Part 29

Talia's eyes flew back open, her heart hammering against her chest. Without much thinking, she summoned to her sister, voice whiny and loud. The moon princess couldn't think of anyone else but Artemis.

"Please!" She added, panic quickly rising in the pit of her stomach.

The door to her room opened only a minute later, her sister poking her head inside with a tired frown. "What are you yelling for?"

"I did something bad."

Her sister crossed her arms against her chest, brow lifted. "What are you on about? You're still in bed, Talia." Talia shifted under the duvet, eyes abruptly flickering back to the ceiling. "Are you okay?"

The daughter of Zeus swallowed thickly, feeling her stomach curl into a tight ball, hefty like a rock inside her. The previous night was a complete blur of messy memories: yelling, fighting, cursing at Ajaxson and drinking. In that plethora of memories, it included her betrothed letting it slip how much he regrets agreeing to give her away. If not for Lukas, he would have his way with her.

Just thinking about the night made Talia nearly whimper, hand flying up to press her lips shut before she did something equally as embarrassing. Like, cry.

The sound of her sisters hell clicking against the floor echoed in her ears, the bed dipping as she sat down on edge. "You don't look entirely well, sister of mine."

Talia suppressed a groan at the obvious statement. She barely knew how to comprehend everything that had happened. Last night had been different from the start of their evening. Talia hadn't even attempted to bottle down her emotions, yelling at him, and Ajaxson didn't hesitated to argue back. The liquor they then proceeded to consume seemed to have nudged their feelings closer to the tip of their tongues, and they'd meticulously expelled them at one another.

Ajaxson, more than her, seemed to have revealed his true colours. He'd been upset, perhaps even hurt, when she had insulted his gentlemanly ways, calling him fake to which her betrothed had delivered a shockingly disrespectful response. Of course, it was the last resort, for the moon princess had thrown a fit then, thoughtlessly causing a scene in the midst of their diner.

Ajaxson—polite, gentle, introverted soul who had walls around him appeared exact opposite of that the night before. Why would he say those things? Granted, they were slightly drunk, but it didn't make her feel better.

"Talia?" Her sister prompted, and she threw her a short glance, eyes quickly returning to the ceiling above them. Artemis hand closed around her leg over the covers, squeezing worriedly. "What happened last night? I heard that you came back after the curfew timing."

"We... um," The moon princess stammered, her fingers wrung together awkwardly. She was ashamed to admit the kind of trouble they got in the night before.

Artemis brow furrowed. "What?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Talia merely raised her head. No words came out of her throat; mouth pressed in a thin line.

"What happened?" She whispered, hand stroking over her shin. "Did you fight? Did he say something? Tell me"

Talia squeezed his eyes shut. The fighting wasn't even close to what happened the night before. Sure she was annoyed with him and wanted to stay that way, but Ajaxson convinced her to let go. That he will try to be more accommodating.

"Don't tell anyone," She begged anxiously. "But we drank together, and he confessed his hidden feelings."

"Uhh...what?"

Talia closed her eyes shut, fisting the material of the duvet under her palm before nodding. "Yes. He told me if not for Lukas, Ajaxson would have proposed me already."

Her cheeks flushed red as the moon princess recalled those exact words. The God was slurring, trying his best to make sense as he blurted out his feelings. Her skin felt taut across his whole body. "What am I going to do? I'm not marrying him."

"Talia..." Her sister let out a tired sigh, and she wasn't even sure what it meant.

The moon princess couldn't believe his audacity, almost contemplating telling Lukas but thought against it. It would only cause her love to worry and have unnecessary thoughts about him.

Lost in thought, she nearly jumped out of her skin upon hearing a rapt knock on the door. She hoped with all of her might that it wasn't her stepmother with another of her stupid engagement planning activity. Talia had enough of that for the rest of the week. She sank further into the mattress beneath her as Artemis invited the person on the other side inside.

One of the nymphs stood in the doorway, eyes apologetic as she noticed Talia still in bed. "Your majesty asked you both to join the patio for breakfast."

