Suddenly I Became a Princess Volume 1 Chapter 2

Translated: reireiss, MTLs-nim 

Edited: reireiss, Grammarly ssi 

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Chapter 2 – Being A Princess Is Luck? That's Just Nonsense!

In conclusion, I survived.

For a more detailed explanation, after I finished the cake while being stared at by Claude, the knight oppa carried me and brought me back to my palace safely.

While I was fighting the battle of life and death, the Ruby Palace fell into chaos. Naturally, everyone was surprised because they thought I was taking a nap in the room, but suddenly I disappeared. Lily looked like she was going to faint when she saw me being carried by the Emperor's personal guard. Her face was so pale, I was really worried that Lily would faint right now. Lily immediately took me from the arms of the knight oppa, Felix, and immediately moved away from him as if Felix were a plague. I couldn't see Lily's face because she was burying me in her chest, but I could feel that her body was shaking and I could imagine what her face looked like. Her shaking hands gripped me tightly. I looked back, and Felix looked confused because Lily and the maids seemed to think of him as a kidnapper, but I also didn't want to side with the knight oppa because he had left me in a room, alone with Claude!

I felt very sad when I spent time alone with Claude, and I felt as if I was dead and lying stiff the entire time I was in the knight oppa's arms. Huhu, you bast#rds. You have bullied a helpless child like me. You guys deserve punishment. Huhuhu.

"His Majesty said that sooner or later he would meet Princess Athanasia again."

Hah!? What do you say? Not only me but the maid eonnis were also shocked by the words of the knight oppa. Hah? But, what the hell? Why does everyone look half scared and half happy? Oh, my goodness. Are you saying that I, this neglected princess, now have the attention of the Emperor? Why did Claude want to see me again? No, nooo. Huhuhuuu.

But has the world ever, just once, gone my way? If the Emperor wishes, he can come and go at any time, whereas I can only crawl. After Felix dropped the nuclear bomb and left, the Ruby Palace was in turmoil once again, but the turmoil was different from when I disappeared. I was so mentally exhausted, I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Wow!"

"Princess!"

First of all, let's clear my mind.

***

That night, I lay in bed and started making plans for the future.

Plan A failed.

The crumpled white paper was colored with black ink that followed the movements of my hand. If anyone sees this, it will be a disaster so I wrote it in Korean. I added 'Plan C' to the bottom of what I had just written, then I made a line across the sentence I wrote on the top line of the paper.

My first plan, Plan A was 'Live in the Ruby Palace without attracting Claude's attention until he dies, after that, I will leave the palace'. For this plan, I guess I just have to be careful on my 9th birthday, which is precisely when Athanasia and Claude met.

But that is a bad idea. When I met Claude at the Emperor's Palace the other day, this plan came to naught. Who would have thought that this simple palace was Claude's residence? Why is my palace so close to the Emperor's Palace? Oh yes. The Ruby Palace is the Emperor's harem. Alright, all Obelia Emperors are lewd and immoral people.

For a moment I grumbled to myself, then I stared at the next sentence, the sentence I had just crossed out in black ink.

Plan B: Collect escape funds before turning 18 and leave Ruby Palace.

This plan is still worth trying. In the original story, Claude killed Athanasia when Athanasia was 18 years old. Of course, I wasn't sure that my future would change just because I met Claude 4 years earlier than expected. But at least, it doesn't look like he's going to kill me straight away. Then, will my plans to gather my beautiful children continue like this? Maybe when escaping from the palace, I should disguise myself as a maid? Or should I find a path that connects to outside the palace first and use it?

Then, the long-awaited Plan, Plan C. With a more serious face than before, I started writing down each letter on a piece of paper.

'Captured Claude's heart <3'

Srekkk. But, after writing it, I saw the sentence I had just written on a piece of paper, and immediately, I immediately crossed it out until the ink dried. Ugh, I need to escape from reality. No one else but you wants to seduce Claude. Rather than taking heart, isn't that just raising the flag of death? I could go crazy. I was about to erase the writing by crossing it out, but in the end, I just left it as it was and crossed my arms. There was a wrinkle between my eyebrows.

……But it seems like it's not an impossible thing to realize. Isn't it? No, of course, that sounds like unfounded confidence. But I already know how this story goes. Even if I can't be Claude's beloved daughter like Zenith, can't I at least be close to Claude to the point where he doesn't want to kill me?

I called him, 'Papa' and he still let me live!

"Ah!"

However, as soon as I thought about that, I felt embarrassed. I kicked my blanket hard. Oh my, 'Papa'! My hands and feet understand, it seems like I'm going to die. But it feels even more embarrassing when I think that I will continue to repeat this dark history again and again in the future!

"Huwaaaa."

How long do I have to fight like that? Finally, I lifted my face buried in the pillow and made a difficult decision. Okay. Let's do Plan B and Plan C simultaneously. Because the more insurance, the better. Then, I decided to get rid of this paper before Lily came. And this dark history and my shame…… Will become the foundation and stepping stone for my future.

"Princess, it's time to sleep."

"Lily, I want to sleep with you!"

I acted very childishly in Lily's arms. And with great difficulty, I struggled to swallow my tears of blood.

***

"Lilian Yorke, long time no see."

I don't know why in life, time always goes by so fast. It feels like just yesterday Claude and I were drinking tea together in a room in his palace, and now, 10 days later, I was standing in front of him again.

"May the blessings of glory and greatness bless the Sun of Obelia."

The only thing I can rely on is the fact that this time I'm not alone, Lily is here too. In short, I'm sorry, Lily. But I'm really afraid of Claude. I still feel like I could have a heart attack when I'm around him. Huhuhu. Maybe it's because I'm only a 5-year-old kid, so my courage is only the size of a pea. I always feel nervous and scared every time I see Claude.

In the Throne Room, a place as large as a playground, there was no one here apart from me, Claude, Lily, and Felix —the knight oppa I last saw at that time.

