Sleeping Beauty Wants The Throne
18. Make a Calculation

"Mother...."

Selene de Cera looked up from behind the mirror. At first she was happy that Athene had come to her room, but after seeing her daughter's chaotic expression, the Marchioness knew something was wrong here.

Marchioness. Welcomed her daughter warmly. "Athene baby, what's wrong? Why is your pretty face whining, hm?"

"Another Odyssey bothers me." Athene threw her body on the Marchioness' soft sofa and whined loudly. "Don't want to know, I'm gonna have to help me beat him until Odyssey realizes that he's nothing more than me!"

"Silence, dear. Quiet." Calm." The Marchioness sat in front of him, sad to see this beloved princess annoyed half to death. "Aren't you usually going to retaliate, why don't you do it now?"

"Mom knows, she's changed since she died."

Marchioness. Athene was right, Luz was very much different when attempting suicide using broken glass, tearing her own veins. If it wasn't for the spotlight other royals were pointing at their families, the Marchioness would have been lazy to let the Odyssey stay for years in the Thompsville manor house.

He woke up again, but became a troublemaker.

"Mother?"

The Marchioness flinched then smiled faintly.

"He is different from what he used to be. If I fight it alone, honestly I'm a little scared" Athene continued, without caring about her mother's worries. "Odyssey can repay me if you don't intervene."

"Odyssey isn't the Odyssey anymore." The Marchioness shook her head faintly then grabbed Athene's hand. "You just calm down. I'm gonna make it back to how it used to be so you don't have to be upset every day."

Athene smiled broadly. "Mom can do it?"

"Of course." The Marchioness stood up, then gently stroked the top of Athene's head. "Mom wants to go for a minute. After this rest, later in the afternoon we will go to the mansion of Viscountess Aleshky."

Athene held the Marchioness' hand. "Mother wants to go see Odyssey, right. can I come?"

Athene. There was no choice, the Marchioness nodded.

"Let's go visit him."

...----------------...

Together with Athene, the Marchioness heads to the fourth floor of the manor to meet the Odyssey. The woman frowned when she realized that there were many different things about this place. Purple carpets were held until they covered the middle of the stairs, wall decorations such as indistinct paintings were also hung there. Not an obscure painting, but it was an abstract painting that could sell for millions of gold coins.

They approached one of the paintings. It has a blend of rock and pastel colors that are perfectly graded. But before long the Marchioness was in shock after realizing who painted her. At the end of the frame, the Odyssey name is printed clearly in gold ink.

He sighed. It had only been a few months since the Marchioness had not set foot here, things had changed a lot.

Meanwhile Luz was still busy with a pile of boxes inside his room. It was all a gift from the gentlemen at the party last night. The shape of the box and the gift also varies. Luz tried to open the box randomly, it would be a waste of time if it opened everything one by one. The majority of them gave flowers in glass containers filled with water as well as a letter stuck in the corner of the box.

The contents of the letter are not far from seduction, implicit proposals, and some even openly say love.

"Miss, I found a gift from the Crown Prince. Do we need to combine the gift with another?" rose asked as she lifted up a red box with matching colored ribbons.

Luz. "Set that box aside, Rose. Just put it in the closet."

"Yesterday the Grand Duke and now the Crown Prince. Who will you choose, milady?" Rose giggled, transmitting her laughter to another servant.

"I told you. The Grand Duke and I have nothing to do," he argued resentfully.

"Oh, yes, then what about the Crown Prince?"

"Whatever!"

Hearing Luz's reply, Rose and the others chuckled again. While the owner just grunted annoyed and resumed his work as if the ridicule from his servant was just the wind.

After setting aside the gift from the Crown Prince, they re-assemble the remaining boxes in the corner of the room so that Luz — room that changes color from pink to ivory white this— can return as usual. Coinciding with that, the Marchioness and Athene opened the door from the outside without permission.

