The Lycan King's Muse

Ep 18: Athena

"Is this all?" Athena asks as she brings bottles full of pills to me.

I take the bottles one by one. "Iron, folic acid, vitamin D... hmm, it should be enough for now."

"Do pregnant women really need all these supplements? And where are you going to hide them in Lyall's room?" She looks around the room. "It's been so long since I visit his room."

"Are you not close with Lyall?" I ask instead, diverting her question with my own question. Explaining all the supplements a pregnant woman needs would take too long and, in truth, I'm still thinking of ways to hide the supplements in Lyall's room. While Athena answers me, I look at the vanity table that Lyall ordered his men to build in his room. The beauty products I ordered from Nari are put there along with various others Lyall ordered for me.

How does that man even know what women usually use? Some products put there are the kinds of stuff I have not seen, like a face roller. Why do people need to roll their face with something looking like a mini paint roller? There are also various perfumes and anti-aging serums. Is this Lyall's way of saying I smell and look old? I thought he said he likes my natural scent and people always tell me I look younger than my age.

"Well," Athena sits on the couch, crossing her legs comfortably, "When your biological mother tried to kill your stepbrother, would you be able to be amicable with him?"

I end up putting the supplement bottles on the vanity table, disguising them in between the beauty products. They look almost distinguishable together. Besides, it's not like Lyall would know these are supplements and not some of the beauty products he ordered for me blindly.

"You're not her," I say, looking at Athena's icy eyes from the mirror.

The female warrior holds my gaze through the mirror reflection. "I look like her."

My eyes squint to look at Athena's face thoroughly from the mirror. She has a sharp face, a strong gaze, and a powerful posture. Athena ties her hair back, making her jaw look more prominent.

"You do look like those fierce moms who won't take any bullshit."

She scoffs at my failed joke, "Thanks. And you look like a fifteen-year-old."

I turn to her, a little surprised at her comment that matches Lyall's. "I think you're more similar to him than you think you are."

"Being similar doesn't mean we're close." Athena sighs and rubs her forehead as if she is tired. I saw her taking down five men all on her own this morning, and she was not even out of breath. Yet talking about her relationship with her stepbrother is tiring for her.

"I tried," she spoke slowly, "I really did try to mend our bond as siblings. But I guess I should just be grateful he let me live, let alone I can keep my title as a princess. Then again, there's that..."

"Curse," I finish her sentence.

"Yeah."

Is their relationship that bad? It's not like it's Athena's fault that her mother is a horrible person. No one can choose how they are born. It's not Athena's fault that she loved an evil person, too. So it's not fair for her to carry this guilt and burden left on her shoulders without her will.

"He doesn't try at all," she confesses, "Not like he has to, or probably he can't because of the curse. He only engages with me in formal meetings or for royal duties. When he came to get you on my training field was actually the first time he visited me out of whim."

I tilt my head to the side. Athena reminds me so much of the boy. Both of them want affection from Lyall but he isn't capable of doing so. It hurts them, whether they admit it or not.