Athy in Another Land

17

So I've just visited Ao3 recently and let me tell you, the rare ships have started to sail here and there, so I was carried away by reading all of them I guess? ≧∇≦

Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!

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"Your Majesty, is it really alright for Princess Athanasia and Young Lady Athy to stay at your Palace? " a frown appeared in the Emperor's face when Felix buzzed around him like an annoying insect.

"I understand if you choose to let them stay in your Palace because the Emeral Palace is exclusively for Princess Jeanette only, but for the Emperor to let the two of them stay in your Palace for a while..." A wide smile appeared in the knight's face. "The Emperor's affections really knows no bounds. "

"I think Princess Athanasia deserves a few new dresses, Your Majesty. Her dresses looked too old for her and we are going raise the funds for her sake anyway..."

"Young Miss Athy would look adorable in a dress that matches with Princess Athanasia..."

Jeanette had already predicted that Claude would be angered by Felix's words, but the man simply huffed and glared at Felix with annoyance in his face.

"You are really annoying me right now. Should I kick you back to the North to guard at the border again? " Felix winced, immediately dropping his teasing after the blond's threat.

God, everything would be okay except for the Borders. The fierce land filled by barbarians and coupled with the harsh cold weather? No thank you.

"I apologize, Your Majesty. " Felix whimpered, but he didn't really sounds sorry at all.

It was a bit odd for Jeanette, whom was used by the Emperor's short temper. Even a simple mistake would trigger the man's anger, one of the things that she has to painfully discover by herself. So currently, she was naturally curious by how the knight could easily dance around Claude without triggering the blond.

It was really odd.

She managed to come up with a possible cause of the Emperor's weird actions.

'Perhaps, the man is starting to change. ' The thought had entered in her mind but it was destroyed immediately as fast as it appears, as Jeanette resisted the urge to snort.

'This man would be capable of change, after all this years? Just freaking kill me right here then. '

Claude had practically abandoned his only daughter for many years, disregarding her from his life so easily. He took Jeanette in despite knowing that she wasn't his child at all, just for sake of his entertainment. He could even kill someone easily without batting an eye, so for Jeanette, the man isn't capable of changing.

She disregards that possibility out of her mind.

It couldn't be Felix too, because no matter how close the two of them are, Felix couldn't make the Emperor listen to him.

She disregards that idea too.

Then the last possible cause of the blond's actions is something. Or specifically, someone. Someone managed to catch the Emperor's eyes.

It was the same thing for her anyway.

When Ijekiel introduced her to Claude, she will never forget that overbearing eyes that stares down at her as if a child looking down at a new toy that he could play with. A morbid amusement that Jeanette had clung on tightly after discovering that it was the only thing that could save Athanasia.