Rubbing the side of his face, Orion was stunned at her volatile reaction.  He had to admit that she put a lot behind that slap.  Was my turning her down for sex worthy of such a reaction?  Of course, he didn’t think so, though Cassiopeia obviously thought otherwise.  And what was that about lying to her?  Really, he had no clue about any tunnels, and still didn’t care about them.  But if it meant so much to her, he’d make it a point to recruit Bernard for assistance in the matter.  When did I ever say she wasn’t good enough for me?  Clearly, there was a difference with what the Princess heard, and how she chose to interpret it.<br/><br/>Well, at least she bid me a good night, Orion mused, still rubbing his face.<br/><br/>During his wanderings around the gardens, the Prince had lost track of the time.  Tired of dissecting what had happened between them, and dissecting that in turn, Orion headed back, eager to just crawl under the covers.  The base of the stairs a mere few feet away, a familiar voice disturbed the silence, and his momentum.  “A word, dear, if I may.”  He stopped with one boot on the first step.  Sighing in a way that she couldn’t hear, he turned and sat himself down in a chair opposite her.  Things couldn’t possibly get any better than this, he sarcastically thought.<br/><br/>There was no beating around the bush for Mother, as she said flatly, “Correct me if I’m wrong, Orion, but you left for the gardens with Cassiopeia.  And yet, here you are, returning by yourself.”  Correction: Things just got better, but it was heading in the<i>wrong </i>direction!<br/><br/>“The, uh, Princess was tired, and felt like it was time for bed,” he stated, struggling with his reply.  Absentmindedly, he turned the wrong way.  “And why is the side of your face so red?”  Mother was noticeably alarmed.  “Been, um, scratching.  Guess I got carried away.”  This was now beyond “heading south,” and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.<br/><br/>“That’s your answer?” Mother asked quite icily.  A weak nod in response, and she produced something from the side of her chair, handing it to him.  Mother’s packing her cell phone around these days? he wondered.  “And<i>that</i>would have nothing at all to do with your red face?”  Orion turned his attention to her phone, where a crystal clear image of him and Cassiopeia greeted his gaze.  Caught in a snug embrace, their lips were locked.  But that wasn’t the worst part, oh no.  His.  Hand.  Was.  On.  Her.  Ass.<br/><br/>Remember that part about things couldn’t possibly get any better?  Well, things just entered a whole new realm of clusterfuck.