Athena had waited for a little outside the throne room after her altercation with Princess Casindra and Lord Darrion. She had hoped Darrion would come running after her.
To her disappointment and no one's surprise, he did not.
She returned to the guest room she was staying in. Her official quarters, the Hemlock Mansion, would only be ready the next day. Though her father had assigned a few maids and servants to tend to all of her needs, Athena had kindly refused it for now.
After being on her own for so long, she was used to doing things independently.
When Athena noticed a mirror on the dressing table, she walked up to it and looked at her own reflection. She pinched herself lightly on the cheek.
"It's definitely not a dream," she said to herself.
Everything felt so foreign yet so familiar at the same time. With each passing moment, her past identity felt like a distant dream. But still, she held up hope of returning to her own world one day.
Athena dressed in the best outfit she could find. It was difficult to get everything made to order on such short notice so she did her best with what she had. Once she was ready, she left for the ballroom at once.
The maids and servants assigned to her followed behind silently, while one maid walked ahead to lead the way. Athena admired the scenery as they walked.
Stars dotted the sky like a garden of lights. It was a beautiful night.
Splash!
Athena was rooted to the ground. Someone dumped water on her! She was drenched from head to toe. The smell of alcohol stung her nose too.
The maids who were following behind her gasped in horror. Princess Athena was drenched in wine! Her dress was ruined and so was her hair.
Shock came first.
"Oh my goodness! Sister Athena, are you alright?"
Anger followed suit.
Princess Casindra rushed up to her from behind with a look of shock on her face. She had her own entourage of servants and maids following closely behind.
"Who dares to do such a horrible thing! On your most important day no less?"
Athena imagined herself slapping the smug princess across her face. The satisfaction alone would make it all worth it. But Athena held back.
Looking down at her dress, she sighed internally. Wine stains on a dress were near impossible to remove.
"Isn't this the dress father specially ordered for you? It must have taken a lot of time and effort to prepare!" Casindra was still rubbing it in.
Athena kept her calm. It was times like this when she needed to keep a level head.
"Dear sister," she said in the sweetest voice she could muster, "Do you happen to have an outfit I could borrow?"
She knew it was feeding into Casindra's ego, but it was all part of her plan. If her enemies saw her as weak, they would let their guard down.
Casindra took the bait instantly.
"I'm afraid I don't think I have anything that could fit you, sister. Anna," she called for her personal maid.
"Yes, your Highness?"
"Go see if there's anything you can get for my sister and send it to her quarters. Oh wait, it's not ready yet. Send it to her room in the guest quarters," Casindra ordered.
"As you wish, my princess," Anna replied obediently.
"All the best, sister Athena, I'll let father know you'll be late," Casindra said before leaving the scene with a grin on her face.
The maid, Anna, looked over to Athena with an evil grin of her own. Like master, like servant.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid Princess Casindra's dresses would never be able to fit you. She's petite with a slender figure and you-"
Pak!
Athena slapped the maid across the face.
A bright red mark formed on Anna's right cheek. The force of the slap was so strong she fell to the ground. The maid was in shock. When she looked up at Princess Athena, a cold chill ran down her spine.
There was a look in Athena's eyes. Her gold pupils shimmered and she had a deadly glare.
"Have you forgotten your place?" Athena asked in a calm chilling tone, "Perhaps I should teach you."
Anna was speechless, her mouth wide open. She twitched, wanting to say something to defend herself but her voice was caught in her throat. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't say anything.
"Go get some of Casindra's dresses. Any will do," Athena ordered before dusting herself off and turning back.
As she walked down a hallway back to her room, Athena could not help but feel disappointed. No one in her own entourage stepped forward to speak on her behalf. No one said anything. Not even a single word.
She stopped in her tracks.
Turning back to face them, she said, "You may all leave. I don't need any of your assistance for the rest of the evening."
None of them moved. They glanced at each other, too afraid to look at her and too afraid to move.
"Are you all deaf? Or are you attempting to disrespect my authority?" she raised her voice.
This time, they listened. They bowed respectfully before leaving her in the hallway.
Athena looked up at the night sky. It was the same beautiful night scene she had just fallen in love with but now her mood was soured.
As she wondered what her next step should be, she felt a presence lurking behind her. She turned to see who it was, only to see nothing but an empty hallway.
"Who's there? Show yourself," she said sternly, careful to hide the quiver in her voice.
She cursed beneath her breath, she should have brought a concealed weapon. Perhaps a dagger. She quickly made a mental note to obtain one.
That was when Athena noticed a shadow hovering behind a rounded pillar, just a short distance away from her.
"I can see your shadow. Show yourself or you'll be worse off when I find out who you are!" she warned once more.
The person stepped out of the shadows with both hands up.
"I'm sorry, princess. I mean no harm," the young man said as he got down on one knee.
"Who are you?" she asked sternly.
From the armor and crests worn, she knew he was a captain in the palace guards. But she did not know his name.
"My name is Nikolai, your Highness. I'm a captain in the palace guards division," he replied.