Born In The Dungeons

Chapter 4: Athena

"Dungeon girl?" Princess Athena gasped when I turned around and dropped my fist. "What are you doing to Alexios?"

I remained quiet. How could I possibly justify my behaviour toward the prince? It must have looked even worse when observed from an outside perspective. A servant being violent to a royal? Unacceptable. I was so blinded by my irritation with Alexios that I forgot about proper etiquette. He infuriated me to the depths of my soul and I've only met him today.

"I..." I bit my lip and turned to Alexios for help. His face was impassive and he didn't offer any explanation to the princess who was currently looking back and forth between us. I sighed. What was I thinking? The brute would never willingly help me.

I looked back at the princess, seeing her curious expression. She was still waiting for an explanation. Then she suddenly giggled, covering her mouth. "Don't worry, I saw everything. You're quite interesting, dungeon girl. No other servant would ever try that."

She cocked her head to the side, observing me. "Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone dare to raise their hand on my brother." I shifted my weight from one foot to another, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Are you occupied at the moment?" Princess Athena smiled. "I wish to get to know you. You could help me with my dresses?"

I was taken aback by her invitation, unsure of her true intentions. She may have worded it as a question, but I knew that I could not refuse a princess's wishes. I nodded. "I can help you, Your Highness."

Her grin widened. 

Alexios grunted behind me. "Good. I won't be needed then. I assume you can show her to the east wing yourself?" he addressed his sister. 

Princess Athena nodded, hooking her arm around mine and leading me away from the prince. I heard his door open and close behind us. He must have been very relieved to get rid of me. Our feelings were mutual.

I looked at the princess, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach. She's known to treat servants poorly, and I wondered why she was being kind to me. There must be some ulterior motive. My mother's warning not to trust anyone in this castle except for Rose came to mind. I had to be cautious around Princess Athena.

The princess grinned at me when she noticed my stare. I smiled back, not wishing to show my distrust. In a few short minutes, we stood outside another wooden door identical to the one outside of the prince's chambers. Athena pushed open the door and we walked in, our arms still hooked together.

I looked around the room. Piles and piles of dresses in different colours and styles littered the carpeted space. There was a large pile on the floor, on a big bed in the middle of the room, and even on top of a tall dresser cabinet. There must have been hundreds of dresses in these chambers. My mouth hung open at the sight before me.

Princess Athena stepped over a red dress that lay on the floor by the entrance and pulled me with her. I was careful not to step on any of the beautiful gowns as I followed the princess to the middle of the room.

Even if her chambers were currently in a messy state, I could still see how beautiful and spacious they were. I didn't get a chance to observe the prince's chambers because of that unfortunate incident with his towel. I blushed in embarrassment as the image of Alexios resurfaced in my mind.

"What are you blushing about?" Athena inquired in a teasing tone. I cleared my throat, shaking my head and willing my mind to forget about the prince.

"Nothing, Your Highness," I replied.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" the princess asked me, releasing my arm.

"No, Your Highness," I said. She did make me feel uneasy, but she didn't have to know that. "Your Highness?" Princess Athena raised her eyebrows when I addressed her. "Why did you want to get to know me?"