lovely knight

Chapter 3 : Romanticized the lies (part III)

The next day came by in a hurry, Jennette found herself being greeted by the front of the ruby palace again. She was here to watch that blue flower again.

A small part of her wanted to meet lily. But she knew for their both's sake. She probably shouldn't. As she made her way towards the blue flower, she heard the movements of a few bushes. Someone was in there. Jennette glared at the bushes, full on alerted. Slowly she made her way closer to them.

She saw a man with long black hair sleeping. Jennette blinked, very confused. Why was a man sleeping in athanasia's garden? Without thinking this through she made a coughing sound. Trying to politely wake the man up. She tapped his arms gently, the man's eyes opened quickly. Jennette was greeted by dark red-ruby eyes of the stranger.

The man glared at her with an unreadable yet, somewhat annoyed expression. "what do you want princess?" Jennette blinked.

"erm, why are you taking a nap inside the royal property like this? It's illegal you know" Jennette stated plainly. She was have dozy from her previous sleepless night so she honestly doesn't know why she is just talking to the stranger.

The man frowned sitting up and then standing. "names Lucas, the high magician of the black tower." Jennette stared blankly at him.

"still doesn't explain why you are sleeping in my sister's garden" Jennette voice was cracked and harsh as she said the word 'sister'. The memory of lily yelling at her about not being Athanasia's sister replaying in her mind like a taunting bird.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "sister? Ah you must mean. That crying princess." Jennete's eyed widened as she growled.

"use your words correctly magician." Jennette warned. She doesn't care if this man can kill her with magic. She has nothing left to lose. Lucas just glanced at her with his unreadable expression. " this literally the only way I remember her, a young girl crying in the garden"

Jennette looked at him a little wary. "you had met her before to remember her?" Jennette worse were careful. For all she knows, Lucas could be an enemy of athanasia in the past. Lucas stayed silent as he and Jennette stared at one another. Before Lucas said "yeah, when she was 5. I remember eating her mana beast"

Jennette froze. Eating her mana beast? That would deprive athanasia from using her magic. She then recalled that one of the main reasons Claude thought that athanasia wasn't his daughter was because she was deprived of magic. A Magic-less royal. Jennette stayed silent as she stared at Lucas.

"you... What?" her voice was venomous, angry but worse finally completing her mourning of athanasia. Lucas struggled. "the monster was big and held alot of power for a little girl. So I did her a favour. She wouldn't have been able to handle it" Lucas said, his voice giving away he was bored of this conversation.

Jennette bend down and picked up a rock. Throwing it at him, aiming for his eyes. Lucas obviously caught it with magic.

"woah there, Pycho princess" Lucas stated, a little surprised by her reaction. From what he knew about the princess before him. She was a kind hearted, soft spoken princess. Not... Not this girl who would attack someone. Jennette glared at him with furry

"you! The reason why she couldn't have a chance to gain her proper tittle as a princess! She was a royal yet!!" Jennette sobbed. "you are the reason!" "you! You!  You" she fell to the ground. On her four, tears falling down onto the garden's grass. "you! You...." she took a sharp breath. "you.. Father... Roger... Rosalia...and and" Jennette sighed tiredly, the furry she once felt gone. "...ME"

Jennette closed her eyes as Lucas looked at her astonished and taken aback. In an awkward motion, he back walked away from Jennette and vanished. Leaving Jennette on the ground.

Jennette vision went black as she fainted. The moment Jennette woke up, it was around nightime and she was still in the garden with a small sigh. She picked herself up and walked towards the main castle.

She was walking towards her room when she heard a conversation. "if we just allow Anasticius to rule, we will all die. The public already doesn't like his imagine. Many farmers have already migrated because of his new rules and many Duke's and Duchess's have also left the empire for the western empires because of their shared respect for Claude" roger explained to Rosalia who looked as if she want really listening. Maybe she wasn't.

"if this continues the empire will die before ijekeil and jennette take over as emperor and empress" Jennette looked done with her life. Of course thats what roger cares about, the empire dying before ijekial comes into power. Not that people are migrating because they can't have sufficent food or the nobility being in shatters because they feel unsafe. Jennette has never really thought about ruling as an empress neither has she learnt how to be one. Never has she wished for it, the only wish she has was for her to have a family.

Jennette shook her head as she walked towards her room. Knowing well the empire was doomed. The next morning, she woke up alone in her cold room again. She went ahead to eat breakfast. She recalled most of the maids leaving as they feared the now emperor. Many of the maids and servants left with their farmer parents. The butlers that were instilled by duke's into the palace were taken back by the duke's as they migrated.

Jennette made her way into the kitchen, she was met by the cooks. Preparing her dish. They seemed surprised by the princess entering the kitchen. Jennette just plainly stated that she didn't want to overwork the remaining maids. Took her meal and left.

Jennette calculated the totally maids leaving, it had to be at least ninty in the main castle and pretty much all in the ruby castle. Of course all except, Hannah and lily. Jennette made up her mind to walk around the empire tomorrow, to see how the people were reacting to the takeover.

The whole day Jennette stayed in her room, researching about magic beasts. From what she gathered, Lucas must have eaten a black dog. If he hasn't have eaten the beast, athanasia would have possibly been the most powerful magic user amongst the royals... Jennette glanced at the book in hand sorrowfully. She also understood how her own black magic worked. She wasn't a human but she wasn't entirely magic either. A common word used for her would be a Chimera. A monster with many different parts.There was a possible way of controlling her black magic. It involved certain materials. She took a mental note of that. The next day came by in a hurry , she left the castle silently so no one knew she left the royal grounds with a disguise. The place that would have once been called the empire of gold, looked yellow and dull. Many people in the streets had a saddened expression. As if they were living in hell itself. Jennette felt sorry and hurt for their living conditions. She made a mental note to distribute some money amoung the middle class and low class in secret. Would it be treatery and fraud? Yes, but she was her parents daughter. She can and she would.

She made her way into a shopping street. It was plastered in clothes and garments that looked rushly made or half incomplete. Dolls that looked recycled from children forced to leave the empire behind in a hurry. Jennette glanced around. It was her time to return home.