Chapter 118: Not Fun Anymore
In the carriage heading to Pradiles, Cassane and Margery were surrounded by a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere.
Bored of the silence, Margery glanced sideways at her companion and smiled mischievously.
"Hey, Cassane... If we keep staying this quiet, I’m going to start believing you’re thinking about strange situations with my brother."
The marquis’s daughter looked at her friend with a furrowed brow.
"Don’t say nonsense. I think you’re the one who thinks too much about that kind of thing."
Margery raised her arms in a guilty gesture and burst out laughing.
It was a contagious laugh that quickly lightened the mood inside the carriage.
Once she finished laughing, she sighed and looked around.
"Looks like that will have to wait..."
Cassane shook her head, while a doubt that had been lingering in her mind since she began to truly get to know Cassian resurfaced—one she had recently voiced.
"So... about what I asked before we got into all this..."
"Huh? What was that?"
"About your brother... Did you know he can actually use magic? Or at least, he’s definitely stronger than an eighth-circle mage... Sometimes I think he could even beat the headmistress, even after she managed to break through the ninth circle."
"Huh? Cassian?" Margery frowned. "I’ve never seen him practicing... When I heard he was good with the sword, I already thought it was weird, but there’s no way..."
The young woman with violet eyes fell silent for a moment, beginning to doubt everything she thought she knew about her brother.
"He... he wasn’t always like he is now," Margery continued. "I told you there was a time when he seemed to mature. I thought it was because of the shock of realizing he didn’t have any talent to brag about, but maybe I’ve been overlooking too many strange things about him. Like the day he suddenly brought Adela home, or the fact that he’s always the one giving me money... and I don’t think we’re that rich."
She paused for a second when she noticed Cassane’s gaze.
"You weren’t at the auction at the beginning of the year, but your brother showed up there with Elizabeth Vane."
Margery’s eyes began to grow watery. Flashes of her brother before he turned twelve, mixed with memories of what came after, started surfacing.
She remembered his excited, childish smile—sometimes shy or insecure at the beginning—that later transformed into a more serious and distant expression, yet one that conveyed a calm and confidence that had become her anchor.
She bit her lip, her eyes reddened from holding back her emotions.
She didn’t know if it was Cassane’s cold demeanor or her words, but a magical barrier suddenly began to surround Margery.
By the time the barrier disappeared, the violet-haired girl was no longer in the carriage... and Cassane had vanished along with her.
No one in the escort would realize what had happened inside until the carriage finally arrived in Pradiles.
...
Cassian, unaware of the events unfolding beyond his control far from Demor, arrived at Elizabeth’s office with a calm and apathetic stride.
However, just before he placed his hand on the doorknob, he overheard a rather amusing conversation taking place inside the room.
"I swear, Elizabeth, Count Montclair is the most unpleasant creature I’ve ever seen in my life," Thalassa’s voice could be heard. "His physical appearance wasn’t the best, but that can be improved. The worst part was seeing how he treated his wife—though she wasn’t exactly pleasant either..."
A stifled laugh came from Elizabeth.
"I don’t think you met Marquis Lothe, but I suppose it’s fair. So what did you do, Thalassa?"
The mermaid looked at her as if she had been caught.
"I used a bit of my hypnosis on him during dinner..." she whispered quickly, a hint of embarrassment on her face. "I made him believe his own pants were cursed, and he started running around the entire hall trying to take them off in front of the guards, screaming that the devil was chasing him."
The two women looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Well, it sounds like you didn’t have such a bad time, considering how reluctant you were to go."
Thalassa frowned.
"It’s that man’s fault..."
Elizabeth gave her a warning look. The mermaid rolled her eyes.
"Fine, your master isn’t exactly the friendliest person alive, El. It’d be nice if you didn’t get so defensive over something so small."
At that moment, Elizabeth looked behind her and made a funny face.
"What’s wrong?"
But when Thalassa turned around, she froze upon seeing the very person she had been badmouthing standing there with one of those smiles of his that didn’t reveal what he was really thinking.
He took a step further into the room and closed the door.
"Well... and here I was thinking of giving you a reward. I guess you’ve saved me the trouble of figuring out what to give you."
His eyes were devoid of emotion. It didn’t seem like her words had actually bothered him; rather, it looked as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
He turned his gaze toward the woman seated at the desk, who seemed to be enjoying the situation.
"Don’t you think there’s nothing funny about this? You should start showing her that I’m not as bad as she believes."
Elizabeth immediately replied:
"Well, if you hadn’t treated her so badly in the past..."
He raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, she continued:
"Besides... I don’t think it’s in my best interest for her to like you."
Cassian smiled at once.
"Yes, that’s true... I should be more careful about who I ask," he shrugged, dismissing the matter and ignoring Thalassa as he sat down in front of Elizabeth. "Anyway, I’m here now. Is there anything I should know?"
Elizabeth glared at him.
She didn’t like when he only showed interest in matters unrelated to her when he came, while Thalassa watched him with resentment but said nothing.
"Sylvia said she wanted to see you. She’ll probably visit, but it might be better if you go to her. She seems quite busy."
He didn’t reply, but nodded as if he understood.
His gaze lingered on the marquess, who was watching him, unsure whether to say anything else.
"Master..."
"Hmm?"
"The Vitalis family seems to have suddenly started moving against Caelia, and some defamatory propaganda is circulating about Elara. Although it’s not enough to assume there’s too big a problem, something about all this feels off."
"Off?"
"It’s just a feeling. Frederick Valois has also been using part of the duchy’s money to support all of this. It doesn’t seem like he’s discussed it with anyone else in his family, but his blind help doesn’t make much sense."
A sudden chill ran through both women.
In Cassian’s mind, only one thought echoed:
"This is starting to stop being fun."
