NOVEL WEB Diana Diaries – 1
Dear Diary,
It’s been a little over 3 weeks since I came into the palace. Things have been rather calm, of course, that’s only if we exclude the part about my father becoming overly stressed with work. The same goes for my mother.
Two weeks ago, when my step-brother returned and gave away his title to William, all of a sudden the workload of all three of my family increased by a ton.
Mother especially is struggling with the activities of the Empress...that Arthur was doing for two weeks. William is somehow managing his work because of his studies. Father on the other hand…
Well, let’s just say that he is going through a tough period. William said that father is stressed out...
Well, whatever...it seems he is also going through the emotional stress of losing his wife and the hateful words his son is continuously throwing at him.
The news about William becoming the crown prince is yet to be released. Seems like everyone is waiting for the crowd to calm down.
Apparently, there were some riots and strikes at various locations across the Empire. I heard it was because of the sudden appearance of us. But it was quickly put down because Brother Arthur himself went to the area and made them settle down.
Is he helping us? No, I don’t think so. It’s probably because the riots are occurring at the place where the Late Empress took special care of.
He wouldn’t want those places his mother took care of to suffer from riots.
But isn’t the man himself scary?
I didn’t know I was a princess until William started receiving his lessons. And just two years ago, the late Empress, Helena Zemira all of a sudden arrived at our doorstep.
She was lovely...kind even to us, the physical representation of her husband cheating on her.
When I and Brother were all awkward to her, she kneeled with a smile and softly said,
“Don’t worry, I don’t hate you. I don’t have the time to indulge in such emotions too.”, she said.
At that time, I didn’t know that Empress had a disease that slowly gnawed away her life.
“You see, you two have an older brother in the palace. He might seem scary at first but in truth, he is nothing but a child who is lonely because of his own strength. When you get to see him, don’t be afraid...and try to reach out to him.”, she said before leaving.
Well, at that time, the five-year-old me...couldn’t understand how a kid could be scary.
Hahaha...yeah...you guessed it, he was pretty wild.
It’s not that he was violent and threatened...no, none of that. It’s the way he carried himself. He has this aura on him that betrays his age.
It’s almost like he knows everything. And when he kneeled in front of the emperor...father actually flinched!
Anyway, that meeting ended in the worst possible way.
No one had any gain from that meeting.
And the meeting that took place 5 days after it...I wasn’t allowed to attend it.
Not like I could anything anyway.
Wait...we are going off-topic.
Ahem...dear diary, I was invited. Wanna know where? To a meeting with His Highness Arthur!!!!
His butler, Sebastian...who was originally the late Empress’s...apparently father tried to bring him to the side of moth-
Again, off-topic.
You had no idea how much my heart suffered when a letter came in with his seal. I mean...it is the from the guy himself who single-handedly got himself a Duchy...oh, William told that to me.
But apparently, he was not gonna be a Duke until he reaches the age of 17. Still, wouldn’t it make him the youngest du-
Right, I was invited. Mother was kind of depressed that she didn’t get invited. William wasn’t invited too.
William said that it was because they had already met him. And that I was the only one who didn’t meet him.
I was dressed up in light clothes...nothing much...it wasn’t an expensive dress that you usually wear for parties. Rather it was just a t-shirt and jeans.
The letter specifically told me to come in a light dress...a comfortable one.
And then, I was taken by the knights all the way to one corner of the palace grounds. There stood a moderately large building, it looked new….or you could also say it looked restored?
Oh, whatever...I don’t remember the outside decorations that well...don’t blame me!! I mean I was nervous to meet him.
Would he be angry at me?! I mean, I am the daughter of the Emperor...who he hid for all this while!!
Dear Father, I am happy to be brought to this world. But I would also be glad if you could consider other’s feelings as well.
Right...with that out of the way. The knights left me after going all the way to Arthur’s house.
Why did they leave,you ask?
It seems that an argument has occurred about the placement of knights between Father and His Highness.
His Highness didn’t want any knights here because he figured it would be a way for the Emperor to keep a check on him.
As of now the only knights that were supposed to be here are at the Cogni. Another building that belongs to His Highness Arthur.
Those knights in that other building are people the late Empress chose for herself and the ones that served His Highness from the beginning.
One of the knights just told me that the only residents of this abandoned building are Arthur, Sebastian, and a couple of maids.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
“Um...Your Highness? I am he...I mean Diana is here.”
*SILENT*
Embarrassing and awkward!!!!
