Waiting

"Perfect, bring me the chair," Athena instructed.

This was the chair the princess had specially requested the royal carpenters to make. It was a foldable chair with a backrest that could be lowered to different degrees, a modern deck chair. 

Without the slightest hesitation, Athena instructed her servants to fix up the chair for her. Then, she took a seat and made herself comfortable. 

That left everyone speechless. 

Wendy, her maid, knew better than to question the princess' decisions. Seeing her indifference, the other maids and servants didn't dare question anything. 

But for the palace guards who guarded the gates to the Queen's quarters, it was a little different. One of them eventually passed on a message to the Queen to inform her of what was happening. 

"Oh? She's still waiting at the gates?" The Queen asked nonchalantly as if it was the first time she had heard the news. 

After that, she did not spare Princess Athena another thought. She continued her conversations with her daughter without care.

Outside, Athena waited patiently. Though she was getting comfortable in her seat, she knew she had to do something. Wendy had brought her everything she needed. Seeing as the Queen still had not sent anyone to get her, Athena sighed. 

Athena got up from her seat and signaled her entourage to follow her. As she got closer to the gates, the palace guards stopped her. But this time, she did not wait for them to speak. Instead, she pushed through and made her way in with a wide smile. 

"Princess… Princess! You do not have permission to enter…" Their voices eventually faded into the distance as Athena and her entourage ventured further into the mansion. 

Based on memory, Athena headed towards an open green pasture in the gardens of the mansion. She picked a spot and proceeded to instruct her maids and servants to set up the things she had asked them to bring. 

Wendy, who was doing as the princess asked, was still confused by it all. 

"Princess, I don't understand, what are you doing?"

Athena greeted her question with a gleaming smile, "I'm so glad you asked, Wendy. I thought since I had plenty of time to spare, I'm going to have a barbecue."

Back in the main building of the mansion, Queen Catalina was engaged in conversation when a messenger came running in. 

"What is it now?" She asked in annoyance when she noticed the flustered look on the messenger's face. 

"Your… Your Highness! It's Princess Athena! She… she…"

"Spit it out now or you'll never speak again!" She warned in annoyance. 

The messenger got down on their knees, quickly collecting their words before continuing, "My Queen, Princess Athena ignored the guards at the gates and trespassed in. She… she's in the gardens-"

"Did you smell that?" Queen Catalina asked as she sniffed the air. 

The windows were wide open so the smell from the garden wafted in. The Queen's expression darkened upon the realization of what had happened. She immediately got up on her feet and made her way towards the garden. 

Everyone followed suit. When they got to the garden and saw what Princess Athena was doing, everyone was stunned. It took Queen Catalina a few seconds to figure out what was happening. 

Princess Athena was lounging in her deck chair while her servants and maids were preparing a feast on the grill. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" Queen Catalina yelled at the top of her lungs when she saw what was going on. 

All of the servants and maids flinched at the sound of the Queen's voice. All of them stopped what they were doing immediately and got down on their knees to greet the Queen. 

Princess Athena moved slowly. She turned to face the Queen, refusing to get up from her seat to greet her. Queen Catalina was livid. She was so angry she could not even speak. 

"Your Highness, I hope you don't mind, I'm just making myself comfortable," Athena said casually as she got up from her chair. 

"Making yourself comfortable?" The Queen's voice was shaky with anger. 

"Yes, I've been told to wait, so I decided to make myself comfortable," she replied with a smile, "But now that you're here my Queen, perhaps you would like to tell me why you've summoned me?" 

Queen Catalina looked back at the setup Athena had made in her garden, then back at the princess. Her mouth was agape, uncertain of what to address first. 

She took a step forward and raised her hand to slap Athena across the face. 

Athena saw it coming. But she let it happen. 

Pak!

The slap rang throughout the garden. Some held their breath, others gasped in shock. The queen struck the princess! The King's favorite daughter! The ring of the slap seemingly gave the Queen a sense of clarity.

When she realized what she had done, a shiver ran down her spine. 

Tears fell from Athena's eyes. She cupped her cheek, lips trembling. Before the Queen could say or do anything else, Athena spun on her heels and ran off. All of her servants and maids followed suit, along with Sir Daric who had witnessed the entire altercation. 

Queen Catalina cursed beneath her breath as she looked at the mess left behind. She was fuming with anger when her personal maid, Anna, came up to her from behind. 

"My Queen, what should we do?" She asked worriedly. 

"What should I do? What is there to do?!" Queen Catalina replied, voice filled with anger, "She can cry to her father all she wants, let's see who he's going to side with." 

"She's just a weak little thing. All she knows how to do is cry to others. What more can she do?" The Queen continued to scoff. 

Sometime later, King Orion called for her. Queen Catalina went to meet him at once. She held her head high, seeing as she had done nothing wrong. The princess had made a mess of her garden and got a slap on the face for it. 

It was well within her right as Queen to do so. 

"My Queen, would you like to explain to me what happened?" King Orion asked as soon as Queen Catalina entered the drawing room. 

Princess Athena was nowhere to be seen. 

"My King, I don't think I understand what you're referring to."

"You struck Athena across the face, did you not?" He asked sternly. 

"That I did. I was well within my rights to do so. She made a mess of my garden!"