliments she got from the adults and how she'll grow up to be a good mother. Meanwhile, Lucas actually liked the idea of it and dreamed of creating a family with Athanasia.
"Erm. Not really, I've been busy with work so it never came to mind" Athanasia scratched the side of her head as she thought about having children.
"Really? Nothing popped into mind when you played with those orphans?" Lucas exclaims and she becomes stunned by his question.
"...Ah.." She was in an awkward position where she couldn't answer him.
"If you do have kids in the future, then how many would you like?" Lily grins eagerly, thrilled to hear their answers.
Athanasia stays quiet and breaks into a cold sweat just imagining it. Lucas takes the question seriously and wonders how much he would want. Just being pregnant stops Athanasia from thinking any farther while Lucas imagines himself being a loving father to his children.
"Maybe..." Lucas speaks up and they all look at him. "...8?"
"E-Eight?!" Athanasia twitches at his response and the newlyweds gasp at his response in surprise. They were all caught off guard and stared at him in disbelief as he looked at him in confusion at their expressions, not knowing what was wrong.
"That's a big number..." Lily's eyes revert to Athanasia's pale face and then her eyes go down to her stomach. The pain of giving birth killed her even Lily couldn't imagine it.
"Haha! If that's what you want!" Felix gives his support and excuses himself along with Lily.
"Are you crazy!?" Athanasia yells at him with a flushed face. She didn't even think of one child but 8 was too much. Why? Because she was scared of the pain.
"What? I'm being honest" Lucas tells her bluntly and she narrows her eyes at him. "Don't worry, I'll take care of them and love them equally" He smirks and wraps one arm around her neck while pulling her close to his body.
"That's not the problem!"
"Huh? Do you want more then?"
"W-What?" Athanasia shakes her head and covers her red face with both hands. "No..."
"Do you not want children?" He pouts and she jumps from his rare expression. "I can understand"
"It's not that either!" She exclaimed and held onto his arm with both hands. She trembles in frustration with a red face as Lucas looks at her in puzzlement, not knowing what she wants at all. "Shouldn't we think of things before that? Like marriage first?" She avoids telling him the truth.
In fact, she also wanted kids but thought it was too early to think that even though she's at the right age. The reason why she couldn't think properly about it is the process. In order to create the child, she would have to do that and her mind exploded. The cloud of thoughts would be shooed away quickly as she calms her pounding heart.
Lucas wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her back touched his front body and he laid his chin on her shoulder while breathing on her neck. She shivers from his hot breath on her neck and stands still in humiliation, keeping her eyes on the party.
"I'll wait..." He whispers in her ear and rests his head. "Because I love you"
Athanasia's heart flutters from his cheesy lines and she gets butterflies in her stomach. She was happy to hear those sincere words coming from his mouth and a smile spread across her face. She turns her head over to him and leans in close to give him a peck on the cheek which caught him by surprise. He freezes and gapes at her while she grins at him softly.
"Thank you," She tells him and his heart melts at her expression. "I love you too"
They both leaned into each other's faces and their lips touched. They kissed during the festive night for another couple. A short and light kiss, they separated and stared directly at each other directly in the eyes. At that moment, they were thankful for being in each other's lives as they smiled in content and went for another kiss.
The wedding lasted until midnight and everyone left in satisfaction, ready for another day in the palace and Athanasia as Empress of Obelia. Everyone was happy.
***
Traveling the wonderland with colorful lights shifting everywhere. The solo woman burst through the magical door without any problem with a gleeful face. It flashes in her pupils as she gets excited about the only thing on the other side. In the tranquil place with nothing but an empty void and the strongest source of mana in the center. It was the World Tree waiting for its only resident to come back.
"Honey!~ I'm home!~" Anastasia sings in a lovely voice that the tree is very fond of.
It glimmers with colors and lights the moment it hears her. The tree welcomes her back as she lands in front of it. Ever since she began living with the World Tree, she would make up songs in her head and sing them. The once lonely tree had never felt such a thing when hearing the sound of her angelic voice and being with her. She heals the tree's loneliness and cares for it. They were good companions and something more.
