 The screen was black, ‘My father of this world…’ The screen shows the Emperor facing back. He was gripping a red cape that was on the floor.
 ‘…was a real psycho.’ The princess continued.
 ‘Psycho? Me?’ Claude raised his brow, ‘Am I really that terrible that my own daughter called me a psycho?’ Claude asked himself.
 The screen shows the princess turned pale as she felt goosebumps all over her body. ‘Whoa, goosebumps…’ the princess trembled.
 ‘According to what I overheard from the maids talking, this Ruby Palace that I’m currently living in, was originally where the Emperor’s concubines lived.’ There were four concubines were shown, they were most likely gossiping.
 “From what the princess stated, it looks like the maids gossips a lot around her. Plus is it even allowed to gossip about something like that infront of a baby?” Felix looked at the nanny, who sighed.
 “I didn’t know that the princess lived at the Ruby Palace before…” Jennette mumbled, ‘That’s horrible…’
 Then the screen changed again. ‘…Or so it was until the day I was born, when the Emperor killed everyone in the palace.’
 They weren’t surprised, well… except for Jennette who covered her mouth from shocked. ‘They were killed? Why?’ Jennette thought to herself.
 “Jennette, there must be a reason why they were killed.” Ijekiel stated, trying to calm her down. Jennette nodded. ‘Right, there must be a reason.’
 Then the screen turned black, ‘My mother was a dancer invited to the Royal banquet.’ A blonde beautiful lady appeared, she was wearing a Siodonna outfit.
 Everyone’s eyes widened, especially Claude. “Is… is that the princess mother?” Jennette stared in awe, “She’s so beautiful…”
 ‘So that’s her?’ Anastacius smirked. Lily covered her lips, “My lady…” A tear drop.
 While Claude stared at the screen, he felt something weird on his chest. He couldn’t understand why, he supposed to forget about her so why? “Diana…”
 ‘She drew the Emperor’s attention and was deflowered by him.’ A pregnant Diana appeared.
 ‘But then she was forgotten..’ the screen turned black.
 The newborn princess appeared, she was crying. ‘And died, leaving an infant behind, who was me.’
 ‘Princess…’ Lily couldn’t stop her tears from dropping.
 ‘Since then, the Emperor has cast me aside too, his baby girl. So I was raised by the wind rocking my cradle… I mean the maids of the palace’ Then the maids appeared on the screen.
 ‘What’s this dirtbag of an Emperor doing throwing his wife and daughter aside?’
 Lucas smirked when the princess called her own father a dirtbag.
 ‘So bold for someone who’s a baby.’ Claude rested his chin on the back of his hand.
 ‘Leaving a baby like me here, where he committed such a cruel massacre…’
 Duke Alpheus shook his head on disapproval.
 ‘Ugh… since hearing that story for the first time I’ve been having nightmares every night.’ The poor princess trembled.
 ‘But what scares me more than the nightmares… is the Emperor that I’ve never even met yet.’
 ‘I wonder how did their first encounter went.’ Anastacius thought.
 “Felix. Do i look that monstrous?” Claude gave Felix a side glance, but from Felix’s view, Claude looks like he’s glaring at him.
 Felix paled, what might happen if the Emperor won’t like his response? Felix forces a smile, “Your Majesty, O-ofcourse you’re not!” Claude raised his brows. They continued to watch the next scene.
 ‘Even born as princess I didn’t get to be lucky…’ the princess closed her eyes.
 ‘What if he suddenly goes cuckoo and tries to kill me? Like he killed everyone else in this palace?’
 ‘Don’t worry, because I won’t kill you.’ Claude closed his eyes.
 Lucas leaned to his chair. ‘If he does try, I’ll kill him.’ His gaze darkened.
 ‘I should think of something else, I’m scaring myself.’ Her brows furrowed.
 ‘The name I got this life was given to me by my mother.’
 ‘The undying Athanasia.’ , ‘Such an  extravagant name for an outcast princess like me.’
 A girl appeared on screen. ‘It’s the same name as the ill-fated princess in that romance novel Lovely Princess.”
 “But they also looked the same! Does that mean the princess in the Lovely Princess and our princess is the same?” Jennette asked.
 “They could be the same or they aren’t.” Lucas response, ofcourse he already knew.
 ‘I suppose mother meant for me to live long and prosperous in the Emperor’s care.’ The Emperor was shown wearing his crown.
 ‘Unfortunately the Athanasia from the novel faces a tragic death at the age of 18.’
