The Story of Dhanvanthri

one

An Older Brother?

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Athanasia felt pure, unadulterated dread. Her heart was beating so hard that it threatened to fly right out of her chest, her palms were clammy with sweat, and she suppressed the urge to just break into a run. The man in front of her, with looks that could rival Greek Gods and eyes so cold they could freeze you, her father. He sat there looking at her as if she was nothing more than a bug beneath his feet, one he could kill at any moment.

"Since this one is here," Claude said, nearly making Athanasia squeak at the sudden break of silence. She pressed her lips against each other tightly, terrified of breaking the momentum of this psycho in front of her.

"Where is the other one?"

'Who?' Athanasia couldn't help but think. What did Claude mean by 'the other one'? Was there another child like herself and Jennette? But no one like that showed up in the novel, was this because she met Claude earlier than the novel?

"What was its name?" Claude frowned slightly. "Ah yes, the one who's name is even more insolent than yours, Dhanvanthri."

'Who????' Athanasia internally screamed in confusion. But she maintained an ignorant, innocent look on her face. Then, the red-haired knight from before stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, Prince Dhanvanthri was kidnapped a week after he was born and you gave an order to forbid any search parties to find him when we caught the news," Felix explained stiffly.

Athanasia felt slightly horrified, there was another prince. Probably her brother from what he could understand, a brother who probably died and never showed up in the novel because Claude didn't care about the Athanasia in the novel, he wouldn't care about her brother either.

"Is that so?" Claude scoffed. "Find him, if the mutt dies before then, pity."

'This asshole!' Athanasia thought. She had to run away and then, then maybe she'll try her best to find this brother of hers. He should be her brother, right? But would he still be alive? He was kidnapped and he's still a child, unlike her who was mentally older. And how had she not remembered him? Was her memory of the very early days distorted?

"I understand, Your Majesty." Felix bowed.

"Do you remember him?" Claude suddenly asked her. The dread instantly returned to Athanasia, she swallowed before shaking her head. Claude stared at her coldly and asked, "Do you not speak?"

"Athy can speak," Athanasia bit out shyly, voice trembling slightly. Claude raised his brows, "Athanasia and Dhavanthri, do you know the meaning of your names?"

Athanasia knew her own, but she didn't know what Dhanvanthri meant when Claude apparently said it was more insolence than hers. Athanasia didn't know what was more insolence than a concubine's child being named Immortality. What did the name Dhanvanthri mean?

"Athy doesn't know," she lied.

"Athanasia means undying, given a name fitting for an Emperor. If that wrench was still alive, she'd be torn limb by limb," Claude explained casually. "Yet, she didn't just stop at you, she gave an even more insolent name, Dhanvanthri. Do you know the meaning of that name?"

Athanasia shook her head fearfully.

Claude gave a smile that sent chills down Athanasia's spine, her head screaming for her to run no matter what method she had to use to do it. And then she heard the meaning of her brother's name, her whole body felt as if it was drenched in iced water.