"You do not find it to be sweet?" Cassian asked, taking no offence at Lilith’s words.
"Why would it be sweet? Another man was wasting his ti, sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. If only there had been a blade waiting to cut it off," Lilith replied.
"One day you might. I am quite certain of it," Cassian spoke with confidence. "It is destined for us to be together."
"The war must have troubled your mind. Only a sick man would be so convinced that I would want him one day when we never spoke before. I want the throne, but not the man who sits on it. If you truly want to have it, why don’t you jump from the nearest tower?" Lilith asked.
"Since you asked so nicely, I just might consider it, but there is one problem. I can’t leave you alone in the hands of the Beauforts. They have troubled you one too many tis. So almost succeeded in killing you," Cassian replied.
"Then kill them," Lilith bluntly replied. "Is that not your plan?"
"It is just like you to try to use to kill your family-"
"You do not know . Stop deluding yourself that you do. You were my father’s servant. He referred to you as his pet," Lilith reminded Cassian. "I will never trust you, nor lie with you."
"I wish I could tell you the truth now, but you would only disbelieve it and run away from . Well, more than you are already trying to run. I am on your side, Lilith. I will kill everyone in your path to ensure you have the throne," Cassian promised.
"But I must beco your wife," Lilith finished for Cassian. "Why?"
"I can’t have another man steal my place. I am the only man who can beco your husband. The only one who can protect you," said Cassian.
"There are other n in the castle. You are not the only choice."
"Am I not? I will slay every eligible man, so I am the only option. You must not tempt , Lilith," Cassian said, itching to do so. "I am already ignoring your little lover. Were you going to put him on the throne with you?"
Lilith frowned.
Cassian couldn’t know her secrets unless soone in her close circle had spilt them.
"It pains to let him live for now, but I advise you not to flaunt it before my face," Cassian pleaded.
Lilith grabbed a handful of her dress under the table. She thought her people were loyal, but she should never have been too trusting.
"I bet you are wondering who betrayed you. Well, no one did," Cassian said to offer Lilith ease of mind. "I know you, Lilith."
"I am not going to sit here and listen to a crazy bastard," Lilith said, ready to leave. "I will continue to ponder on your offer, then give you an answer in the morning."
Lilith needed ti to learn who the mole was on her side.
"Running away so soon? After I prepared this lovely feast for you?" Cassian asked, disappointed.
"If you knew so well, you would have known that I wasn’t going to stay for long. I ca here to discuss the throne, not to eat with you," Lilith said and started to stand. "You didn’t answer my earlier question. Why take as your wife?"
"You don’t need a Beaufort princess, but if, for so important reason, you do, Thalia is considered pureblood."
Cassian leaned back in his chair. "Thalia pales in comparison to you. If not for you, I wouldn’t have stord the castle. I don’t want a Beaufort princess; I need you. Go on and think about what I have proposed, but don’t test my patience. I want an answer in the morning."
Lilith wasn’t satisfied with Cassian’s answer, but she turned to leave.
It couldn’t be that Cassian had done all of this just for a woman he was now obsessed with.
"And Lilith, you must eat," Cassian said before she reached the door.
When the dining chamber doors opened, Solomon was standing on the other side.
Solomon looked ahead of Lilith at the table where Cassian sat. Cassian was already watching him, and to Solomon’s surprise, Cassian smiled.
Solomon lowered his gaze to Lilith as he stepped aside to escort her back to her chamber. All that mattered was Lilith being safe.
"Not a word now," Lilith ordered Solomon. She walked ahead of him, leading the way back to her chamber.
The path to Lilith’s bedchamber was silent.
"Doesn’t it feel like his grace has changed since the war? Did we bring back another man with his face?"
Lilith slowed down to listen to two guards speaking nearby. They didn’t notice her presence.
The second soldier placed his finger on his lips, shushing the other soldier. "You can’t speak of it. What if his grace hears you?"
"Then he could provide an answer. It seems as though we brought back another soul inside his body. He disappeared for a few days and then returned out of nowhere, slaying the enemies and ordering us to return to the castle. That wasn’t the sa man."
The soldier grabbed his companion. "Tell that I am not crazy. I will follow his grace to death, but what if he were replaced by another man who looks like him, or if a wandering soul entered his body while he was on the brink of death?"
The second soldier shook his head. "You must stop believing in what doesn’t exist. No soul is wandering, and there is no other man who looks like his grace. Rest, and I will stand guard."
Lilith moved before she could be noticed. "Solomon, find out what happened on that battlefield."
"Princess, do you believe in such things?" Solomon asked, surprised she agreed with the soldier.
"I don’t, but it would rule out why Cassian is acting like a changed man. Find his secret," Lilith ordered Solomon.
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