Same World, Same Princess, Different Path [WMMAP]

Chapter 2 - Meeting With This Black-Haired Man

A.N.: I publish that chapter now because next week will come an important chapter of more than 5000 words. And I wouldn't want to keep you waiting, so here's this smaller chapter to wait.

. . .

"Happy Birthday Princess!" The voice of Lilian York, the head maid, resounded cheerfully in one of the rooms of the Ruby Palace. Today was the birthday of her Princess, the person dearest to her heart. And today was also the day the Princess finally entered the court of the teenagers. After her debut, she would be allowed to attend tea parties organized by nobles, meetings too. She was a princess after all!

But Athanasia had no memory of this kind of meeting. She had never been invited anywhere, not even for the so great tea parties. It was simply because Jeanette had appeared at that time and that she had never been in the light before. Moreover, Jeanette was older than Athanasia, so she was seen immediately as the Crown Princess, leaving Athanasia in the shadows, once again.

"Thank you, Lily." Athanasia was dressed in a simple white dress with two purple ribbons tied in a bow tie on her shoulders. Her shoes were not much better. It was a dress that looked very simple, simpler than a baron's daughter could wear every day, but it was by far one of the prettiest dresses Athanasia owned - not the prettiest that she reserved for her debutante -. She thought it was quite pretty, although it was more like a dress that a commoner could wear for special events. But now she didn't care. She didn't want to think about that today, she just wanted to enjoy her Lily before her debutante.

Lilian had brought a little chocolate cake that she had prepared and decorated herself and with the help of Hannah and Cesilia, two other maids who had not been able to assist Athanasia because they had been asked to prepare the debutante's room. Chocolate was something that Athanasia loved more than anything else in the world and Lilian knew it.

That day, the two girls passed it around with a smile on their faces, talking about everything and anything over and over again. And in the evening, when she went to bed, Lilian repeated the same words to her as she remembered.

"Princess, you are a precious gift not only to me, but to everyone in Obelia. To all of us, you are someone very precious and special." 'Lily used to say that to me every birthday, like a real mother. Even though I didn't get to know mine...' Athanasia thought before Lilian gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you for being here today, Princess."

"Thank you for being by my side too, Lily." The brunette had really been with her, to her death. And that's something she couldn't forget. Lilian was by far the person Athanasia trusted the most, and she would do everything to protect her this time, she swears.

"Rest well, tomorrow is a big day and you will have to wake up early for the preparations." When she heard this, Athanasia scowled.

"Why don't I just wake up at the same time as usual? I wake up early enough, Lily. And it's just a simple debutante..."

"Ah No Princess! This is not just a debutante; this is your debutante, the debutante of the beautiful Princess of the Obelia Empire. Besides, a debutante only celebrates once!" A little flashback of her last debutante came back to her memory and Athanasia finally said good night to Lilian, thinking that she would still have to go through it once more. Nothing was now impossible for the young time traveler.

Before closing her eyes, Athanasia frowned. Earlier, before Lilian's departure, she had the impression that she felt something or someone nearby. She didn't know how to explain it, maybe it was her instinct, but she felt observed without being insecure. It is with these kinds of thoughts that she fell asleep.