Things They Didn't Say Out Loud

Chapter 10: Her Disobedience

A gentle breeze on her face, the faint sound of the ripples beneath the boat, and the distant sound of the chirping birds were very soothing that she began to feel sleepy, as her mind was also drifting away from the current event.

Yes, it was another tea party gathering with the girls, but because Athanasia wanted to avoid the gossiping session, she arranged the boating activity to entertain her guests and let them enjoy the beauty of the Palace's Lake instead. They were boating in pairs and much to her surprise, Jeannette quickly took a chance to be paired with her. So right now, they were sitting across each other, appreciating the view in silence.

Athanasia couldn't help but began to recall the memory from her recent outing with Lucas out of boredom. She was thinking about what he said the other day...

"Whoa! A doppelganger!" she shrieked in surprise as soon as they arrived back at the Emerald Palace. There was an exact replica of her figure, standing in her room and greeting them.

"Hello, you're back," Amazing. The doppelganger even sounded like her.

"That's just a doll I made in your place, in case your nanny or your guard was checking up on you," Lucas told her.

"Woowww! You are even capable of this kind of magic?! Awesome," Athy observed closely. The doll was wearing the same clothes she wore before changing into the commoner dress. It was bizarre; it felt like she was experiencing some kind of astral projection and was able to look at her physical body from outside of her own body.

"Of course, I managed to make it in only seconds. That's because I'm the best,"

"Yeah, yeah, She looks like my exact copy!" Athy paused and continue admiring Lucas' creation. "Am I really this pretty?"

"Of course,y—" Lucas stopped himself, abruptly looking away. A tingle of blush appeared on his face. He almost admitted that the Princess was pretty just then, thankfully his slow brain finally was catching up and stopping his mouth from blurting out further.

Realizing that she made Lucas embarrassed by tricking him into saying that she was beautiful, Athy only laughed. "Yes, it's so amazing of you, Master Lucas, you can make a doll that looks so much alike with its model,"

Athy continued inspecting the doll, tried to spot any difference with her original self. "Look at how ladylike this one is," she commented. At least that was the only difference she could find about the doll. It was no way she would stay still and move gracefully  just like it was.

"Ah, I didn't like it!" Lucas suddenly exclaimed in annoyance. He flicked his finger, and then the doll dissolved into the thin air.

"Hey! I wasn't done looking," she protested. Lucas scowled in disapproval out of nowhere, and Athy didn't understand why.

"I don't care. It's not the same,"

'Huh?? He bragged about being so good that he could make a replica of me in seconds... But now he hates it? How moody.'

"The real one is uglier but it's still better than the fake one," before Athy realized it, Lucas suddenly stood very close in front of her, their faces only inches apart. Lucas' glowing red orbs were staring at her jeweled blue ones in a way she couldn't decipher. For seconds, they were staying still, only looking at each other without moving a muscle.

"I'm going," he whispered. And just like that, he vanished.

Athy needed a moment before she could register whatever that had happened. It finally occurred to her how close the proximity of their faces was...