THE GRAND BANQUET was held and everyone was waiting for the main guests of the event to show up. claude had both of his daughters on his side. 

"make way for his majesty, emperor claude de alger obelia her highness, crown princess antanasia de alger obelia! and her highness, princess athanasia de alger obelia!"  subconsciously athy froze at the sight of everyone staring at them with their judgmental eyes. she hesitated and   noticed. 

"what's the matter?" 

'i— i've never stood in front of this many people… i'm scared.' athanasia thought as she shivered a bit. 

the emperor raised his head, his eyes flashing at everyone making them get chills down their spine. everyone bowed, lowering their heads. 'i'm proud to be his daughter.' she thought as she smiled a bit enjoying the view.

"i can make them keep their head down like that until the ceremony is over if you want." 

"n— no."

"but dad, that would be unfair to those girls who waited months and years for this," nas said as she smiled at them.

"yeah, what sister said! it's okay daddy, i have you and my sister by my side. " athy said as she smiled sweetly at them.

they had gracefully walked down even though athy was trying to hide her trembling. "i didn't take you for the type to get nervous about such trivial things." 

'this is a pretty big deal though?' 

"considering how you were ripping my hair out and hitting my face when you were little, dancing in front of the crowd shouldn't be much of an ordeal." 

"pfft-" nas covered her mouth trying not to laugh out loud. 

"n—n-no way. i don't remember doing such a thing. such a joke daddy." 

"you were an insolent little thing, even back then the same goes to you, antanasia."

"ahh, stop teasing me." the two girls said at the same time.

athanasia and claude were the first to dance. the two started dancing gracefully as nas just watched them on the side. 

'they look like a beautiful fairy that came out in the fairy tale …' nas thought as she just watched them until — athanasia stomped on claude's foot. nas stopped herself from laughing after seeing her favourite part. the dance was over and everyone clapped. 

"that was a good show!" nas said to the two.

"how about you sister, are you going to dance?" athy asked the white-haired girl. 

"your sister here just wanted to come for free food." 

"i— i see..." 

"i might as well enjoy here with my friends, enjoy your debutante, my dear little sister. " nas patted athy's head then started walking out trying to find her blueberry girl. 

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"oh, you guys are also here!" nas said as she started walking to the group. "i mean, i just came here to see some handsome boys. " valkyria said as she started fanning herself.

"of course why am i not surprised?" 

"we kinda got a bit late because valkyria and yua were dressing royin up," akari said as she sighed.

"it was a disaster. i will never join any gathering ever again." royin said as he shivered remembering the maids touching his body.

"indeed, it was a disaster and this corset is killing me," antanasia whined as akari patted her back. "oh yeah— where is yua?" 

"what do you mean? yua is beside me—" valkyria said as she pointed to her side which was empty. "eh?! she was just beside me a while ago!" 

"i'm sure she's just eating," royin reassured his friends. 

"well, i hope so… who is your partner, nas?" akari asked her friend.

"i don't have one." 

"what— not even the warlock? that's kinda sad." valkyria said.

"oh shut up grape girl! do you even have one?" nas rolled her eyes.

"well, he wasn't able to come but i'm sure i can find one here. i mean who would not be able to resist my beautiful face?" valkyria giggled as the three just deadpanned. 

"and i'm still wondering why i'm friends with you guys," royin said as he facepalmed 

"so akari, i'm guessing your partner is ijekiel?" antanasia asked the blue-haired girl. 

"oh… not really… i was about to ask him but his partner is lady margarita."

"who's this lady margarita?" valkyria asked.

"is she that girl who has been staring at us?" royin pointed at the brunette girl. jennette looks away embarrassed that she got caught staring at them.  "so she's the one who has been staring at us. i was scared that i might attract some ghosts." 

"please stop being like that, val, it's disgusting."

"try me, grandma," val said as the two started bickering at each other.

 "want to grab some food, royin?" akari asked the black-haired guy.

"sure," he said as the two started walking, leaving nas and val bickering at each other. as they left the two, they saw yua who was already finished eating her meal. "i'm so full…" yua said as she rubbed her tummy. 

"i told you that she's just here eating," royin said.

"yua… don't just run away with us, you gave us a heart attack," akari said as she patted yua's head. 

"sorry… the steak wants to be eaten so i ate it." she said as the two just sweat dropped.

akari sighed then shook her head. "you and nas are the same. i'm kind of thinking if you two are related." 

"we're not…" yua deadpanned. "nas and i are different." 

"i mean she does act like nas sometimes, what if they are long-lost twins," royin said.

"you guys are saying nonsense again, leave me alone with my precious food," yua said as she started eating again.

"i'm jealous that she can eat a lot without getting fat," akari said as she looked at ijekiel who was dancing with athanasia.

