Air thick with tension blanketed the glamorous Ruby Palace within the Obelia Empire as if snow to the earth. It had became quiet, too quiet for the second time within the corridors of the palace. The first time had been because  the servants in the corridors who had been long awaiting the news of a new member of the imperial family being born, had known that the only concubine in palace who had given birth had perished, had borne a healthy baby girl and that she had given that baby girl, the name 'Athanasia'.

     Now, the second time was because the Emperor of Obelia, Claude de Alger Obelia with malicious intent in his blue jeweled eyes was carrying an unsheathed blade.

      The servants quickly scrambled to try and greet the Emperor, but when his sight settled on them with a mere glance, chills ran down their spines and they knew to be silent. They all respectfully bowed their heads, not daring to even raise them after the Emperor stalked pass them.

     A dark voice rang in Claude's mind urging and telling him. He had to kill her! He had to kill her!! He had to kill her!!!

     From ever since that day that dancing wench had seemingly became pregnant with his child, he should had killed her! That day, he didn't know what had stopped him from doing so.

     Not even a single woman should had been in Ruby Palace, but he had allowed for her to be. He had allowed for her to live and carry the child within her womb and he did not know the reason why he had done so!

      An intense migraine assaulted him as a snippet of a woman flashed within his mind. Having any woman, but her carry and give birth to his child, was a betrayal to her. '..... I cannot betray.... her. I cannot betray her. I cannot betray her!' He repeated thought.

     Not only was his child not born from her, but the baby also carried the name 'Athanasia', a name that could only be given to heirs for the Obelian throne.

    He had to get rid of it. He had to get rid of it. He had to get rid of it! That child.

      The grand doors opened due to the sheer force of his magic, causing the people who were in the room to gasp, utterly petrified.

    One of the maids who had assisted with the birth of the princess tried to speak, stuttering with her voice mimicking that of a mouse. "....Y-Y-Your... m-m-majesty, L-L-Lady Diana .... she d-"

   Then cries erupted from Athanasia, making her presence known.

  The dark voice repeatedly urged him again, the pain in his head growing. 'Kill her. Kill her. Kill her!' 

  With this a blade was raised, then swung down.

     "No your majesty! Princess!!!" A maid had desperately screamed out, rushing to protect the crying princess even at the cost of her own life.

    But the maid wasn't the who had protected Athanasia. She had been too slow.

    The blade had stopped in mid-air. The jeweled eyes of Claude widened, thinking he had heard an auditory hallucination and had seen an optical illusion.

     From another point of view, it had seemed like Claude had stopped due to some moment of hesitation, but from his perception magical white strings seemingly from nowhere had wrapped around his sword, stopping it.

  '... 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷'𝓽 ... 𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓭𝓮. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷'𝓽.'

     The familiar soothing voice that had banished the dark voice and pain within his head told him once more. Then the snippet of the woman that had flashed within his mind previously had became a little bit clearer.

     Soon before him an ethereal spirit-like woman with light azure blue hair that mimicked the shimmering clear shallow waters of the summer ocean and amethyst purple eyes that looked more beautiful than any jewel appeared. Despondently smiling as she tilted her head to the side, she said. "𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪'𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻."

"...You." He reached out to her, but to the point of view to others, it seemed like he was reaching out to Athanasia. "..... A-" But before he could say the name of the woman just as she had appeared, she quickly vanished within white small glimmering star-shaped lights.

   Seeing that she was gone, his line of sight was directed to the baby. "-Athanasia, hmm. Let's see how long you will live up to your name."

¤¤¤

"This cannot be right!" Claude angrily flung the papers onto his desk.

    "Your Majesty, we have investigated several times, but the late Viscount, Julian Drusus does not have such a daughter. His two only children and daughters are Julianna and Julietta Drusus." Felix reported. "He never had a daughter with his first wife."

    That cannot be true. That cannot be true. That cannot be true! Unless he was going mad. She did exist, but why did it seem like the entire world had erased her existence with only him remembering her? "Investigate again."
      
"...Your Majesty."

Claude sharply glowered at him.

"As you wish." The imperial knight left.

.
.
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".... Aaliyah." Her name fell desperately and softly fell from his lips as if trying to fill the massive aching whole in his heart.