Uwah...what should I do now?
Maybe they’re not at home...ah...of course, they might have gone out to see a movie.
You idiot!! He is a prince!! He is not like me who would go to a mall for a movie and window shopping!!
A bell...where is the goddamn bell?!
The doors had no mechanism…
*KACHAK*
Holy...they are at home!!
When the door opened, I was greeted by a relatively old man with white hair...Sebastian!!
“Your Highness Diana, please come in. His Highness is inside his room.”
“Oh...Okay.”
The inside was surprisingly normal. It’s a two-story building, so I don’t know how the upstairs looked.
Anyway, a lot of the space was filled with books. It looked like they’ve been used thoroughly.
Ah...is His Highness a nerd?!
“Haha~ don’t worry about the books, he is just researching something.”
Researching something? But all of them were related to skills…
I was brought to the room where His Highness was.
He was sitting at a desk, with books surrounding him. Sebastian left me alone with a smile on his face.
“Oh...Diana? Come on in, why are you standing out there.”, he said while getting up from his chair.
“Ah...of course, thank you-”
Wait before that!
“I greet Your Highness-”, I awkwardly tried to bow down.
Embarrassing!!! Mother!!! Why didn’t you teach me about these things earlier?!! Just a week worth of classes isn’t going to cut it.
“Pfft Hahaha~~ it’s fine, Princess. Come on take a seat.”, he said while sitting on a couch.
I sat on the opposite couch.
“So...how is your life here in the palace?”, he asked while looking straight into my eyes.
Crimson red eyes...those were exclusive to the Prorin family.
“It’s amazing!! Every morning I am served my favorite food!! The classes are a pain thou-...Ahem, the classes are difficult, but-”
“Classes? Oh, You mean the Princess education. Greetings, Etiquette, Dancing, Horse Riding, and I suppose a little bit of combat training.”
“Ah...yes. How did you know?”
“Couple of friends of mine once complained to me about these classes.”
“Friends?”
He has a couple of friends who are princesses?
“It’s not that the princess alone goes through such classes...all noble kids have to go through these. Even the genius Fiona Hastings struggles with her dancing classes.”
“Oh! Then I guess-”
“But you can’t really go easy on these classes...they are important to maintain your image for the general public.”
“Ah...of course.”
Damn it, he read my mind completely.
“Ahem...anyway, Your Highness-”
“You can call me Arthur.”, he said while smiling.
Huh...this guy is not scary at all.
“Try to reach out to him…”
I don’t know why...but the sentence the late Empress said flashed across my mind.
“Th...Then, Brother Arthur?”
“Oh well, that’s fine too.”
“What are you researching on...you have way too many books spout skills here.”
“Hmmm...these? Well, let’s see...I’m looking for a way to stop my skill.”
“Wait, what?!”
A way to stop one’s skill?!
“Isn’t a skill that activates only when you wish for it to?”
“Of course, there’s that too...but what I want to stop is my passive skill. Atleast for a while...it takes too much up of my mana.”
“Passive skill? Do you have one of those?! Wait...is that what allowed you to copy William’s skill?”
“Ah...you mean his teleportation? Yeah...but his skill is extremely expensive. Just doing it a few times almost brought my mana to its last drop. I even teleported only for a short distance.”
“Yeah...that’s why he also doesn’t use it as much. Wait...how can you copy a skill?!”, I asked him.
“Hmmm~ How do I explain this...let’s see, alright...when you think of your skills…does a board with the names of the skills on it pop up?”
“Of course...it does.”
*POP*
This is a sound only heard by me...and for me, there’s only one skill that I can activate. It also contains some general info about myself.
“[Suspend]? That’s a first.”, he said looking curiously surprised.
“You can read my skills?!”
“Well...for you a board...or panel pops up on mid-air...right? Normally others wouldn’t be able to see this...but I can, only in a different language. Don’t ask me the name of the language...but it’s like a code, and every time I have to decode this language for me to get the name.”
“But what can you do only with a name?”
“...of course I can’t do anything with the name...but if I concentrate a bit on the skill...it becomes more elaborate with different meanings.”
“Yes...I absolutely understood nothing.”
“My bad...let me try again… lets for an example take your skill, [Suspend]...you may see it in your language...but for me, I see it in a different one...it’s probably because of how sensitive I am to magic...but, in this language that I alone see, each letter that makes up the word [Suspend] carries information on how that particular skill works. From there on, it’s just implementing.”
“Then...can you write the meaning of my skill?”
