13 13. Ariadne's Secret Night

Ariadne sniffed at the Darian reply. "What does jealousy mean? Who are you worrying about? Avery?"

Darian was clumsy. The man scratched the part of his head that didn't itch. "Ekhem! Well, maybe so." He said.

"Come on Darian. Are you kidding me? Don't make me think that you like me. No. right? You've been like my best friend since childhood."

"Uum.. Well, I'm jealous as your friend." Darian lied to Ariadne. He does not want Ariadne to guess correctly that he fancies her as a woman.

Ariadne breathed her relief. Knowing that Darian's answer sounds perfectly natural. Because ever since she got close to Avery, Ariadne had become rare with darian. No wonder darian was jealous. "Thank god. You don't like me as a woman. You're my bodyguard. Don't let anything go wrong between us."

"All right, princess."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm also sorry about yesterday, about our argument. Fighting with you makes it hard for me to face the day."

Darian chuckled softly. "What are you struggling with, princess?"

"I thought about what you said last night. About Avery wearing a mask in front of me. I don't think he really loves me."

"Isn't that obvious?"

"I don't know. Because I just fell in love. And Avery got me there."

Darian froze for a moment. "You love prince Avery?"

The question baffled Ariadne. Does Ariadne have to say yes? The thing is, she liked Avery when he kissed herself yesterday.

Ariadne breathed slowly, then asked. "Does it mean when it feels good to be kissed by a man that it means love?"

"What? Did Avery kiss you?"

Ariadne nodded in reply.

"Princess, tell me that is not the case."

Ariadne is staring straight darian. "It happened. Obviously it happened. He's kissed me since my birthday party. He declared his love for me on a lawn chair. And my second kiss happened yesterday, while I was at the falls."

"Enough. Don't tell me the details of it."

"Why?" Ariadne asked in ignorance.

"Do you love Avery too?"

"No."

"Why would you say no, princess? And you just admitted that Avery's kiss made you feel good. Why would your answer be no?"

Ariadne chuckles softly. "I think I'm old enough to learn to understand someone's body language. Maybe it's true what you told me last night. Avery was wearing a mask."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because Avery never asked me about anything else, except marriage and uniting my kingdom with his kingdom. That's weird enough for me. And no lover should be able to let his beloved go home alone over a dark road."

Hearing Ariadne's reason, Darian's feeling is greatly relieved. Apparently, Ariadne did not take for granted what behavior Avery was pointing out.

"What makes you so sure that prince Avery's wearing a mask?"

"Avery's parents were never here. And to this day I've never known what the king of Eden and queen Berenice looked like. Avery never talked about his parents in front of me in seven years."

"Yes, that's right, princess. This is what I'm talking about. I was worried if something happened to you when you went off on your own with prince Avery." Darian said that with a very uneasy feeling.

"Don't worry, at least I know what to do."

Darian furrowed his brow. "What will you do, princess?"

"I'll play the game Avery's playing."

***

The Roman clock in Ariadne's room is already at twelve o 'clock. Where all the inhabitants of the palace must have fallen asleep and only the faithful guards guarded the perimeter of the royal walls.

Ariadne's buckling her leather belt. That girl tonight is turning into a tough girl, not a princess anymore. Ariadne wears a leather suit. It was all black in her boots and carrying a samurai sword in her left hand.

The girl had one braided in the back. Of course she braided it herself earlier after the servants had left the room.

Ariadne packed a few wheat loaves and two bottles of pure milk. She put it in the pouch she had tied around her waist. But prior to that, of course Ariadne had wrapped wheat bread in a clean cloth specifically for wrapping food.

As the stores provided, Ariadne hurried downstairs through the balcony. With strength and speed the girl descended the rocky walls of her palace. Until his feet have stepped on the grass safely.

Ariadne walks slowly and sneaks about like a thief in the night. Don't worry, there's one side of the castle safe from the guards. On the left side of the palace is a pond for food garbage. Ariadne's going through there with the rock climbing.

Her legs jumped gallantly as she climbed over the wall. Ariadne immediately stretched her hands and neck muscles. Then she said, "Ah, it's been a long time since I've done this."

And finally Ariadne can truly exit her domain. She saw the royal condition behind the tall undergrowth. It was clearly evident that the guards were exceptionally poised at the front of the palace gate and remained faithful to watch the surroundings.

"Ah, you're the good ones. I'll give you a present sometime. Just wait. Thank you for guarding my palace."

Ariadne chuckles after saying that. The girl then turned immediately to head for the waterfall bridge. Where it is within a mile of the palace.

The road in the middle of the night is very dark. Even Ariadne cannot see her own footsteps. Can only rely on the sound of a waterfall. If the sound gets clearer, it is near the position of the falls.

ZRAAASSHH!!

The sound of the falls came very clear and began to whisper in my ear. Ariadne's footsteps immediately seek safe footing to the rear of the falls.

Beyond the water that fell off the cliff above, there's actually a secret passage that leads to a place that no one knows. Only Ariadne and Charlotte have found the place.

The secret passage behind the falls is covered by vines that have very old roots. So just anyone who thought it was a big rock wall and it was a dead end.

Ariadne uncovered the vines that dangled like leaves. The girl entered a passage that resembled a cave passage ten meters long. Then step over the stream with ease. And after that she saw a vast bed of grass surrounded by tall walls of rock.

Charlotte can be sitting by the fire to keep her hands and feet warm.

"Hi, charlotte, how are you?" Ariadne's words greet Charlotte first.

***