The Second... Second Chance?

Chapter 1: Another Reset

Not proofread!!
Enjoy the chapter though!! And I'm curious on your thoughts so feel free to comment!
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Athanasia groaned as she opened her jeweled eyes, her vision blurry for a moment before it focused on the scene around her.

'Huh?' She thought. She was on the floor, surrounded by blood and dozens of corpses. Was this the Ruby Palace? What happened? Why am I here? Aren't I supposed to be.. dead?

Looking for an explanation, she looked over to the only other people who were alive in the room. 'Wait.. isn't that..'

Athanasia clenched her fists when her eyes landed on /him./ Claude de Alger Obelia. Her father. The reason she died in the novel and in her past life.

He was standing in front of her, Felix Robane beside him. If she wasn't so angry at him, she would've seen the look of pure shock and relief he had on his face, alongside his glassy eyes, filled with unshed tears.

'So that's what this is.' Athanasia thought. 'This is the Ruby Palace massacre. Who would've thought I'd get transported back a second time?'

Yes, this was the second time she had been reborn. Her first try didn't go as she expected. Despite all her efforts into making Claude like her, he ended up losing his memories, bringing their relationship back to square one. This resulted in him choosing Jeanette again and the princess being executed.

But this time, she has a new plan;

1. Stay as far away from Claude as possible.
2. Running away the moment she meets Lucas.

Well, the Lucas part is unnecessary, but with him by her side, she could have extra protection and money. So it would be beneficial.

This plan should be easy enough, considering Claude is going to ignore her up until she decides to meet him herself. And she's /not/ going to repeat her mistake again.

The princess stays quiet, looking at her father expectantly. 'Come on.. say you're going to see how long I'd stay alive for and leave!!'

But instead, Felix was the first to speak. "Your /majesty,/" was it just her imagination or did Felix sound angry at Claude? And why was he looking at her so... protectively? "I will take her highness to her room, if that's alright."

But contrary to his words, Felix didn't wait even a second for Claude to answer before he strode over to the small princess and took her in his arms.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll protect you this time." The knight whispered, smiling warmly at the baby. He then turned to look at Claude, "I will take the princess to her room. I will return shortly." He said, already walking away from the emperor, who was still frozen where he stood.

Felix paused, his hold on the princess tightening as he grit his teeth, "....Glory to the Obelian Empire."

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Once Claude was quite far away from the two, Felix's shoulders sagged as he let out a long sigh. He stopped walking for a moment to stare into the Princess' eyes, using one of his hands to stroke her cheek.

"Your highness... please forgive me for failing in my duties to protect you." Felix said, his voice quiet like a child admitting their mistake to their parent. "I couldn't save you from his majesty and..."

Felix sighed again, his frown deepening. "You won't believe me.. well, if you were old enough to understand what I'm saying, at least. But.. I went back in time. Where I came from.. you and his majesty were close, and you were happy. But then.." Felix looked away in shame, "one day he lost his memories of you, and he hurt you, Princess. He even...." He trailed off, his face looked as if he were in pain. And maybe he was in pain, Athanasia thought. Felix had basically raised her too. His heart must've hurt to see her old self being killed in front of him...

Sometimes she forgets that Felix thought of her like his own daughter. He must've felt like he failed in protecting his child.

Suddenly, Felix turned back to look at her. This time with a determined smile on his face. "But I won't fail you this time, Princess. I won't let him hurt you, even if that means going against his majesty and betraying the kindom."

Felix laughed. "I'm saying this to you despite you being a baby..." he said bashfully, "It's okay if you don't understand me, Princess."

'Just know that I love you'

He didn't say it out loud, but Athanasia could hear it loud and clear. 'Felix.. I do understand you.. and, thank you. For being by my side all this time.' She thought, her heart swelling with warmth for the knight holding her.

°•°•°•°•°•°

[ in the Princess' bedroom, Ruby Palace ]

Felix had left after he tucked her into her crib and kissed her forehead. He promised he would call some maids over to take care of her, and that he was going to go do some work.

Before leaving, he mumbled something about "building a new nursery for the Princess. The Ruby Palace is unfit for a child." So Athanasia guesses that she would be getting a new room pretty soon.

The tiny princess sighed. What is she going to do?

Now she knows that Felix had gone back in time with her, so that begs the question; did the others get transported too?

She hopes that Lucas had come back with her. It would make her plan much easier to do. If he had his old memories, he would definitely agree to teleport them both to another country the moment they meet.

Athanasia looked out the window beside her crib, her tiny fists clenching on her blanket. 'I can't believe I'm back here again..' she thought. She can still see the look on Claude face as she begged him to spare her life. Those blue eyes that used to look at her with warmth, now filled with disgust.

She shook her head at the thought, 'No. This time, I'll make sure to get away. I /will/ survive this time. I won't talk, meet, or even ask about Claude. I will just grow up until I can leave.'

The baby yawned. It was late after all, and her small body needed rest. As such, she finally closed her eyes and slept, dreaming of a life where she can be free.