Watching over Obelia's Precious Jewel // WMMAP fic

Chapter 56

  'These are all the drawings I drew when I was little!' Athanasia bent down and picked up some of the papers scattered around the floor. There's no denying it. These were all old sketches she had drawn herself years ago. Even though her artistic skills were not the greatest, she was still able to understand what her younger self was drawing.

  One of those drawings was of a smiling Athanasia with a bald Claude together.

  "Why am I hairless in that drawing?" Claude asked annoyedly. He was reacting as if that was the most important thing to discuss at the moment. He subconsciously touched a lock of his blond hair. "Don't tell me she was planning on turning me bald at some point when she was younger?"

  Diana couldn't help but giggle. "Claude? I think you're overreacting-"

  "Actually, she did turn him bald at some point years ago," Lucas decided to cut in. He smiled, reminiscing the days of his and the princess' youths when times were simpler. "Haa, you should have seen the look on the emperor's face when he realised his precious daughter accidentally turned him bald. Good times..."

  ...

  "Wait, that actually happened?" Felix asked. He wanted to laugh so badly but he didn't want to hurt Claude's feelings. So he held it in.

  Anastacius covered his mouth, trying to calm himself down before he burst into laughter. The image of his brother walking around the palace with a shiny bald head was just too hilarious.

  "Are you going to leave us hanging, Sir Lucas?" Diana leaned forward, her arms resting on the seat in front of her. "Come on! Tell us the story!"

  "Diana, please don't," Claude said in a weak voice.

  "Hmm, I'd rather not," Lucas answered. That was all he said, dropping the subject entirely. 'Even though it would be hilarious to see the man dying internally from embarrassment.'

  'W-What are all these doing here?!' Athanasia wondered, her arms and hands dripping with cold sweat. Who would have thought that Claude kept her drawings for all these years? There were some drawings that she had never given to him. Yet, he had them in his custody. 'I didn't even give him this drawing. How did he get it?'

  One of those aforementioned drawings was of her child self kicking Claude's leg with all her might.

  "Oh, that's the drawing Athy drew when she was five, isn't it?" Jennette commented. She vaguely remembered seeing a drawing similar to it in the earlier chapters.

  Diana smiled teasingly at her lover who just groaned. "What about that drawing, hm? I'm sure you've been collecting our daughter's masterpieces in secret for a while now."

  With a roll of his eyes, he pulled the collar of his robe up to his mouth to cover it. "... I just happened to pick them up since Athanasia occasionally leaves her drawings carelessly around the palace when she's on her way to visit me," he finally answered, his voice muffled from the fabric over his mouth.

  Athanasia quickly whipped her head towards Claude who was still in deep slumber.

  'Just what is he planning?!'

  "I'm pretty sure he's not planning anything," Ijekiel said. "And I'm pretty sure he just tore those drawings off the wall in a fit of rage, that's all."

  "He does seem to be the type of person to throw everything he sees to the floor when he's angry like a toddler throwing a tantrum," Jennette added without thinking, unaware that she was making a jab at her cousin's father.

  This shocked everyone. But Anastacius and Lucas were pretty proud of her for some reason.

  'Don't tell me... he's been looking at these with a burning will to kill me?'