Chapter 103: Chapter 103 - Sharing plans
Lilith returned to the bedchamber with Cassian and sat on the bed, her arms folded tightly across her chest. "I want you to write down all that you know. I don’t care if events are changing. I want to be just as informed as you are, to prepare for surprises."
She caught the flicker of hesitation in Cassian’s expression, the way his eyes shifted as though reluctant to share. "You wanted me to believe you, and now that I am asking all the right questions, you seem to want to pull back. That is hardly fair."
"I don’t mind telling you, as long as you won’t go off trying to kill anyone or place yourself in danger. You have a habit of doing it," Cassian said.
"You poison yourself once, kill a man with poison, and it is never forgotten," Lilith muttered, once more regretting she shared the truth.
Lilith placed her hand against her chest. "I swear to you that I am not going to kill anymore. Why should I, when I have you to use?"
"Lilith, that means nothing to me. You’ll go back on your word by the end of the day," Cassian said, refusing to accept the promise.
By night, Lilith would break the promise.
Lilith lowered her hand. She hated that she couldn’t lie to him. "You must get someone to tell me all your secrets. It’s hardly fair that you understand me so well. You know my next move. Well, you didn’t know when I poisoned myself. Should we test how much you can predict?"
"No," Cassian answered, stepping closer to the bed as he might soon need to chain her there. "I feel the need to tie you to this bed to keep you safe."
"Then you’ll learn that I can get out of it. Let us not speak of tying each other up unless we are naked and tangled in each other. I still think you are mad to follow me not once, but twice. You must enjoy being stressed," Lilith said, her lips curving with mischief, determined to unsettle him each day.
"I don’t enjoy it," Cassian replied. "If you want to get to know me, then speak to my mother."
Lilith shook her head. "It’s best for my relationship with your mother if I don’t sit with her often. We are cordial, but not to the point of idle chatter. I haven’t fully warmed to her, and if she troubles me again, I’d hate to have to kill her. Do warn her."
"She won’t trouble you any longer, so you won’t need to kill her. Don’t ever think of going through with it. I love you, but I love my mother as well. If you kill her unprovoked, then your dreams of staying queen shall end rather fast," Cassian warned.
"And if she is the one who tries to hurt me?" Lilith pressed.
"Then she will be dealt with as well. I would like for the two of you to get along. Once this all settles and we grow accustomed to our new life, she will settle down. She is bound to get distracted shortly," Cassian said, his thoughts drifting to her secret courtship.
"Because you are sending her back to her home? I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes up with a way to stay here. Perhaps she falls to her knees and cries to you, saying all the men in her life are leaving her. I am not against her staying," Lilith confessed.
Diana only needed to stay out of her way.
"Enough about other people. I am planning to invite some of the ladies from known families to the castle so I can get well acquainted with them. I will also be inviting Arthur’s old lover, just to confirm she isn’t carrying his child," Lilith said, her mind already coming up with a plot.
"Are you going to imprison her?"
"No. The dungeon needs to be filled with more important people. I am going to deal with her at once so she can be freed from being tied to Arthur. I’m not going to harm her," Lilith promised, though Cassian didn’t believe her.
"Do as you wish," Cassian said, sitting down on the bed beside her.
"We must start thinking about the kingdom. We need to provide grain to the people so they can prepare for the winter. Too much food was collected and sent off to the army, leaving the people with so little for themselves. Then, there are the orphanages," Lilith said, her voice softening with genuine concern.
"We can send out supplies once we have checked the storage here. We might need to employ a few services. Not only will they want to collect food, but there are families desperate to sell their crops," Cassian said.
"Well, then, we can buy from them. There is plenty of money lying around the castle now that my family isn’t here to waste it. There is even more to sell from their chambers. We must get the kingdom back in good order," Lilith said, watching as Cassian fell back onto the bed, his arm draped across his forehead.
"Then, they won’t have to turn to the priests for a blessing from the heavens. Perhaps I should limit how many dresses I get, since we shouldn’t carelessly spend money," Lilith considered.
"I will buy the dresses for you. It would come out of my wealth from the Mortimer family," Cassian offered, wanting to spoil her.
"Very well. That takes care of one issue. I must go see the orphanage as well. Once Virgil is inside the castle walls, I will be free to roam," Lilith said, her eyes brightening at the thought of the children.
"We haven’t caught the remaining royals yet," Cassian reminded her.
"I am well aware. It is not as though I will be walking around the orphanage without a guard."
"Should I join you-"
"Please," Lilith raised her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "I will grow tired and annoyed by you if we are always together. I will go alone to the orphanage. You stay here and keep searching for our enemies."
