FOR THE SWEETNESS OF HER LAUGHTER... (wmmap x platonic athy's sister! reader!) ANGST (maybe? idk)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I forgot how much I loved writing for them. loosely inspired by the song "Maybe This Time I'll Win" from the Cabaret musical!
SUMMARY: being neglected by your father was something both you and your sister were so intimately familiar with. But what happens when all of a sudden? Claude begins paying attention to the princess, but you're still left in the dark?
“I'm not jealous,” you mumble to yourself. Eyes trained on the scene in front of you.
You were seated at a wooden desk in the library. The wooden table pressed against glass panes that overlooked the garden of the palace.
You’d gone there to quote on quote. ‘Study’ your book opened in front of you. Sticky tabs and highlighters were particular and stood out against the rather plain pages. But you weren't paying attention to any of that.
Instead, your optics were directed at the scene in front of you, far beyond the confines of the glittering palace. Down in the lush garden of the Palace. With its prosperous ground. Trimmed grass. Flowers of every type and color surrounded the two.
You lean against the table. The familiar lump growing at the back of your throat. Your dad. Claude De Alger Obelia. With his tyrant rule. Mostly known for when he murdered the entirety of his harem. And would've killed the baby a dead dancer had given him if it wasn't for the baby's name.
The baby is now a grown teenager. And very obviously loved by her dad. Your sister. Athanasia. Or how you just called her Athy when no one was around. The father and daughter were seated in a shaded area beneath a willow tree. Smiling and laughing.
‘Why wasn’t I invited? ‘I’m your daughter, and I’m your sister too! ’ you thought bitterly. Before shoving the thought down, guilt is gnawing at you more than the jealousy ever would.
This has been happening more often than you'd like to admit. Their forgetting to invite you is starting to outweigh them inviting you. Sure, maybe. They'd forgotten.
But you'd been the one to comfort Athy more than the emperor ever had. You were the one who wiped her tears after she had gotten pushed in the water. You'd pushed for her to do all she's doing now.
Maybe...maybe you were in fact just meant to be forgotten.
With a huff, you stood up, closing the book you hadn't spared a glance for. Picking it up. Your dress swished at your feet as you walked out. Faster than usual speed-walking, really. As if running from the scene you'd just witnessed.
“It’s fine; they’ll just—I don’t know—they’ll invite me next time? ” You muttered to yourself. Feet taking you anywhere, you weren't looking up ahead, eyes trained on the floor beneath your feet. Thoughts are piling up as every other circumstance and excuse comes up as to why they didn't invite you to their tea party this time. Or the other twenty times.
You stopped. Ears catching onto the maid's gossip before they see you. Your name being mentioned in low-toned whispers.
“Poor girl... I mean, really, it's not like the crown princess or the emperor is really trying to hide it! ” She gasped in that fake tone you were oh-so-familiar with.
“I know, oh my god! Did you see what they did last week? They had to—I'm not even joking—sneak out just so she wouldn't ask them,” the other maid piped in. Adding more fuel to the fire.
Fuel that was making your heart ache. Which you realized had been aching for weeks. Just feel heavier. The lump in your throat is now worse than before. Water is pooling from behind your eyes, making your vision blurry.
This time when you walked, you made sure not to make the sound of your heels visible. Just so you wouldn't jostle the gossiping maids.
‘Maybe I’m just too much? ’ You tried to justify your voice still being low, whispering low. Trying to figure out where you went wrong. Sure, you always knew that your sister was closer to your father than you ever were. And you knew that your father was closer to your sister than he ever was to you.
And yes, the favoritism was there. But it wasn't like you hadn't noticed them. Nor had you ever pointed it out.
For all it's worth. Athy was the only sister you'd ever had. And Claude, maybe he wants the best father figure in the world.
But truth be known, he was the only father you'd ever known in your life. “Maybe I just need to sleep it off.”
You said that part out loud. Once in the confines of your opulent bedroom. Now alone. You removed the shoes you were wearing. And sliding into bed. Unshed tears staining your pillow. Before sleep finally took hold of you
When you woke up. It was because Athy had called your name. Crystal blue eyes staring into you. “Good morning! ” the blonde chirped, standing next to your bed instead of peering at you.
You greeted her back. The bitter thoughts are still bubbling at the back of your brain. But causing trouble would be so much worse. And you barely saw Athansia happy. So, you shut your mouth.
The crown princess had taken the opportunity to plop down on your bed. Now grinning. Pearly white teeth showing as she finally started explaining the reason for her smile.
“Guess what I did? ” she asked. Prodding around.
“Ummm, you discovered that cows could fly? ” you asked in a voice half muffled by you hiding in the pillow, one eye looking at Athy.
She shook her head, blue eyes glancing at you for a second before swinging her feet, eyes trained on the movement and then back to you. “Guess again, come onnnn! ” she encouraged. Smile widening.
It caused a tiny crack of a smile to form on your own lips. “Hmm, what could the great Athanasia De Alger Obelia have done this time? ” you asked out loud sarcastically. “Maybe she invented a new key to the underworld—wait, no—that magician guy you like has proposed! ” You guessed, not moving from your position buried in your pillow.
“What—no,” she shook her head. Your name followed the words with a whine. “Fine then!” she huffed. “I guess you’ll just never know,” she shrugged. Then silence followed.
You rolled onto your back, hands folding just below your chest. Not even less than five minutes followed before the princess started spilling.
“Father commissioned a painting of me and him!” She blurted out a tone filled with so much excitement and happiness.
Your smile froze. The quirk of your lips almost going to a frown before you held your smile. Forcing your tone to appear... Happy?. You didn't know what you were attempting, really.
“Aw, I’m so happy for you! When did he do that? ” you asked. How much was too much crying? Three or four times a day?. You weren't on a counting streak.
“I think last week,” Athansia chirped.
“I’m so happy for you,” you reiterated once more. Athanasia beamed happily.
“Ah, I’m just gonna—uhm—go to the bathroom,” you excuse yourself, sitting up and getting out of your bed.
It was finally your day. What day?. Day you'd been dreaming of since forever. And your birthday, of course. Claude, to celebrate your birthday, had invited all of the most important people in the empire just for his daughter.
So, dressed in your most extravagant dress. Your hair is done justtt right. You hurried down the steps of the palace. Shoes clicking against the floor, making your way to the ballroom.
It was closed off with two large doors. The color of wood, the handles made of gold. Two guards were also stationed next to the large doorframe. Immediately bowing once they saw you, their lips moved in the form of the greeting before one moved closer and opened the door for you.
You heard the muffled voice of the announcer. The door was pushed open.
Everything was perfect. Everything was gleaming and perfect, and for the first time in so, so, so long, you felt like you belonged here.
That you were, in fact, a princess. Not an outsider.
You didn't have anyone to help you down the steps. But that was fine; you made your way down. Every guest's and noble's eyes landing on you. You saw the blonde hair of your sister standing next to your father.
Everything was perfect, better than you could've ever imagined.
But you'd barely made it down the stairs when they shifted music suddenly playing. It was known that the emperor would dance with his daughter on her birthday.
So...everyone expected him to come towards you, right?. Not reach out for the crown princess to dance.
Almost every pitiful gaze dropped to you at that. “Poor girl, she’s not even treated as a princess,” a nearby noble whispered.
The empty void inside you returned in that moment. Watching the father-daughter
The duo twirl and dance in happiness. Maybe you thought stupidly. That the tradition had changed?.
You couldn't even bring yourself to be mad. just solemnly heartbroken and disappointed. Something that wasn't new for you.
“It’s fine,” you thought to yourself.
“Maybe next time I’ll win.”