"I was busy with my work so I couldn't give enough attention to the only daughter I have. But Athanasia has grown up very well, you will get no small reward."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Don't be kidding. It's not that you 'don't pay enough attention', but that you 'don't care at all' about me! That's it. You even forgot my existence.

"From now on, I will pay attention to the princess so there's no need to worry."

Boom!!!

Suddenly I heard the sound of lightning striking above my head. Claude was still leaning on his throne languidly, he looked at me and smiled faintly with narrowed eyes. Did he smile at me just now? But it wasn't a warm smile directed at me because I was cute, but rather a scary smile that seemed to ask what I would do from now on. He gives me the creeps.

Cancel what you just said. Cancel what you just said! Please just forget me. Please just ignore me, just treat me as if I don't exist! And please continue to do so in the future! In fact, I would be very grateful if you crossed my name off the family list. Ugh, but what can I do as a small and helpless ordinary citizen? It seemed that I wasn't the only one who was shocked by the Emperor's words, I could see that Lily's eyes widened in surprise, even her body was shaking.

"After today, Athanasia will enjoy the blessings worthy of being a princess."

But you never acknowledged me as your daughter. Wasn't Claude in the novel, never considered Athanasia as his daughter? I don't understand what kind of pun this is. What do you really think? It seems Lily also feels the same way as me. Even after we left the Throne Room, the shock on Lily's face didn't disappear.

"It's fine, Princess."

When I heard Lily whisper those words while hugging my body, I also thought that everything would be fine.

***

"You seem to have gained weight during the time I haven't seen you. It seems that recently, your life in the palace has become more comfortable."

After a while, Claude and I were still the same. The last time we met was 5 days ago, how can you tell the difference between my weight 5 days ago and today just with the naked eye!?

"Hehe, Papa is getting prettier too!"

Claude and I have met twice since meeting in the Throne Room, and during this time we spent time together like Father and Daughter. It was during that time that I realized that Claude wouldn't kill me just because I was rude to him. On the other hand, if I act like a shy child and give a formal answer, Claude's face will become flat without a trace of emotion.

I was most afraid when Claude looked at me bored, maybe this was just my thinking, but I thought that the reason why this man had let me live until now was for his momentary entertainment. So, actually, I still feel scared as if I could faint at any time. I could feel Lily's gaze next to me, she looked at me with surprised eyes after hearing my rude answer, but then again, Claude didn't kill me. As I thought, this guy likes an aggressive style!

"Follow me."

Claude looked at me for a moment with narrowed eyes, then he turned away. It was then, that I wondered if Lily and Felix also let out their pent-up breaths. For some reason, I feel like I want to cry blood because day by day, my lifeline is getting shorter.

"I'm going boating, so get ready."

What should I prepare? Plus, “I'm 'going' boating”? You say as if you just decided now, but on the other hand, you act as if you had prepared all this from the start. In other words, the words he actually said to me were, 'Shut up and follow me.'

“Your Majesty, I am sorry to inform you. But, Princess—”

"What do you have to worry about when she's with me?"

Oh! That's precisely the problem! Lily, who voiced her opinion to Claude with great courage, finally looked at me with a worried look. Obviously, she was worried because other people weren't allowed to board the Imperial Family's boat, so she must be worried because she couldn't immediately save me if something happened.

But Lily, don't do that. What if he ends up hurting you? But actually, I don't want to go on a boat with Claude either. Suddenly this becomes unpleasant. What if I fall into this lake!? There's no telling whether this guy will push me or not. But, this da#n man stopped walking and asked me.

"Don't you want to accompany me?"

"Yes, Athi wants to go with Papa."

I said that with a smile on my face. Hearing those words, Lily's face turned pale again, but I couldn't do anything either. So in the end, I felt like I was being dragged to the slaughterhouse to go boating with Claude.

How big is the Emperor's Palace that there is a lake for boating here? I'm currently floating on the lake while sitting opposite Claude with a pale face. Claude carried me and put me in the boat, and I could only stay still and tremble because I was afraid I would fall. Haa, as soon as the boating mission is over, my energy will definitely run out completely.

Eh? But this boat, this boating(?) is really no joke. No, were all the boats the Imperial Family boarded like this? This boat goes without wobbling! But, being on a boat this big alone with Claude was terrifying. Wait a moment. Nowadays, neither of us rows. Then how can this boat move? Is this a motorboat? Or is it possible that this is a double-decker boat, and there are slaves stamping their feet under here to make it move?

"What do you think?"

Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. Oops, how should I answer Claude's question, 'The weather is nice today!' or 'The lake is beautiful!'. Of all the things I could think of, I decided to flatter him by saying,

"Papa's hair is sparkling! Papa is beautiful!"

But it was true that Claude's hair was very beautiful. Light blonde hair like mine is beautiful, but dark honey blonde, like Claude's hair, is more to my taste. Because I lived very frugally in my previous life, I have a special interest in shiny things.

"Sparkling! Hehe."

Hearing my words, a faint smile appeared on Claude's lips. No, wait…… When he smiles like that, there's something scary.

"Oh, yes. I kept the bag containing the jewelry you dropped that day."

Boom! So this is the goal! I could really go crazy!

"I will take good care of your treasure. Next time, come and find it yourself."

……Minefield! That place is a minefield, there's no way around it! Arghhh! Because I was surprised, I just left all my pockets in front of the angel statue, only to find that Claude had taken them. Argh, this is crazy. It seems that I'm not destined to live a quiet life. While I was at a loss for words, it seemed Claude had lost interest. His eyes were directed at the other side of the lake, not at me. So I can observe it with a little more comfort than before.

Hmm, which country are the clothes Claude is wearing from? Egypt? Greece? Arab? I don't know. However, Claude looks good in such loose clothes. Is it because he is a man who exudes a sense of freedom all over his body? Last time, I thought that he was like a lion, but now he looked like a leopard basking in the sun. Ah! Of course, no matter what, he looked the same as a wild carnivore.

