Calina
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When I walked out of the bathroom, Knox was seated on the chaise lounge. I hovered in the doorway when our eyes clashed across the room, seconds dragged like minutes. The surrounding air charged in that way it usually did when it was just the two of us-those invisible strings binding us together.

Standing, Knox jammed his fist into the pockets of his black jeans. Damn. He looked incredible. Why was he dressed so casually?

"Can we talk?" His voice pulled my focus back to the matter at hand. My anger.

A quick up and down of my shoulders, I walked over to him, robotic and stiff in the legs. I kept a good ten feet between us and said, "I don't need to be handled with kid gloves. I need someone that trust's me to make my own choices, not someone who smothers me with overprotection. If I want to learn a new skill, then that is what I'm going to do. I don't give a damn what the protocols are."

"It's not about not trusting you." Knox let out a long-suffering sigh, rubbing his temples. " It's about the weight of your responsibilities. Every decision you make has consequences far beyond what you might see. What you don't seem to understand is how valuable your life is. You have a responsibility to your country and part of that commitment is keeping yourself safe. When monarchs fall, it is a bloodbath if there is no heir apparent. Your country would be in limbo and the Greecian culture could fade into the background if another country reigns over it. I never intended on making you feel smothered."

I clenched my fists, feeling the anger bubble up again. "That's a bit dramatic. I was learning how to shoot a gun. I wasn't doing anything that would put me in danger. Besides... I'm more pissed that you yelled at my guard."

Knox stared at me for a long moment, the tension between us palpable. Finally, he nodded slowly. "You're right. I overstepped. I saw you with him, with that gun, and I got tunnel vision. The thought of you ever needing to shoot one means that your guards have failed you. You're flanked by four guards at all times."

"And so that means what? That I should stay ignorant where guns are involved. That's backwards thinking."

"Your guards, at least one, should get you somewhere safe. There should never be a need for you to handle a gun. Your father trained you to fight in hand to hand combat and how to disarm someone with a weapon. He didn't train you with a gun for a reason."

"And let me guess. You know the reason. Try to remember he is a man you've never met." My voice was Arctic. He was walking a very thin line.

Knox carried on despite my hard tone."Odds are... he didn't train you because pointing the barrel of a gun at a person takes a different kind of training. To kill or be killed is the question you'd face, and that hesitation could mean your life. So it's best not to be involved. These guards have had years of training to handle a gun and shoot without pause. Besides, I met your father. I was only four. My parents brought gifts to yours after you were born." He plastered on a soft smile that normally made my icy heart melt into a puddle. Except, I was still fuming.

"Yeah, well, that counts for shit." I walked over to the door, pulling it open and swept my hand toward it and him.

His eyes grew sharper, his body taut and rigid. "You're kicking me out?"

"Is there more you wanted to say? Or were you hoping to control some other aspects of my life?"

"Calina, that's a bit callous, don't you think?"

His eyes roamed over my features like a caress, a crooked grin appeared. It was only fleeting, but it was enough for my mind to go blank and forget that I was angry. My brain definitely did not register that he had moved closer to me. Knox closed the door, then his fingers slid down my forearm, catching my fingers and pulling me against him. His hands traveled down, circling my waist, dipping his head to kiss my temple. Effectively sending my heart into palpitations.

"Were you jealous of Ira?" Hadn't intended on actually asking that damn question, but it was stuck and floating in the forefront of my mind like iridescent bubbles and I couldn't ignore it.

"No. Maybe." He sighed. "Of course not. I know he is engaged. Though If he hadn't stuck a gun in your hands he would have had no reason to touch you. I overstepped, and I apologized to you."

"That sounds suspiciously like jealousy." I giggled, trying to lighten the mood. "Now when exactly did you apologize?"

Knox tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling but keeping his arms wrapped around me. Silence punctured the air for a few beats.

"Fuck. You're right, I didn't apologize," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "In my head, I did about a thousand times. How about we forget about this morning? I lost my head. I'd lose my mind if something happened to you and at that moment, I wasn't thinking clearly. I am sorry. I really mean that and I am not in any way trying to control you."

There was so much sincerity in his voice, but the frustration from earlier still lingered, and I needed some time to process everything.

"There was a reason I sought you out this morning,"Knox continued, his eyes locking with mine. "I wondered if you wanted to get away from here for a few hours. There's a small village a few miles down the hill we could explore. I cleared it with Queen Ekko."

