Same World, Same Princess, Different Path [WMMAP]

Chapter 10 - Provocation?

"The princess doesn't seem to carry me in her heart..." Ijekiel murmured this sentence and hastened to take a sip of his tea. Jeanette, who was at his side - the two cousins had decided to spend some time together - let out a sigh and frowned.

"Well, that makes us both think so..." He turned towards her, raising an interrogating eyebrow.

"You mean... you've never interacted with her?"

"What? No, that's not it. I'm trying to get close to her and have conversations but..." She lowered her head towards her hands, which she clutched anxiously. "But I feel like the more time passes, the colder she gets with me. I think... I think she hates me."

When he heard this, Ijekiel took Jeanette's trembling hands between his own, as if to reassure her, and he shook his head. "Don't say that, Jeanette. Of course not, she doesn't hate you. You're her sister, but she probably needs time to get used to you... Like His Majesty, she will eventually accept you little by little." He tried everything that popped into his head but nothing could do anything about it, the truth had finally hit her in the face.

"She doesn't love me, Ijekiel. And His Majesty... Well, he seemed more open about me. But I really don't know what to do about Athanasia. I wish I could get closer to her..." She, in turn, took a sip of her tea. "By the way, I am surprised that she decided to participate in the Hunting Season. I didn't know she knew how to fight." Ijekiel strongly approved.

"I was in the same state as you when I heard that. It's not forbidden for women to do it, and it was very rarely the case. But to say that she intends to participate..."

"Athanasia is totally different from the person I thought she was. She looks stronger and... more dangerous too..." The two fell into a deep silence. It was true that she had shown them a small expanse of what she could do not long ago. She seemed to want to move up, to want to gain importance... As if...

'As if she was trying to make a place for herself in high society... A place where she would be undefeated...' Jeanette felt a shiver go through her spine and a moment's pain hit her. She lowered her head, closed her eyes and massaged her temples without understanding what was happening.

"Tsk. You can't help but compare yourself to her, can you? Why do you want what she's about to have? Haven't you already got what she didn't have before?"

Jeanette trembled so much that it alerted Ijekiel, who rushed to her cousin's side, supporting her by the shoulders.

"Jeanette! What's going on?" She shook her head two or three times, as if to regain her wits, and opened her eyes wide. Suddenly, the pain was gone and she no longer heard that sentence looping around in her head. She didn't know what it was or where it was coming from, but that voice seemed to speak precisely to her every time these thoughts for Athanasia wandered. Of course, she didn't know that. She didn't know that it was just a warning to try to stop her from making decisions that might be stupid.

"I'm sorry I worried you, Ijekiel. But I'm better, it was just a headache." He slowly but surely backed away from her.

"Are you sure that-"

"I'm fine, thank you." He didn't insist when he realized she wasn't going to say anything else. She had used the same tone of voice that Athanasia had used against him earlier in the day. The one who wanted to end the discussion.

Jeanette was also beginning to change. It was only on going, but the change was there. And it was disturbing the young boy.

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