 ‘By her father the Emperor himself, no less!’
 “The princess died… by the hands of her own father?” Lily said. How cruel! So cruel.
 ‘I hope that what happened to the novel, will stay in the novel.’ Ijekiel thought to himself.
 The door of the Princess room was slammed open, revealing the three maids. “Hm? She’s still not asleep?”
 Lily irked.
 “Do we really need to be here? She can’t move on her own anyway.” One of the maid complained. “You know how fussy Lilian is. So much trouble for that one.” Another maid said.
 ‘Me? Fussy?’ Lily’s brows furrowed. ‘Ofcourse it’s our job to look after the princess! You should be grateful!’
 “Think of this as a break.” The third maid said. “What is she starts crying?”
 “Rock her cradle, so she’ll fall asleep faster.” One of them said.
 ‘Ah this again..’
 ‘People would think that I’m such a crybaby from the way you talk. I’m the most docile baby I know of!’ Lily was seen holding baby Athansia in her arms. ‘Lily even worries that I don’t cry enought too.’
 Lily blushed by her sudden appearance. ‘It really worried me when the princess doesn’t cry that much.’ She thought, remembering the times when the princess was still infant.
 ‘The Emperor never came to see me, so I suppose they’re all belitting me as an outcast. Am I resentful?’
 “No, you’re not!” Jennette stood up. Ijekiel and Anastacius are trying to hold her back down. “A lot of people loves you though.” Jennette muttered.
 ‘She’s right’ Lucas nodded, agreeing for what Jennette said.
 ‘No way! My goal is to stay a forgotten princess, out of his sight for as long as I can!’
 ‘That never came true.’ Claude smirked, he remembered the their first encounter.
 ‘I’d be set for life if I run off with some ornaments from this room.’
 They chuckled. ‘Run away with some ornaments huh.’ Claude thought.
 ‘So please, forget me.’
 “His Majesty doesn’t even think of her but she’s surrounded by such luxurious. What a life!” The maid stated with envy.
 ‘Yep. This is a palace after all, I get three meals a day. A nice, cozy bed. No matter how bad I got it, it’s still the life of a princess.’
 ‘I’m going to grow big and strong, steal some gold, and run off.’ Athanasia’s face was shown full of determination.
 They laughed, ‘l never knew his daughter could be this funny’ Anastacius thought, not holding his laugh.
 ‘So that must be the reason why she was hiding some gems, accessories and golds.’ Claude chuckled.
 ‘I should get out of this crib first.’ Athansia stretched her baby arms. ‘Eat your meals, exercise and grow big and storing, your highness.’ Athansia remembered Lily’s advice.
 “We’re nothing but candles in the wind. We’d be dead with a snap of his fingers.”
 “Yeah, why did we have to be the ones assigned here… did you hear about that ghost coming out of the kitchen every night?”
 “It creeps me out. Who knows when we might end up like that, too?”
 “Ijekiel, are ghost real?” Jennette wondered. “I can’t say they are, or they are not. Since I haven’t seen one, but there are some theories that there are lost souls lingering around.” Ijekiel response.
 ‘If they are, I hope I don’t encounter one…’ Jennette shivered.
 ‘I don’t want to live in this Palace like this, either.’ Athanasia thought, as she listens to the maid talking.
 ‘The moment I gather enought money to escape with, I’m out of here!’ She clenched her first in full of determination.
 “Ehehe.” Athansia’s eyes sparkled by the sight of the golden ball infront of her.
 ‘So cute!’ They thought.
 “Do you like it that much?” Lily asked the princess while holding the golden ball on her right arm.
 “Oah!” The princess responded.
 ‘Come to mama you sweet sweet gold!’ The princess rubbed her cheeks on Lily’s. Lily couldn’t handle the cuteness, she then gave the golden ball and kissed the princess’ cheek.
 ‘She really loves that gold, huh? No wonder she’s obsessed with money.’ Lucas thought.
 ‘I want to pinch her cheeks’ Jennette blushes from the thought of pinching the princess’ chubby cheeks.
 ‘I can now crawl around the carpet with ease.’ Athanasia was crawling on the carpet.
 In the room, there was alot of golds, ‘Lily must have thought that I like sparkly things’ the screen showed Lily giving the princess’ gold toys.
 ‘The Palace itself was luxurious, but due to the dwindling budget, I never got much to myself!’ The princess was seen collecting golds.