"I can't. I'm busy." Pushing against his chest, he released me and I stepped back, creating much needed space.

"Really? You're going to be so stubborn that you'd rather stay in your 'gilded cage' than to explore a town?"

I cracked a smile when he used finger quotes around gilded cage. "I really am busy. I've been putting off my responsibilities and they are seriously stacking up against me. It's making Theo even more grouchy than usual."

"Plaka village holds the record for best pistachio baklava in the world and it sits right below your palace. You sure you want to miss out on that?"

"This face is part of Greecian history and I'm not ready to reign. So yes, I'm going to miss out on exploring the village."

"Your grandmother approved of this trip. We will all dress down, wear disguises, including the guards detailing us. It should feel a little like your old life in Rogue country, just a thousand times safer and prettier."

I chuckled. He never missed an opportunity for taking cheap shots at Freedom.

"Umm... fine. Alright." With a heavy sigh, I accede as if this was torture instead of a truly generous gift.

Knox held up a silver choker style necklace and a rectangular kit for contact lenses. "The necklace is photostatic nanotechnology that will alter your features. You'll need a hat too because up close the technology phases out near the hairline. And of course the color contacts will hide your unique eyes I adore so fucking much."

Taking the contact lens from him, I slid in front of the plum and pearl tile mirror hanging above the wide dresser. Knox clicked the silver necklace in place and the veil replicated the face of an average-looking woman. Nothing about her really stood out. But I think that was the point, to help me blend.

Knox leaned forward, pressing his lips against my jawline, neck and down to my shoulder in soft teasing kisses. "Are you ready, Trouble?"

I grabbed a ball cap out of the top drawer of the wooden dresser.
"Of course, but why aren't you wearing a photo whatever mask?"

Knox grinned. "Photostatic. And I will, once we are near the Plaka village. There are a few dukes and luminaries that have been invited to your grandmother's luncheon and they are aware of my presence in the Athena castle. I don't want them to suspect we are hiding anything."

Knox pointed to a necklace that was so thin it was easy to miss since it was the same shade as his skin.

We walked through the palace but because I appeared as no one of status, I had to walk a few paces behind Knox. I considered grumbling my complaints but really it was of no importance. I just wanted to leave my cage.
I was so giddy with excitement I felt dizzy. White spots swam into focus, blurring my vision. "Is the necklace supposed to be hot? I think I need to..." my voice trailed off. I heard a flurry of commotion around me. Broken portions of words that my mind couldn't quite grasp like they were too far away and then everything was silent.

Slowly, my consciousness returned, I found myself cradled in Knox's arms, being carried into a nearby room where the queen's guests were gathering.

"I'm fine." I lied the instant Knox placed me in a high-back chair. I didn't want anything to ruin my chances to leave the castle. My stomach roiled and I put my head between my knees, hoping to keep the nausea at bay.
"Call a doctor," Knox ordered over his shoulder.

Gently lifting my head, I threw my hands up and frowned at him. "Seriously Knox, I'm okay. No need to turn this into a big deal. Just tell me what happened."

Knox kneeled beside me, his eyes filled with relief as he gently brushed a strand of hair away from my forehead. "You scared me," he admitted, his voice trembling slightly. "It seems like the chip in the necklace malfunctioned. We won't know the extent of what happened until the doctor gets here. The only external damage it caused is burning the back of your neck. A doctor will need to apply an ointment so that you don't scar and run a quick scan of your brain to see what caused you to faint."

I dabbed at the back of my neck, flinching when my fingers brushed over the burn mark. "It's really not a big deal. I just felt a bit overheated from excitement. The plans for the village haven't changed, have they?"

Knox bracketed my chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Are you sure you want to go?"

Leaning forward, I whispered, "I'm hoping that question was rhetorical." My lips brushed against his on each syllable before I kissed the corner of his mouth.

Knox chuckled lightly. "You can't flirt your way out this, Trouble. There is a protocol in place. I will need to alert the queen that you've been hurt on my watch. I'm not sure if she will let us leave."

My hands clenched into fist in my lap. Shit. There was no way the queen would permit us to leave if she knew what had happened, even though I was fine. A little queasy, but fine. "Let me talk her. If she sees I'm totally fine then we won't have to change our plans."

Knox hesitated, clearly torn between whatever concerns where filtering through his head.
"Knox, please. This is nothing to make a fuss about, really. Let's go out on a date and focus on us."

