Chapter 333
After wrapping up affairs in Pidence City, Athena turned to her mother’s affairs. Her mother’s remains had been buried outside of the city. Athena knew it was her duty to rebury her properly and offer respect, so her departed soul could finally rest in peace.
With everything at home settled, Athena set out alone. Shrouded in the morning mist, Athena’s slender figure looked heartbreakingly fragile. Just as Athena was about to leave home, she suddenly froze in her tracks. At the entrance stood a gleaming ebony carriage.
Xander was dressed in loose robes with wide sleeves and an emerald belt at his waist. His plain attire softened his usual air of authority, making him look more like the boy next door. He gave a warm smile to Athena and said in a low, inviting voice, “Heading out? What a coincidence. I’m going out too. We can keep each other company.”
Xander broke into a smile.
Athena stared at him in astonishment, her beautiful eyes widening slightly. Joy swelled in Athena’s heart, but she betrayed nothing on her face. Looking at him with only feigned surprise, she asked, “Prince Xander, haven’t you gone back home yet?”
Xander let out a helpless sigh and said, “If I go back now, I’ll just be asking for trouble. Honestly, if I were to return, there’s only one person I’d want to bring back with me.” Xander fixed his gaze on Athena, making it perfectly clear that she was the only one he wanted to bring back with him.
A chilled fragrance suddenly wafted to Athena’s nose as Xander’s tall figure cast a shadow over her. Flustered, she looked up—only to meet his deep, smoldering gaze. The intensity in his eyes sent waves of heat through her chest, making her heart flutter wildly. Athena hastily averted her gaze, though her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she awkwardly changed the subject. “Prince Xander, where exactly are you headed? How did you know we’d be going the same way?”
“Wherever you go, I’ll follow,” Xander murmured in a velvet voice, his gaze so tender it could melt her defenses. Athena felt her defenses crumbling under Xander’s tender gaze. Behind her, Trina was practically bouncing with excitement, clenching her fists and silently cheering for Athena.
‘Miss, say yes. Please say yes!’ Trina urged silently in her heart.
On the rooftop, Jessa rolled her eyes in disbelief. At that moment, Jessa felt a deep sense of helplessness washing over her. Jessa couldn’t help but think, “Prince Xander is invincible on the battlefield, yet when it comes to romance, he turns into a clueless child. To hell with it. He should just marry Athena first and worry about the rest later. Feelings can grow over time, but at this slow pace, when will he ever win her heart?”
Perched on the rooftop with a mischievous grin, Jessa teased, “I leave this one to you, Prince Xander. I haven’t had a proper break all year, so I’m long overdue for some serious time off.”
Xander fixed Jessa with a frosty gaze. “I never gave you permission…”
Before he could finish, Jessa had already vanished with a few nimble leaps. Xander could only swallow his words and sigh. “She grows more insolent by the day.”
Athena’s eyes crinkled with laughter at the banter. Once Xander made up his mind, no one could change it. She thought, “Since he is determined to accompany me, then so be it. Truth be told, she rather enjoyed his company.”
Athena stepped into Xander’s carriage, the two sharing the ride while Trina and Marquita followed in the one behind. Athena’s laughter kept drifting from the carriage, while Trina and Marquita’s eyes crinkled with delight.
Trina whispered eagerly, “Marquita, do you think Miss Athena and Prince Xander would get married this year?”
Marquita paused, then said, “If General Perkins can make it back to Pidence City safely, wedding bells may soon be ringing. Prince Xander has helped Miss Athena so many times, surely that’s enough to win her heart.”
Trina perked up at the mention of Kurtis. “General Perkins dotes on Miss Athena. He’ll surely want her to be happy. Now, she will finally have someone who truly cares for her. After all she’s been through, her days of hardship are finally over.”
“Exactly,” Marquita sighed while clasping her hands in prayer, “May God watch over Miss Athena. Let her path be smooth from now on, and spare her from any more suffering.”
Trina followed suit, mimicking Marquita’s gesture of prayer.
The Jana River wasn’t far. They reached it in just a few hours. Following Margaret’s directions, Athena quickly found her mother’s grave. Even though Athena had braced herself for this moment, the sight of the neglected, overgrown grave made tears well up and spill down her cheeks.
When Daniel Holmes abused her and left her starving as a child, Athena would often venture into the mountain forests to scavenge for food. Sometimes she would get wild berries and edible greens. On lucky days, she might even come across bird eggs. Athena found the scenery vaguely familiar, but it hadn’t dawned on her until now. These very woods were where she’d often ventured as a child.
“I’ve been here before!” Athena exclaimed, a sudden realization dawning on her.
Xander looked at her, puzzled. “You’ve been here before?”
Athena nodded and pointed toward the woods ahead. “Beyond these trees is Stone Hill. For about three miles around its base, the area is sparsely populated—just a few hunters’ families live here. When winter comes, they head up the mountain to hunt for food."
“Because it’s so remote, outsiders rarely visit. The locals live in poverty and often go to bed hungry."
Xander looked at Athena in surprise, a realization dawning on him. “Athena, did you live here as a child?”
Though Athena’s childhood wasn’t happy, it was still a part of who she was.
Chapter 333
Now, she had made peace with it and didn’t mind telling Xander about what she’d been through as a child.
Athena thought for a moment, then flashed Xander a grin. “Yeah, I lived nearby. About a few miles ahead is the village where I used to live. With so few families, it never even had a proper name. Folks just called it Stone Village.” Athena spoke lightly, as if she’d forgotten this was the place where she had suffered.
Xander’s brows furrowed again. He gently took Athena’s hand and asked, “It’s such a long way from the village to here. How did you manage to get by… especially during those bitterly cold days?”
Athena looked at him in surprise, only to see his eyes filled with profound tenderness and concern. Those dark eyes shimmered with unshed tears. His voice softened to a whisper, as if he feared that speaking any louder might break Athena. All the pain Athena had tried so hard to bury surged back at that moment.
Looking into Xander’s eyes, Athena said softly, “When it was cold, I’d hide in a mountain cave and cover myself with dried grass. My hands and feet would get frostbitten. Many times, I thought I wouldn’t make it, but somehow, I miraculously survived. Maybe I just had a lucky streak. In the mountains, I’d often come across wild fruits and frozen game.”
Tears slipped from the corners of Athena’s eyes. Xander gently brushed them away, his touch achingly tender. Athena gazed at Xander through tear-filled eyes. Though a fragile smile played on her lips, tears streamed down her cheeks like scattered pearls. She said, “All this time, my mother and I were so close. We were only separated by a river.”
That river was barely sixty-five feet wide, and Athena had passed by this grave countless times. She realized that it was all destined. Fate had arranged everything. All this time, her mother had been right by her side. She just never knew it.
Athena could no longer contain her anguish and burst into uncontrollable sobs. Her shoulders shook violently—not with quiet whimpers as before, but with a decade’s worth of pent-up grief erupting from her chest. Her cries echoed through the silent woods, startling roosting birds from the reeds.
“You know what?” she suddenly lifted her face, a teardrop slipping from her lashes onto Xander’s hand. “That winter, when I was gathering firewood by the river, I noticed the dry grass on this grave was sparser than anywhere else. I actually thought it was just badgers digging…"
Athena laughed through her tears, each drop splashing onto Xander’s hand and piercing her very soul. “So it turns out Mother was afraid she wouldn’t be able to see me—even the grass on her grave was kept sparse for fear it might block her view!”