Chapter 8

Cassandra nearly spat out her food. "You did what?!"

Anastasia turned a page of the book she was reading. "Yes, I did."

"Okay. okay. I'm happy you got back at Helena, but why did you hire an assistant just like that?"

"She seems like she didn't hate Helena from the start. She didn't hate me either, just had some suspicions of both me and Helena if we were saying the truth or not. Yet she gave respect to both of us."

Cassandra didn't believe her. "Okay, whatever. But be careful of her. We don't want another leech."

"Okay."

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A few days later, their parents announced to the empire that they got two new princesses. They were just five months old and everyone was shook. Their older siblings had a different way of being announced as royals.

First, they had to earn their place in the empire, then they revealed their actual identities when Anastasia was something-three hundred, Hunter was in his mid-400's and Cassandra was five hundred. Everyone didn't dwell on the topic and celebrated the birth of the twins.

The next day, they declared it a naming ceremony would take place in a few days. Naming ceremonies were something the middle class or third class did. Naming ceremonies according to them were one of the most important things of their lifestyle. This decision baffled the lowest class, they were having more respect for the royal family.

It was all Anastasia's idea.

She asked Alethea about her lifestyle as a normal citizen, like how do they raise kids and what kind of traditions they have, or how was she raised. Alethea thought it was weird for her highness to ask to be interested in a normal person's life, but she spilled it, anyway.

Alethea's mom was a single mother because she used magic like a sperm donor or something like that to conceive Alethea. She was taught magic by her mother from childhood. This confused Anastasia since she started learning magic when she was about fifty years. Oh, wait. I'm such a dumbass, she thought and slapped her forehead.

During naming ceremonies, they invited the whole family. The plague killed Alethea's family, so she invited her coven. Covens are based on resources and could have thousands of witches in them. Her mom's coven was comparatively small. It was just between her friends and had five members in it.

After Anastasia got all the information about what people do during naming ceremonies, she asked a dangerous question. "Did you hate me, ya know before the truth?"

"I didn't hate your highness before. I just had a slight suspicion on you. On Helena, I suspected her since her part of the story seemed too spiced up and exaggerated."

Anastasia nodded and asked the next questions. "Okay, are you using your status as my assistant for attention?"

"uh... no, your highness. I only told my mom about it, I asked her to promise me to not tell her friends or anyone else."

"Good, we don't want another murder." Your highness, what the fuck?!

On the day of the naming ceremony, officials and socialites were invited. Everyone wished well and gave presents for the twins. A horse, a pearl necklace, the rarest plants, and stuff like that. Some were genuine presents, while others screamed to give the schmoozer a high status!

One guy offered one of his prized ships as a present to the emperor and empress and not to the twins. Of course, he twisted his words and said it was to the royal family. It meant to the emperor and empress, not the twins. Hwei-ru and Keyne put on a fake smile and accepted thinking, bro, you ain't getting a high status.

It was not like that the royal family hated everyone. There were some people who they could trust with their lives. Like the left president, the assistants, Satan, and the servants. They were actually genuine people.

Everyone was sitting around round tables and talking to each other. It disgusted Anastasia hearing all the surrounding gossip. One guy had fucked his sister and married her. What was this place? Sweet Home Alabama? A weird lady's ghost was floating around one socialite's mansion. Then why did this bitch come out of her hut at last if there's a ghost?

She rolled her eyes. 'I should've never done this kinda event.'

Keyne cleared his throat, and everyone turned their attention towards him. "So it's a beautiful day, isn't it? "

Anastasia was pissed, so she mocked her dad in her head.'I don't think so, dad. What are you trying to do? Confessing your love for my mother? Then it's a hideous day for me, thank you.' Keyne didn't know someone was mocking him in their mind and started a speech.

After he was done, he added one more thing. "You know who organized this event?"

'My cat did it!'

"It was my niece, Anastasia." I have a cous-wait what?! Everyone turned their heads at Anastasia in shock. This confused even her and her squad. The only one who was not confused was Hwei-ru as if she knew this was going to happen.

"Anastasia, come up here." She stood up and went to where her father was. He grabbed her by the shoulders and whispered. "Just go with the flow, okay?"

He turned towards the crowd. "So a thousand years before, my brother had died by those filthy assassins. I loved my brother very much, it was hard to move on from his death." Dad, you dramatic liar. "But I knew the empire would need me as the acting monarch for a while." What do you mean, dad? I don't like where this is going.

"Because we found out, one lover of my brother was pregnant with Anastasia and then nine months later, she came into the world. We hid her actual identity from everyone in fear that whoever killed my brother, would try to target the next monarch.

"So from now on, Anastasia Lyttelton-Annesley is now declared as the crown princess of this empire."