Chapter Seven

Special mass release of Easter Day!

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I RESTED MY HANDS ON HER SHOULDERS, "Come on, I'm not pranking you, Kate. I mean every word I've said."

It's embarrassing that she thought I was joking about this, about not believing in my twin anymore. Damn, I can't even imagine how Val will react, especially after we fought so many times because of it. Although I am, honestly, looking forward to his reaction.

Will he get happy?

Or won't he believe in me like Kate doesn't?

"What?" She touched my forehead with both of her hands, twice. "But you don't have a fever!"

"Ha ha ha, you are so funnny, oh my Goddess," I exclaimed sarcastically, and Kate rolled her eyes. "Believe in me, Kate! I'm telling the truth."

Sigh. "It's just that you've protected her so many times to the point where you've even quarreled with Prince Valerian when he tried bringing that up… Even I tried talking to you about it before," I was dumb to not listen to any of them.

If I had trusted their words back there, maybe things wouldn't have had turned upside down as it happened in the end. Maybe my life would have been different, happy. And Val wouldn't have died by my hands because of our sister… neither would father and anyone else.

Nevertheless thinking about all of that now won't do me any good. It'll only make me suffer more. I can't wipe out what happened from that timeline or my mind. Moreover, I didn't get a second chance at life just to keep lamenting and reminiscing my past life. I'm back to life so I won't let myself be brainwashed, neither Valerian gets killed nor Dalilah engulf the world in the blood of the innocents.

"I'm just tired of her. I confess that the nightmare I had this night played a role in my change of mind because the end of everything started with her. And you know the powers our dreams hold, and that they might be a signal from the Goddess. So yeah, I can't let her fool me anymore," I made sure to show my resentment in my voice, so she would see how serious I am.

After staring suspiciously at me for a whole minute, she laughed and somehow her features seemed softer and more comfortable than ever. "You don't have any idea of how long I've waited for this moment! Damn, Princess, it took you long enough. Finally you are opening your eyes and seeing that venomous snake for what she really is."

"Don't worry, Kate. My beautiful eyes are wide awake now! But tell me, what took you so long to come here? Was it my mom again?" Her facial expression got darker, becoming an answer by itself.

Sighing, she said, "Yes. She hates me so much, Princess, and I don't get the reason for that. I've never done anything against her. Well… besides badmouthing her with you. Which she deserves it," that made me laugh.

"It's obvious why Kate. My mom despises you because you love me and treat me as if I was your daughter, and she loathes me," I rolled my shoulders, to show her that any of that fazed me. "She's quite easy to read."

"Her excellency is absurdly unreasonable! What's fucking wrong with her? How can she scorn her own daughter because of something that out of anybody's control?" I wouldn't use those words, once my condition is someone's doing. "How can she call herself a mother? Ugh, why doesn't the Grand Duke do something about that? He can't be dense to the point of not realizing how harsh your mother is to you!"

I smiled kindly to her, holding her hands, "It's okay, Kate. Don't get so worked up about that. Father doesn't have the time to pay attention to me, and I'm okay with that at this point. He doesn't know how my mom is because he isn't around to notice it. Moreover, he becomes blind when it's about her, so its not like we can do anything about that."

"But, Princess,"

"Come on, Kate. You know that thinking about that won't take us anywhere. Now, tell me, is my dad here today?" But the look on her face, I could tell that she didn't want to let go of that matter, but she did it either way.

A nod, "Yes! His Excellency is in the private breakfast chambers, with Her Excellency and your siblings," good. "Are you planning on having breakfast with them?"

"Indeed."

"What else are you planning, Princess?" Her tone was absurdly suspicious, making me burst into laughter.

"If you say it like that it makes me look like a person who's always planning to do something," which is kind of true.

Kate arched her eyebrows, "And you are!"

"Well, you have a point. Moreover, you will know about it later. Just stay outside the door of the breakfast chambers and listen to what I'm going to say," she agreed, nodding. "In the meanwhile, ask Yoostaf to prepare a tray full of cookies, please."

"I'll do as you said. But will you be okay eating with them alone?" Yes.

"I won't be alone! Val and dad will be there, my mother, Dalilah and Octavian won't dare to try anything," she didn't seemed pleased by that.

"They probably will. But deliberately in a way that you father won't notice," that's a possibility.

"Either way, I can't stand my ground against them. Now I have to go, or they will finish eating and I'll lose the opportunity," I got closer to the door and when I was about to open it, I stopped and turned to her. "We'll go out after I finish breakfast!"

"Okay!" She bowed. "Eat well!"

"I will!"

We parted ways and I headed downstairs.

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¹ The Caspien Calendar started to be counted from the moment the Kingdom of Caspien was founded, around 279 years ago, when August Caspien killed his nemesis, Jameson Coleman, and took over his throne. Two centuries after that, when the Kingdom was ruled by King Aaron Caspien Nicholai-Decker and Queen Addison Lloyd, a war broke out between all the Kingdoms in the Padaman Sphere. Their three sons, the Crown Prince Alexander, and the twins Prince Aiden and Princess Alisha, as the strongest warriors in their Kingdom, joined the war and conquered about fourteen Kingdoms together, founding the Caspien Empire. After their parents both died at the war, they had to rule the new Empire together. Crown Prince Alexander refused his right to be the new Emperor, once even before he didn't want such a responsibility, then he abandoned the Caspien surname and took the Nicholai for himself, founding the Great House Nicholai. Princess Alisha, didn't want such burden either, so she also abandoned the Caspien surname and took the Decker to herself, but didn't use it as much, once she preferred to take her husband, Jalen Cain, who also fought with them in the world war and helped the Royal siblings conquering the territory, and then they founded the Great House Cain. Lastly, Prince Aidan gladly accepted the whole of Emperor and its responsibility, taking the Caspien surname for himself and founding the Imperial House Caspien.