Elara's eyes widened at the sight of the woman before her. She was beautiful—long dark hair that fell in soft waves down her back, striking ocean-blue eyes, tall and slender, and carried herself with a pride Elara couldn't quite place.
"Athena?" Elara said at last, her voice even. "I hate that it is under such awkward circumstances that I get to put a face to the name."
Athena's lips curved in a smile, slow and self-assured. "Are you saying you've heard of me, Your Grace?"
Elara turned her gaze toward the other ladies. "Please excuse us."
The ladies hesitated. Some looked to Athena, as if uncertain who held authority in that moment.
"I would not repeat myself," Elara said calmly.
That sent them moving—reluctantly and awkwardly, but they curtsied and stepped away, scattering like petals in the wind.
Now alone, Elara turned fully to face the woman who had haunted the edges of her marriage.
"If your life is so small that my marriage is your entertainment, then I pity you more than you mock me," Elara said bluntly.
"Oh, I do not mock you, Your Grace —It is only palace gossip. Rumours….that's all."
Elara nodded slightly. "And rumours are what they are and all they'll ever be."
Athena looked at her like she had just seen a goddess. Elara was beautiful, sharp and precise.
"You did not answer my question, Princess."
"To answer your question - yes, I have heard of you, but may I add that the words weren't pleasant," Elara said bluntly.
"Are you trying to strike me?" Athena smiled.
"I am only telling you what I know." Elara smiled back.
"And what do you know?" Athena said, stepping closer.
"You've been in my husband's heart for some time," she said. "But that doesn't make him yours."
Athena tilted her head. "And wearing a crown doesn't make you loved."
Elara's jaw tightened, but she comported herself. "You think love is what gives you power here? You forget your place."
"My place was beside him long before you arrived," Athena said, stepping closer. "I know his thoughts. His silences. The way his eyes shift when he's lying. —You only know his title."
"You speak as though he's still yours," Elara said coldly.
"And you speak as though you're not afraid of that possibility," Athena replied.
For the first time, a flicker of something—hurt or fury—flashed through Elara's eyes, but she did not let it stay.
"I have to admit. You are lovelier than I expected, no wonder he hesitated." Athena grinned.
"I'm guessing you speak of your meet-up in the pavilion." Elara raised a brow.
Athena's eyes shot up.
"Yes, I read your little note. Is that why you linger here? Hoping he'll never hesitate again?"
Athena's expression sharpened, though her tone remained silken.
"I linger because I have nothing to hide, can you say the same, My Lady? Or are you just playing Princess to a Prince who will never love you?"
Elara's jaw tightened. "You mistake your past indulgences for power, but you were never meant to sit beside him."
"And yet, I've known his heart longer than you've known his name."
The words struck, and Elara's composure nearly cracked. But instead, she stepped closer, her voice soft and cutting.
"You're clinging to a ghost. Kaelos chose duty, and that means he chose me. You're a story that should've ended years ago. But I see now that no one dared to close the book."
Athena's smile vanished. "It is surprising how you speak of Kaelos as though he fights for you the same."
Elara felt a wave of heat course through her.
"I am Elara Pendrell, I carry his name, I am his wife, he is my husband, and soon he will father our children, so I suggest that whatever fantasy you still have of Kaelos, burn them."
Something in Athena snapped. She reached out, grabbing Elara's arm—not hard, but firm enough that it was not mistaken for anything soft.
"You do not know him. You think you do, but you don't. Kaelos loves me and you, you are just the one he tolerates for the sake of the kingdom."
The tension between the two women heightened, and then suddenly a voice called from a distance.
"Unhand her!"
A palace guard had spotted the movement from across the courtyard and came rushing over, hand on his blade.
Everyone in the garden turned their eyes to see what the fuss was about.
Athena felt the eyes that gazed at her, and then she let go instantly, taking a step back.
Elara straightened. Her arm ached faintly beneath the silk of her sleeve, but her voice held steady. Her eyes didn't leave Athena's.
"She was just leaving," Elara said, holding a hand up to stop the guard.
"But, Your Grace—"
"She was just… leaving."
The guard stood down, though tension still clung to his posture.
Elara stepped forward, her hand on her stomach. Her voice came in as a whisper, but loud enough to be heard.
"I choose to pardon you now, but the next time you try something like that again. Make no mistake. I will have your head."
Athena said nothing, she stared at Elara, a flicker of anger in her eyes.
"You may escort her off the palace grounds," Elara said to the guard, walking away.
"And may she do well never to cross my path again." She whispered to herself as she went back inside the palace.
Elara stormed through the palace halls, her steps sharp and echoing. The guards at the entrance to her chambers bowed quickly, then exchanged uneasy glances as she threw the door open and slammed it shut behind her.
The silence in the room was shattered by the scream that tore from her throat.
"How dare she? How dare she lay claim to my marriage, my name, my husband?"
Elara's knees gave way, and she sank onto the edge of the bed, gripping the fabric of her dress like it was the only thing keeping her tethered.
She said he loved her. She said he always would.
But she'd also seen the flicker in Athena's eyes when Elara mentioned the pavilion. She'd seen the hesitation, the surprise.
So Kaelos hadn't told her everything. He hadn't told her goodbye either—had he?
What am I to him? she wondered.
Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but she forced them back. No. Not now.
She stood and walked to the mirror, wiping at her cheeks with the heel of her hand. In the mirror, she stared at herself—the fury, the pain, the fire. Then she straightened her shoulders.
"If he's mine, he'll prove it," she whispered to her reflection.
"If not…" Her throat tightened. Elara didn't know what else to say to comfort herself, so she burst into tears, her cries echoing through the quiet halls.