I remember that in the Side Story of <Lovely Princess>, it was said that Athanasia's mother, Diana, really loved Claude. At first, I didn't understand, but after I saw Claude, I didn't think it was strange that women would jump into flames like him. Claude's eyes looking at something other than me were so beautiful that it took my breath away. His eyes, lacking any warmth, made him look akin to a true gem. From this angle, the color looks slightly paler than the blue lake water. Are my eyes like that too? However, because I didn't dare to look at Claude for a long time, I quickly turned my head quietly.

Eh? I saw amazing flowers. At first, I thought I was looking wrong, but the boat was getting closer to where I was looking, and after that, I could see it up close. What's this? Blue lotus? Oops, no. This flower looks like that because the lake water is blue, it's really strange, the petals are transparent. The shape is similar to a lotus, but the petals are transparent. But, can lotuses bloom in lakes? I want it.

For some reason, I thought I could touch it if I reached out my hand, so I moved to the edge of the boat. I was aware that Claude was looking at me, but that didn't distract me from the flower. This flower is stunning, but it is not a pretty flower. Even so, for some reason, I thought that I should get this flower right now. A little more, and as soon as I thought that the blue petals touched my fingertips.

Splash!

I fell off the boat.

"Ah, Whoo!"

In an instant, water seeped into my nose and mouth. I flailed my arms and legs frantically. What's this? How could this happen? I couldn't breathe until I felt dizzy. The dress that the maid eonnis wore for me to meet Claude today felt heavy because there were several layers of lace stuck to the fabric. Wait, I can't swim. I can't.

"P-Please..."

No matter how hard I struggled, my hands couldn't touch anything. His drenched hands remained on his stomach, he made no effort to pull my body up. Even so, I continued to stretch my arms forward out of fear. And when my eyes met his calm as always, my body felt a cold feeling that froze down to the tips of my toes.

Claude just silently watched me as I fell into the lake, and I knew immediately when I saw his unwavering gaze.

This man will not save me. He won't save me. That's why, he just looked at me drowning with a blank look like now.

Claude just kept quiet and continued to watch me struggling in the lake. I could tell when I saw those emotionless eyes.

Thump-Thud.

As soon as I realized that, the strength in my body drained away. It felt like something was wrapped around my ankle and pulling me down. In a short time, my whole body was submerged in water. I could feel the water getting into my lungs, it was terrible. In this lifetime, I will die by drowning. The things that were in my mind before I got on the boat became real. Is this why there is a saying 'Speech is prayer'? But, no matter what, this…

"Help!"

Son of a bit#h!

"Argh! Ugh, Heuk, Uhuk..."

That's when a strong force pulled me out of the water. I vomited water and coughed. I felt dizzy, my vision became unclear and my ears were ringing. I can't control my body well.

"Oh my, Princess!"

I don't know how much time has passed. I thought I could hear the sound of someone running towards me, and Lily's voice filled with worry penetrated my ears. Only then did I realize that Claude had taken me out of the boat that had arrived at land and he had placed me on the edge of the lake.

"Felix."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Starting tomorrow, teach Athanasia how to swim."

He raised his drenched hands and turned away from me.

"It would be a shame if my daughter fell and drowned in the lake."

Those are not the right words to say to your daughter who just drowned! But no one here can say that. Lily, who looked very worried, immediately hugged me with a large towel and calmed me down. Felix didn't respond to the Emperor's words, he also looked worried. Then Claude stepped away, and Felix started to walk behind him hesitantly.

"Princess, Princess…… It's okay. You're fine, Princess."

Lily's arms were hugging me, and Lily's voice whispering in my ear sounded shaky. Claude's back appearance which was getting further away looked blurry in my eyes.

"Ugh……"

I could barely speak until Claude completely disappeared from my sight.

"Huwaaa."

Even in my previous life, a life that was long but also short and full of difficulties, I had never cried with fear like this.

***

Before I met Claude, I was never sick, I was always healthy. But after I spent time drinking tea with him, I started to feel nauseous, and now, I almost drowned in the lake while boating with him. After that, I had to lie down on the bed and cover my body with a blanket, I even had to cover my mouth from cold food and drinks.

While being looked after by Lily and the maid eonnis, I came to the conclusion that Claude was a true bast#rd. It's true that he saved me by pulling me out of the water. But, he didn't immediately save me, he just kept quiet and looked at me floundering in the water. What an evil psychopath. How could he continue to remain silent and just stare when a 5-year-old child almost died from drowning? Moreover, I'm his daughter! Just remembering it makes me shiver. Yes, he is that kind of person. That's why in the novel, he immediately killed Athanasia without the slightest hesitation. Sob.

After that day, I always had nightmares and cried uncontrollably every night. When that happened, Lily, who didn't leave my room and continued to sit beside my bed, would come, stroke my head, and hug me tightly. I was only able to go back to sleep after I was in Lily's warm arms.

***

Lately, I really want to do something. In a different sense from my previous life, I was a very helpless person. Maybe if I had been a normal child, this would have been a trauma for the rest of my life and I would never be able to see water again. I just want to collect more gold, and then leave this place as quickly as possible. I guess, Plan B would be better for me than Plan C. How could I seduce that evil psychopath? Wow, I guess I've shown a lot of courage in vain.

I thought that one day I could escape from the Imperial Palace. Come to think of it, Claude already took my 2 beautiful children. Son of a bit#h! He told me to come to his palace and look for the treasure myself!? Am I crazy!? How could I crawl into that den of evil!?

"Hannah."

No matter how hard I think about it, I have no motivation to live. So I decided to use this greatest advantage in life to increase my motivation for life which had fallen into the deepest abyss.

"Give me chocolate."

Hannah looked at me confusedly as I held out my hand like I was charging for something. I'm not in the mood to do tricks by acting cute. My heart is truly broken now.

"Chocolate."

"Ah, no. Lilian……"

"Just a little."