"and you're also jealous that you're not ezekiel's first dance?" royin asked the blue-haired girl.

"what?! no- why would i be jealous? it's just a dance." she said as she looked away. 

"i don't know~ maybe because you're looking at them with your face full of jealousy." royin teased the blue-haired girl. "how dare you leave us without saying anything?" royin and akari looked at the person who owned the voice. 

"we didn't want to ruin your bickering time, that's why we left," royin said to valkyria.

"what a good friend you two are," nas said as she rolled her eyes at them.

"we know."

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THE NEXT MORNING was a bit chaotic for antanasia and athanasia. lots of invitations were sent to them that they had to put in the basket. "your highness, which house's invitation will you accept first?" elin asked her master.

"well, i don't know yet," nas said as she took a look at the invitations. "how about the house monique? house monique is known to have a very beautiful lady." elin said as she sparkled a little. 

"elin, that's for her highness to decide." amana the head maid said as she put all the invitations on the basket. "she hasn't even opened all the invitations yet."

"i'm sorry madame." 

as nas kept looking at the invitations one caught her attention an envelope with a beautiful red rose in it she took it then started opening it. "something finally caught your attention, your highness?" elin asked as she took a peek a little but amana held her clothes. 

"elin it's quite rude to take a peak on her highness' invitation," amana said with a harsh tone. elin apologised as she sat down in the corner of the room pouting. nas chuckled a bit then started opening the envelope.

nas started reading the letter with wide eyes as she got shocked at the letter and the maid noticed the change in her lady. "your highness? is something wrong with the letter?" amana asked with a worried tone.

nas looks at her. "it's nothing, it's just a marriage proposal with someone i don't know." she smiled. 

amana sighed as she was about to speak but she got cut off by the energetic maid. "your highness got a marriage proposal? that is incredible! i'm not surprised if her highness has a lot of guys who want to marry her. after all, she's the most gorgeous person in the world." elin said as smiled widely at them.

nas and amana looked at her then nas giggled while amana sighed at her disgraceful attitude. "my aren't you a bit energetic elin? please don't flatter me that much, you're making me blush." she said as elin rubbed her neck embarrassed by her outburst. 

"i'm sorry, your highness! i was too delighted to serve you… but all that i said a while ago is true! you are the most beautiful person i have ever met! i hope that her highness will always be loved wherever she goes because after all… her highness deserves the world." elin said as nas looked at her filled with appreciation for what she said.  

"i'm glad that i met you, elin." 

"i'm also glad to serve you, your highness," elin said as they giggled while amana just stared at them like a proud mother.

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ANTANASIA IS IN her father's office drinking her juice and eating some biscuits peacefully until a voice is heard outside the door. 

"dad, are you busy?" athy asked as she opened the door. 

claude and nas looked at her. "sit down and wait," claude mumbled.

"i'll just stay quiet. hello, sister." athy greeted her as nas nodded in response.

"would you like some chocolate, athy?" antanasia asked her little sister.

"i would love to!" she said as she took some chocolate and then ate it. 

the two siblings are talking while their father is working, athy look around the room then see a little stone statue. 

"do you want it?" claude suddenly spoke as athy got startled. "no. it looked funny… no… i mean… it looked like decoration with a story behind it, so i was just looking."

"what are you talking about? it's nothing but an ugly piece of stone." claude smirked. "i would have given it to you if you wanted it."

"no, it's fine..." 

'ugly piece of stone my ass… that's the royal seal.' antanasia thought as she rolled her eyes at her father.

"did you come here to say something?" athy looked at his hand moving nonstop. 

"i just came because i wanted to see you, but you seem to be busy so i'll head back." 

"i'm not that busy." 

'i doubt that…' the siblings sweat dropped.

"felix." 

"yes?" felix opened the door as he was called.

"there are a few documents that need to be done by today, so take care of them in my place." he said as he stood up on his seat and then placed the pen.

"pardon?" felix looked at him confused then looked at him. "your majesty, how could i—"

"i've already checked over them, so there's not much you need to do." 

"i can help you if you want felix," nas said as felix looked at her happily. 

"your highness is such a wonderful person." he said.

"he can do it just fine antanasia." claude looked at her daughter. "you'll need this." he said as he threw something at felix.

"let's go, antanasia and athanasia." 

"gah!! your majesty! how could you be so careless in handling a national treasure like the royal seal?!" felix said in a panic state which made athy look at him with wide eyes as nas laughed at her younger sister's face.

"haven't i told you before your majesty? something as valuable as the royal seal should be kept in a safe." felix scolded the emperor as athy was still in shock.

"you're lecturing me when i've told you to work. it would be better if you read the documents instead of wasting your time talking." he said as he put his two hands on nas and athy's back. "finish everything before i get back."

"your majesty! this is too much!" 

