chapter 12

The knight and I stared at each other in an awkward position.

"I will have a small break time with out guest."

That sentence came afterwards was the least thing I have wanted to hear in the situation other than 'Die'.

*** 

Wow, what kind of situation would this go to.

My back was sweaty from all the sweat. Am I having a tea party right now? A tea party with the bast*rd who kills me in the future? 

Gasp! Our eyes met.

I set my gaze downwards thinking that the guy in front of me would kill me right now rather than 13 years later. Sob. Don't curse me. This is the basic I have to do to survive!

Even the knight seemed to be uncomfortable, and the only one normal was Claude who was sitting across from me. Me? Forget it. It is obvious, isn't it?

"I didn't know that you were mute."

I started to have hiccups from the words that Claude spoke sipping his tea.

"This is not fun nor interesting. You can't talk."

Is it from the body of the original Atanasia that from only these words made me shiver? My spine! Though it was going to be interesting but turns out, its not so die. Is it something like this?

It was expected that he won't be so 'welcome, welcome!' but his gaze was as cold as ice, seeming as if it was looking at something not even living.

Yes, I don't know how but I still am sitting here, having a moment with Claude, but it is a fact that if his mind change, he could kill me within a second.

"Does she normally not talk or is she actually mute?"

"Atti can talk."

Hehe.

I forcefully smiled. Hopefully it'll look like a smile...!

Uhhhuhuhuuuuu, what would I do then. I'll have to if I have to. I don't wanna die right now. He doesn't have the aura to kill yet and second the real plot of the original novel, I was still there not knowing what to do at all. It is all because of those maid sisters talking scary about him!

"Finally I got to hear your voice. Why did you stay quiet all these time then?"

This kind of question again. Does he even know that the person sitting across from him is only FIVE years old? H-How do you expect for me to answer it. Do I say I was scared as h*ll by you that I couldn't talk?

The person who helped me suffering in this situation was the brother knight standing by the wall.

"Sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but kids of princess's age are said to act this way a lot.

"Now, is it?"

And now he reply like that as if he was like 'No, I didn't threaten this non-living creature.'.

Yeah that's right, you dog bast*rd! What is there a reason for a little kid to be lost in words! Besides, anyone in front of you weather it is an adult or a child would go in a mental breakdown!

But when my eyes met his again, I turned back to 'Atti knows nothing!' innocent smile, laughing 'hehe'. Sob. Ya, whatever. You are right. You are all right so just let me go.

Claude didn't take his gaze off of me, and just leaned back on the sofa. Him sitting in that position made him look like a lion king resting. His sunny golden hair colour gave him even more aura as a lion king.

I, of course, was just a shivering food. Hmm, a bunny or a mouse? An animal that would die in one hit from a lion.

"Phillix."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Get out."

"...."

Brother knight was ordered to get out of the room. It seemed like he didn't like how he answered the question for me.

W-wait. Brother, are you really going to leave, leaving me all alone with HIM? Nohohohohoooo! Bad, bad Claude, what will you do with me without brother knight in the room!

But what can brother Knight do. Setting my pitiful gaze aside, he left the room. It wasn't comforting, that 'sorry' gaze he gave me right before he left.

"Atti must be your nickname."

Ah, I was so nervous that time that I must have used the words I used to tame those maid sisters.

"Atanasia... Atanasia, huh."

I was getting nervous again. THAT IS MY NAME! YEAH, WUT!

"Do you know the meaning of your name?"

Ah, oh no.

It wasn't a good thing that Claude is a bit interested in me. It was because of the meaning of Atanasia's name that he kept her alive at first. That is because the name I have was the thing not even the current emperor Claude could get.

"To your child, moreover to a girl you named her with this name. If you were  alive, even ripping you to death would be a weak penalty."

Claude was not the actual one to rise to the throne. He killed his older brother to take on the throne himself. 

