Athena winced as the door slammed behind her.
Her father's voice echoed through the house like a thunderclap.
"What were you thinking?"
She didn't answer, she merely sat on the edge of the bench near the hearth, peeling off her gloves slowly, as if that might delay the storm.
He strode in, eyes blazing. "You laid hands on the Princess of Aldovia in full view of the palace court."
Athena looked up, calm but defiant. "She provoked me."
"She is the Crown Princess!" he snapped. "She could've had you thrown in the dungeons—and no one would've stopped her."
Athena stood abruptly, tossing her gloves to the side. "And yet, she didn't. So perhaps she's not as untouchable as you think."
"You think this is about pride?" he hissed, lowering his voice, stepping closer. "This is about survival, girl. You're lucky she only had you escorted off the grounds."
Athena crossed her arms. "I am not afraid of her."
Her father stared at her for a long moment, his jaw clenched in fury. "Then you are a fool."
"Father—" she snapped, voice rising.
"You seem not to realise what you've done," he said coldly, stepping toward her. "You laid hands on the Princess—do you think that's something you walk away from untouched?"
"I was only defending myself. Isn't that what you taught me?" Athena stepped back, her voice laced with bitter defiance.
"So now you choose to heed what I teach you?" he said. "Is that it, Athena?"
"I choose to do what I think is right for—"
He raised a hand, sharp and commanding, silencing her.
"Tomorrow, you will go to the palace. You will apologise to the Princess for your misconduct, and you will make certain she accepts it."
"I will do no such thing," Athena shot back, eyes blazing. "I did nothing wrong."
"You did everything wrong," he hissed. "She could have demanded your execution, and no one would question it. Not even the Prince you so clearly hold in your heart."
Athena's jaw tensed. "She's the one parading around like she owns him."
"She does," he said flatly. "By law and crown. And until you understand that, until you learn your place in this game, you are a liability to yourself and this family."
Before she could retort, her father turned, grabbing his staff from the hook near the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To the palace," he muttered. "To make amends before she changes her mind and sends someone back for your head."
The door creaked open again, and Athena's father froze.
Prince Kaelos stood on the threshold, the soft lamplight catching the dust on his boots and the strain in his expression. He looked as though he hadn't stopped running since the moment the chaos began.
Athena's father stiffened, eyes widening slightly. He bowed at once. "Your Highness."
Kaelos didn't return the gesture—he only gave the man a short nod. "Seer Modrich." He said, but his eyes were fixed on Athena.
Her father took the cue. He stepped out, brushing past Kaelos in the doorway. "She's still breathing, at least," he muttered under his breath as he disappeared into the night.
Kaelos closed the door behind him, slow and quiet, as if the moment might collapse if he moved too fast.
Athena stood still, waiting.
"What were you thinking, Athena?" Kaelos began.
"Do not tell me you're here to lecture me as well, Your Grace," she said sarcastically.
"You shouldn't have touched her," Kaelos said.
Athena tilted her head. "Then she shouldn't have threatened me."
He didn't argue. Just stared at her, jaw working like he was chewing down a storm of words.
"So," she said at last, "did you come here for my apology… or something else?"
"I came here to talk sense into you. You can't just frolic around making a mess of yourself, most especially in the palace." Kaelos said, voice rising.
Athena gave a hollow laugh, stepping closer. "Oh, I see. You're here as the dutiful husband now. Come to defend your princess's honour. So noble of you."
"I'm not defending her. I'm defending the boundaries you crossed."
"You mean the ones you broke first?" she said sharply. "Or have you forgotten whose bed you used to crawl into before they shoved a crown on your head and told you who to love?"
"That does not matter now, because my decisions are no longer my own, and if Elara chose to harm you, then I would have no say."
"Are you already telling me that you would not have a spine when you are king?" She asked, raising her brow.
Kaelos paced around the room, frustrated. "I am telling you that whatever irrational choices you make out of your emotions, the consequences are yours to deal with."
She looked at him, her eyes glistening from the moonlight that peered through a tiny hole in the doorframe.
"Where is your love, Kaelos?" She asked.
"What?"
"Where is the love that you had before you gave another woman your name?"
He looked at her then, at the hurt buried beneath her fire, at the woman who had stood beside him for years when no one else truly saw him.
"You still mean a lot to me, Athena, that hasn't changed." He said softly.
"And Elara?" Athena asked. "Is she something too?"
"She's my wife," Kaelos said tightly. "This marriage… it binds me. Whether I wanted it or not."
"Then why are you here?" Athena whispered. "Why did you come?"
There was the heat of silence that struck them.
"I do not know." He said in a whisper.
"Why are you not with her right now? Why are you not apologising on my behalf and telling her that she is the one who means a lot."
Kaelos shook his head, confused. "I don't know." He said again.
Athena stepped forward, slowly. Her hand came up, brushed against the edge of his jaw. "Liar," she said gently. "You know. You always know."
He didn't pull away.
And in the heat of the moment, when her lips met his, Kaelos didn't stop it.
Not when her fingers slipped behind his neck.
Not when his hands found her waist with aching familiarity.
Not even when he remembered Elara's breaking voice and teary eyes.