 “She would have no problem with money once she escape, just look at that golds.” Lucas stated.
 ‘My days in the Ruby Palace we’re peaceful. I was nervous at first.’
 ‘I never heard from the Emperor for months, so he must have really forgotten me.’
 The rumor about the ghost in the kitchen still haven’t disappeared.
 ‘Even those who were always on their toes seemed to be more at ease, too.’
 ‘I’m eating my meals, exercising, getting enough sleep and growing day by day.’
 ‘Good.’ Claude smiled a bit.
 ‘It will be great if I can walk though. That way I can collect my escape fund faster.’
 They chuckled.
 ‘I wonder what’s her thought to our first encounter.’ Claude wondered.
 ‘But is it just me?’
 ‘Seems like some trinkets are disappearing from my room.’ The screen showed the missing things.
 “They were stolen by the head maid.” Lily stated, brows furrowed.
 “How dare they steal? Seems like they aren’t aware they you can get imprison for stealing from the Royal Family.” Felix stated.
 The princess felt something as she cried out loud. ‘I should get my diaper changed first. How embarrassing.’
 They laughed. “And in the end, she’s still a baby” Anastacius said, making everyone agreed.
 “The sorcerer of the tower had the strongest power among all the sorcerers existence.” Lily read the book while the princess on her lap.
 “Oho?” Lucas raised his brow.
 ‘Sorcerer..!’ The princess eyes sparkled.
 ‘So there are sorcerer in this world.’
 ‘I knew this wasn’t just some random foreign country! I’m really in a fantasy world!’
 ‘She still hasn’t realized that?’ Lucas  thought.
 The princess pointed something in the book. “The sorcerer of the tower was so powerful, he could easily bring an empire to ruins.”
 Lucas smirked.
 Anastacius leaned in curiosity, wanting to know more about the sorcerer of the tower.
 ‘I wanna see it too! I want to see real magic too! The princess was excited.
 “And for that reason, they freeze their own hearts.”
 “Because such powers could be used for trivial things if passion overcome reason and emotion overcome rationality.”
 “There are theories that the sorcerer of the tower destroyed the kingdom before our Obelian Empire.”
 “Ah, that.” Lucas remembered.
 Ijekiel glanced at him, ‘what does he mean that? ‘
 ‘I’m going to see magic some day with my own two eyes!’
 Someone has caught the princess attention, “Oo dis?” She pointed at the standing blonde male.
 This perked Claude’s attention.
 “Oh my, do you recognize who he is?” Lily Exclaimed.
 ‘Nope.’
 “Yes, that’s right. It’s your father, Princess.” Lily said.
 ‘I wonder what will the princess think?’ Felix thought.
 ‘What?!’ The princess was shocked.
 ‘That damned bloke who left his wife and child and is out there doing god knows what?’
 Claude irked, irrated from what his daughter called him.
 Anastacius can’t contain his laughter. “I can’t believe it, his daughter even called him bloke” his comment irked Claude more. While Felix felt a little bit sorry for Claude.
 “Bee baa! Eeeya!” The princess slammed the book. ‘Bastard! Trash!’ The princess is still slamming the book.
 “Damn, even his daughter is cursing you.” Anastacius said, still laughing.
 “Can you shut up?” Claude looked at the previous Emperor who’s still laughing.
 “My my, our princess is certainly a bright young child.” Lily patted Athanasia’s head.
 ‘The current Emperor of the Obelian Empire… is the one who brought an end to the tyrannical, devil-worshipping evil king before him?’ The screen showed a blurry picture of the current Emperor.
 ‘This scumbag who left his daughter out here, after massacring a palace full of people is portrayed like some kind of great heroic King!’
 ‘I know this is just a story book, but come on!’
 “It looks like the Princess really hated you, Your Majesty…” Felix carefully said. Claude glared at his Knight.
 “That reminds me, I’ve never told you his Majesty’s name. Would you look at this picture again?”
 ‘I’m not curious! What is it there for me to know about that dirtbag?!’
 “D-dirtbag…” Anastacius covered his mouth to contain his laughter.
 Jennette’s sweat dropped. ‘The princess really hated the Emperor, huh?’ She glanced at the Emperor.
 Lily pointed the Emperor’s picture, “Your father, His Majesty, Claude de Alger Obelia.” Claude was shown, his blue jeweled eyes are glaring daggers.
 Athanasia stared at the picture. “HUH?”
“To Be Continued.”
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