"You and Prince Theodosius are close, aren't you?" Anastasius angrily said. He can control fire, he is the young lord of the Viscountdom after all. It means that their father, the viscount has passed his powers to Anastasius.
'Anastasius and Athanasius are so protective! even my father and mother, they always make sure that my brothers are with me whenever I went to the palace.'
"Don't worry, brother Nate! I will make sure that Sia and the Prince will keep their distance from each other." Athanasius' assurance's made Anastasius relieve.
"I know, okay? but this time, I won't be going to the palace. I will buy some new dress for me to wear." She hastily said while the maids are brushing her hair.
"Then, let mother accompany you to the town." Brother Nate keeps pressuring Anastasia to bring someone with her.
In the end, Anastasia won the argument between her brothers and let her off the hook.
"She grew up so fast," Anastasius whispered while seeing Anastasia inside the carriage.
Her family loves her because she is the youngest daughter of the viscount. The position of their family should be the grand duke but since the Viscount hates attention and is contented inheriting his late father-in-law's title, living a quiet life is the kind of life he wants.
Meanwhile, Anastasia.
'Woah, is this the town? I guess I can finally do some research shopping.' Her thoughts are wandering.
Somehow, she missed her past life. Anastasia keeps walking and looking at the things laying on the floor.
"This whole place pisses me off."
"Yeah right, I want to do something fun."
The second and the fourth son of Baron Dietz are on the town, too. She doesn't remember much about them but the real young Anastasia and the second son are not on good terms.
'Argh, just what did the real Anastasia did to make them hate me? She's too young and yet she already made some enemies?!'
As stealthily as possible, she tried to leave the market. Unfortunately-
"Hey, that's her! Why the hell is that kid doing here" The second son pointed at her.
"Stop right there!"
In a panic, she sprinted through the crowds as the brothers chased her. She took turn after turn, running as madly as if she could escape back into the present if she only ran far enough.
"I don't even remember how I got this far out of town. Where am I? it's dark too." Anastasia murmured to herself.
She can saw the silhouette of the castle, but there were no lights this deep into the outskirts to guide her back. Anastasia curled up into a ball in the grass, trembling like a scared child. She saw her unfulfilled life passing before her eyes.
"Hey." Someone spoke on her back.
Surprised, she screamed in fright.
"Prince Theodosius?! What are you doing out here?" Well, nevermind. It doesn't matter to her as long as it's not the two sons of the baron.
His pale form was like a shooting star in the black of night. He crouched in the grass beside her.
"It's almost time for dinner, I thought hunting bandits would help me work up an appetite." It was the last thing she expected to hear, shock robbed her of some fright.
"Well, what are you doing here? Aren't your brothers with you? It's a surprise that they'd let you wander around."
"Those two young men of Baron Yietz's son found me and were chasing me!"
'I don't know much in detail but I heard that they are the abandoned sons of the baron. Maybe that's the reason why they like to goof around. Whatever, what can I expect? they are too young.' Anastasia thought while staring at the sky.
Anastasia - 18 years inside (six years outside)
"Stop mewling, I'll take you home" The 12-year-old crown prince offered his hand to the young miss of the viscountdom.
She accepted it and the both of them started walking.
Theodosius is one of the skilled sword masters at the academy, even though he's young, he does prove that his power as a prince is endless.
Anastasia heard their footfalls in the grass. With the howling of the wind, they emphasized their silence. Theodosius, striding confidently, soon outpaced her.
"I do forget how slow women walk."
Fighting her nerves and her dress with jewelry around her, she managed to pick up the pace. But when she caught up to Theo-
"I wasn't trying to rush you. Walk slow. It's better if you don't trip and fall. Women are supposed to walk slow, they're meant to spend their lives in peace, away from conflict."
She decided to not argue with her rescuer. Instead, she pondered the meaning of his words. They were less critical than they were.. sad. Also, she just noticed he slowed down. He's matching her pace intentionally.
"The slow walkers of the world thank you for your patience." It made Anastasia smiled, this is the first time that the cold Theodosius did something good to her.
Everyone was mistaken that the two were close. The only reason that Anastasia keeps coming to the palace was to let Theo help her learn healing magic since her father did not inherit that magic from the imperial family.
