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Athanasius de Alger Obelia, also known as Athy, is a bright, well-drawn main character whose physical presence and inner light are two of the main reasons why Who Made Me a Princess is so popular with readers. She is described and drawn as a small, delicate girl with light blonde hair and striking jewel-blue eyes. The manhwa uses this visual design to show her innocence, vulnerability, and later her quiet strength. Born into the cold politics of the Obelian imperial family and originally a side character in a romance novel who is fated to die.
Athanasia's role in the story is twofold: she drives the plot and serves as the emotional core. Since she is reincarnated with the memories of a modern woman who knows the tragic ending of the novel, the narrative tension immediately becomes a high-stakes survival game in which every choice she makes can change the course of the empire. At the same time, her attempts to win the love or at least the notice of her terrifying father, Emperor Claude, turn what could have been a purely tragic tale into a moving exploration of family, forgiveness, and the corrupting or redeeming power of affection.
Athanasia has a very interesting personality. She is outwardly cheerful, polite, and adorably obsequious when she needs to be. But she is also inwardly shrewd, practical, and sometimes mischievous, which she learned from her knowledge of the original story and from her instinct to survive. However, she is still fundamentally kind, curious, and forgiving, which keeps her survival tactics from becoming cynical or cruel. One of the most satisfying arcs in the manhwa is her character development. She starts out as a small child trying to avoid notice and save money, but she grows into a young woman who learns how to be independent, brave with her emotions, and brave enough to face trauma. The series gives equal time to little victories (learning court etiquette, making friends, and small acts of kindness) and deeper reckonings (feeling abandoned, facing the truth about other characters, and learning how to set boundaries even with those she loves).
Fans love Athanasia for a number of reasons: her design is both cute and noble, which makes it easy to root for her; her intelligence and resourcefulness make her more than just a passive victim—she is proactive, creative, and funny in her own way; and most importantly, her emotional strength and ability to love despite betrayal make her very relatable—readers can see themselves in her longing for parental approval and in her small, steady rebellions against fate. The father-daughter relationship between Athanasia and Emperor Claude, which goes from fear to mutual protection and love, is one of the most emotionally satisfying relationships in the genre. Readers who like redemption arcs based on real character change will also like Athanasia's role as the heart that melts a tyrant's exterior. Athanasia is a character who embodies both the gentle aesthetics of shojo-inspired romance and the darker, political pressures of court fantasy. She is both an ornament and an agent, a tearful child and a plotting survivor. Her beauty comes not only from her curls and eyes, but also from the consistency of her kindness and the cleverness with which she reclaims a life that fiction had condemned. That mix of a lovable, well-designed heroine who grows, acts, and loves in believable ways is what makes Athanasia such a popular character in the manhwa community.
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