The brother of Claude who was killed was named 'Anastasious', and the emperor then was 'Eibom'. It was said that both their names had meanings of eternity and deathless. Even the number one empress of Obelia, 'Embrose' was the same.

To say it a bit more simply, out of the emperor, only Claude was not able to get the name with those meanings.

So Claude might feel displeased and kill me.

I am not harmful to you. I also don't have any interest in taking the next throne. Living as quietly as possible and leaving also quietly as possible is my life goal. I don't plan on living a fun and adventurous life, I just wish to live with an existence of air or a very thin string, that's all. That is my only hope.

It's only the name, I am just a bug who lived 5 years. Wait, but no, I don't mean for you to be like 'Die, you bug!' and stomp me with your foot.

"What are you staying all still for? Eat."

It is fortunate that Claude right now doesn't intend to kill me right now. However, I don't think he'll send me back to the Ruby palace either so I don't know if this situation is fortunate or unfortunate.

I am sure though, that I am in a crippling depression. 

"I have purposely ordered to bring foods that kids will like, but if you don't eat, I would have to punish those who prepared these."

"Thank you for the food."

This bast*rd. Did he just threatened me? He did, right?!

I reached for the fork laid properly with my shaky hand. On the table were a lot of delicious looking desserts but it was already when I lost my appetite. 

Sh*t. I feel like I'm going to be sick. I had to have this kind of tea party... But when I don't eat these, I feel like Claude will catch and kill the workers here so I have to eat them.

Even though Claude have been quiet these days but who knows what happened 4 years ago will happen again? And if that happens, there probably be my name included in the death list. Sniff.

"Its yummy~"

I couldn't see my reflection on the mirror right now, but I am pretty sure it is pale white. But I still smiled. Cause I wanted to live longer. Wahhh, I wanna see Lilly.

But wait. Did this dude always talk this much? Gasp! No! It is also going to be scary if he didn't say anything and just stared at me. Yes, talk, just talk. And just send me away from this place. Sob sob.

If this keeps on going, I think I'm going to die earlier than when original Atanasia had died by heart attack.

"Who taught you manners?"

"Lilly tat (taught) me~"

Maybe this flesh's guts exist strongly, I was replying to his every words. Claude seemed to be thinking about something, then his next words surprised me.

"Hmm, you must be talking about Lillian Yoruk."

I just said 'Lilly' but how do you know the full name?!!

"That maid who had blocked my way 5 years ago without any fear seems to be still with you."

Gasp! Then Lillian was the one who saved Atanasia?! Ohmigosh! Lilly is my life saver!

Wahhh! God Lilly! Sister was the best character existed in this cr*ppy novel! I can't believe you also stood and blocked Claude's way in killing me! Ah, this is so touching.

"That b*tch and your mom probably was the only ones survived after blocking my way."

Oh goodness. This dude is still very murderous at this time too. I feel like I'm actually gonna die. Shiver~~

Just then, Claude, who was watching me eat cake, opened his mouth again to speak.

"You, do you know who I am?"

Clang~

At that very moment, I dropped the fork I was holding onto the plate. 

If I wasn't sitting at the moment, all the strength in my legs would exit out and would have fallen to the ground. My dry mouth was shivering intensely.

My eyes and the other pair of similar eyes met each other's gaze in the air. I wanted to avoid the gaze as I was scared as h*ll, but I knew that I should not.

This was a test.

What I developed to do in my past life living a harsh life was to take a hint. Timing and the person's mood, my reactions and such. That is how I realized right at the time I looked into Claude's eyes.

He didn't bring me here because he was interested in me in the first place. Yeah, I thought it was weird. He didn't take interest in original Atanasia anyways. This is a situation with no meaning at all. A prize for making him a little curious of me, that is this tea time. A chance given to me.

He was going to choose either to keep me alive or to kill me today. 

Maybe it wasn't mentioned in the novel, but did the original Atanasia got tested by Claude at the age of 9 like this?

He was just staring at me still. His eyes contained even more boredom than before.