The entire throne room was stunned.
"The princess?! Wasn't she dead?"
"This… is she a ghost?"
Athena entered the throne room. She was dressed in royal garb. Her hair was braided and a tiara rested on her brow. Her father spared no expense for her return to court.
The princess kept her head held high as she walked down the aisle to kneel before the throne. As much as she hated the Queen with every fiber of her being, she kept a smile on her lips.
After greeting the king and queen, she turned to face the court.
"My daughter, Princess Athena, has returned!' King Orion declared.
The court cheered collectively, despite some who were still in shock. Athena carefully took note of each and every one of their expressions. She was certain it would come in handy soon enough.
The first reaction was the most important. It divulged the truth in people's hearts.
From this alone, she could differentiate friend from foe.
"Your Majesty! Please pardon my insolence, but how do we know this is the real Princess Athena? What if she's an imposter?" One of the high-ranking ministers stepped forward to ask with his head hung low.
A few others stepped forward to show their support.
Athena expected this to happen and so did her father.
"My daughter has provided irrefutable proof of her identity to me. There is no doubt in my mind that she is of my blood," he declared without skipping a beat.
King Orion had expected that question, and so did Princess Athena. On the night of their reunion, they were engaged in a long conversation. Athena was worried her father would not believe she was really who she claimed to be.
But the King was wise. From their conversation alone, he was able to discern she was the real princess.
"But Your Majesty…"
"You dare question your King's judgment?!" King Orion roared in anger, his voice echoing through the throne room.
Everyone in the throne room flinched. No one dared to ask any further questions.
"To celebrate the return of my daughter, a grand feast shall be held tonight!"
Athena kept her smile up. But just as she thought all was smooth sailing, her father's words caught her attention.
"…To mark this joyous occasion, I have one more announcement to make."
She turned to face her father with a look of confusion. She was not aware of any more announcements. What could this possibly be? Panic filled her heart. Her gut feeling told her something unexpected was about to happen.
"Princess Athena shall be betrothed to Lord Darrion of House Tigeria! They will marry at the end of the year!"
Athena grew pale.
Her eyes widened in surprise at her father's announcement. She turned back to face the court, searching for Lord Darrion. Though he was a childhood friend, they were never close.
Based on her vague memory of him from when they were young, Athena quickly found him amongst the nobles. If he was shocked by the news, he masked it well.
House Tigeria always had close ties with the royal family. As such, their children often played together. They often studied together too. The Darrion in her memory was a skinny short boy who favored books over training.
She was in awe when the young man stepped forward to receive the King's blessing.
"It's my honor to be selected as the princess' future husband. Thank you, Your Majesty," Lord Darrion spoke eloquently with a deep bow.
He was no longer short or skinny. The young man was now grown with handsome features, fair skin, high cheekbones, and a slim muscular physique. He was sure to have made many noble young women swoon when he walked on by.
His expression revealed little about his true emotions.
Athena felt heat rushing to her cheeks. Was she smitten by the sight of the handsome man standing in front of her? When she caught onto the fact that he was looking at her, she quickly averted her gaze.
Remembering she was still standing before the court, she quickly turned back to thank her father for the marriage he had bestowed upon her.
Formalities came first. Questions would have to wait.
She stole a glance at Queen Catalina. Though she was keeping a pleasant expression, Athena's gut told her otherwise. The Queen seemed to be simmering in anger. Could it be related to the marriage announcement that had just been made?
After the court session ended, everyone waited for the King and Queen to depart. Athena followed along as others began filing out of the throne room. But the princess never got a chance to step out.
She was swarmed by members of the court.
"Your Highness, thank the gods you are alive and well!"
"We've been praying for your safe return…"
"This is truly a miracle!"
Athena kept up her smile and thanked everyone for their kind messages. She could sense some underlying snide remarks in some of their words but pretended not to notice.
In court, it was best not to show all of your talents in front of others. Anyone could be an enemy.
Just as she was speaking to one of the ministers, someone came up to her and hugged her. It caught Athena completely by surprise.
"Oh, sister Athena! I can't believe you're alive! We all thought you were dead!" The young woman cried as she tightened her hug around Athena.
The scent of overused floral perfume, coupled with the high-pitched voice jogged Athena's memory.
The young woman hugging her was none other than the Queen's eldest child, Second Princess Casindra. Athena's right hand curled into a fist on instinct.
If she could, she would have strangled the princess where she stood. But she quickly relaxed her hand and put on an act.
"Thank you for your concern, Casindra. I've missed you and everyone else dearly. It's by gods' graces that I'm alive and well," Athena said while maintaining her smile as best she could.
She carefully pried herself out of Casindra's arms. But the second princess was not about to let this moment go to waste. She pretended to trip and fall. Everyone gasped in shock, it looked as if it was Athena who caused her fall.