But, even though I kept nagging her, Hannah still wouldn't give it to me. It seemed Lily was keeping a close eye on her. Recently, my sugar intake has increased because Claude gives me cakes that don't suit my taste every time we meet. Ah, it turns out you really can't. In the end, I had to show Hannah my abilities.

"Eonni, Athi wants to eat chocolate."

Hannah began to hesitate. Come on, take my sparkling eyes attack!!

"P-Please don't do that."

Cring, Cring.

"I really can't, Princess! I'm sorry!"

But in the end, Hannah still didn't give it to me. Then she immediately left, as if she couldn't take it anymore. Anything! Where! Where's my chocolate!? Give me chocolate!

"Hannah!"

Impossible. Hannah can stand my onslaught of sparkling eyes! It seems like I've been experiencing too much mental stress lately, and as a result, my cuteness level has decreased. This is very annoying.

But that doesn't mean I can't eat chocolate, right? Quietly, I slipped into the kitchen and avoided the maids. It's been 5 years since I've lived in this palace, so I know whenever it's time for the maids to leave. And I know where they hide the chocolate and candy! I slipped into the kitchen. I know that this is childish, but I can't give up my obsession with chocolate. Yes, that's because, in my previous life, chocolate was a luxury for me!

I only eat once a day, or even I can only fill my stomach with expired gimbap from the minimarket. Even dreaming is a luxury for me. That's why, I want to eat chocolate! I looked around silently with my eyes wide open. As I expected, there was no one inside. Excited, I ran to the chocolate aisle.

"Seth, where are you going?"

"Wait a minute. I don't think I covered the pot yet."

Hah! Suddenly I was startled by a sound that sounded near the door, and I immediately hid myself. The person who entered the kitchen was Seth, the Cool Urban Woman.

"As I thought, the lid is open."

Ah, so I don't need to steal chocolate, I just need to ask for it now. Yes, our meeting was fate!

"Eh……"

"Kyaaa! Bugs!"

When I was about to open my mouth to call her, Seth suddenly screamed and her eyes flashed, like something sharp.

Thud! Crack!

After a while, under the heel of her pointed shoe, I saw a completely crushed and hideous-looking cockroach.

"How dare these dirty bugs come into the kitchen."

I broke out in cold sweat because her extremely cold voice echoed in my ears.

"Maybe I should tell Lilian so we can clean up this palace. I can't let a single cockroach in the Princess's Palace."

Wow, Seth is the No. 3 in this Ruby Palace! Those foot movements, she is very skilled at exterminating insects!

"Did you hear something just now?"

W-Wait don't go yet. Of course, Seth wouldn't treat me like she treated that cockroach, but looking at the crushed cockroach carcass on the floor, I think she would scold me and tell Lily instead of giving me chocolate…… Thinking so, I ended up staying quiet and hiding. Then Seth came out of the kitchen shaking her head, as if she had heard wrong.

Only after that, I poked my head out from behind the shelf that was hiding my body. The journey to get chocolate is not easy. I glanced at the door and reached back to the chocolate shelf.

Kriet.

Hah! Suddenly there was a small voice from the side. I wondered if someone else had come in again, so I turned towards the sound, but there was no one there. A calm silence reigned here. What? Did I just hear wrong? But, I'm sure if I heard something like something moving, I'd be confused. It was at that moment, that the story about the 'Kitchen Ghost' that the maids talked about several years ago came to mind.

"Ughh…"

Maybe because of recent events, last night I dreamed about a water ghost with long hair hanging down like seaweed pulling my leg, I feel even more afraid now. I just thought that the 'Kitchen Ghost' story was just a made-up rumor, considering what Claude had done in this place. But when I'm in a situation like this, the rumors start to feel like reality. The kitchen, a quiet place with no one else around besides me, this place looked even more gloomy because the lights on the ceiling were flickering, perhaps because it had not been properly maintained for several years. Previously, I had gone into the kitchen to steal chocolate without Lily knowing, but this was the first time I felt that this kitchen was very gloomy. If I'm not mistaken, they say there are 2 or 3 ghosts living here, right? Suddenly, cold sweat started flowing down my back. It felt like the ghosts could appear and grab my shoulders at any time.

"Princess!"

Uwaaaaaa!

Yes, like now……!

"Aaaaahhhh!"

I was shocked and screamed as loud as I could. Ghost! There's a ghost grabbing my shoulder! Is this ghost the Ruby Palace's maid who was killed by Claude turning into an evil spirit and coming to get me?! Or, is this a water ghost that was chasing me in my dream yesterday?!!

"Oh, Princess! I'm sorry. Are you surprised?"

It turned out that what appeared from behind me was Lily. She seemed as surprised as I was.

"Princess, you should leave immediately."

However, as if there was something urgent, Lily hastily grabbed me, taking me away before she could calm me down properly. Ah! She knows that I'm in the kitchen. Moreover, currently in my hand are 2 pieces of chocolate that I took from the basket on the chocolate shelf. Unlucky! As I thought, no crime is perfect...... Even so, I tucked the chocolate I had in my hand into the corner of my sleeve. When I watched her, Lily didn't seem to realize that I had stolen chocolate in the kitchen. What could be more urgent than calming down the shocked me? Then, I found out why.

"It is our honor to serve you, Princess Athanasia."

Still in Lily's arms, I looked at the maid eonnis who bowed their heads in front of me. I froze, how many of them were there? One, Two, Three, Four, Five, …… I counted those standing in front of me, I think there were about 30 people, so I gave up counting them. Are these eonnis going to serve me from today?

It felt like a scene in a drama I once watched while working part-time at a meat restaurant. It was a rom-com that made me laugh and envy because it was the exact opposite of my situation where I had to scrub a grease-stained grill. I remember the drama depicted a romance between second-generation conglomerates, it was quite a sensational drama, but when I saw it, it was an unrealistic and childish drama. The scene I saw at that time was the scene where the female protagonist came home from shopping and the servants who worked in her residence lined up at the front door to greet her.