It’s a skill that I have no idea how to use. Even the headmaster of the Magical Tower gave up after going through his whole library.
Even if the prince is said to a genius...there’s no way he can find th-
“What the?! No way!! Diana, look...you can suspend skills!!!”
“Eh?”
“You can temporarily render any person’s skill unusable!!”
“Wait what?! Are you sure?!”
“Of course...look, let me show you…”
He was weirdly happy and enthusiastic?
Oh, wait...if what he said is true, then with this skill...he should be able to stop his passive skill.
He got up from his chair and brought in a huge board. Took the markers and started writing.
“Brother Arthur, stop...Just stop.”, I said while struggling to keep up.
What he wrote was something I couldn’t understand. For the letter S in suspend he wrote something like 30 characters. And the letter P had something along the lines of 50.
“You remember all of these?”, I asked while holding my head.
“Oh...this is too much for you huh. Well, this isn’t important...Sebastian!!”
The Butler entered calmly.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Alright, now Diana...Try to suspend his skills…”
“Huh?”
“Come on~”, his eyes were glowing with excitement.
“How though? I was never thought-”
“Just think about using your skill the way it was intended it to. If it is too difficult, then imagine it as a virtual lock...or password you set for your account, that way Sebastian is unable to access it.”
A password?
But will it work?
“Diana, I apologize...even I as the head of the Magic Tower...couldn’t find a way to use a skill.”
“Here...if it is too difficult for you to imagine on your first try...you can use this laptop to imagine what you are trying to do.”
“Diana...it’s alright, you don’t need to cry. I, as your brother...I swear, I’ll find a way for you to use your skill.”
“You can do it, Your Highness. Don’t worry about hurting me...just follow your instinct”
“I apologize, Your Highness. But it is useless for you to continue attending my classes. Without knowing how your skill works, it is practically impossible for you to use your skills.”
*CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK*
Should I say it doesn’t work?
I don’t want to lead up by the words again...it hurts when your expectations mercilessly fail every time.
I don’t want to raise my hope again.
“Come on…”, Arthur said while looking straight into my eyes.
*BADUMP* *BADUMP* *BADUMP*
“You are unable to use your skills? It’s fine~! You don’t have to be so down because of such a reason. Hmm~ if you really want to use your skills...ask your elder brother when you get to the castle.”
“Umm...will your son be willing to help me?”
“Hmm~ I don’t know. He might either hate you and William. Or he might end up pitying you because of how you got swept into the workings of the palace. But if it’s the latter...I can assure you, he will definitely find a way.”
I don’t why...but I again remembered the words she said.
Fine...it’s alright to test. I have already entered the password. I just have to press enter.
Just please, lock his skills!!
*CLICK*
[Skill Suspend has been activated]
“Ah…”
“What happened, did it work??”
“Your Highness?”
“Hic...Hic…”
I guess the fear of not being able to magic for the rest of my life is really great. Even if I tried to disregard that as unfortunate and try to put on a smile, I was really afraid all this time.
“Wait...why are you crying?! Umm...damn it...did it not work?! Let’s try again in a different way…”
As he freaked about the tears in my eyes...I understood clearly what kind of human he is.
As great as he is...he is nothing but a kid who struggles when he sees someone else’s tears.
“No...it worked!!! It finally worked...after years of trying...I finally managed to get my skill working!!!”, I said while wiping my tears.
“Haha~ it’s fine then.”, he said while patting my head.
I don’t know how much time passed, but as my emotions broke...tears started rushing out. All the while, Arthur was patting my head with a happy expression.
“So, have you calmed down…?”
“MMhh...”
I was drinking hot chocolate that a maid brought in.
So embarrassing...but I got to use my skill!!!
“Now, try to release his skills.”, he said while giving me the laptop again.
“How though?”
“Think of it as logging out...or even better, closing the application…”
I looked at the black screen in front of me.
“How do I close an application when I can’t even see the said application?”, I said looking troubled.
“Ah...You don’t know the shortcut...Alt + F4...it is a shortcut to close an application…”
“Oh...okay then.”
Please unlock his skills!!
*CLICK* *CLICK*
“Ohh~~ I can use my skills now.”
Sebastian said while looking around.
“Umm...good then. But what is your skill?”, I said while looking at the old man.
“I have a skill that lets me comprehend everything better...in other words, it helps my brain to work faster.”
Nice skill...but more than that...I was able to use my skill.
“Now let me try…”, he said while standing up.