"What for?" Artemis asked.

"There's a guest joining the table today."

Talia's eyes felt halfway out of their sockets by the time her brain had digested the information, a wave of anxiety rushing through her veins. The morning wasn't shaping up well. Who was this mysterious guest? For her own sake, she hoped it wasn't Ajaxson or any of his family. The very thought of facing them after last night made her stomach twist.

"Okay. Thank you. We will join shortly."

Talia sighed. "It's alright, Artemis. You go ahead. I'll get dressed and join you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

Her sister got on her feet, giving one last look before closing the door of her room.

***

The moon princess descended the stairs after a shower, having combed back her messy hair, and dressed in proper clothes. After a strange second glance in the mirror, she trudged out of her room just in time for the meal.

Outside on the patio, the rest of her family were already seated. For once, they hadn't waited for her to join them. It was unusual, but she didn't think much of it until her eyes caught on the spot by her father's right. Ajaxson. He sat back with a casual grin on his face, talking about his horses with her brother.

Her brain struggled to understand the situation. What was he doing here? Since when did he randomly turn up to the Castle without intimation? Did her father call him? Worry lines marred her face, trying to figure it out.

Just then, she caught sight of reverend Orion sitting on the added chair at the table, grey-haired and dressed in black. Now that's a bit of surprise. Orion didn't get out much, not to family meals at least, so there must be a reason for his arrival.

"Talia," Hera cleared her throat, her voice calm. "This is Reverend Orion, as you already know. We invited him over for meal today."

"It's a pleasure to meet you?" She said, uttering the sentence almost like an inquiry.

"And you," Orion replied, smile warm but mismatching the purposeful look in his eyes.

Ignoring the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, Talia found her sisters on the other side. They barely lifted their heads. Confounded, she cleared her throat, eyes flicking around the table and catching Artemis staring into her empty plate. Did they know something?

"We decided it's better to push the engagement date forward. Why wait for a day or two?"

The moon princess stared across the table, stiff as a stick, incapable of so much as blinking. Dread settled in her chest, numbness spreading throughout her body.

"It has come to my attention that you are betrothed to this fine creature, Ajaxson", Orion started. "I offer my sincerest well-wishes to the both of you. Love is one of the purest forms of treasure, and we believe it needs to be celebrated. That's why I am here."

Talia glanced around the table, finding Ajaxson silently keeping his eyes downcast, while her mother appeared joyous. After all, that's what she wanted. The moon princess gritted her teeth, trying to take deep breaths.

"I believe you two are too eager to get this union over with." Orion teased.

Then it clicked her. Her late-night date with Ajaxson might have left an impression on her parents. They must be convinced that Talia fully accepted him. A huff escaped her lips. How did that get to this? She should have never agreed to a private meeting with him. That was so naive of her! What if he planned it all along?

"So", Orion started. "I have already spoken with your parents, matched your names and birthdates before arriving to a conclusion. Tomorrow is the best date for your engagement."

Talia's mouth dropped open as her family celebrated around her. As always, her betrothed nodded his head, choosing to stay silent.

The breakfast wrapped up not much later; Talia was forced to shake the reverend's hand with a faux grin, chest constricting the entire time. Hera, along with Zeus, bid goodbye to Ajaxson as they had to proceed with the preparations. Her betrothed didn't seem deterred at that; instead grasping at Talia's hand in front of them and smiled.

Once her parents were out of sight, the moon princess turned around to glare at him.

"You need to leave now, Ajaxson," She said, and her voice wasn't harsh, but neither was it amicable.

"Of course, darling. I've overstayed my welcome," He replied casually, lip twitching upward as he caught her eye. "I'll see you at our engagement tomorrow."

With that, Ajaxson took her hand in his and placed a tiny kiss on the top before retreating down the carriageway with a casual wave.

Talia twisted her mouth, staring after him with a tumble of confusing emotions ripping her insides.

***