So Lucas disappears, and Claude no longer remembers Athy. We’re back to square one, except Athy is a teenager with powers. I guess that’s marginally better than being a baby with no powers, but still, what the hell, man? The worst part is that there’s no need for this. In order to save her father in the first place, Athy had to break through his defensive barrier — his trauma of losing his wife — and thus make him remember that he still has his daughter. So when he still loses his memories of her anyway, it’s like for what? Why rehash this storyline? I can’t help but think that this is just a cheap ploy to keep viewers or readers hooked. No, please, don’t leave! We have more story to tell… uh, Claude doesn’t love Athy anymore! So you gotta stick around to see if she can thaw his heart again! Yeah! The sad part is that we already have an overarching villain ready to go! It’s that evil wizard who created this mess in the first place. It’s that evil wizard who has been in cahoots with Duke What’s-his-face. Future storylines can be about taking him down, so we don’t need to redo the whole Claude bullshit again! So again, what the hell, man?

Claude has come all the way out to the countryside for the annual harvest festival. He also gives Athy an opportunity to carry out an important tradition with him. Basically, they’re going to hit up the magical wellspring and perform a sacred offering. I assume this is how the kingdom overcame the drought and famine all those years ago? Oh yeah, Lucas’s tower just happens to be the same tower that houses said magical wellspring. First, what a small world. Second, I honestly can’t remember if Claude recognized the wizard when the latter casually offered up his assistance to save Athy from her affliction at the start of the series. I’m also too lazy to go back and rewatch whatever episode that was.

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.