“Huh?”
What does he mean by ‘Let me try’??
“Ohhhh~~ Finally!!”
“Did it work?!”
“Yep~!”
He did nothing other than closing his eyes to use my skill. No laptop is required for imagination too. And…
“Wait...so is it possible to only lock specific skills?”
“Seems like it…”, he said while looking relieved.
So, his passive skill has been really annoying for him, huh.
But with this, I should be able to attend classes with William!! I don’t have to sit still while everyone is giving their best.
“I can finally gain my mana back without meditating!!”
“Haha~”
I didn’t realize it back then...but I surprisingly had the most productive evening today.
I am finally able to use my skill!!
“Oh right…”, I started digging around the bag I brought.
“You have something for me?”, he asked while looking at my bag curiously.
“Ah no...it’s something my mother instructed me to give you.”, I said while handing over the book to Arthur.
“Lady Camilla?”
*FLIP* *FLIP*
For a few minutes...he went through the book, his eyes were moving along the lines at an insane speed.
“Sebastian, guide Diana to her palace.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Eh? Did-”
“You did nothing wrong, Diana. I will thank Lady Camilla later. For now, head on to your palace. I apologize for having this meeting cut short. And Sebastian, give her my number. It will be useful to be in contact later.”
With that I was guided out of his palace, I got onto the car and headed towards the palace me, mother and William were staying in.
I didn’t know what happened. What that book contained when I asked mother about it…
“I don’t know too...it’s something Her Majesty Helena instructed me to hand over to Arthur.”
Ahhh….that’s why.
So that’s the reason he tensed up all of a sudden.
But why did she ask my mother to give it to Arthur? There are a lot of people other than my mother who could do the job.
I don’t know...I don’t think I will ever know.
********************************
About two weeks later.
Dear Diary,
It’s been well over two weeks since I met Arthur. I still haven’t heard anything from him. No message and no calls.
But things have been changing...Mother had to attend various tea parties, as one of the new members of the Imperial family. Of course, I had to too...William too was forced to attend.
“It’s an opportunity for you to get along with everyone.”
Is what Father said to William.
Arthur of course wasn’t present at any of the parties. The hosts too didn’t mind, saying that it’s better to let him be alone.
I have no idea what the book I gave him contained. My guess, that it was some form of a diary. I could be wrong though.
But...something wild happened today too.
Arthur stormed into Father’s office. Where all of us, including Willliam and Mother were in.
“Oh...greetings.”, he casually said before taking his seat in the farthest seat of the table.
Father’s office is gigantic, so huge that it has its own kitchen and a rectangular table. On one side were the four of us. On the other was Arthur with Sebastian behind him.
Tense...is what the atmosphere was. Nobody expected the arrival of Arthur.
“Hello, Arthur. Are you doing good?”, asked Father.
“Of course, no thanks to you. Anyway, thank you for the note, Lady Camilla. It contained some vital information that I needed to proceed.”
“Ah...Of course, Your Highness.”, Mother said while looking relieved.
That was not the case for both the Emperor and William. There was a sharp look in both of their eyes.
“A note?”, asked Father while looking at mother.
“It’s something that Her Majesty instructed me to deliver to Arthur.”
“Oh…”
“Yes...it’s something that my mother wrote.”, Arthur said while getting up and moving towards the kitchen which was next to the dining table.
“Could I read it?”, Father asked.
“Hmmm...No. You can’t read it.”
He replied while going through the fridge.
“It’s something she wrote for me...not for you. Ah and don’t worry, there were some assholes from Cubicle who were trying to get their hands on it.”, Arthur said while picking a Coke.
*PSSHH*
“But unfortunately for them, Sebastian rendered them useless in moments.”
*GULP*
“Now now...don’t glare at Sebastian. They were already doomed once they stepped into my house. Just what were they thinking...going through my room. Absolute idiots.”
He said while drinking his coke.
“Then, what are you here for?”, William said while getting up from his chair.
“Sit down, William. I have no business with you this time.”
“How funny...you think you can just head in here, speaking however you want?”
“William, stand do-”
“Please be quiet father...I just can’t take any more of this nonsense-”
“Yeah me too...then can you explain the actions of your father, William?”, Arthur retaliated to the words of William.
“What did he do? He was completely working all these weeks.”
“Not that…”
*THUD*
Arthur threw a file onto the table, which landed with a thud. With the file, Father’s eyes grew wide and his face was completely filled with surprise.
“How….”
