Last week, I thought Lucas would have no problems treating Athy during their trip outside the palace. After all, he not only tutors the princess, he is kind of like her doctor. Someone in that position must be paid pretty damn well, right? But no, he didn’t pay any of the merchants a goddamn thing; he conjured up fake gold coins that will eventually disappear. Athy and Lucas visited all sorts of places on their little excursion. I have to imagine that some (if not all) of those business were run by honest, hard-working people. Those poor folks basically got conned. So great, I have yet another reason to dislike our favorite centuries-old wizard. If he had real money, then why didn’t he pay them in the first place? Just terrible. Then to top it all off, the loser doesn’t even apologize to any of the people he scammed; he’s letting Athy do it instead. No shame whatsoever.

I’m tired of typing out Athanasia all the time, so I guess I’ll go with Athy from now on. I should’ve done this earlier. I don’t know why I waited so long. There can’t be very many episodes left in the season. With that out of the way, we can get down to business. Immediately, Athy is shocked to find Ijikiel in her personal library. Apparently, he snuck in. Kinda not cool, man. Granted, from his perspective, she’s done the same to him. But their first encounter was entirely Lucas’s fault. I dunno, I’m not personally keen on people showing up without letting me know first. My home should feel safe, y’know? I shouldn’t turn the corner and find someone who isn’t supposed to be there. Plus, what was even his plan? Did he know the princess was headed here? Or did he just decide, “Hm, yes, if I stand around here aimlessly, I’m bound to bump into her!”

For some reason, Athanasia still can’t sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor. I mean, her night went exactly as she had hoped. Her dad escorted her to the ball and danced with her like she requested, Duke A-something didn’t get the chance to mess things up, and her surprise gift at the very end blew everyone’s socks off. At the very least, it must have touched Claude’s heart. So what could she possibly be unhappy about? Nevertheless, Athanasia feels uneasy. Sometimes, you just gotta live in the moment and enjoy life, or else you’ll find yourself in your 60s, realizing that you’ve done nothing but stress and worry.

It’s finally time for Athanasia to debut herself. Our princess has done nothing but fret and worry over her big day, so it has to go well, right? Meanwhile, Duke What’s-his-face gives Jennette the impression that she’ll finally be able to connect with both her father and her sister at the ball. But it’s not her father nor her sister. I’m all for bashing Claude whenever he’s being a deadbeat, but I also gotta be fair when the time calls for it. And while I’ve been clamoring for Athanasia to make a female friend her age, this isn’t the right time for it. Most of all, this whole scheme feels ill-conceived right from the get-go. If Duke What’s-his-face really wanted to exert his influence over the emperor, why do it now during Athanasia’s debut? If you’re telling me I have a long lost sister, I wouldn’t want to meet her at a fancy-ass ball in front of a bunch of strangers. I’d want to meet her privately. Yeah, I know the same thing happened in the previous timeline, and it happened successfully. But the circumstances then were different. Claude didn’t adore that Athanasia. He adores this one. It seems kinda stupid to try and rob the spotlight from the person the emperor loves and cherishes the most. To put it in simpler terms, read the damn room.

The episode starts with visions of Athanasia’s disastrous past life still haunting her dreams. The next day, she redoubles her effort to practice her dancing even harder than ever. She’s still desperately seeking her father’s love and approval, which is mostly Claude’s fault for being such a deadbeat. Nevertheless, a line of thought occurred to me as I watch the poor girl trip over her feet in practice. It’s funny when you compare this coming-of-age stories with Western ones. When I think about those harrowing teenage years, I’m reminded of grotesque transformations, physically and mentally. I’m reminded of ostracization. Alienation. Experimentation. Struggling to find one’s identity among peers. But none of these are concerns for Athanasia even though she’s about to debut herself at the age of fourteen (still such a baby). Grotesque transformation? Puh-leeze. She’s the spitting image of her mother through and through, so physically, she’s absolutely flawless. No awkwardness. All grace. Athanasia doesn’t trip in dance practice because she’s getting used to her rapidly growing body. She trips because she’s trying too hard. Does Athanasia feel rebellious? Or forlorn? Or like a stranger in her own body? Like someone who doesn’t know what she wants to become when she grows up? Nope. She has a one-track mind and it’s all about father’s love and approval since the day her young self stopped being scared of him. Her raison d’être hasn’t changed one bit over the years. Granted, she’s not a modern teen girl, so we’re comparing apples to oranges a bit here, but are you seeing the picture I’m painting? Growth and change are often interlinked, but does it feel like Athanasia has changed at all? She can cast basic spells now. And she’s taller. But honestly that’s about it. Where’s the growth?