'cheer up, strawberry knight.' nas giggled.

"i've put him to work so he won't come looking for me for at least a couple of hours." he said as he started walking ahead of the two girls.

"i should have some tea bought in the garden. feli—" 

"you just left him behind, dad," nas said as she chuckled. 

suddenly, athy thought of something. "dad why don't we…" 

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"a boat ride? how unexpected." the emperor said as he put his other hand on his chin.

"the weather's good today, and it's nice to do this kind of thing once in a while." athy smiled brightly as she held her parasol.

"nas fell into this lake when you two were little."

"i don't remember," nas said as she looked away embarrassed at what happened in the past.

it was a peaceful afternoon, the wind dancing with the leaves as they fell. the lake was quite peaceful as well, with water lilies floating around the scene, truly it was wonderful. athanasia put her hand on the water as she was mesmerized by how clear the water was. 

"don't get too close to the water," claude warned athy.

nas looked at them for a bit then spoke. "dad, i received a marriage proposal," nas said as claude looked at her quickly.

"a what?" claude and nas looked at each other while athy was just looking at them nervously. 

"a marriage proposal." 

"i do not accept that." 

"but i'm already at my age where i'm allowed to have a spouse and to have an heir," antanasia said calmly.

"as long as i'm alive none of you will have a betrothed, men are nothing but trouble," claude said with a serious tone.

"but dad, you're also a man does that mean you're not but trouble?" she teased her father as athy was scared for her life so she decided to change the topic.

"dad… i want to look at that flower up close." she said as she pointed to the transparent flower. claude deadpanned as he recalled what happened. 

"now that i think of it, you were interested in that when you were little too. do you like those kinds of things?" he asked his younger daughter and she just nodded.

the two look at each other, one has sparkles around her background and the other one just looks at her to stop.

"what peculiar taste you have." he said as nas laughed at what he said. "just a moment." 

he lifted his hand as the flower was in their view. "i'll keep it under control so you can admire it as much as you want." he said as the two looked at it with horrified faces. 

"gaaahh!!" the two screamed as they hugged claude tightly. 

"what's the matter? you said you wanted to look at it up close." claude said as he looked at his two daughters, scared-filled their faces.

"no! i didn't know it was a tentacle monster! gah!" she clings to her father.

"that is the most disgusting thing i have ever seen, take that thing back to where it belongs!" nas commanded her father as she hugged him tightly.

"gah! daddy, that thing is so gross!" 

"make it go away!" 

"antanasia, athanasia, that's dangerous…!" claude warned the two as the boat wobbled side to side so that the three of them fell on the water.

claude hugged his two daughters, dragging them out of the water.

"i won't do that anymore. i didn't know you two would be so scared." 

"it's okay / it's not okay." the two said at the same time.

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ANOTHER DAY WENT by as the princesses decided to host a tea party. "wow, what a lovely garden you have in here, your highness!" lady elizabeth said. 

"why thank you lady elizabeth my father made this while i was in arlanta i'm also quite surprised when i came home seeing the garden full of roses." she said as she took a sip of her lippe tea.

"my goodness! his majesty truly adores her highness antanasia." lady elizabeth as the others agreed.

'dad didn't agree with me visiting them since he thinks they're ordering me…' she thought as she sighed at what happened that time.

"at first i thought his majesty was scary when i saw him at the ball, but i was wrong. his majesty must truly adore her highness that he built you such a wonderful garden." lady clarise said. 

"but i think that his majesty adores the second princess more since he escorted her on her debutante… her highness wasn't able to have a debutante because she was in arlanta." a lady named mary said.

"how bold of you to say his majesty adores the second princess more than her highness are you planning to kill yourself?" lady valkyria said as the lady golding got scared of her.

"i apologise to your highness! i didn't mean to say it badly… please forgive me." lady mary said as tears slowly left her eyes.

antanasia just looked at her then sighed. "it's quite alright i understand that you think father adores my younger sister more than me but i know for a fact that we're getting treated equally." she said as she looked at valkyria who was turning red.

"and here i thought no dogs would be barking around here. i guess i was wrong…" yua said as she took a bite of her cookie.

"now, don't compare them to a dog because no animals are suitable for them because they are nothing but a piece of garbage," akari said calmly.

the other ladies don't dare to talk to them because they have higher status than them, especially lady elise who will be an empress in the future.

"i appreciate your concern, my darlings, but… we're here to get to know each other, not to fight with each other." she said as she stood up and the others followed. "i shall let you all explore the palace so that if you ever get lost at least you know something." she said as she started walking but stopped in the middle.

"i'll let this slide lady mary but if you ever said anything unnecessary… i have no choice but to cut that tongue of yours and deliver it to the house golding." she looked at her coldly as the lady nodded scared for her life.

"y— yes, your highness"