Chapter Text
The Kleidouchos Empire spanned a hundred systems, and still considered itself ascendant. Their latest expansion, if the rumors spilling out from the capital were to be believed, was to be achieved peacefully- Wedding their crown princess to a neighboring empire’s heir, uniting their bloodlines and kingdoms both.
It was no wonder, then, that some ambitious assassin would seek to cut down the heiress before such a grand gesture was to occur. It was also no wonder that the crown had planned for such a tragedy- Keeping a dozen copies of their beloved princess in dreamless slumbers in the deepest depths of the palace.
When Lucia first awoke, it was with confusion. Her creators had implanted vague memories and a sense of identity, of course, but clones are never perfect. From the very beginning, she knew she was not the true Lucia Kleidouchos. She spent days begging scientists and caretakers both to tell her who she truly was, never getting a satisfying answer.
By the end of the first week, she’d accepted it. The original Lucia Kleidouchos was long gone, and she was to take up the mantle. The public had been told that their beloved princess had fallen ill, but was steadily recovering. Surely, the castle’s spokesperson had said, she would be back in full health within the month.
Behind closed doors, of course, it had been made clear how strict that deadline was. Even if provided with pictures and press releases, the public would fret if Lucia’s ‘convalescence’ was to last overlong- So she’d been given a month. Four weeks. Ample time, surely, to learn the intricacies of her role.
The materials she had at her disposal were, at least, comprehensive. The original Lucia had been a dedicated diarist, often dedicating pages upon pages to her feelings on those in her life- Her distaste of her more distant relatives, and their habits of making desperate power-grabs on the rare times they weren’t bickering amongst themselves. Her fondness for her parents- Though a growing suspicion that they were keeping secrets from her.
And then there were the entries about Prince Anthony. Lucia's journal entries on her fiance were positively gushing. They'd clicked from the moment they'd met, she wrote- And though they were only fated to meet once before their wedding, they had begun exchanging letters near-immediately. It made the cloned Lucia's heart ache in the strangest way- A happiness she knew was not her own, yet still felt deeply familiar.