_______
The courtyard rang with the sound of steel meeting steel. It was twilight already, and the moon had begun to rise.
Kaelos moved with calculated force, sparring with one of the palace knights. His footwork was fast and measured. His strikes were sharp.
"Again," he barked, disarming the knight and tossing him a look of mild irritation.
"Is this how you plan to defend Aldovia? With wrists like that of a wimp. I said again!"
Before the knight could retrieve his sword, footsteps approached behind Kaelos.
"Your Highness," came Leopold's voice.
"Not now," Kaelos muttered, eyes fixed on his opponent.
"But, sire, it's important—"
"I said not now, Leo."
Leopold hesitated, then stepped closer. "It's about Princess Elara."
Kaelos lowered his blade slowly. "What about her?"
"There was a bit of a ruckus. In the garden square today."
Kaelos raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Leopold exhaled and said, "It was between the Princess and…"
"Come on, Leo, I don't have all day," Kaelos said, frustrated. "And who?"
"Athena," Leo said in a whisper.
The name struck like a blow. Kaelos dropped the sword instantly. It hit the ground with a metallic thud.
"What?"
"They say it got tense. Guards were involved. Athena was escorted off palace grounds… by Elara's order."
Kaelos was already moving.
He ran from the courtyard, pushing past servants and startled nobles. The garden was empty when he reached it—only the faint memory of tension lingered in the air.
He turned to a nearby guard. "Where is Princess Elara?"
The guard bowed stiffly. "Princess Elara returned to her chambers, Your Highness."
"And the other lady?" He asked.
"Well, she was escorted out by the Princess's orders."
Kaelos stood still, torn between disbelief and dread. He ran a hand through his damp hair. "Gods, Elara…"
He stood there a beat too long.
And then ran again, losing himself in the palace.
________
Elara sat before her vanity, staring at her reflection as though it might shatter from the weight of her thoughts.
Her hair was loosened now, and strands had come undone, falling like delicate silk around her face. Her gown was wrinkled from her clenched fists. But it wasn't the dishevelment that unsettled her.
It was the expression in her eyes.
Not fear. Not fury.
A quiet ache that had been building since the moment she stepped into this kingdom.
The door burst open.
She didn't flinch. She didn't move. Her eyes lifted in the mirror to meet the reflection of the man standing behind her, chest rising with heavy breaths, sword belt still hanging at his hip.
His eyes searched hers in the glass, but she remained still, like a painting come to life.
"Elara," he said quietly.
Still, she said nothing.
The silence between them stretched long and tight.
Then, slowly, she stood and turned to face him. Her movements were regal, but her eyes were no longer guarded.
She stepped toward him once. Close enough to feel the heat of his breath. Her voice, when it came, was not angry—it was hollow.
"Is she who you truly want?"
Kaelos looked stunned. "What?"
She didn't blink. "Athena."
He took a breath. "You think I planned this?" He said quietly. "That I wanted you to meet her that way?"
"I don't care how you wanted it." She said, her voice cracking. "You made me your wife and left me to look like a fool."
"Why do you keep thinking I want to humiliate you?" Kaelos said.
"Because you constantly do Kaelos. You do, and now she has too." She yelled.
"And for that, I am sorry, Elara." His voice was soft.
"She said she knows your silences," Elara whispered. "And your lies. That she was beside you long before I arrived. That you love her."
His jaw clenched. "And what did you say?"
Elara turned back, laughing.
"What did I say? Is that what you have to say to me, Kaelos?"
"I am sorry, but I do not know what to say if I don't know what you both spoke of. And maybe she didn't mean it that way."
"How dare you stand before me and defend her?" Elara fired.
"I am not defending her, I am only saying, you're not the only one who's hurt Elara. She had dreams, and they were taken from her."
"Dreams of what? Marrying you? Are you saying that I should pity her because I am married to you and she is not?"
"That is not what I am saying, Elara." Kaelos groaned.
"It sounds like that is exactly what you're saying."
Elara scoffed. Her patience was finally wearing thin.
"Let me make one thing clear: as long as I bear your name, I will not share my husband."
"Elara," Kaelos whispered.
"If you want her," she said, voice like steel, "then take her. But take her in front of Aldovia. Say it to the King. Say it to your Mother. Say it to me. But if you see her again behind my back, if I ever find another letter or another whisper of her name on your lips, we are done. Do you understand me?"
Kaelos stared at her in disbelief. He could tell she had been crying. But she wouldn't admit it.
"While you may love her in secret. I am your wife, and that is the only union that is recognised. So if you want Athena, you will take her and let us all know."
Elara headed back to the chair and sat back, staring at the mirror.
Kaelos shook his head. He wanted to speak, but couldn't find the right words. But something about Elara crying broke something in him.
"I shall be back." He said, heading toward the door.
"If you are going to see her," her voice came in sharp, "do not come back here, and I mean it."
She didn't wait to see if he turned around. She vanished into the closet, the door swinging shut behind her.
Kaelos stood still. He was going to see Athena, but he couldn't tell her that. He needed answers. And he needed to know why it felt like Elara's words had split him in two.
He shut the door lightly. As if not wanting Elara to know.
He left the palace like a stranger in the night. As he mounted his horse and rode through the twilight-tinged palace gates, the hollow in his chest wasn't about Athena.
It was about the look in Elara's eyes. Betrayed- yet bold.
By the time he reached the outskirts of the palace, he didn't know if he was running toward something or away.
But Kaelos knew there was trouble on both sides of his heart, and eventually he would have to choose which one to live with.