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Lady Aphros hummed to herself as she went over her upcoming itinerary while she swirled her finger in her long blonde locks. A light scent of citrus and wine wafted through her bedroom, courtesy of a freshly sprayed perfume. The full moon hung high in the sky, a sign to Aphros that it would be a lovely night.
“I think I should step up Orion’s training,” the noble mused, “at least before Aré’s slave-driving forces Serena to surpass him. I can’t have her holding that over me.” She recrossed her legs as she picked up the paper-thin holotablet she was working on.
“Oh, the MPG station visit is next week. I almost forgot,” Aphros clicked her tongue. “I can just pawn that off onto the princesses. I’ll spin it as a family outing…Oh wait, we don’t have enough security to send all three on short notice. Most of our usual guards are busy that week. Stupid noble conference. It won’t even have the whole council there, but we have all experienced hands on deck, or Aré will pitch a fit. I guess I’ll only send Atlanta then…or maybe…” Aphros wracked her brain over her conundrum for a bit but soon decided it wasn’t worth the energy and moved on. “I’ll just let Aré figure it out.”
“Let’s think about something more fun, like the Hyperion Games!” Aphros chirped. “It’ll be Orion and Serena’s break-out year. And that Penelo girl, too. I can’t wait for…” She paused as a horrible realization crept up on her. “Right…‘They’ll’ be returning to the palace right before the games, won’t they? I still haven’t figured out how to break the news to them that Caenia left, but I’m sure with a little more time, I can-.” The ringing of her communicator interrupted the noble’s thought. Aphros looked at the device on her wrist, and her blood ran cold as she saw the symbol on the little screen that acted as caller ID.
“It’s her,” the blonde gulped. “I guess Serena has a point about conjuring your worst-case scenario by saying it out loud. Normally, I’d let it go to voicemail, but if I don’t answer, she’ll think something is wrong and call Aré, and that will only make things worse for me. No problem, I can do this, I’m me.” She answered the call.
“Good evening, Lady Aphros. It’s been too long,” a soft voice emanated from the device. It was as cool and refreshing to listen to as the ocean on a peaceful summer night. Yet, Aphros’s heart rate continued to rise.
“Good evening, err Morning, or whatever time it is. I don’t know how the time difference works for you,” Aphros joked nervously. “How are you doing Lady P-?”
“No need for pleasantries, Lady Aphros, I’m calling about Caenia,” the voice interrupted. “I’ve been sensing something terrible in her future for months now, but I only just got the opportunity to call you about it.”
“Whatever is happening, I’m sure you two can work it out,” Aphros deflected.
“That’s the thing,” the voice replied, “I’ve been trying to call her communicator, but she never picks up.” Aphros glanced to her desk, where a silver communicator she retrieved from Caenia’s old room hung off an ornate jewelry stand. Upon further inspection, the device had 23 missed calls on its screen. “I thought she might be busy, but now I’m unsure. That’s why I decided to call you. I figured I left her in good hands under your supervision, so you’d have to know where she was.”
“Well, you know how she can be sometimes,” Aphros sweated. “We’re so busy busy over here. But she’s still found time to bond with the new staff.”
“New staff? I wasn’t aware of any Diane coming of age, or did you hire someone from another family outside the palace,” the voice asked.
“Um,” Aphros realized she was in a catch-22. Technically, both answers were true, but revealing the details behind either would not be a good look for her. “It’s a long story…”
“Lady Aphros, cease your nonsense. Where is Caenia?” The voice became firm. It was still mostly soft, but like the sea, you could feel the rising tension, as if a storm was coming.
“It’s a very long story. I promise to catch you up, but it’d be best if I brought you to her first,” Aphros assured. ‘This should be fine. I know where Caenia usually hangs out at this hour. Besides, it’s not like anything has happened with her these past several months, so why now?’
“You have ten minutes, or I’m calling everyone else to get the full story,” the voice warned.
“Please give me thirty. It’s a bit of a trek,” Aphros pleaded.
“Fifteen,” the call was cut off.
“Better get moving,” Aphros rushed out the door. “This is bad. I’m never going to hear the end of this.” The noble darted down the halls, but the sound of shouting caught her attention. It sounded like Aré and Serena, which was not an abnormal occurrence. Still, the screaming match sounded far more intense than usual, even for them. Aphros could practically feel the hate and resentment flooding down the hall. “I better check on this.” She ducked into the side room the two were in.
“What’s going on here?” Aphros entered. On one side of the room was Lady Aré, who looked like she was about to say something but stopped when she saw Aphros. On the other was Serena, who looked on the verge of tears. “Aré, what did you say to the poor girl this time?”
“Fuck off!” Serena screamed at Aphros and stormed out of the room. Aphros was too stunned to reply and let the girl leave without argument.
“Seriously, what did you say to her?” Aphros looked at Aré in shock. She had seen Serena angry before (mostly at herself), but that usually resulted in witticisms or self-deprecation from the maid. This anger came from somewhere far more personal.
“I was only acting in the best interest of the palace. At least, I thought so,” Aré began. “What happened was…” The noble explained the situation and the more Aphros heard the less she liked of it.
“You did what?” Aphros exclaimed.
May This Fantasy Continue A Little Longer…
Next Time: Chapter 25, Caenia’s Return Part 1
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It is best to never let problematic situations fester and develop. If you know you have an issue you should always discuss it with the relevant people right away, that leads to a healthy and productive workplace.
Author's Note: And that ends Volume 3. I hope you enjoyed this small preview of Volume 4, the story is going to heat up very soon. Like I said before, it'll be a while before Volume 4 starts, so look forward to the other things I have set to release in the meantime.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
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