Claude has met his match, someone who could not only rival his menacing and dominating aura but make him feel just as desperate and helpless as she once did. Everyone keeps telling him that this was a mini version of him, who stood before him withou...
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4- Stuck in a Crowd of Three, but I feel alone
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Upon being asked to explain himself, Aeternitheos unfolded his tale with eloquence that no normal two-year-old should have. His words wove a narrative of relentless intrusions by assassins into the Obsidian Palace, akin to an annoying alarm clock disrupting his peace daily for the past week. Each sentence he uttered bore the weight of the profound burden he carried, a burden that transcended the years he had spent in this cursed world.
Once Claude confirmed the prince's statement about the new additions to the Emperor's office at the expense of a poor imperial maid, the emperor declared in a cold tone to the imperial maids by the doors and loyal knight beside him, "Take care of the bodies as usual. Felix, go and find the traitors who dare to try to go against me."
The maids scurried upon that command.
Jewel-red eyes, filled with a mix of curiosity and apprehension, fell on the imperial knight who had been silent throughout the exchange. Instead of the affable demeanour that greeted Aeternitheos earlier, the knight now exuded an aura of bloodlust. The intensity and fury almost matched that of the Obelian Emperor, earning the knight the ominous moniker— The Knight of Crimson Blood.
"Aeternitheos," Claude called for the prince's attention, but the young royal seemed preoccupied, his gaze fixated on the retreating figure of the formidable knight.
Claude narrowed his eyes at that.
It felt peculiar as if Aeternitheos were compelled to follow Felix rather than remain in the grand throne room alone with the emperor. Was this another memory surfacing in the intricate tapestry of the prince's previous lives?
"Aeternitheos," Claude repeated louder and more firm, his voice breaking through the prince's introspection.
Jewel-red eyes eventually met blue ones.
"Do it again."
Aeternitheos merely raised an eyebrow, a subtle quirk of confusion etching across his young features. The seriousness that lingered in Claude's tone and reflected in his expression wasn't lost on the perceptive eyes of the two-year-old prince.
"Smile."
Perhaps Aeternitheos had grown a touch too cocky lately. For a two-year-old at least.
His ability to discern the subtle nuances of the world around him was uncanny. He regarded Claude with a deadpan expression, finding the Emperor's attempts at command more pathetic than dangerous and frightening, as his memories often warned him.
Aeternitheos maintained his composure, "I refuse, Your Majesty."
"That's not a request, that's an order," Claude demanded, his own patience fraying at the edges.
