An Elite's New Life

Acceptance is Understanding

After completing my count, I glanced down at the slightly bent grass and followed the trail. Tracking her would have been difficult, but whatever she hid under her skirt made it easier. The added weight and the hurried pace of her steps left behind distinct footprints and imprints, guiding me along a clear path. It became increasingly apparent that she had likely retrieved the stolen gems from those thieving maids and cleverly utilized the game of hide-and-seek as a pretext to discreetly stash them away.

"How clever," I thought, feeling a sense of disappointment that she had used me. According to various sources on the internet, twins often share deep secrets and have strong bonds, but it seemed that the former notion didn't apply to us.

"Huh, why does her tracks lead to the Emperor's palace?"

Curiosity piqued, I continued to follow her tracks. The Emperor's palace and the Ruby palace which formerly used to house concubines, are strangely close in proximity.

Eventually, my suspicion was promptly confirmed upon my arrival at the emperor's palace.

"Oh, is that your twin?"

The insulting sound of an arrogant voice from a beautiful man with features strikingly similar to my own with the exception of my silver hair, reached my ears. We stared at each for a long moment before Athanasia, growing visibly uncomfortable at the awkward atmosphere, interjected.

She leaped from the man's hands and brazenly collected the stolen gems she might have dropped while being held like a cat. Then, she hurriedly ran to me as if she was being chased by a psychopath.

"Since Athy is found by Amy, Athy will be 'it' this time!" she exclaimed with excessive excitement, clasping both of my hands while expressing gratitude through her eyes.

Somewhat taken aback of her sudden outburst, I shifted my focus from the man to my deceptive sister.

If she is trying to use me as an excuse to get away from that man, then she's bound to be disappointed.

"You used me," I accused, locking eyes with her. Athanasia, who is possibly anticipating me to play along with her little act, strained a smile while averting her eyes.

"Uh-haha... I wonder what Amy's talking about," she replied with an awkward laugh, averting her gaze. Before I could respond, the man swiftly scooped us up in his arms.

"Uhm..."

"We are going to have some tea," he stated indifferently as if he had already anticipated her question.

"Felix," he called, and a red-haired knight who had been observing us with amusement promptly responded with, "Understood, Your Majesty," likely proceeding to get the maids to prepare the tea.

Along the way, my sister remained uncharacteristically silent, presumably due to her fear of the man. He, however, seemed either oblivious or unconcerned, strolling leisurely.

Now that I get a good look at him; he sure have a beautiful face albeit a bit cold.  Not to mention the ambient magic within his jeweled eyes— a hereditary trait of the Obelian royal family, made it lightly glow which made it more prominent, and in turn, made him look otherworldly

Bored by the silence and intrigued by the rumors of his infamous temper that I've heard from the gossips of the maids, I couldn't resist tugging on his glossy blonde hair just to confirm it. He stiffened and came to a halt.

"Soft..." I murmured, playfully toying with his hair, though it only seemed to intensify my sister's fear. I couldn't help but wonder why.

"Stop that," the man said with a tinge of irritation, glaring at me with his lightly glowing sapphire eyes.

'I supposed there was some truth to the rumors about his temper,' I mused.

"Okay," I pouted at him, which surprisingly softened his gaze. Perplexed, I tilted my head, causing him to avert his eyes.

"Let's go," he declared, resuming his stride. My sister breathed a sigh of relief and shot me a glare. This time, I averted my gaze, observing the strangely vacant hallways. Despite the grandeur and vastness of the palace, there was an absence of people.

Normally, I would have inquired about the measures taken to ensure the emperor's safety, but it dawned on me that it was futile considering he was one of the most powerful magicians in the empire, with Felix Robane, his personal knight and the famed knight of the crimson blood, by his side.

"It's too clean..." I muttered absentmindedly, allowing my vacant eyes to wander.

"Strange, isn't it?" Felix, who had departed earlier, suddenly remarked from behind us, startling both my sister and me. Disregarding our reactions, he continued, "His Majesty prefers solitude, thus forbidding anyone from roaming his palace," making Athanasia tense. "...Also, His Majesty personally maintains the cleanliness of this palace."

'The cleanliness of this place puts all cleaning specialists in shame.'

In the end, I surmised that he likely employed magic for the purpose of cleaning.

'Ah, how convenient.' If I had possessed such a capability in my previous life, there would have been no need for my death. They wouldn't have met a tragic end...

"We're here," the man announced, interrupting my depressing monologue.

Sighing, I shook my head.

There was no point in dwelling on what might have occurred in my past life. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was already dead, and I, Samaranthe de Alger Obelia, was the one currently living this life. Despite the cringe-worthy nature of my name, it didn't alter the fact that I was who I am in the present, not the past. I understood that acceptance of my past, my future, my choices, and my circumstances were the essence of living a meaningful life, as Epictetus wisely said. I had learned to move forward and embrace my present. To me, acceptance entailed understanding, and I comprehended that I couldn't alter the past.

But...

Still, I wonder why I was explaining this to myself.

Perhaps...

"Amy! You're dozing off again!"

Once again, my monologue was disrupted. I shifted my attention to Athanasia, who was fussing while concealing her underlying panic.

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English is my third language, so I apologize in advance if the chapters lack variety in vocabulary and have grammatical errors. I'm also not a skilled writer or a creative person, so I apologize again if it is not exciting and the plot is cliché. Also, its been a long time since I read the WMMP manhwa and my knowledge of COTE mostly comes from the anime and fanfictions; so, expect that some characters might act OOC.