Chapter 8 -- Nightmare (7)

For a while, Athy spent her days as was typical. Her current lifestyle wasn't half bad, Athy thought to herself. Since I opened my eyes in this world, haven't I ever had only one goal?

Survival.

Athy thought back to her dark past. She had only pretended to be cute and sweet in front of Claude. She'd acted as if she couldn't contain all of the love she had for him, all in the name of surviving. It didn't matter how joyful her life with him had been; she should not have forgotten the reason she approached him to begin with.

Then if I continue to stay in the Emerald Palace like this, I can accomplish my goal. Claude said he wouldn't kill me as long as I don't appear before him again. Compared to the days when she'd been living in terror, not knowing when he would show up and kill her, her current situation was a lot better. Yeah! While she might have been "confined," the princess still had all her maid unnies and financial support. It was precisely the sort of lifestyle Athanasia had dreamed of, back when she was unemployed.

Slowly, she was becoming more convinced that this was merely her original plan come to life. Claude's memory loss wasn't nearly as bad as her previous, miserable life. There was no changing the reality of things; it was better to think optimistically.

Athy ate delicious meals three times a day. In her spare time, she read books, strolled around and played with Bluey. Sometimes she would sleep from early night to noon. Perhaps thinking that recent events had made her depressed, Lily and the maid unnies gave their princess her space. Her life was peaceful. It was true that she felt as though something was missing, but she pretended to notice.