Dust and Ashes ( Fan Fiction of Who Made Me A Princess)

Chapter 9 : Diana

[3rd POV]

"Are you sure about what you see?"

"With my own eyes, Your Majesty."

Claude was looked hesitating, but didn't ask more. Some parts of his face was seen white, jaw hardened, and it was only his rough breaths and the rushed mana on his hand that could tell how mad he was. On his mind, there was only one name which he hated so much. The name that by all his might, he would eagerly go through one and another hell to crush this man. It was only by his patience that he held his anger, as he knew that Athanasia won't let him to go through this dirt path just for this thing. Once that patience loosened, it wasn't only the glare which those eyes would revealed as now.

"Thank you for your report, Wizard. You might dismiss yourself."

"May bless and peace upon you, the glorious sun of Obelia."

The Emerald Palace was left in silence. The place where they stood before, only left him all alone under the big pillars and a haze that came from Lucas's vanishing. The cheers from the previous banquet, the noise from people yelled and laughed has been over too and left the hall back into its darkness and solemness. It was only the snore of the tired knights and the echoed steps of maids who still rounded the hall to clean the leftovers, which was seen between the swirling wind and the golden light of the moonlight stream.

The party has lasted near the midnight. The candles and the lights have been quenched in lone and solitude. It was only him and his mind that still wandered and couldn't find a redeem for his peace. For even some past years. For even some past years he was still lingered by the feel of guilty and he didn't dare to look back. As if there was a dark and long alley that he needed to walk through but there weren't any ways to escape. He was stuck. He was stuck in his own feel and always blame himself for the reason of every bad things that has happened. He always fight for every single things called memory, which could only tormented him more and added more sore to his ached heart.

"One day has passed again."

He sighed, the figure of his body was seen leaning upon the white pillars, tired and dying. That body has fought lot of frightness and hurtful pain, but still couldn't understand what he got was. How people could draw such those warmth emotion on their face?

Must be happy to have a father, right?

Must be happy to have someone to be loved and loving, right?

He was abandoned by his father when he was child, saying that it was even too much to him for being the second Prince.

He was abandoned by his fiancee, after saying she loved him and would stay forever and after, she shamelessly left. She said it was even too much to Claude for having her, she was destined to be the empress and it meant she can't be with him anymore.

He was abandoned by his love too, just a moment after they celebrated their baby born and Diana left him. She died and she let him to struggle for the pain of his heart all alone, grieving on the cold body that has been breathless and crawled into hand that already warmless. He could heard himself was screaming, he could felt himself was tearing, and when he heard Lucas told him that Athanasia might be in danger because of the dark magic which possessed that Alpheus's brat, he can't let it. He can't just let anything to hurt his dearest daughter, neither to let her streamed for the tears, and put her in dreadful pain. He can't just saw she was once again dying, for the same reason as he lost Athanasia's mother just because he was too afraid to defend her.

But since when he deared her as his daughter?

Was it from the day Athanasia about to drown and he just stared her emotionlessly?