Chapter 103 – ssy Event [2]
The tension in the Hall of Welcos rose, and kept rising. Every eye was on Cassius, their expressions a mixture of confusion, disbelief — more related to his appearance than anything else — and most importantly of all, disdain.
The King and Queen watched with varying degrees of amusent. The Queen especially made no effort to hide her wide smile, her all-black eyes soft and tender as they settled on Cassius.
It was obvious, from the subtle way her body leaned toward him, that she wanted nothing more than to stand up and pull her grandson into her arms.
The grandson who had beco, in the span of only two or three days, unquestionably her favourite.
’Oh, my dear angel.’ Morenna Hood whispered inwardly, her smile blossoming as if the light of heaven were being reflected directly upon her face.
Beside her, wearing the outward expression of a woman who felt nothing except devotion to her god, Helene cast her dark, clouded eyes on Cassius.
She wanted to kneel.
She wished desperately to walk toward him, drop to her knees at his feet, and kiss them, kiss them deeply, faithfully, devotedly.
Only then could she begin her confession and let her soul and mind be cleansed by the gaze of this man who seed incapable of condemning anything or anyone between heaven and earth.
’My Lord... Oh, Lord Seraph! Your beauty is just like your soul! Unblemished! Immaculate! So pure and exalted! Forgive , my Lord! I cannot kneel here and now for the sake of your plan, but I pray you can feel it. I pray you can feel my devotion! And my ardent desire to confess — for a sinner I remain.’
Her internal monologue spiralled on and on, coiling between awe and devotion that bordered on madness, her eyes fixed on Cassius. A small tear nearly escaped, the kind she only shed when praying to her god in her most earnest monts.
Yet here she was, feeling that sa feeling for a mortal man. A being at only the First Rank. But Helene found nothing suspicious or abnormal in it.
To her, Cassius was a ssenger. An angel of his god sent to save her soul. Loving him ant loving her god. Worshipping him ant worshipping her god.
In its own twisted way, Helene’s faith in Vorn had grown stronger and steadier because of Cassius Desdemona.
Thus...
[Your faith in Vorn, the Lord of Death, is being strengthened.]
[Vorn is pleased with his High Priestess.]
[Vorn looks upon you with a hooded smile, finding the situation quite amusing.]
[Vorn shifted his attention to the origin of the situation and smiled even wider at the sight of the Last Born.]
[Vorn whispered sothing beneath his breath and closed his deathly eyes once more, returning to his Kingdom of Death within the Gate of Death.]
Helene watched the notifications appear in succession, feeling the Sigil representing her {Seat} deepen and strengthen within her, confirming everything she already believed about Cassius.
’Glory be to you, Lord Seraph.’ She prayed one last ti, looking up just as the atmosphere of the Hall returned to normal.
She knew, by then, that her ti here was limited.
The King, the Queen and Helene rose from their chairs and walked to the centre of the Hall to deliver their speeches.
They didn’t linger. Each one said what needed to be said, offered a look and a word to a few exceptional Heirs, then returned to their own affairs.
The King left for his study. The Queen went to a eting with the Principal of the Elysia Academy concerning the changes she was planning for the Entrance Test.
Helene herself turned and headed back toward her Church, saying that she has an important guest, a believer, who wished to confess.
After she reached the exit of the Hall, her black eyes settled on Sarah, who seed to have just arrived from sowhere — barely able to hide a black cloak inside her space ring before she was seen, her face slightly pale, caught between excitent and fear.
Their eyes t. Helene smiled. A smile that made Sarah rember instinctively the Death Contract she had signed, and wonder how her Lord Seraph had obtained one.
In that mont, everything beca clear to her. So she smiled back and gave a barely perceptible nod, as if confirming a task successfully completed.
Helene’s smile widened. She turned toward the two sisters at her sides.
"Stay here until the Event ends, my dears." She said, just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "The Heirs will certainly feel safer with our Sisters present, wouldn’t they?"
It sounded like a suggestion. But it was one the two sisters felt powerless to refuse, because with how openly Helene had said it, declining publicly would reveal the internal tensions of the Church.
Reluctantly, they agreed, taking their positions beside the maids and butlers, quietly wondering what had gotten into the High Priestess today.
