Athelinda : The Forbidden Name

Ch 38 : Differences

"S-So what! They're just flowers!" Isabelle yelled. Her hands fisted, and her eyes filled with rage. She seemed to be looking at Athelinda as she spoke, but was talking to Nicholas.

"Damaging Imperial Property. How many more laws are you going to break until you're satisfied? Your father is in there defending you, and here you are creating yet another problem for him. I feel bad for him, about time you begin to reflect on your actions as well, no?"

Isabelle remained fierce with her glare towards Athelinda.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Isabelle screamed as she pointed her index finger at Athelinda. "If you'd just stayed put in your stupid country, none of this would have happened!"

"Lady Quweez." Nicholas spoke, with a hint of anger.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! Just cause you have those eyes doesn't mean anything! They say you were raised by a commoner! YOU ACT LIKE A COMMONER! YOU'RE NOT A TRUE ROYAL! YOU'RE JUST AN ILLEGITIMATE DAUGHTER OF THE EMPEROR! A SYMBOL OF DISGRACE AND FILTH! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BORN! YOU SHOULD'VE STAYED LOCKED UP IN YOUR COUNTRY! YOU'RE AN EYESORE FOR EVERYONE, SO WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DISAPPEAR!? I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! SO DISAPPEAR! I WISH YOU DIE! I WISH YOU DIE IN THE WORST-"

Crack

Suddenly the finger that was being pointed at Athelinda twisted upwards. It literally took a one eighty degree turn and twisted completely.

What followed after that was Isabelle's mouth opening as much as it could, and Athelinda and Nicholas expected a deafening scream but heard nothing.

Athelinda detected magic in the surroundings and before she could turn to inspect her surroundings, Lucas appeared in front of them, with his back towards the two royals.

"Your Highnesses, Their majesties are waiting for you in the courtroom."

The royals remained frozen in their place. Athelinda didn't think the day would come, but she was worried about Isabelle. That twisted finger had by now quickly turned blue and her face was red with tears and her nose was dripping as well. She was on her knees with her mouth wide open and overflowing tears, yet Athelinda couldn't hear a single thing.

It looked painful to say the least, but Lucas stepped in front of Athelinda's view sight and only mumbled, "Go."

Athelinda hesitated a bit, but she realized Nicholas had gone pale as well. For a sheltered prince to witness a person in pain like this, no matter how hateful that person was, it was still enough to scare a child.

Athelinda grabbed Nicholas's hand this time and rushed him out of the garden. They didn't speak on their whole way back to the courtroom, but Nicholas's face had regained its color.

As they reached the courtroom, Athelinda was about to open the door when she stopped and stared at Nicholas. "Are you okay?"

Nicholas faced towards the floor, "I,I'm fine."

Athelinda kept her stare on him. And when he realized she wasn't entering the courtroom any time soon, he decided to ask her, "How. . . can you be like this?"

Athelinda remained quiet for a minute trying to understand the question.

"You're calm. The way her finger twisted and the way her expressions changed, you saw that, and yet you're. . . the same. How can you be like this?"

Athelinda let his words sink. Nicholas was constantly looking at the floor, not daring to look Athelinda in the eye.

Athelinda could partially understand what he meant. She grew up around commoners and the environment wasn't exactly the best. Although Liara had tried to shelter her from it all, there was one incident. One time when Liara was out for work and she was alone at their house. When a few men came to the house looking for Liara, debt collectors. Liara wasn't home , but Athelinda was. And when they saw the blonde little girl, they did what most greedy bastards would. They tried to kidnap and sell her in the black market.

Athelinda was too young to do anything, but obediently follow what they said. That's also the incident which awakened her magic abilities and made Liara realize that Athelinda didn't belong with her but with the royals. With her intimidating magical aura and her maturity that developed after that traumatic incident.

And even after that Athelinda had an assassination attempt on her life after coming to the imperial palace. She took it as a normal thing to happen. Her mindset was definitely different from a normal child's. She saw many unusual things as normal and many scary things as simply dangerous.

When she saw Isabelle's face contort into pain, she did worry about her, but she wasn't scared. She saw the way her expressions changed, but kept an emotionless expression.

Perhaps being somewhat expressionless at the sight of immense emotional scenes was just a part of her blood.

She slowly smiled, wondering whether she inherited this part of her nature from her father or mother. Father most probably.

Then she brought her attention to Nicholas in front of her, who was still looking at the floor.

"It's part of my blood, I guess."

Nicholas looked up at Athelinda. Part of her blood, she said. Truly, as Nicholas looked up at the princess, he saw her jeweled eyes, jeweled eyes that hid a story. Eyes that hid secrets Nicholas had a feeling he wouldn't want to hear. Truly, her eyes resembled the cold blooded emperor he had heard of from stories. The cold blooded emperor he had seen last night.

Athelinda noticed the look in Nicholas's eyes, as if he was seeing something new. Something scary, something foreign.

She thought they'd become friends, but in the end there was still a barrier between them. She was the daughter of the tyrannical previous emperor of Obelia, and he was just a sheltered prince.

They could never view things the same way nor adapt to each others mindsets. He probably saw her as a monster now. A cold-hearted monster.

"Are you afraid of me now?"

Nicholas's eyes widened a bit and he opened his mouth to say something but before any sound left his mouth, the door behind Athelinda opened.

Claude stood on the inside, "It took you some time, did something happen?"

"Nothing, Lucas told us you were looking for us." Athelinda went inside, leaving Nicholas standing in the hallway.

The door was open for Nicholas to enter, but he remained frozen in his position for a while. Esteban noticed his son's unpleasant expressions and went up to him, crouched beside him, "Did something happen?" Esteban ruffled his son's hair as he tried to make Nicholas talk to him.

Athelinda stared back at Nicholas. An emotionless stare. There was no meaning behind it. She just looked at him, wondering what was keeping him.

Her eyes were calm, like always. She was composed and looking fine. 'Nothing' she had told her father. This, was nothing to her.

'Are you afraid of me?' the question repeated itself in Nicholas's head.

And then finally, Nicholas shook his head, "Its nothing, father." He gave his father a small smile and then looked at Athelinda.

'I will never be afraid of you.'

'You will regret thinking that.'

Their eyes spoke for them, even if they didn't talk to each other for the remainder of the day.

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