“Do you really think you hide it from me?!”, Arthur snapped at Father.
William got out of the way between them.
That’s right because it’s not our area nor our problem to speak up.
“Diana.”
“Yeah?”
“If there’s a problem between Arthur and our Father, do not ever get between them. It’s something they have to deal on their own...we have no right to get between them.”
“Mmm...okay.”
Is what we agreed that day, but why did you get in between them now, William?
“Did you really think you can hide Mother’s will from me?! You asshole of an Emperor!!”
“I wasn’t intending to hide it from you...it was just that-”
“Just what?! The land that my mother once held will be passed onto me, and not to Lady Camilla, is what it said! What was there to think about?!”
What the?! There was something like that...even my mother is surprised.
“If I hand over the land to you...Camilla will-”
“In what world would it justify for you to hide it from me?! And just because your wife would be rendered landless, that doesn’t mean you can discard the will of your deceased wife.”
All three of us, excluding Father, were sweating buckets. Even William didn’t expect such a development. Mother, the main topic especially was nervous.
“I also heard that the A division is being handed over to Lady Camilla.”, he said while looking at my mother.
“I have no id-”
“I don’t care about those ungrateful bastards...you can have them. But the land...it belongs to me.”, Arthur said while moving towards Father.
“And what if I refuse?”, Father too stood up, facing Arthur.
His face just screams,
I had enough of this.
“Hoh?”
Awawawa~ These two are absolutely crazy!! Are these two really family?!
“You have been shouting too much, Arthur. You are sorely mistaken if you think that I will let you act as much as you want.”
“Interesting...guess what, even I was bored with you staying silent. And what will you do? Silence me? How? By killing me? Assassination? Poison? Public Execution?”
“...You...what do you even think about me?”
“A bastard who cheated on his wife...An asshole who absolutely destroyed his own son’s standing inside the palace...an idiot who thinks that I, Arthur will stand by when his mother’s land is being taken away.”
“Sebastian, take Arthur away...I will talk to him later.”
“...”
Sebastian however stood silent. Seeing that, Arthur continued on.
“Escaping again? By the next time, there would nothing left. Sebastian, bring it here.”
The butler then took a couple of documents from his inventory and placed them on the table, next to Father.
“Sign these…”
“...”
“If you don’t want to be dragged through a series of trials, sign them.”, Arthur’s voice was cold, with no mercy.
“Did you forget the condition to drag a noble to court?”
“Signature of three Imperial members...and do you really think I wouldn’t know that?”
“Then…”
One would need the signatures of three Imperial members to drag a high-ranking noble onto a trial. If there are less than three imperial members, all of them would have to sign.
But even if we consider, grandpa and grandma...there are only two signatures. Since Arthur can’t sign for his own case, then how?
“I have the signature of mother…”
“...!!!”
With those words, everyone was equally surprised. It all makes sense now, even if she has passed away, she too is an Imperial Member.
“Hahahaha~!!! Listen, even your beloved wife foresaw the future of you being an asshole, and had a document ready with her signature...she is an absolute genius!!”
Arthur started laughing like a madman. His voice echoes around the huge office, even if my father is the most powerful man in the Empire, he still seems weak compared to Arthur.
“Now, your sign please.”
“Tch…”
Father took out his pen, and quickly signed through the documents.
“Thank you for the land~~~”, Arthur said while heading to the door.
“Ah...Diana, how is your control over the skill?”, he turned back as if he remembered something.
“It’s wonderful...all thanks to you.”, I said while bowing towards him.
“Haha~ Great. If you have any trouble, don’t be afraid to seek out me for help. My palace’s doors are open for you.”, he said while going out.
William quickly followed Arthur, going out of the room.
I don’t know what they talked about, but William just returned to his room and did not come back to Father’s office.
“Diana, go to your room.”, Mother said while looking at father.
“Yes…”
I too quickly left the room. Mother’s eyes towards father were surprisingly cold.
I remember her wanting to have a pleasant...if not, an ordinary relation with Arthur. But father just straight up bombed it with his actions.
“What in the world was that?! Now, I can guarantee you that he hates me!!! Have I ever asked you for Her Majesty’s land?! Why?! Why do you keep on making such mistakes?!”
I was able to hear mother’s loud voice through the door.
She has totally lost it huh…
I don’t blame her though. Imagine someone working hard for something, and the other person just straight up smashes it mercilessly. Anyone would be upset.
*SIGH*
My stay at the palace has been far from peaceful.