"Starting today, I was ordered to be the Temporary Guard Knight for Princess Athanasia."

While I was still in a daze, Felix who was standing next to me walked in front of me and knelt down. Are you crazy or drunk? Claude really was a strange person. I just realized that fact and I had no other choice but to laugh. Some time ago, he said something impudent to me while I was shivering because my whole body was soaked. Then today, he personally bestowed maids and guard knights to work in my palace. Moreover, Felix is the person who always guards Claude, the Emperor. Even though it's only temporary, what's the point of lending his guard knights to me like this? Oh! You sent him here to teach me how to swim like you said in the lake, right?

"We are grateful for His Majesty's concern, but how could Sir Robane be concerned……"

Lily also looked very confused and surprised, as if she had never heard of this before. Then, Felix looked at me with a faint smile.

"His Majesty has said that he will love and treat the Princess well."

The back of my neck went numb when I heard Felix's words. Hey, knight oppa, what did you just say, 'Love'!? Wouldn't it make more sense if you were sent here to spy on me so that you could behead me at any time if Claude changed his mind?

"I-Is that so…"

Look!? Even Lily was stuttered!

"Yes, His Majesty is considering official guard knights for Princess Athanasia, so perhaps I won't be here for so long."

Felix said that and smiled at me.

"From today, I ask for your help, Princess."

And, that's how Claude's knight, Felix became my temporary knight in a very dubious way.

***

Claude sent me maids, that's not a good thing. Because it turns out, he didn't send additional maids to my palace but replaced my maids. In other words, all the maid eonnis that I had gotten close to using my cuteness, had now all disappeared from my palace.

That same night, when the new maids came to my palace, I received very surprising news. No matter how much I wanted to meet my real maid eonnis, Lily just wore a confused expression. I heard that my maids had left this place this morning and were immediately assigned to another palace. Hearing that, I immediately felt annoyed. Claude, he didn't even pay attention to me when the maids stole valuable objects in the Ruby Palace, of course now I'm not happy with the changes he made to my maids. He changed the maids in my palace as he pleased. Even though I knew that this incident was not a good sign, I couldn't do anything.

Moreover, these newly arrived maid eonnis also didn't respond to my charms and tended to quietly go about their own business, which annoyed me even more. The low-ranking maids who worked in my palace were assigned to other palaces and the new maids here were people carefully selected by the Emperor. How can I seduce them!? Whoops.

"Athi misses Hannah and Seth."

"If the Princess wishes, you will surely meet them again."

"When?"

"Um, tomorrow?"

I don't believe what adults say. Isn't that a typical lie that adults tell when they deceive children? Besides, those were the words I always heard during meals whenever children looked for their parents when I was still in the orphanage in my previous life. I puffed up my mouth, Lily sweated frantically and tried to calm me down. That's when Felix, who was watching us from the side, opened his mouth.

"How about talking to His Majesty?"

Hearing those words, Lily and I looked at Felix as if he was crazy, but instead he looked at us in surprise as if he hadn't said anything wrong.

Later, Felix told me that the lotus flowers in the middle of the lake were magic creatures, they were terrible plants that tricked people into falling into the water and then sucked out the nutrients. Because this knight oppa said that so casually, I felt like I had lost my mind for a while because my eyes were dizzy. It seemed like Felix wanted to point out that it was Claude's skill and calmness that had saved me from that crisis, but instead, my anger towards Claude and skepticism about life flowed through my body. Claude, you bast#rd! He just kept quiet and just stared at me in such a situation! Ah, just thinking about it makes my blood pressure rise.

"Oh, then, His Majesty said he wanted to spend dinner with you, Princess."

My soaring blood pressure immediately dropped in an instant after Felix said that. I buried my face in Lily's arms.

……Wouldn't it be better if I died and was reborn once again? That's right, log out. I applied to log out. Log out! Log out! Huwaaaa......!

***

“Princess, I beg you……”

"No!"

I looked away, pretending not to see Lily's embarrassed expression.

"But, you will meet His Majesty……"

The reason we argued was because of my clothes. Lily asked me to change into a dress for dinner with Claude, but I strongly refused. It's rare for me to insist like I do now, so Lily looked a little embarrassed. Why should I bother dressing up for Claude!?

Of course, I hadn't completely given up on Plan C. But, maybe it was because this was my first meeting with Claude after the incident at the lake. In addition, the dresses worn by the maids at that time made my body heavy, so I sank into the water faster, and even though the dress I am wearing now is very simple compared to the dresses I always wear when I meet Claude, this dress can still be considered a very beautiful dress, so I have no reason to change it. Because I didn't know when Claude would summon me, and because a Princess had to always look dignified, the older maids always paid attention to my clothes.

"Sir Robane, please say something."

Lily asked Felix for help as I puffed out my cheeks and didn't move an inch. Whatever you guys say, I won't care. Now I'm 5 years old, so I have the right to behave like this. For a moment, Felix tilted his head when he heard Lily's words, then he smiled broadly and opened his mouth.

"Whatever the dress, Princess Athanasia is still adorable. I'm sure His Majesty thinks so too."

Hah!? Of course, I'm pretty and cute, but is that true? How could Claude think like that!? He's a cold-blooded man who doesn't have tears!

“Of course, you are right……”

However, it seemed that Lily had been persuaded by those words.

"Fine. Then, I'll just do your hair."

Finally Lily gave up, she walked towards the back of the chair I was sitting in and started moving her hands diligently. Lily's constantly lowered face bothered me a little, but I didn't want to do something I didn't like. Ugh, I have to suck up to look good at the guy who let me drown with that emotionless gaze. Hoekkk. Disgusting. But in the end, I couldn't stop Lily from doing my hair.

"Okay. Let's go, Princess."

After finishing a light make-up, Felix carried me. The Ruby Palace and the Emperor's Palace were close enough to see each other, so Felix just walked while carrying me like that. This was a very simple leaving procession for a princess, but it was still better than a noisy and troublesome leaving procession.

