For the Love of God

η | seven

I OVERSLEPT.

Tyhi had shaken me awake. "Hurry up, Mae," he'd said and I'd blinked twice at him before rushing to find Blissia. She had laughed at my anxious state before providing me with all necessary equipment to make myself look decent. They consisted of a wooden toothbrush, a tube of minty paste that didn't produce much foam, a wooden comb, a linen cloth to wipe myself after a cold bath, a creamy stone for a soap (it smelled like lemongrass) and a ribbon to tie my hair with.

Blissia was kind enough to lend me her dress. I was nearly busting out of the floral pink fabric that hugged my body like a second skin. I wasn't too happy with it because I wasn't used to wearing tight-fitting clothes. "You have an amazing figure," Blissia had said but I'd never really given it much thought or worried about the shape of my body. Nevertheless, it was nice to hear such a compliment early in the morning.

And only when Blissia pointed at the fading scars on my feet, I remembered yesterday's events. The blisters, the pain and my secret. Tyhi. The pain had completely vanished as he'd said but the trace of the wound was barely seen.

He had also kept his word and asked Blissia to lend me a better pair of slippers. "It was the first thing he said to me in the morning," she'd said, watching me fasten the ribbon around my hair like a pro.

"I think he fancies you."

I immediately shook my head, warmth creeping up my face. She'd chuckled and asked me to make him work for my attention. If only.

Hyacinth served breakfast and I nibbled on my bread, sneaking a glance at Tyhi and his lips licking the smear of gravy from his thumb. I turned my head to the other side when he stood up to put the dish away. Blissia coughed, seeing my action. I dusted off my fingers and pointed to the empty space where Viquen was supposed to be. "Garden duties. His green babies need his attention."

When I gestured to eating, she said, "He had his meal. Do not worry about him. Mother does it enough already," she grumbled and I nudged her shoulders, asking her to give it a rest.

"Alright, Mae. I shall stop teasing him," she said and my eyes widened at the use of my name. "Tyhi told me. He said you wrote it down for him," she explained.

I nodded, noting down his lie. "And a new idea for a dress sparked in my mind this morni —"

"Mae." The voice seeped into the air, ringing like a heavy bell. I shivered.

"Mae!" I felt a sharp tug at my arm and I blinked. "Lady Aphrodite is calling for you. Hurry."

I dropped the bread on my plate and stood up, tugging my dress and rushing out to the staircase. My hair bounced on my bare shoulders as I struggled to look lady-like while taking humongous steps up the stairs. The door to Aphrodite's quarters was open. I slipped in.

"I was worried you'd gotten lost," she said calmly, dipping a paintbrush in dark pink dye.

I traced back towards the door and then shut it. "When did you come back?" I whispered and Aphrodite shot me an indifferent look that rooted me to my place.

"Um, am I not supposed to ask that?" I asked again, fidgeting with the ends of my sleeve. She seemed to regard me for a few seconds and then a slow smile creeped onto her face.

"You aren't. But I suppose I will tolerate it," she answered. "And I was back in my room a little after midnight. I also noticed that you made a new friend."

The way she said friend was haunting — like a planned disaster waiting to unfold. "I-I don't know what you mean," I shakily said, turning my head away.