"Did you meet them?" The tree asked her and she paused. The gloomy expression on her face says everything. "... What happened?"
Anastasia squints her eyes at the wooden bark with puffy cheeks. "Why are you dimming?" She pouts at it and crosses her arms.
"Did you at least get to see them?"
"Yep and it happened to be on a wedding day too" She exhales while remembering the day with a pleasing grin. "It was stunning"
"Did you complete your mission?"
"Yeah, I did" She holds up a gold chain necklace with jewels on it. The tree shudders at the sight of the dark aura contaminating it. "She took it better than I thought" She turns the magical necklace that absorbed all of Jennette's black magic into dust and permanently gets rid of it.
Anastasia was at the palace for the whole day but didn't attend the wedding. Instead, she just watched the whole thing from the rooftop and smiled in amusement at everyone's joyful faces. Their happiness eases her as her broken heart gets healed from it. She wanted to show up and surprise everyone but backed out. She couldn't meet her up close and stayed invisible. Anastasia promised to not meet her again and so she intends to keep that way as she watches Athanasia live the life she deserved.
"Ha...." Anastasia wipes a teardrop from her face while smirking at the memory. "Well, it seems like everyone will be happy no matter what" She clenched her chest.
"That is your wish right?"
"Yeah" She answered with a bittersweet smile. "That's my job too. Making sure everyone get a chance at happiness"
"You did well"
"Thank you"
Anastasia giggled with an empty heart. Feeling sweet sorrow inside the more she laughs. She just buried her bitter feelings and focused on the positive side as she gets another glimpse of the future. She smiled wider and cried tears of joy from it. A branch reached out to her face and wiped her tears while another pats her back. She was grateful for its company though the silent atmosphere brought another message to them. This is the moment and it saddens the two but Anastasia still stayed positive.
"... Are you going now?" The tree dulls as the leaves wilt and the branches droop, depressed about what's going to happen.
"Don't be like that! It's not like I'm going to die or anything!" Anastasia shines bright and bares her teeth to reassure she'll be fine. "Please understand why I'm doing this"
"It's not that." It states "Are you sure you're ready?"
She exhales and puts on a soft smile that shows confidence and determinism. "I have never been so sure in my life before" She nods and taps her forehead against the bark. "I'll miss you but I want this. I need this" She said and walked backward.
"This is my fate"
"... If that's your decision, then ok" The tree supports her choice and she grinned sadly at it.
"Ahh. Don't be like that!" Hot liquid spills out of her eyes and streams down. The tree also weeps sadly and trembles. "You're so sensitive" She wipes her face dry and sucks in her tears.
She stares at the tree with a straight face and begins to reminisce her whole life. She's less than a year old and somehow she created much more precious memories than most people. She was sad to leave this world that she wants to call home. But in the end, she couldn't and stayed happy for everyone else.
"... This is goodbye" She said to the tree and it motions its branches as if it was nodding. She giggled at its cute action as it continued to weep about her leave.
"Don't forget about me and come back whenever. I'll be here forever" The tree tells her and takes out a small stick. "Take this."
"Haha!" She snickers and takes the magical stick from it. She stores it within her ring and snaps her fingers. A cloud of mist appeared around her body as her clothes changed into proper travel clothes. It was similar to the wizard outfit but a female version and she had a cloak on too. She looked like the perfect mysterious traveler and the tree approved of it.
"... Well, it's time for me to go" She says and turns her back on the tree.
"Bye!" She waved her hand and opened up the door.
She walked inside the mysterious and magical door as she left the world. Going into the forbidden place where nobody goes. She travels in the realms of parallel universes and discovers new things. She searches only for one thing and that is her happiness. Her own purpose in life as she explores the different dimensions and drifts further away from her own world. Her journey will lead to something unexpected and her future awaits.
This was her fate.
The End