Same World, Same Princess, Different Path [WMMAP]

Chapter 5 - The Truth (2/2)

"I caught you, Blackie!" A young blonde girl was running through the Ruby Palace gardens after a small animal that looked very much like a dog. She didn't know where it came from, but she knew from the moment she saw it that she wanted it. He was so adorable that a 7 year old girl, even reincarnated, couldn't resist him.

"Hugh! My hair! What are you doing?! Let it go!" Just as the blond girl thought she had caught the beast, a young man let out cries of protest and threats. She had just caught his hair. "I said get off."

"Oppa! Who are you?" She exclaimed as the boy leaned against a tree, looking annoyed. "They don't let anyone in here so easily. What are you doing here?"

That day, it was the first official meeting of the only princess of the empire, Athanasia de Alger Obelia and Lucas, the famous wizard of the tower.

Time passed and Athanasia had her first attack due to the excess of mana present in her body. Lucas, with his humble heart, decided to save her life and was then recognized as the youngest great royal sorcerer who never existed and the valiant savior of the magnificent princess. From there, their relationship gradually evolved.

After that day, Lucas spent most of his time with this young girl, finding her very interesting. To tell the truth, Lucas was never bored with her, especially when he found out that she was actually from another world and that she had been reincarnated. Athanasia, for her part, was - even if she didn't show it - very happy to be with Lucas. She was used to being with only her maids, her bodyguard and her father, so the presence of Lucas, even though he was an adult too, was very refreshing.

They grew up together, met new people like Ijekiel - even if Lucas was far from liking him - and learned to trust each other until nothing was a secret between the two of them.

The night Athanasia turned 14, Lucas revealed to her that he already knew about her, that he knew her real name was Lee Jihye and that he really wanted to learn more about her. Athanasia was very surprised to learn that he knew this kind of thing but it was Lucas and she knew that he was a very powerful man. She'd never had anyone to talk to about her previous life so it was great to finally be able to openly confide in someone. She trusted Lucas and she knew he would never betray her. So she told him her story.

As a child, she was an orphan. She had to learn to live by herself at a very young age and she never had anyone to turn to when she had a problem. She was all alone until the end. At the age of 18, Lee Jihye committed suicide.

Why did she kill herself?

Because she simply couldn't stand the life she was living. She was tired, depressed and sad. Deep down, all she wanted was a loving family and caring friends... She never had either of them.

But how surprised she was when she discovered that she had been reincarnated in a novel she read shortly before her death...

"A Lovely Princess", a novel about two princesses. One was raised apart from her family, but she was happy. The other, who lived just a stone's throw from her father, was not. From the start, their fates were sealed. One was smiling like a ray of sunshine, shimmering and sparkling all the time. The other, on the other hand, was a princess forgotten by all, starting with her own father. The first one was finally accepted by the person she had always seen as her only parent, while the second was killed by the same person as she desperately tried to receive love from him. It was a sad end for Athanasia de Alger Obelia, the supposedly forgotten princess of the empire.

Lee Jihye then had to learn to live with this new body and identity, calling herself Athanasia in turn. She used every possible strategy to get by in a world that was not actually made for her but for Jeanette, officially her half-sister, but in reality, her cousin from her supposed uncle and the last fiancé of the emperor. Athanasia made sure that she was the protagonist of the story, she made sure that she was the one that Claude would want to protect, the one that would be their one and only princess, even after Jeanette's appearance.