To Live & Conquer [under revision for wattys]

Chapter 35: Fool Me Twice

Athanasia was speechless. She stood beside Claude amidst the ballroom. They just finished dancing, and everyone cheered. The guests were dancing simultaneously as the musicians put on some fast-paced song to lighten up the mood.

The party was better than she expected.

Sure, she was used to modern parties such as going to clubs and the like. But classical gatherings such as these were something she never thought of attending. Since she originally lived in the modern era, parties were mainly dancing and getting drunk.

But this? This was out of her scene.

People were actually chatting and enjoying themselves, despite not having cellular phones. They were actually dancing with the music and savoring each other's company. And they all gathered because it was none other than her debutante. The Princess.

Times like these made her realize, "Why can't the 21st Century have this?"

And then she'd remember that she wasn't in her time or world. She was in a different one, and seeing the change was overwhelming. Because honestly... this looked like something straight out of a fairy tale movie.

The Ballroom was extravagantly designed with top-notch chandeliers that hung high on the ceiling. The ceilings were also painted with heavenly portraits that reminded Athanasia of Baroque artworks. And the overall architecture? It was fine as hell. The lavish columns were painted cream, and the overall atmosphere screamed "Royalty"

However, her thoughts came to a halt when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Claude's.

Athanasia hated to admit it but he looked handsome tonight. It was safe to say that her father was the most attractive person in the room. She could even see ladies practically gawking at him.

Honestly, the guy had good genes. She was thankful enough to acquire it.

Claude stood tall and confident, but his tone was soft with Athanasia. "You should go greet your guests," he said to her. He had his hand on her shoulder.

Athanasia didn't answer back. She just... stared at him.

She found herself questioning her decisions. Looking back a year ago, she would never even consider Claude as a father. She hated him because of what he did in the original novel and because he was an asshole. The guy practically got him drowned, passed out, and even mistook her for Diana.

That was enough for her to hate him even more.

That's why when Claude invited her to tea time, right after the incident, it took her by surprise. Who, in their right mind, would even agree to such a thing? Either way, Athanasia agreed. She wanted to face him head on, and give him the taste of his own medicine.

During that so-called tea time, things took a turn.

Claude said that he acknowledged her as his daughter and wanted to make it up to her. At first, Athanasia didn't want to believe it. It sounded like bullshit. She even wanted to protest. However, when Claude brought up granting any request she wanted, she changed her mind.

If Claude really did see her as his daughter, then granting any of her requests was necessary. And so, she requested to be a knight. At the time, she didn't see Claude as a father. Rather, she saw him as an advantage to her plan to rule over the Empire.

So she played along. She played along with his little "father-daughter" act. She just really wanted to be a knight and deem herself worthy to be called heir to the throne.

Yet, despite all that, she found herself actually seeing him as a father.

At first, she hated it. She really did. She tried to deny it, really. Because she swore to herself that she won't ever see this man as a father. Because he was an asshole in the original novel, and still is. He won't ever change.