"It was easy for me to get in here. And I wasn't alone, there were a few people who came with me." Jackson said with a lopsided smile.
Bella's breath started to pant a little. When she was panicking, she must have had a little trouble breathing. "Then why did you come here?"
"To ask you something."
"What?"
"Is there a hidden door in this palace that can be passed from the outside? For example, like a secret passage that not many people know about."
Hearing those words, Bella dared to push Jackson's body hard. Because she didn't want her body to be squeezed against the wall and Jackson's hand was pressing too hard on her wrist.
Bella had an angry look on her face. "What do you want to do if you know the secret door of this palace? You better get out of here!!"
"Hey, why are you so unkind to me? Just answer my question, or I'll annoy your dear friend." Jackson said. He threatened Bella and the threat he aimed at Athena.
Where they stood, they could indeed see Athena who was busy helping the kitchen maid work to pay attention to the food and drink dishes so that nothing was missing.
Bella also looked at Athena. Even though she doesn't like Athena right now, Bella certainly doesn't want to put Athena in danger.
"You can't do anything to Athena!!" Bella said firmly.
"Ouh, is that so? Hmm, it's easy for me. I can drag Athena with my strong hand, then I can enjoy my night with her...hahaha."
PLAAKK!!
Bella immediately slapped Jackson on the cheek again. Her anger peaked when Jackson said such an impolite thing.
"Watch your attitude when you are here!! How strong you are, if you are in the palace, then you will be killed by all the royal soldiers!! A man like you doesn't deserve to be here!! And I will never tell you about anything in this kingdom. I am no longer afraid of any threats from you. I am busy, and you better get out of this palace, or I will report your whereabouts to Prince Royce!!"
Jackson just chuckled softly. "Just report it if you dare. That stupid prince will only think of me as an ordinary citizen. He doesn't know who I am, hahaha. You're stupid, Bella. You'd rather break our relationship and work as a royal slave. What if you become a queen of this kingdom?"
"Nonsense!! If I can be the queen of this kingdom, then you won't be the king!! Cuih!!" Bella said annoyedly, and at the end of her words she spat to the left.
This made Jackson a little offended. "If I can take this kingdom for you, then your mouth will be silenced instantly!!"
"Huh, just prove that you can do that!! A man like you is better suited to be on the side of the road with beggars who never bathe. Once again you appear before me, then I won't delay reporting you to the royals!!"
After saying that, Bella immediately turned around and left Jackson.
While Jackson just laughed softly and smiled lopsidedly. "Act as you please, Bella!! I'll still see you if I want to!! Hahaha."
***
"Look, Royce. Lots of guys your age, and they're already married. Hahaha, when will you be like them?" Lucy asked with a small chuckle and looked at her brother.
Hearing the question, Royce snorted softly. "I am a crown prince. And twenty-five is not an old age for me. I will marry if I want to!!" Royce said. He was a little annoyed when his sister was mocking him about marriage.
Even though Lucy was only twelve years old, she quite understood the meaning of marriage. And she loves to tease her brother by talking about it.
"Do you already have someone? Are you in love with someone?" Lucy asked.
Royce took a deep breath. "No. I don't like anyone. After all, father still tells me to focus on monitoring everything in this kingdom. And you, you better study instead of asking about my life!!"
Lucy laughed contentedly. The girl today looks very beautiful. She wore a white blooming dress with a mix of pink.
Actually pink is not liked by Lucy. She really likes light brown or light green, but Victoria does not allow her to wear that color when she is at a party like this.
Pink is indeed considered a graceful color for a young girl like Luciana. Considered graceful and beautiful for a royal princess.
"Excuse me prince Royce, I have come to remind you that it is time for lunch."
Royce and Lucy both turned to look at Athena who was approaching them from the side. "Ah Athena, well we will soon enter the palace." Royce said. While Lucy had stood up first and walked quickly into the palace. The girl left her brother just like that while chuckling softly as she walked briskly.
Athena just shook her head when she saw Lucy's behavior.
"Alright, I'll also set the table with the other maids." Athena said.
But Royce immediately grabbed Athena's left wrist. The man also stood up from his seat. "Wait. You don't have to set the table anymore. That's not your job anymore, Athena. You'd better talk to me for a while. Follow me."
Of course Athena was very confused by Royce's words. But she could only nod and immediately followed Royce's footsteps who were already walking fast in the other direction.
The man led Athena to a less crowded area. Royce stopped walking near the steps on the outside. The man was facing Athena fully, then he cleared his throat softly.
"I want you to be a special servant for Lucy. And I already told Bella about this. I also told her to replace your job. So starting tomorrow, you should focus on being beside my sister. You can teach her anything. You can take good care of my sister. Because I'm very busy and never take good care of Lucy. If Lucy is with you, then I'm sure she will be fine." Royce said.
Athena who heard that, she smiled a little and scratched the part of her head that didn't really itch. "Ah, did the king and queen know about this?"
Royce shook his head. "No, I haven't told Mom and Dad about this yet. Later after lunch I will tell them about this. Of course they'll agree."
"Ah, but I'm just a kitchen servant, prince. I can't---"
"Athena, you must believe in yourself. The proof is that you can teach my sister a lot of things. You even accompany her on horseback. You also know a lot about the teachings of a princess's etiquette. You have helped my sister a lot. Now is the time for you to become a special servant for my sister. This is my orders, so you can't refuse." Royce said with a happy smile.
Athena didn't have time to answer yet, but Royce had already left and smiled kindly at Athena.
All Athena was thinking about right now was about her best friend's feelings. Will Bella hate her even more?
*****