The Prince (WMMAP FanFic)

Ch 31 : A kiss on the cheek

It was tea time for the royals and Arius decided to bring up the matter of the Duke's son.

"Dad, I was wondering could I have a friend from among the nobility? Specifically speaking, Duke Alpheus's son." 

Clack

Claude aggressively placed his tea cup down and his expression changed from his blank one too an annoyed one.

"His son will leave for Arlanta soon, so it wouldn't even be for a long time." Arius reasoned as his eyes met Claude's.

"If you want to... then you may. But you should be wary of that dog." Claude said.

He agreed rather quickly.

Arius looked at Athanasia and they both were probably thinking the same thing.

"Do you also want one? " Claude asked as he looked over to Athanasia.

"...Nope! I have Dad and Brother!" She smiled and stabbed a piece of the sweets in front of her.

Claude stretched his arms to pat their heads, making the two somewhat confused.

"Dad, how was your day? " Arius asked as he held Claude's arm caressing his head.

"It was fine." Claude again rose his tea cup and began sipping. He retracted his hands from the two.

"Did the white dog annoy you today?" Athanasia asked.

"He did.", Claude smirked slightly at the nickname, "He even mentioned about you both having a playmate. Did you meet him on your way back, in the morning?"

"Unfortunately. Although we did teach him his place, he still kept barking." Arius said as he raised his eyebrows in annoyance. His face resembling Claude's.

"So are you doing this because of his barking?" Claude asked and once again placed his tea cup down.

"No, but Ijekiel Alpheus isn't so much like his father as he may look. He is but a child. I was hoping that by spending time with him I could change his mindset. So that when he grows up and succeeds the title of Duke, instead of being a barking dog, he would rather be a more useful one." Arius spoke as a smirk formed on his face. 

"Brother you sound evil." Athanasia shoved a piece of cake in his mouth which Arius gladly accepted. 

He had lately become a fan of sweets. Cookies, sweets, and donuts, but not as much as Athanasia. 

"Pft"

The two jolted towards the source of the sound.

Did Dad just laugh?

Claude was covering his mouth with one his hands and his eyes were closed.

"Very well. You may have him as a friend." Claude stated and a smile made it's way on his face.

The siblings shared a moment of surprise before Arius nudged Athanasia's elbow.

"Dad! I wanna go out of the Palace walls...", Athanasia began. She glanced at Arius and then Claude. "Brother, can we go meet your friends? I wanna play with Lifa!"

Since Claude looked like he was in a good mood, they both decided to bring it up.

"Now that you mentioned it, I wanted to meet them too! Can we go today?" Arius said.

They both looked at Claude with expectant gazes.

"You may go..."

"Thank you daddy!" Athanasia shouted and jumped at Claude with teary eyes. She gave Claude a kiss on the cheek, leaving Claude completely baffled. Even Arius was shocked by the sudden act she did. Athanasia herself was shocked over what she did over pure Impulse.

An awkward silence engulfed the garden.

"T-Thank you Dad!" Arius also spoke and Claude looked at him as if he was expecting Arius to do the same.

Athanasia was red from embarrassment. She was mentally an adult. Arius sunk his head down because Claude kept staring at him as if he was waiting for Arius to kiss him on the cheek.

"That reminds me, Dad I want to study Politics and History of Obelia." Arius said.

"...sure." Claude still looked at him as if he was waiting.

"Well I'm sure Dad is super busy, so lets go Athy!" Arius stood up and ran away with Athanasia. Claude didn't stop them. He just stared as he saw his children running.

He brought his hand over to his cheek and replayed the memory in his head. Suddenly memories of Diana drinking tea with him and Lilith smiling at him flashed through his head.

"Ugh..." His head began aching. He massaged it from one hand and stood up as well. 

----

The royal siblings were on their way back. Their knights accompanying them.

"Athy, let's go for a walk. Gun, Cad, can you both prepare a carriage to take us to the city."

"Okay." The knights replied and left, Athanasia also agreed for the walk.

They continued walking, Arius leading them.

"Brother, what was your name before reincarnation?" Athanasia abruptly asked.

"huh?" Arius looked at her weird.

"I-I mean you know my name so it's only fair I know yours!"

"Kazuto...Kazuto Fushimu." Arius answered, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

"At what age did you die? " Athanasia asked and Arius was visibly uncomfortable. But it was understandable that she'd be curious.

"Thirteen. What about you?"

"T-Twenty." Athanasia seemed surprised hearing he died so young and decided not to question him any further.

They walked for a while longer, admiring the nature surrounding them as well as the blue sky which was filled with fluffy-looking clouds in different patterns.

"what did you want to ask the twins to check for you?" Athanasia asked.

"Oh that..."

"What. You can't tell me, Your sister?" Athanasia asked.

"It's nothing much, I'm just going to test their abilities."

Athanasia raised her eyebrows in curiosity and Arius chuckled at the expression she was making.

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