______
Elara couldn't sleep. Her mind circled Kaelos's final silence, the confrontation, her threats, and the hollow ache that still sat heavy in her chest.
She had waited in their chambers until the candles burned low, hoping he would return. But he didn't.
She rose from bed, her breath shallow, and moved to the window. The night air was cool, but it burned against her skin.
She was certain he went to see Athena. So had to go to him. The guards outside her door would stop her if she asked too many questions, let alone leave by this hour.
But there was another way.
She changed quickly, tugged a cloak over her shoulders, and slid the window open. Elara climbed the partitions on the wall until she quietly landed on the floor.
She approached the stable with careful steps, mounting the first horse she found.
A guard's words rang in her mind during her conflict with Athena— she remembered him saying she lived somewhere past the eastern grove, near the stone fence.
So she rode. Past sleeping houses and moonlit trees. When she got to the outskirts, Elara scanned for signs. For anything that could tell her of Kaelos' whereabouts.
But she found nothing, so she sat on a wooden bench near a basket of fresh fruits until she saw it. A horse—his horse—tethered outside a small cottage.
Her heart thudded. No guards. No pretence.
She dismounted slowly, her fingers trembling as she approached the side of the house.
Elara heard whispers come from within, voices she so clearly knew, and she climbed a stone large enough to lift her.
And there, through the window, she saw him.
Kaelos.
His hand on Athena's cheek. A gaze soft with longing.
Elara froze, her breath hitching, and she watched closely as her heart pounding with every breath she took.
And then his mouth found Athena's, a kiss rough and urgent.
"No," Elara whispered. But the word caught in her throat.
Kaelos pulled away from the kiss for just a moment, his breath ragged. "We shouldn't…"
"Then don't," Athena whispered, tugging at the fastenings of his tunic.
"If this is not what you want, walk away." She said, her hands trailing down his chest.
Kaelos felt a hunger in him, one that wasn't there at the start.
In a swift motion, he turned Athena by the waist, backing her into him.
A laugh escaped her lips.
Her hands flew to the table's edge for support as Kaelos shoved her dress up roughly.
The sound of his belt unbuckling echoed through the room, urgent and raw.
Elara could only watch, frozen, as he thrust into Athena from behind.
A gasp tore from Athena's lips, followed by a low moan as her body rocked against the table.
Kaelos grunted, one hand gripping her hip, the other snaking forward to cup her breast through her bodice.
He didn't slow. The table creaked beneath them, trembling under the force of each thrust.
Athena cried out, her voice sharp and breathless as Kaelos moved harder, faster, lost in the heat of it.
Her knuckles turned white where she clutched the edge of the table, hair falling into her face as her head dropped forward.
And all the while, Elara stood outside the window.
Watching. Hoping he would stop.
Her mouth parted in silent agony, the scene searing itself into her mind with every ragged breath Kaelos took, with every soft gasp Athena made.
Her knees trembled.
She wanted to look away. She needed to. But she couldn't.
Tears gathered in her eyes, then one slipped free, cutting a hot trail down her cheek. She covered her mouth with both hands, stifling a cry.
When Kaelos let out a deep groan, burying himself in Athena again, Elara turned away. Her chest heaved.
She stumbled off the stone, landing hard on the ground, her cloak catching in a thorn bush. She yanked it free and staggered to her horse, climbing up with the last of her strength.
The world around her felt too quiet.
Too cruel. Like everyone and everything was against her.
She couldn't go back. Not to the palace.
Not to him. Not after this.
She would not stand and watch him lie to her face after she told him not to go.
So she turned the horse toward the winding paths beyond the eastern grove and rode into the night, fast and directionless. Trees blurred past. The wind burned her eyes.
But Elara didn't stop; she kept moving, urging the horse to move even faster.
The moon followed her like a witness. The wind howled louder and then —
A sound split the night.
A loud, terrifying shriek.
It came from the Aldovian forest—piercing and distinct, a sound not made by man or beast. It rang across the valley, ancient and full of grief, loud enough to silence the world for a breath.
Elara's horse reared in terror. She screamed, grabbing the reins, but it was too late. The horse jolted sideways, hooves lashing out, and she was thrown from the saddle.
She hit the ground with a cry, her ankle twisting painfully beneath her—but worse was the crack of her head against a fallen log, sharp and final.
Far off in the night, Kaelos froze mid-motion. He pulled away from Athena, breathless. The sound had reached them, too. His hand went instinctively to his side, where no sword hung. Athena looked at him, wide-eyed, her voice catching. "What was that?"
At the palace, King Aegeus stood at his balcony, eyes narrowed toward the distant woods.
His hands clenched the rail as the shriek faded. He looked at his wife, who seemed like she had just been awoken from her sleep.
"Did you hear that, My Lord?" She asked.
King Aegeus nodded slightly.
"After all these years…" he murmured.
Back in the grove, Elara's breathing slowed. Her body slumped against the cold earth, cloak twisted beneath her. The pain pulsed behind her eyes—until even that ebbed.
The last thing she felt was the taste of blood on her tongue and the cool kiss of night air on her face.
Then, all that fell upon her was darkness.