Chapter 100: Chapter 100 - Truth
"Repeat it," Lilith ordered Eric, needing to hear it a second time to believe it. "Who did they find?"
"The high priest, Your Majesty. The soldiers uncovered where he was hiding. They said it is just as you predicted," Eric replied, smiling ear to ear, his excitement too much to contain.
Cassian had managed another victory.
Lilith’s gaze fixed on Cassian, suspicion building beneath her calm exterior. "What did you predict?"
"I directed them to where Virgil could be hiding. He was throwing us off his tracks well at first, but I had an idea of where he would retreat. We only needed to follow his little pet," Cassian revealed.
"How wonderful that you were so accurate," Lilith said, though her words carried the weight of mistrust.
Lilith’s mind filled with questions, yet her desire to see Virgil locked in the dungeon outweighed them. Turning to Eric, she asked, "Are you certain they have caught him and haven’t stumbled into a trap? It is not like Virgil to be captured so easily. They must be cautious."
"We have been careful from the start so he wouldn’t slip away. I don’t have the full tale of how they captured him, but I know he and many of his priests are being brought back to the castle. As soon as they arrive, I will inform you," Eric assured her.
"Leave us," Lilith commanded.
Eric glanced at Cassian before retreating.
"That was suspicious," Lilith murmured, her eyes narrowing. "I’ve been keeping watch on Virgil for years, not only to protect myself but to uncover his secrets. You managed to find him too easily. A little too well."
"Were you hoping he would put up more of a fight, or be impossible to track? I thought you would be pleased to know Virgil is in our hands. He will hang early in the morning when he comes here," Cassian promised.
"Don’t misunderstand me. I want Virgil imprisoned and hanged, but the way you are always one step ahead of everyone is odd. The way you know who troubled me, even without a spy, is odd. There is something about you," Lilith said, stepping back, unease prickling her skin.
The unknown was always to be feared.
"Lilith, I have been studying Virgil for years as well-"
"I don’t believe a word you say. You aren’t telling me the real methods of how you seem to know everything that occurs in the castle. Did you bed the head maid? That woman knows all. I didn’t take her for your kind of woman," Lilith accused Cassian.
"I didn’t bed the head maid. If I share the truth with you, you won’t believe me," Cassian said, considering sharing the full tale.
"Try me," Lilith challenged Cassian.
"Very well. I have lived a life two years ahead of where we are now. In that life, you and I were husband and wife. We lived together outside the castle. Do not laugh," Cassian said, already interrupted by Lilith’s laughter. "I said you wouldn’t believe me."
Lilith pressed her hand over her mouth, trying to stop another chuckle.
"I know it is difficult to accept, but we were once married, away from the castle. Your battle against your father didn’t go well, but you managed to slip away. I had abandoned my land, so we crossed paths," Cassian explained.
"We settled down and had a quiet life while it lasted," he continued.
Lilith decided to humour him. "Truly? And how did this tale end? Humour me."
"You died in my arms. You were already ill, and it came a month after we lost our first child. You never recovered, and one day, you collapsed. I watched you take your last breath in my arms. I watched the tears spill from your eyes and listened to how much you loved me once more," Cassian said, his voice breaking with remembered grief.
"And then what happened? How did you end up back here?" Lilith asked, indulging his tale.
"I wasn’t going to live without you, so I took my life right after yours. Somehow, I woke up back at the battlefield two years before you died. Once I confirmed the date, I rushed back to the castle to claim your father’s head," Cassian revealed.
"Is that so?" Lilith questioned, circling him slowly. "I’ve only heard tales like this from men like Virgil, who manipulate townsfolk into believing he has power. I didn’t expect it from you."
"You wanted the truth, and now you have it. There isn’t a spy, Lilith. All that I know about you and your time in the castle was told to me by you."
"Enough!" Lilith exclaimed, tired of hearing of these powers men spoke of. "I’ve dealt with one man who acted like this. I won’t do it again. You are right that I wouldn’t believe you. This is madness that someone dies and gets to go back in time."
Lilith stepped back, placing more than an arm’s length between them. "You are fortunate I am not running to tell anyone you speak of witchcraft. The people are so frightened already, they would demand you be burned."
"I can prove it to you, Lilith. I know secrets no one else would. I know Thalia once ordered her maids to imprison you in a small broom closet one night, and you weren’t found until noon the next day," Cassian said, his eyes locked on hers.
"I know the queen wouldn’t allow enough food for you and your mother, so your mother gave you her share and tried to steal more. I know you once tried to steal food for her and nearly lost your hand," Cassian continued, stepping closer.
"I know your mother tried to slip you away from the castle to return to the little village she grew up in, but she died before it could happen. I know plenty about you," Cassian whispered, tucking a strand of Lilith’s hair behind her ear. "Because you told me. You trusted me."