After I waved goodbye to Lily and received respectful greetings from the other maids, I left the Ruby Palace with Felix.

It turns out that there is not just one road connecting the Ruby Palace to the Emperor's Palace -the road I followed last time. Felix took me to the Emperor's Palace via the paved path next to the fountain. At first, it was a bit embarrassing to be held by a fairly handsome knight oppa, but after doing this a few times, now I'm quite used to it. Apart from that, Felix has also developed a lot, different from the first time he carried me, now he carries me quite stably.

"Your Majesty, Princess Athanasia has arrived."

By the way, this palace is really quiet. I feel that every time I see it, why isn't there a single servant or knight? There wasn't even anyone standing guard in front of the Emperor's chambers, and even now, Felix was the one who brought me here, he was the one who personally announced my arrival to Claude.

"O-Oppa."

I couldn't contain my curiosity.

"Why are there no maid eonnis or knight oppas in Papa's palace?" I asked Felix.

I opened my mouth again, asking the same thing because I never got an answer. Then, he bowed his head the other way and answered.

"The reason there are no maids is because His Majesty prefers to do everything with his own hands. And regarding the knights guarding the Palace……"

At the same time, I was a little confused by the smile Felix was making.

"Because he doesn't need it."

What do you mean it's not necessary? I mean, why not? If it was the Emperor's Palace, then of course its budget would be larger than other palaces, and since it was the palace where the Emperor lived, shouldn't the number of workers be very large? Oh, that's all understandable, considering Claude is a freak and everyone wants to avoid him.

"And, please don't call me that. Just call me Felix or Robane."

"Yes."

"Please don't be stiff on me."

Felix turned his head again towards the door in front of him as if he didn't notice my question.

"It seems His Majesty is sleeping."

What? You called someone and you fell asleep? Wow, really disrespectful behavior. But I guess that's a good thing. Maybe I can go back to the Ruby Palace since he's asleep. Felix can be a witness.

"Then, Athi will just go."

"Please do not do that……"

After watching me for a while, Felix seemed to think of something, then he said something very surprising.

"Why don't you come inside?"

……Hah? I must have heard wrong, right? Maybe because lately my body has been weak. Haha……

"His Majesty would definitely be happy if the Princess woke him up."

Kriet. Before I could say something, Felix had already opened the big door in front of me. I didn't have time to panic, my back was pushed by a gentle touch and I stepped into the wide gap.

"Then I'll wait here."

Tap.

Felix's smiling face disappeared behind the closed door.

“W-Wait……”

I struggled to open the closed door, but my arms weren't strong enough to open this door.

“Aaaaa……!”

I tried to call Felix who was standing behind the door, but I immediately fell silent in shock. If I scream, won't Claude wake up?! Wow, it turns out that Felix is a bad person... Like it or not, I can only turn my back to the door. Then, as I expected, a room with a spectacular view came into view.

"Da#n……!"

I have entered the last boss's room.

***

I've met him in the Emperor's Palace, but this is the first time I've entered his private space like this. I kept quiet, held my breath calmly, and looked around for a moment. Could it be that he had woken up because he heard the sound of the door opening? Is he going to hurt me because I disturbed his peaceful sleep by coming in here without his permission!? Whoops. I don't know anymore. I might die suddenly. Now I have to lick his foot!

This was a very quiet room, even the sound of the clock ticking could be heard very clearly. Luckily, Claude seemed to be sleeping soundly. On second thought, should I wake Claude up? If there was no news from inside, no matter how long I waited, then wouldn't Felix open the door and come into this room? With that in mind, I decided to wait for Felix to open the heavy door and enter here.

Claude's room that I saw, is this worthy of being called the Emperor's room…… This room is only about the size of a square. Is this really the Emperor's bedroom? This simple room? It even seemed emptier than my room in the Ruby Palace. Strange. I heard that the previous Emperor was not only cruel but also very wasteful. Wasn't this also the room used by the Previous Emperor? Considering Claude's character, it seemed like he had no intention of renovating a room that had been used by someone else. The room was so empty that I could see the bed from a distance. Even so, I still couldn't see the inside because of the curtain covering the bed.

Oh, isn't it dangerous if the bed is clearly visible from the door? Since you are an Emperor, shouldn't there be an assassination attempt? No matter how strong his magic power was, wouldn't he be helpless when he was sleeping? But whether Claude dies or not is none of my business. More important than that, for some reason the world map on the wall caught my attention. I quietly moved my steps toward the object that stimulated my vision.

"Whoaaaa."

Then, feeling happy, I covered my mouth with my hand, a mouth that radiated admiration. I've seen it many times, the world map on the wall is made of sparkling gold. Moreover, not only was the surface plated with gold, but it seemed like it was made from very large gold chunks like carvings. Wow, my goodness. This is the first time in my life, seen something like this. I'm very impressed. Wow, this is indeed the Emperor's Palace! I don't need a gold wand or a gold toy if I have this one thing! Could it be that the thing hanging on the wall is also made of gold? I jumped excitedly and almost ran across the carpet.

Claude or the Previous Emperor, it seems like they had a hobby of collecting paintings. A room with no other decorations, only filled with picture frames. It's not as big as that world map, but it's really big. I don't know what it is, but it's a painting that looks like a scene from the Bible, there are also paintings of cute little angels and beautiful angel eonnis, all in luxurious gold frames.

Wow! This is a painting of the coronation of the first (female) Emperor, Ambrose that I ever saw in the book that Lily brought me for my study. However, because the painting is so large, the frame is also very large. If 3 adult men got together and stretched out their arms, would their width be the same as this? Plus, it's all gold! Even the painting frame in the corner of the floor was made of gold.

Eh? Why don't you clean this dusty painting frame? If you want to throw it away, just give this to me…… I licked my lips and looked at the dusty painting frame, then turned to look at the world map I had just looked at earlier. No, I tried to look away. But suddenly something caught my attention.

