Chapter 12 -- Nightmare (11)

"Princess, you have been looking a bit thin as of late."

"Oh?" Athy replied while opening Jennette's latest letter. Athy tilted her head.

I look thin? How strange. I've been living very comfortably. All I do is play and eat. Shouldn't I be getting fatter?

"I will have to order the others to take extra care with your meals from now on."

If my meals get any richer, I'll become a pig!

Something about the maid's expression made Athanasia weak, and so, she didn't voice her concerns.

"Princess, are you really planning to go to the garden today?" She asked haltingly. "Yeah. It's a waste to stay indoors when the weather is so nice." Athy replied with a smile as she glanced outside her window. An unreadable expression flickered across Lily's voice before she returned the young royal's smile. Stating that she would prepare some snacks and tea, the maid left the room.

Athy stared at Jennette's letter, which was placed neatly atop her desk. Rather than writing back right away, she'd decided to give her response a little more thought. Truthfully, there was nothing significant about their messages back and forth. Neither could leave their residences, so the letters were primarily about their daily lives and that of their households.

She had not expected to exchange letters for this long, but communicating with Jennette was more comfortable and fun than she had anticipated. It had been the same when she'd met her in person. The wall around her heart began to crumble as soon as she met the other girl's eyes.

Before, she had merely been unable to be utterly cold towards Jennette. Now, it wouldn't have been easy to stop exchange letters. Somewhere along the line, Athy believed she'd had a change of heart. Back then, she'd felt sympathetic towards her. Now, her feelings were...

Athy stood and gave her cheeks a light slap. "Since I don't have much to do, I keep having unnecessary thoughts."

Lately, Jennette had been writing about her Aunt. In Lovely Princess, she had been the one who brought Jennette to the Alpheus mansion and later played a role in Athanasia's demise.

Athy was quick to catch on to the fact that 'Countess Rosaria' was indeed the woman described in the novel. Jennette couldn't contain her excitement at the news that her aunt would visit the capitol soon. To her, she was the only flesh and blood remaining on her mother's side. It was understandable that she'd be eager to meet her once more. But the princess couldn't be happy for her. The moment she'd read the other girl's letter, she'd begun to wonder what the snake-like woman was plotting.

Is she finally planning to make a move? Well, I think in the novel, she came to the capital from her lands around this time. The only difference was that in the book, Jennette successfully finished her debutante and was already in the palace.

Unable to clear her cluttered thoughts, Athy left the Emerald Palace to walk in the garden. "Ah, the weather is nice." Obelia's seasons consisted mostly of spring and summer. Unless there was heavy rainfall or intense heat, the weather was almost always very pleasant.

When Athy stepped into the garden, she was welcomed by the usual sight of blooming, white, roses everywhere. There was no more Felix to escort her around, and she could only move within the boundaries of the Emerald Palace. But humans were adaptable animals, and she quickly adjusted. The palace servants no longer flinched when they saw her alone. They simply let her be.

"If you need anything else, please call me."

"Thank you, Ces." When Athy thanked the maid with a smile, Ces made a face. It was one that was very similar to the expression Lily had made earlier. Dismissed, she pretended to leave. However, Athy was sure that she had not really left the garden; instead, she was merely somewhere that Athy could not see her.

There was something bitter about watching the maid disappear into the rose shrubs.

Geez. Really? Lately, they all make that face when they see me.

She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable when she saw those expressions.

Well, if I were them, and I met a girl in my shoes, I suppose I would have the same reaction.

Sighing, Athy looked down at the table. All of her favorite desserts were there. They had been carefully prepared, and most were chocolate. Lately, the maids had been very attentive to her every need.

Ces unnie is a cold, city woman, but she's so warm to me.

Touched, Athy brought the teacup to her lips.

Lily and all the others seemed to feel sorry for her, as she spent her time alone in the garden when, before, she would almost certainly have been at her tea time with Claude.

But one lives their life alone. Eating and drinking alone were popular in my past life. There is no need to waste time thinking of others. I don't need to worry about putting up appearances. I can eat lots and lots of cookies, too! Just because Claude stopped coming here doesn't mean I should. The garden's scenery is too lovely for that. What am I? A dog being wagged by his tail? This is the Emerald Palace. It belongs to me. Even Claude, despite his memory loss, acknowledged it with the royal seal.

Thus, Athanasia enjoyed the surrounding scenery and happily shoved chocolate cookies into her mouth. She wanted the maids to feel embarrassment, that they should be so worried for her.

Look at this. I eat three meals a day and stuff myself with desserts. There is no way I lost weight! Lily was getting all worked up for no reason.

The wind blew, causing the shadow of a tree to sway along the grass.

Athy poured herself tea. Claude never used his own hands and had always ordered the maids to do it for him. She was different, though.

I have two perfectly good hands and feet. Why should I ask someone to do things for me? Of course, royals and nobles have to consider how they look to others. But, hmph. That doesn't apply to an outcast princess! Besides, there's no one around to notice.

The blonde did away with her usual cutesy act. She leaned against the table, letting her elbows rest on it as well.

Ah, so comfortable. Everything is much, much, more comfortable now that I don't care how others see me. All nobles have to learn etiquette, but the rules are much more demanding towards ladies than they are towards gentlemen. Now that I think about it, 'sit more prettily,' 'speak pretty words,' 'always look proper' and so on. Whether it's this world or that world, why do women have to be held to so many standards? Disgusting!

Having upset herself, Athy poured the tea directly from the teacup into her mouth. The soft scent of lipeh tea enveloped her taste buds. She preferred sweeter teas, and others suited her tastes better. But, from the time she had first copied Claude's drink of choice, she'd only ever had lipeh tea during their tea time.

She took in her surroundings. Various flowers bloomed in the garden, filling the air with their soft, warm, scent. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves of the tree that served as her source of shade. The grass underneath her feet rustled quietly. On that grass was the small table with its twin chairs. And on that table were the various cookies and cakes that she so liked. Everything was as it had always been. The only two differences were that there was only one teacup on the table, and the seat across hers was empty.

Suddenly acutely aware of that difference, she poured herself more tea. After setting the teapot back down, she stared at the cup in front of her. Impulsively, she stood up from her chair and reached her arm across the table. Warm vapor rose from the tea in her teacup, which was now before the empty chair opposite her. Even though the person who should have been drinking that tea was not there, it was satisfying to have placed the cup there.

She lifted her eyes to look into the sky.

"Ah. A sparrow."

The bird flew across the blue expanse above her. Tea time was quiet and peaceful. By the time she returned inside, cup in hand, the tea had gone cold.