"Us? I do like the sound of that." His eyes softened, and a smile began to threaten the corners of his mouth.
Finally, he relented, standing up. "Mi Reina, let the doctor examine you first. Then we will speak with your grandmother together."

Stepping aside, Knox made way for the doctor, who expertly attached two stickers to my temples to perform a non-invasive neural scan. Apparently, when the photostatic technology malfunctioned it disrupted the neural pathways to my brain, causing an electrical zap. That was why I lost my vision and fainted. Thankfully, there were no lasting effects apart from the burn on my neck, which she quickly treated with ointment, making it disappear within minutes. The doctor advised me to take it easy, but she saw no reason to deter me from continuing with my plans for the day.

While Knox and his Ghosts meticulously tested the new photostatic necklace for half an hour, I aimlessly flipped through the binder of assistants that Theo had given me earlier. None of them seemed appealing, mainly because I didn't want to be handled by strangers. I had more than enough people telling me what to do in my life. Becoming a princess was seriously a hassle. Why couldn't things stay the way they were? Alice tells me where I need to be and the time and I show up with very little fuss. I wondered why Alice couldn't be my assistant. I'd have to look into the possibilities of that happening.

Resolute, I strapped on my new nanotechnology and hat, eager to blend effortlessly into the village crowd we hoped to explore. Knox moved a few paces ahead, leading the way as we headed to the luncheon hosted by the queen, just a couple of doors down.

As Knox made his entrance into the room, the hushed conversations around the table came to a standstill, and everyone stood to acknowledge his presence. "Please everyone as you were. I will not be joining you all this afternoon," Knox announced, walking up to my grandmother.
His announcement prompted a few curious glances, but everyone sat and resumed with their meals. He approached my grandmother, and they moved away from the table, out of earshot. Her wide eyes shot over to me but quickly focused back on Knox. I tried to fade into the background, not wanting to draw any attention to myself as the seemingly unimportant young woman standing behind the king.

My grandmother, concerned but composed, positioned herself in front of me while maintaining a distance. She asked with a gentle but serious tone, "How do you feel, sweet pea? I want your complete honesty."

With a soft smile, I replied, "I feel perfectly fine. It all looked worse than it felt."
She emphasized the importance of taking care of myself and not pushing too hard. I assured her that I would be cautious and return home if anything felt amiss.

Knox walked my grandmother back to the table, exchanging pleasantries with a few dignitaries seated there. However, his aim for a swift exit was thwarted.

Near the double doors stood Princess Alivia, her beautiful jade gown cascading around her like a waterfall of silk. With a grace that seemed almost otherworldly, she dipped into the most elegant and poised curtsy I'd ever seen. The movement was so exquisite, so breathtaking, that it seemed to defy gravity itself.

As she rose from her curtsy, her gaze remained steady on Knox, her smile soft almost serene. There was an underlying edge to her high pitched voice when she said, "King Knox I would like to have a word with you, please."

Princess Alivia's turquoise gaze lingered on him, a subtle flicker of something unreadable passing through her eyes before she turned her attention to me.

For a moment, it felt as though she was seeing through my photostatic veil. It was almost as if she knew I was wearing a disguise, her scrutiny weighing on me like a physical presence.

I forced a polite smile, trying to maintain my composure despite the tension that seemed to coil around us. Knox's jaw tightened imperceptibly as he acknowledged her with a polite nod, his demeanor cool and composed despite the undercurrent of discomfort that suffocated the air between them.

"Not now," Knox stated dismissively. "Feel free to set up an appointment with my assistant," he said, motioning to Emilio, who stepped forward to guide Princess Alivia out of the way.

I glanced over my shoulder as we walked past, half-expecting to see a frown on her face, but to my surprise, her features remained stoic and unreadable. She was perfectly poised, concealing any emotions she might have had.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this job," I said, stepping into stride with Knox now that we were away from prying eyes. "I probably would have wrung your neck, had you dismissed me so easily."

An amused chuckle rumbled out of Knox and he gently took my hand, interlacing our fingers with care.
A wave of relief washed over me as his warm hand enveloped mine.

I tried not to let that strange encounter with Alivia dampen my spirits. My focus was on savoring the day with Knox, exploring the village incognito, and relishing the freedom of being out of the castle walls, even if it was just for a little while. Whatever Princess Alivia's thoughts might be, they were not going to steal the joy I felt in this moment.