"……"

I took a step closer to the frame of the painting I had just seen. Unlike the other luxurious paintings hanging on the walls, this painting was dusty and placed on the floor, in the corner of the room. It was a painted portrait of a woman. That gently smiling face was quite beautiful and charming, although it couldn't be called the beauty of the century. She looks like a noble lady who likes to dress up, she is decorated with colorful ornaments from the top of her head to her fingertips. Judging from that splendor alone, it seemed believable that she was the Empress of some country. Her hair was rolled up, revealing her elegant neckline, warm light brown in color. And with a charming smile, her green eyes resembled a meadow.

I only read some narrative explanations from several pages in the novel, of course, I never saw her appearance... But I know who the woman in this painting is. There were dirty black blood marks on the surface of the damaged frame, but the painting could still be seen.

"Hmph."

She is Zenith's mother. Isn't this a sign of love and hate? Contrary to Lily's words, it seems that Claude loves Zenith's mother, not Diana. Well, of course not. Because the protagonist in this novel is Zenith. No, of course, the fact that this cold-hearted man had done something called love back in the day was something that was hard to believe. But,

I shouldn't have seen this. I was overcome by a strange feeling, it felt like my heart was being stabbed by something until I frowned. I feel like, I've seen something I shouldn't have seen. Haa, I'll pretend I didn't see it. I didn't see anything. That's right! I closed my eyes, shook my head, and turned around.

"Ugh!"

I was so shocked that I held my chest and stepped back. Why, why, why, why is Claude here, not in bed!!? The golden color spread across the black leather sofa is very clearly visible. Claude lay motionless on the long sofa and closed his eyes. The sofa was in front of the world map, but I didn't see it because of the back of the sofa, I didn't realize that Claude had been lying there all this time.

Ugh, Da#n. I was so shocked that I felt like my heart was going to fall out. Of course, I knew that he was sleeping, but I thought he was sleeping in bed, I didn't expect him to actually sleep here. What if I have a heart attack because of the shock!? But, unlike me, who was still panicking and continuing to hold my pounding chest, Claude continued to sleep peacefully, he didn't even move an inch.

Uwaaa, annoying. I want to hit him. Just once. Can't I just hit him once? I suddenly felt annoyed and moved closer to the sofa where Claude was lying. Instantly my feelings became mixed when I saw his face which was at eye level with me.

Extraordinary. He slept like a prince in a fairy tale. With his eyes closed Claude looked very gentle and kind. Of course, I accidentally thought about this and immediately shuddered with goosebumps. Did my eyes go crazy for a moment? Who looks gentle and kind? He? Not someone else, but this Psychopath Claude?

However, even if I rubbed my eyes and looked at it again, you could believe that the sleeping face before me was the same as the face of the saint hanging on the wall. That's quite to my taste. Can't you just stay like this and never wake up?

I looked at Claude with mixed feelings, then I waved my hand over his face. It seemed like he was really fast asleep, considering that he wasn't woken up by Felix's screams from outside the door and my voice coming in here. If I were an assassin who came to kill him, would he still sleep peacefully like this?

Okay. Only 1 hit. I don't know when I'll be able to hit him in the future, so this is my chance. Moreover, of course, I haven't forgotten what happened at the lake! I wondered which part I should hit, but if I hit him in the face, it would be obvious, so I raised my hand towards his body.

Hwiikk! Tuk!

But then, something fell out of my sleeve, and unfortunately it hit Claude's forehead, then it bounced off and landed on the carpet. It was the chocolate I had hidden under my sleeve, the chocolate I took from the kitchen this afternoon.

Ahhhh……!

I tucked it into my sleeve so Lily wouldn't find out. I completely forgot about the existence of the chocolate because I had to greet the maids that Claude gave me at that time, and today I didn't change my clothes. I held my breath, making sure that Claude who had been hit by chocolate didn't wake up. And at that very moment, Claude's eyes opened silently, like a ghost.

"……"

"……"

I froze, my current position was, that I was raising my hand towards him. Claude blinked slowly, once, twice, and then he looked at me with dry eyes. His gaze was fixed on my face, his gaze was so clear that I didn't think he was someone who had just fallen asleep. Finally, I gently placed the hand I was raising to hit Claude on his chest. Then, I awkwardly patted Claude's chest and opened my mouth,

“S-S-Sleep well……”

What am I doing now………?

I realized what I did accidentally and I screamed out loud inside the day. Whoaaaa, Aaaahhhhh, Uwaaaaaa, Huuuwaaaaaa! What should I do!? Just now, I touched the nose hairs of a sleeping lion, right? Is this an emergency? It would be better if he said something, but instead he said nothing. He just stared at me, and instantly my mind fell into panic.

"The moon smiles at you~ See you today~ Babies smile at the stars too~"

Uwaaaa, crazy! Why does my mouth move as it pleases at times like this? I said what? A lullaby for Claude? Stop it!

"Tomorrow will be a brighter morning~ So dream sweetly~ Good night, my darling~"

I patted Claude's chest with all my strength, I wondered if he realized that I was going to hit him. Come to think of it, what kind of expression did I make when Claude opened his eyes? Am I making a Chucky Doll-like expression? Whoops. Why does it feel like everything I do can make my lifeline cut?

"What song is that?"

However, for some reason, Claude, who had just been silent and watching what I was doing, now opened his mouth. I quickly answered as if I was grabbing a lifeline.

"A lullaby to chase away nightmares."

He doesn't know lullabies? The maid eonnis said that everyone in the country grew up listening to this lullaby. But I can't talk about this lullaby in detail, so I changed the topic. Hiding my true feelings, I smiled innocently.

"Good morning, Papa!"

For a moment, Claude's expression became subtle. Of course, it was a very, very brief moment, so I wonder if I was looking wrong. But I'm sure that I saw the corner of his mouth smile earlier.

"It's not morning now."

"Good afternoon!"

Can't we just ignore that trivial thing?

"Felix let you in?"

