TWO YEARS HAVE PASSED, and Antanasia is currently ten years old while Athanasia is seven. living in her favourite manhwa for many years has almost made her forget who she was since she got used to being called Antanasia or your highness instead of Keikō.

she had also accidentally met Roger Alpheus's son, Ijekiel Alpheus. the two have become great friends, always reading at the library or ijekiel listening to Antanasia's newly composed songs.

right now, Antanasia is in Claude's office, drinking juice while Antanasia is reading some novels. the two looked at the door as it opened and in came a bubbly little blonde girl.

"papa! sister! Athy's here!"

"nowadays, you just come and go as you please, don't you."

"all of a sudden I wanted to see Papa and Sister, this, thiiis much! So I came right away!" Athanasia exclaimed happily with sparkles and flowers blooming in the background.

"Isn't it a bit early for you to make all this ruckus?"

"hehehe"

"bring it in," Claude said maids came in not a second after with many desserts.

"Hm? It seems like you're more excited to see that cake than you are to see us."

"It's tastier because I'm eating it with you and Nas, Papa!"

Athanasia chomped down on the desserts happily when Claude asked if she met anyone on the way here and she answered none. "If you didn't meet them that's fine. you can continue to ignore them in the future." he said as Athanasia looked at us with question marks above her head.

It was an afternoon of the day, and Felix, Athanasia and Nas ran into Roger Alpheus on the way to Athy's Palace. Athanasia perks up at the sight of Roger and smiles.

"ah! it's mister white!" she exclaimed happily, a sweat appeared on Roger's left cheek at Athanasia's greeting. "mister white, paw!" Athy said as Antanasia smirked.

Roger inaudibly breathed out and reached his hand out to the princess in Felix's right arm while I'm in his left arm. "my lady, my name is Roger Alpheus…"

Antanasia pat Roger's head. "What a good boy! You did so well!" she said.

Roger fixed his hair before speaking. "Princess Athanasia is there anyone that can serve as your friend or companion? I worry you may get lonely…" the white dog said. 'bish, what am I? a roach?' Antanasia thought.

"friend? silly mister. of course, Athy has friends! Felix and Nas are my friends!" Athanasia said as a blush was on Felix's face when he heard what Athy said.

"perhaps someone closer to you in age. wouldn't it be nice to have someone you can relate better to? I have a son close in age, princess. he's also a friend of Princess Antanasia."

"he's a very bright and mature child. he's three years older than you princess. If you treat him like an older brother I know he will treasure you like a baby sister." Roger smiled and continued. "ahem. although this is embarrassing to say so myself, my son takes after me and is quite good-looking."

"If he's like mister white… Athy will pass."

Antanasia giggled and covered her mouth to stop herself to burst into more giggles.

"If that's the case… what about a girl who's close to you in age?"

"ah, are you perhaps referring to your niece?" Felix asked.

"that's right. I have a cousin who's gone to the countryside to recuperate. we are currently taking care of her youngest daughter. what do you think, princess?"

Athanasia begins to grumble angrily while Antanasia just looked at Roger blankly.

"princess, If princess wants a friend like her highness,  Antanasia I can also help convince his majesty."

"hmm, but Athy doesn't want a friend that's more stupid than Athy," Athy said while Antanasia nodded.

"princess…" Felix said with sweat on his cheek. he wasn't sure what to do, but he doesn't have to since he quieted himself when Roger spoke.

"princess, you don't have to worry. she is quite a bright child."

"If that's the case, the child that mister white speaks of, how much social theory has she studied?...."

after talking to Roger Alpheus we left and reached the Palace, Felix set us down and had his back turned to the girls with his hand on his heart. dark shadows seem to surround him which made the two princess look at him in bewilderment.

"your highness, princess Athanasia, I will try harder.. " he said which made Athanasia look at him more confused than before while Antanasia who's just laughing at him.

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today is just another day of meeting up with her sister and antanasia is looking a bit pale right now and was not in the mood to talk about everything at all too. they're also inside the palace today as they look down to see Athanasia with Felix he also suggests that they should go on a walk as the weather is looking nice outside too which Claude agreed and started walking down the stairs with Antanasia when he felt someone tags her clothes to see the youngest who's busy looking at the gold throne that she didn't notice it was Claude who she grabbed.

"what is it?" she heard Claude. athy looked at him shocked as Felix spoke. "she's asking for you to pick her up, your majesty." Felix piped up with a smile.

"pick her up?" Claude questioned.

"yes, she does that a lot to me when her legs are hurting." Athanasia started panicking. "no, I just saw something on daddy's clothes an GAHH—" Athanasia couldn't help but shout when she felt Claude pick her up.