"The stack of boxes was delivered to the Odyssey whereas I only got fifteen boxes." Athene could not help but feel tightness in her chest. "YOU'RE OUTRAGEOUS, ODYSSEY. OUTRAGEOUS. YOU'D RATHER DIE!"

"Satisfied to make your brother sad?"

"Marchioness, I—"

"SILENCE!" The Marchioness stared at the Odyssey maids one by one. "You guys are out."

The servants looked down in fear then glanced at Luz. Seeing his master nod slowly, they were forced to get out of the place before the Marchioness returned in wrath.

The door is back closed. Luz and the Marchioness are left in it.

"You're not my daughter."

Luz's breath was choked. No-no, the Marchioness should not know about it because they almost never say hello let alone get to know each other.

"What are you talking about, Marchioness. Ah, nevermind. I was not Princess—"

"Wrong. I mean, you're not an Odyssey."

The Marchioness swept her gaze at the boxes that were hanging up next to the dresser. He circled Luz, looking down at the crystal from top to bottom.

"Who and where you come from, I don't know. But for sure I'll protect Athene from petty people like you."

"What can you do if you already know." Luz smiled obliquely and replied in a defiant tone. "If I'm not your daughter, what do you want to do?"

"There are many ways I can do it. So before that happens, I suggest you stay quiet in the room." The Marchioness replied with a cold look. "If I had acted, you would have been scared or even crazy for it."

"Fear will only slowly wipe me out. You, the mad Athene, and the Marquis are all the same! You let me live but you're the one who killed my soul to numbness. Are you satisfied to hurt your second daughter?!"

"You're gonna learn a lesson."

"No need, Marchioness. Every day I get a lot of lessons from your bad manners that man is not as good as his cover. You are nobility but you can treat children more cruelly than animals."

"Odyssey!"

"What, are you out of words, Marchioness?" Luz laughed heartily. "I already know your intention is to come here to pressure myself into Athene's shadow. But I'm sorry, I'm not stupid to obey your threats, so you better go and plan something else."

"Not knowing yourself. This is your reply after we let you live this long?!" Marchioness. He forgot his noble teachings and shuffled forward in solidarity, pulling Luz's gentle crystal mane now changed instantly.

Luz was silent as the Marchioness managed to grab her hair, grabbing the white strands at the same time. The pain and pain in the hair that felt like it wanted to get off the head was still inferior to the heartache he felt. Luz does not know, but he has no connection whatsoever with the de Cera family. Only Odyssey's their daughter, not her.

"Radult lady! Should I tear your mouth apart so you can learn some manners?!" Selene de Cera had no intention of letting go of her grip even though Luz was silent. He was still eager to hurt.

In the depths of his heart, the Marchioness regrets having let Odyssey grow up inside the Thompsville manor house. It should have been when it was just born, the Odyssey had been discarded so that no one would know of its presence in this world. He and Marquis Thompsville should have recognized Athene and Ochonner as successors to de Cera. That way, getting rid of the Odyssey will be much easier without having to be involved in any scandal.

"Mom, what are you doing?!"

Ochonner, who initially intended to take Luz away, was suddenly surprised instead of playing while watching the mother play physically with her own daughter. He immediately entered, hugging the Marchioness from behind and stopping the brutality of Selene de Cera with eyes still glaring red.

"Mom, that's enough. Don't you feel sorry for seeing Odyssey get hurt because of you? If you can't think of her as your daughter, at least treat her like a human!"

The Marchioness turned her head and said, "You're defending this untrue woman more than your mother, are you?"

"I'm just trying to make you realize." Ochonner lowered his voice, "After all, the mother's reason for hating her is not worth the affection Odyssey's sister gives."

The affection? Pft.

"Hope much on junk will only disappoint you, Ochonner." The Marchioness stared at Luz. "You. You live in my house, so follow all my orders if you want to live easy!"

"Just calm down, Marchioness. I don't even feel at home for long in this shack house of yours." Luz raised next to his eyebrows, defiant. Both hands are placed in front of the chest. "After I get the title of Crystal Lady, I will immediately go and demand all the torment I have endured all this time with you."