He saw me in his bedroom, and apparently, he quickly deduced the whole situation. Claude lifted his body, trying to sit up, and then he brushed the hair flowing around his eyes languidly. Maybe because he had just laid down, his hair was more tousled than usual, and the clothes he was currently wearing were also open at his chest, showing his well-organized muscles. Ah, I feel embarrassed. This is a bit embarrassing. Even though my current appearance is that of a child, inside I'm a woman!

Without paying attention to my presence, Claude turned his gaze out the window on the left. Outside, the yellowish sun was starting to set. He rose from his sitting position slowly, like a beast stretching itself, and then he muttered,

"We'll have dinner here."

***

"Seeing your fair skin, it seems you are fine."

This was the first time I came face to face with Claude since we started boating. I was sitting in the middle of the Emperor's bedroom and I saw that there was a lot of food spread out on this table. Of course, all these dishes were well-arranged and looked delicious enough to make one drool, but looking from another perspective, for an Emperor, this was a simple dinner.

I thought that it was unexpected, but I just raised my head in confusion when I heard Claude's words. There's no way he didn't know that I was sick, but he didn't come to visit me. No, of course, if he visited me, it would only make my pain worse. But in any case, I was very surprised that Claude talked about my condition. I really don't want to hear him say something like, 'I heard you were sick, are you feeling better?' or 'Thank God you're cured'. Yes, that's correct. Why would Claude say something like that?

"Papa has become prettier!"

Don't forget that I am a helpless ordinary citizen. Remember, Plan C, Plan C. For Plan B, it's important to show this guy that I'm healthy enough and won't die today or tomorrow! Whether it's a dirty or dangerous life, there's nothing more important than life! I replied to Claude's words like a fool and laughed out loud in my heart. Apparently, my smile became something attractive in Claude's eyes. Yes, a small child who fell into the lake yesterday is now smiling broadly. Of course, this is a strange thing. Isn't it?

Claude, who was sitting languidly in front of me, rested his chin on his hand and looked at me. Ugh, why is he showing off his fatal charm? Have you decided to let me go now? That's a good thing. Of course, I won't be tempted by him!

"Eat. I asked them to prepare a dish you like."

This is a meat dish, right? That means you want to say that I'm fat, right? You're talking harshly, right?

"Thank you for the food."

Of course, that doesn't mean I can't eat it. I ignored Claude's words and decided to focus on eating. Wow, this literally melted in my mouth. Does Claude eat all this every day? In my palace, there is also meat that looks expensive like this, but the quality or taste is not like this. This is truly discrimination!

However, this tableware is a bit heavy for me who is still small. Moreover, they didn't even cut my meat, so I had to cut it myself one by one before eating it. And this table is too high for me!

Tring, finally the knife slipped from my hand, scratched the plate, and made a sharp sound. Ugh, I suddenly held my breath. Apart from being embarrassed, I could tell that Claude was looking at me. Uwaaa, you're not offended that I made annoying noises, right? You wouldn't throw that knife you were holding at me, right?

"I think you should learn more etiquette."

Luckily Claude just glanced at me and then said that in a humble voice. Fyuhh, it feels like my life has been reduced by 10 years.

"Tomorrow, I will send people to your palace to teach you the basic etiquette. Maybe this is because you learned from unknown people. So they only taught you one or two things, not the whole thing."

Hah? Are you now insulting my maid eonnis? What 'unknown people'? Those eonnis, they are all nobles. Why do you even say something like that!!?

"From now on, get a better education."

Oh, yeah. You are a member of the Imperial Family. For a moment, I couldn't control my expression but luckily I didn't get caught because my chair was at the end of the table. Fortunately, this dining table is very large. Something was bubbling inside me, but instead, I smiled broadly at Claude.

"Athi will work hard, Papa!"

Then, I wondered why Claude gave me a mysterious look like that. During this time, I had spent a lot of time drinking tea with Claude, it was a matter of torment. But this was the first time Claude looked at me with eyes like that. He looked at me with a gaze that was like looking at a strange animal, I felt uneasy. Claude looked at me with that look the entire dinner. Oh my, I think I'm going to have a stomach ache.

"Papa, good night! Bye-bye!"

After spending a very long dinner with Claude, I was taken home to the Ruby Palace in Felix's arms. He gave me greetings to have a comfortable night as usual, but I snorted "Hmph!" without accepting his greeting. When Lily saw that, she made a confused face. I really hate Felix. He, he made me go into Claude's room even though I wasn't ready for that at all! Ugh, just remembering it makes me shiver, even if I had to tear Felix's head off, I still wouldn't feel relieved. Sob. I still couldn't believe how he could push me towards Claude in that way.

Felix turned around with a smile on his face, didn't he understand what I meant by snorting at him? Argh, that makes me even angrier.

"Lily, I want to hear a lullaby."

That night, acting cute, I begged Lily to sleep with me. She laughed as if she was in a good mood even though I was being childish. And then, gently, she patted my body covered with the blanket.

"Want me to sing one more song?"

Soon, a gentle voice entered my ears.

"When night falls, please pick flowers for me~ The beautiful star will greet you and smile~"

Wow... Lily's singing really couldn't be compared to the lullaby I sang in a mess. I feel like today, I want to kick my blanket, but I have to hold it in because Lily is still here.

"Goodbye today, tomorrow will come a brighter morning~"

When I heard that soft voice, my eyes closed by themselves. I always feel happy listening to lullabies that someone sings just for me. Although actually, I'm too old to sleep while listening to lullabies.

"Come sweet dreams~ Good night, my darling~"

I don't know what kind of variety show awaits me tomorrow. But, let's forget everything and sleep. I have to sleep well so that I can be healthy and grow tall. If I close my eyes, then, as soon as I open them, I hope 10 years have just passed by. Haha.

"Sleep well, my darling~"

Good night, Lily! I tried to get rid of Claude's ugly face, and I kept my eyes closed, listening to the song Lily was singing. And like I always do every night, I dream that time passes quickly.

***

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