It hardly mattered.
The High Priestess, Helene Mars, walked back toward her Church.
Or did she?
...
Inside the Hall, the Heirs were now alone — Persephone was no more there — with the Hood servants seeing to their every need. The music resud, and discussions and whispers erupted throughout the space.
The fat young man was still eating.
Amid it all, soone approached Cassius.
"You damned bastard!" Klaus nearly bellowed, covering the distance in two big strides and slamming his hand against Cassius’s back. "You haven’t changed one bit. What are you, an attention whore seeker?"
Cassius, his Constitution at 100 making the slap considerably more painful for Klaus than for himself, turned his head at the voice and smiled.
"If I am an attention whore seeker, Klaus," He raised his arm and rolled it over his childhood friend’s shoulders, "I can assure you that you are worse. I learned from the best, after all."
"You have learned many things from , little bastard." Klaus nodded to himself with great pride. "I was your ntor when we were young, rember? You always followed around like a bloody little puppy."
Cassius’s lips twitched. He rolled his eyes. "Don’t exaggerate, Klaus my friend. That’s complete nonsense."
"I only speak truth." Klaus shrugged with a wide grin, though his eyes kept drifting briefly toward Love. "So tell , useless bastard, why are you getting married instead of getting stronger? Did your low Capacity really break your will that completely?"
"Klaus, do you honestly believe you are stronger than right now?"
"Why, of course." He said matter-of-factly. "Evidently."
"That’s sothing we will revisit after this Event." Cassius smiled. "But tell , why do you keep looking at Love de Bayard? Did I miss sothing?"
Klaus paused sharply, his black eyes locking onto Cassius’s red ones. He began to grin with confidence.
"Well, yes. She is my—!"
"Cass!"
Klaus’s eyebrows knitted instantly in displeasure. Natalia’s voice cut straight through his words like a shard of glass.
Both boys turned.
There was Natalia — and Keisha just behind her, half-hidden in shyness — walking toward them.
Cassius did his best not to show anything outwardly. He barely managed.
"It’s been a while, Cass." Natalia said with the ghost of a smile. "Such a while, in fact, that I hear you’ve actually gotten married. Isn’t that sothing?"
"Right?" Cassius returned the smile. "Life is unpredictable, isn’t it?"
"Oh, very. Extrely, in fact." She replied, extending a hand. "Now, should I congratulate you? For being a husband? You, Cassius Desdemona?"
"I wouldn’t mind it at all." Cassius nodded, taking her hand and pressing a brief kiss to the back of it. Then he lifted his eyes and looked at her steadily. "Be grateful. I only do this because we are childhood friends. But it’s the last ti, Naty."
"Cass." Natalia grated. "Are you mocking ?"
Klaus rolled his eyes in exasperation, finally unable to hold his tongue.
"Woman, we were in the middle of sothing important." He shooed her, irritated, and Keisha along with her, who was peeking shyly at Cassius from behind Natalia’s shoulder. "Step aside, would you? No one cares about your ugly ass. Why are you so relentlessly persistent?"
Natalia shot him a withering glare. "Stay out of my business, Klaus. The next ti you address like that, I am challenging you in the Sparring Contest."
Klaus sneered. "You—!"
"So, how am I mocking you?" Cassius interrupted his friend smoothly, earning a sharp lip-twitch from Klaus.
"Don’t act clueless in front of , Cass." Natalia stepped closer, pulling Keisha along with her.
Around them, the Heirs were slowly forming into groups, drawn together by their various conversations.
adow and Love had drifted together. Love’s eyes kept finding Emrys, who sat alone in one corner drinking, his own eyes fixed on Anesthesia standing with Raven.
Love longed to go to him, adow could see it plainly on her face.
And she wasn’t alone. The Princess was watching Emrys with barely concealed intensity, clearly waiting for the right mont.
adow only shook her head, briefly sparing a glance at her Editor — Cassius — who appeared to be in the middle of an argunt.
And indeed...
"I never hid my feelings from you." Natalia stated plainly, without sha. "I never said it aloud, but it was obvious. To you and all of us. Yet you didn’t hesitate to marry...who?" Her face cooled into disdain. "A Tier Three. Soone older than you."