"I don't need thanks." he cut off her attempt at humor with another icy quip. Maybe he's famous for it, that the crown prince hates women. Anastasia is the only woman that is closed to him, since that they're engaged and cousins.
"There she is! let's grab her!"
Anastasia froze as she heard the two brothers, their shouts and running footsteps rustling the grass.
"You're going to pay for all the runnings we did!" The other shouted.
"Just go away and leave me alone, you creep!" She was sick and tired of dealing with them, though it looked like she didn't have to anymore.
"It looks like I won't be late for dinner." Crown prince Theodosius was smiling. For all the delicate beauty of his face, his smile was like a knife. He's anticipating this- It was the most frightening smile she has ever seen. Whenever Anastasia waited for him at the training grounds, she can already see the brutal strength that he has.
The fourth son careened towards us with lightning. She pelted behind Theodosius. There was a change in his stance, excitement. His golden eyes shined and it was the most beautiful eyes she has ever seen though they have the same eyes.
The fourth son held a lightning dagger. Moonlight glinted their blades as they drew.
"Now, that's a half-hearted foray." Theo parried one strike. The next, all in the instant after he drew.
"Gah!" The taller of the two, the fourth son who has lightning magic, lost hold of his sword with just that one hit.
"Alright, you bastard!"
"Sad. Fighting incompetents just depresses me." Theo didn't even appear to try with how easily he caught the shorter man's, the second son's strike. He's not goading them, he means it. She could see why, Theo's sword seemed to glow, curving lines of light in the air like an artist's brush. His poise, his elegance, he made fighting look beautiful.
"Seriously, who are you?"
'Huh? isn't the golden eyes are proof that he belongs to the imperial family?'
Theo's eyes are color blue and his hair is brown, he is under disguise at the moment but Anastasia is the only one who can see through him since that both of them share the same blood lineage. Those inside the royal family can't deceive each other with their looks or anything.
"I told you, I don't give my name to lowlifes." The air seemed to grow colder around Theo. The second song began to back off, trembling.
"Listen, we are just fooling around, everything that happened is just a joke."
"I don't want to listen with your foolish words." He brought his blade up in an executioner stance, with the attendant solemnity. "You can still learn your lesson in your next life." He added. Theo's voice was almost a hiss, an icy thread crackling along with the wind.
Anastasia's stomach clenched. The men cowered, knowing they were doomed. She couldn't pull her eyes away from them, seeing their fear. They had chased her, frightened her to death but they were still people. She saw Theo's sword come at them with deadly accuracy, she shouted.
"What is it?" Steel hung in the air, frozen by her call. Theodosius glared at Anastasia.
"Don't... don't k-kill them, okay?" Anastasia heard the fright in her voice. He was just a 12-year-old boy, she can't just let a kid and a prince, on top of that to kill his citizens.
Little did she know that Prince Theodosius killed a lot of people at such a young age and it was his hobby to do so.
"L-lets get out of here."
"Y-yeah!"
The siblings tumbled over each other in their escape. And the horrible, sickening tightness in her stomach eased. Now it was her legs that weren't working right. She sunk into the soft embrace of the grass.
"Why did you stop me?" Theodosius spoke with unflinching harshness and she knew he couldn't understand what she'd done.
'You are just a kid, is what I want to tell him but even though I remember my past life, I come from a time of rehabilitation and reparation. Incarceration, not extermination.'
"..They don't deserve to die." She simply said.
"Mercy for the men who threatened you and hounded you here? where does the pity come from? Just how coddled our family that they raised you to think that way?"
Anastasia blushed when she heard the word 'our family' but they are cousins.. she shook her head and stopped herself from thinking such things.
Gleaming sword still clutches in his hand, Theo kneeled before her. "All lives are equally meaningless to me. They die so quickly. In the blink of an eye, the beat of a heart. I've taken lives just like that. And just like this-" Theo grabbed her shoulder and pushed her backward into the grass.
She lost her breath before she could shout. Stunned, she could only look at him.
'Dang, he is way too young f-for me. What the hell is he thinking? He may be 12 but including my past age, I'm 24 as of the moment. God, I'm a sinner! Not only I'm committing incest, but child abuse!
W-well. I'm only 6 so still, either of us is child abuse!!'
..she looks up and sees the moon silvered tip of his steel sword come at her.
'Is he gonna kill me?'
Anastasia closed her eyes and began to cried inside her mind.