Claude was holding her by her dress ribbon making her dangle in the air. Nas was pretty sure she had a hard time breathing like that but hey at least she never experienced that when her father was picking her up when she was little. Felix, on the other hand, was panicking like a mother he was so he decided to hold her as he gently Athanasia from Claude much to her belief and was showing the emperor how to hold her properly. just when Felix was about to give athy back to Claude she shouted saying she wanted Felix to hold her.

"ahem! if that is what the princess wishes then I suppose I don't have a choice." felix was obviously extremely happy that Athanasia chose him since it was all written on his face. "shall we, your majesty? we'll follow you behind."

"I'll carry her." claude paused. "you were so strict about it so I thought there might be some complicated way to carry that child, but it looks easy as the way I carry Antanasia around the palace."

"Athy just—"

"so you don't want to be carried by me." claude said glaring at her. Athy laughed cutely while submitting to her evil father. antanasia just kept looking at them with an unreadable face as Claude noticed her standing he also gently picked her up making her snap of her thoughts and then look at her father.

"move, you're in the way." Claude said to Felix.

"does Felix always carry you like this?" Claude asked her younger sister. "when I come to daddy?" Athy asked.

"other times too." he said.

"athy can walk by herself! if daddy holds athy's hand while carrying Nas then I can walk right now." Athy said.

"are you saying that you want to get down because Felix carries you better than I do?" Claude asked.

they finally arrived at their destination and a lot of things happened while they were walking like Athy accidentally slapped their father as her reason is that there was a bug that kept flying around her.

"I guess next time I should carry the princess after all?" Felix asked causing the emperor to glare at him.

'if you want to die please don't drag me with you.' Athanasia thought as she sweat dropped.

"perhaps she should learn how to handle her body and try walking on her own." Claude said.

"but your majesty the princess is only seven." Felix said as he only got ignored. "not to mention, your useless when all you do is carry her all around." hearing this made Felix sulk as the two girls were just minding their own business.

after a while Nas started feeling weird again. she felt dizzy, her heart was beating abnormally fast and her throat is starting to get hurt. it was getting harder to breathe once again.

"guh." she look in front of her to see Athanasia and froze. Athanasia had blood dripping down her mouth and hands onto her dress.

"princess!!"

she quickly stood up despite her head was spinning and dropped down to the ground next to her father who was healing her younger sister.

"call the physicians!!" Claude shouted as got up holding Athy. "bring Antanasia with me, Felix!" Claude was in such a hurry that he didn't notice how pale Nas was at the moment.

"your highness, let's go." Felix in a hurry picked her up gently and ran after Claude. the firstborn felt worse than earlier, she was forcing herself to not vomit earlier but she couldn't anymore and threw up a lot of blood it was more than Athy.

"your highness?" he whispered then started panicking as he immediately called for the emperor. "your majesty!" Claude turned around annoyed but when he saw Antanasia it was like the world had frozen. he felt useless.

the last thing she remembered before losing her consciousness was her father calling for her name, Athanasia and a worried Felix.

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many healers and magicians were called, in an attempt of healing the royal siblings.

they failed and were sent directly to the dungeons.

"what should we do, your majesty?" Felix asked as he looked at Claude who's also looking at Antanasia who woke up in pain.

"what do you think you're doing? I told you to heal them. What on earth did you do to make their condition worse?" Claude said to the kneeling magician.

"I beg your pardon, your majesty, but the princesses condition has not worsened. It is only because they are conscious now that they're feeling pain. there isn't anything we can do when their mana is leaping to and fro inside them like this. although princess Athanasia's condition is much better than princess Antanasia because the second princess mana was absorbed inside her body in her attempt to control it."

"so I told you to find a solution, and yet you don't even have the decency to be ashamed of your incompetence."

"I b-beg your forgiveness, your majesty. but I am the most knowledgeable among the royal magicians when it comes to mana abnormalities. It is unlikely that another magician will be of help to the princesses at this stage."

"do you wish to die?"

the magician gasped and panicked.

"you have an intricate way of asking to be killed. bring in another magician and lock him in the dungeon."

the magician called for him, begging for mercy.

"If you wish to live, try harder with that pea brain of yours. If you continue to say the same useless things, I'll start cutting off your limbs one by one before I chop your head off."

"dad… I'm alright now see." Antanasia endured the pain as she spoke while trying to get up but failed as she is now at her limits as she screamed rather loudly.

Claude immediately hugged her. "shh… it'll be alright. Just sleep for now."

she nodded her head before she fell into a peaceful slumber again.

the next who woke up is Athanasia who did not scream but only cried as she called out to him.

Claude just put his hand on her forehead with no emotion.

"you're too noisy. go to sleep."

'dude your daughter is sick and dying is that all you've got to say?!' Athanasia said in her mind as she slowly fell asleep.

❲ EDITED ❳