"Naty..." Keisha whispered, tugging at Natalia’s arm, trying to slow her down. It didn’t work.
"What can I say?" Cassius answered, leaning lightly on his cane. "I am simply in love, Naty. So deeply in love that hearing soone speak disdainfully about my wife genuinely angers ."
Natalia’s expression tightened.
"Don’t take it personally, Naty, but all I can offer you is my friendship. Nothing more. If you want less than that, be my guest."
He watched her face twist between pain and anger, her body shaking with the effort of holding it together, and turned his gaze to Keisha. He felt genuinely bad to be speaking this bluntly to Natalia, but he had no choice.
Boundaries had to be set.
To Keisha, though, Cassius offered a gentle smile.
"And you, Keisha, how have you been?" He asked warmly. "You haven’t changed at all."
"I am fine!" She nodded at once, beaming foolishly at being addressed directly. "I am fine, and you? You’ve beco so much more handso, Cassius! So incredibly handso! I’ve lost your number, can you give it to again? Here, here, take my phone, I’ll give you mine too! I am so sorry I never ca to visit all this ti! I am truly sorry! Your suit is wonderful, the white looks perfect on you! So handso! Cassius you are so—!"
"Keisha. Enough." Natalia cut her off.
Imdiately, the girl’s face went red, realising she had lost control of her mouth again. Shrieking in shyness, she vanished behind Natalia’s shoulder once more, far too embarrassed to say another word.
Cassius smiled wryly.
Keisha rarely spoke because of her shyness, but once she started, soone had to stop her or she would say everything in her head without a single filter.
He shook his head, deliberately ignoring Natalia’s intense gaze that looked ready to swallow him whole, and the subtle frown on Klaus’s face as he watched Love approaching Emrys.
He said a few more words to Keisha.
"I have sothing to tell you, Keisha." He said. "Let’s find a mont later, shall we?"
The young woman could only nod, not trusting herself to open her mouth again.
Cassius straightened his back. He checked his watch and found the ti just right. Smiling, he pivoted and began walking toward the centre of the Hall — which remained open and empty — the rhythmic clacking of his cane drawing attention once more.
"Oi, little bastard, where are you going?" Klaus called after him. "We are not done. I have sothing to tell you!"
"I can already guess what it is, Klaus." Cassius said, as more and more Heirs began to notice him. "And it doesn’t sll good for you."
"What do you an?" Klaus asked, not moving from where he stood.
"Nothing. Nothing except that I have been wronged. My honour has been tarnished." Cassius grinned. "I am here to take it all back. Just watch."
By this point, every head in the Hall had turned toward Cassius, standing in the very centre, the servant positioned just behind him.
They stared at his back. One pink-haired servant in particular watched with quiet intensity, noticing that with Cassius positioned where he was, she was conveniently hidden from most of the Hall’s line of sight.
Her heart began to race. She looked down at her palm.
anwhile, Klaus — Heir of Handoff — felt a rising premonition of sothing bad.
And God, how right he was.
Cassius, having made certain every eye in the room was on him, opened his mouth. His voice carried through the entire Hall.
"I am sure you all know who I am. But forgive , dear comrades, for on occasions like this, I cannot help being a little lodramatic." He said, sweeping his gaze around the room, which had gone as silent as a grave. "I am Cassius Desdemona, the Last Born of the Desdemona. And my honour has been dragged through the dirt by most of you, if not all."
The Hall humd with puzzlent.
"I have heard your whispers. Your curses. Your condemnation of my soul for sins I may or may not have committed. I have seen the looks of disdain you spare — even now — that say nothing but that I am lesser than you. That, beyond my noble birth, I have nothing and am nothing but a useless bastard spoiled rotten by his family."
His eyes began to glow. Everyone watched. So were not taking him seriously. Others made no effort to conceal the contempt on their faces.
Cassius pressed on, cold and unbothered.
"Today, dear comrades, I am here to reclaim the honour, the reputation and the respect you owe . I cannot wait until the Academy, my patience is not that saintly. So here I am..."
He raised his cane and levelled the tip at the crowd watching him.
"...to challenge you. Co on, then. Little bastards."
—End of Chapter 103—
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