Realizing what she said was true, Darrion relaxed his stance and agreed to go with her. They successfully evaded prying eyes and ears when they went to an empty balcony near the end of the hall.
As soon as they were alone, Athena cornered him.
"Darrion, what is your problem with me? Have I stepped on your tail? What did I do to offend you?" she demanded to know.
Darrion was caught off guard by her questions. He looked at her blankly for a few seconds before replying.
"Me? Have you examined your own behavior, princess? Since you've returned, you've been nothing but unkind to Cassy"
"Cassy, Cassy, Cassy. Are you in love with her?"
"In- What are you talking about? You're my betrothed, not her! I only see Cassy- Princess Casindra as a younger sister, nothing more!"
"Then act like it!" Athena yelled.
"Ask yourself, my Lord. Have you been acting like my betrothed? What was the first thing you did the moment my sister accused me of something I did not do? You didn't even try to hear my side of things. You blindly believed everything she told you."
"That's not true-"
"Do not interrupt me while I'm still speaking."
Darrion fell silent instantly.
"I bet she told you I ruined her things, didn't she? Did she mention anything about how she tried to sabotage me?"
"Casindra's not that kind of person."
Athena let out a sigh as she shook her head.
"She isn't that kind of person, but I am?" she asked in defeat.
"You're still trying to defend her," she added.
Athena wanted things to work out between them. But fighting like this reminded her of the past. It reminded her of how her ex-boyfriend treated her. Shivers ran down her spine as she recalled how her life ended.
"It's clear we aren't well matched. I think it's best if we call off the engagement," Athena muttered before turning to leave.
"What? What are you talking about? This is getting out of hand-"
Darrion tried to grab Athena's hand as she walked away from him but she slapped his hand away.
"Do not worry, my Lord. I will take care of things with the King. Unlike you, my father trusts me.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I will return to enjoy what I can of this party that was meant to be a celebration of my return."
With that, Athena left the balcony. She was hoping he would apologize.
But there was only silence.
~
"Quickly! It's time!" one of the palace maids said to the other as they rushed down the hallway.
Princess Athena was about to select her servants at her new quarters, the Hemlock Mansion.
Maids, servants, guards, all gathered in the courtyard. They stood neatly in rows, awaiting her inspection.
To assist her, Princess Athena had the help of Hubert, a senior attendant.
"Princess, they are ready for your inspection," Hubert said as he led the way.
Athena nodded and followed his lead. She started with the palace maids first. She had already gone through their information previously and had shortlisted a few candidates.
But there was one more person she was looking for amongst them.
To her disappointment, the person was not amongst them.
"Hubert, is there a palace maid by the name of Wendy? She used to be Consort Sera's personal maid," she asked.
"Wendy? Ah yes, I recall that name. She was demoted to the laundry department, your Highness. She's no longer a palace maid."
"I would like her to become one of my palace maids, along with these three," she pointed out to the senior attendant.
"As you wish, your Highness," he replied.
"The rest of you may leave," he instructed after bringing forward the three palace maids Athena had picked.
The palace maids were baffled by the requirements the princess had. The maids she had picked were inexperienced. Two of them had only just entered the palace two moons ago.
"Your Highness, would you not benefit from more experienced palace maids? Ones that would be able to take care of your needs more efficiently?" the senior attendant asked.
"I understand your concerns. Do not worry, Wendy will be able to help train the newer maids. It will be alright. Let's move on."
Athena went on to pick a few more servants to help with the chores. Finally, she moved on to picking the guards. She needed at least twenty of them. Some of them would guard her quarters, while six of them would be her personal guard.
"Why aren't there any women in the palace guards," she muttered to herself as she looked at all of them standing at attention before her.
As soon as her eyes met Nikolai's, she gave him a smile.
"Step forward, Captain Nikolai."
He did as he was told and came forward to stand before her.
"How long have you been part of the palace guards, captain?"
"Since I was sixteen, your Highness."
"Why do you want to be part of my household, captain?"
"It will be my honor to protect you, your Highness."
Athena felt her heart flutter in her chest when she heard his reasoning. She fought hard to suppress the blush rising in her cheeks.
"Don't you have any other ambitions? Having been promoted to captain at the age of twenty is no easy feat. If you play your cards right, you could easily join the ranks of the army and become a general."
"That's a far fetched dream, my princess."
"Oh? How so?"
"Because I'm not of noble birth. Climbing the ranks will be a struggle."
Athena could tell from their previous conversations that the captain was likely not of noble birth. He spoke candidly and freely, a lack of decorum if it was not necessary. In fact, that was one of the things she liked about him.
She could see that he was ambitious from the sparkle in his eye when she mentioned about the army and becoming a general. But she was surprised that he dismissed the idea so quickly.
"So you're not up for a challenge?" she probed.
"I am, your Highness. The challenge I would like to tackle now is protecting you," he said with a smirk.