Chapter 51: Chapter 51 - Search for enemies
Lilith threw the garment from the bed, her skin crawling at the thought that Virgil might have laid hands on it. She dragged her fingers through her hair, trying to collect herself.
"I knew I heard that bastard’s voice on the way here," Lilith muttered, staring at the fabric where it had fallen on the floor.
"Why didn’t you tell me?"
"Because I wasn’t certain. I was the only one who heard him. We shouldn’t be surprised that he slipped into the castle without our knowing. Virgil has supporters everywhere, inside and outside these walls. He is, after all, God’s messenger," Lilith spoke with a bitterness.
"That is precisely why we must find a way to kill him. I cannot rest knowing he moves in and out of this castle as he pleases. Anyone loyal to Virgil must be dealt with alongside him. They are too far gone in his word to be reasoned with," Lilith said.
Cassian rose from the bed and began pulling on his clothes.
"What are you doing?" Lilith asked, watching him.
"Going to find the priest and kill him," Cassian said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Send your guards to look for him. Virgil did this to get our skin under and drive us apart. If you leave, where do you think he will go? And I don’t trust your guards completely. For all we know, some of them are his followers. Send them to search, but stay here," Lilith said.
"I won’t give Virgil what he wants. He is likely already out of the castle. If the guards find him, then we deal with him. Besides, I have no wish to have it said that my husband left me on our wedding night. Send the guards," said Lilith.
The castle was large. Even if Cassian went himself, finding Virgil in it would take half the night.
Cassian fastened his trousers and watched as Lilith rose from the bed without being self-conscious of her naked appearance, moving across the chamber to find something else to wear.
Between the two of them, Virgil’s fixation was on Lilith. She was the one at greater risk.
"I will speak to the guards," Cassian said, moving towards the door.
Alone in the chamber, Lilith found a nightgown and pulled it over her shoulders. She wanted nothing more than to sit in warm water and scrub away every place the garment had touched her, but the maids would be in bed by now.
’That is what comes of accepting a gift without question, ’ Lilith thought, scolding herself.
She had accepted it because she believed it came from Cassian, and she had wanted to use it to her advantage. A foolish, careless mistake, and she was not in the habit of making those.
"That will not happen again," Lilith spoke softly.
Lilith returned to the bed by the time Cassian returned.
"I hope you are aware that our wedding night has come to an end. I am not in the mood to be intimate now, so if you need to get rid of the problem, I suggest you make yourself acquainted with your own hands," Lilith said, watching him from across the bed. "Go on. I am happy to be entertained."
"Absolutely not," Cassian said, sitting down on the bed.
"A pity. Me not being in the mood doesn’t mean I couldn’t have enjoyed watching. Whatever you do or say from this point on, I have decided you are shy when we are alone. Don’t sulk about it. It works in your favour," said Lilith.
Cassian laid down, keeping a careful arm’s length between them. He said nothing.
Lilith took his silence for disappointment at how the night had ended. "Welcome to life in this castle, where the danger never fully goes away. Being king will not protect you, and being my husband will not make it any easier. We must both remain on guard at all times."
"I have ordered the guards to search every part of the castle, though I believe he is already gone. I had the priests banned from entering today, so I have every right to have him imprisoned if they find him," said Cassian.
"I wish you luck in catching that snake. He has a particular talent for moving unseen, as he is helped by every person loyal to him. We need to expose him for what he truly is and put someone of our own choosing in his place. We must have control of the church," Lilith said, starting to plot.
"Do you ever stop plotting?"
"How can I, when there is always someone else plotting? Being born royal means being born surrounded by enemies. You cannot lower your guard for even a moment. Look at what happened tonight," Lilith said, letting the evidence speak for itself.
Cassian turned his head to look at her. "You lowered your guard to wear a gift you believed had come from me."
"A careless mistake. I have not been so careless in years." Lilith stared up at the ceiling. "From now on, do not send gifts through anyone else."
"I will not accept them that way. Even when you place something in my hands directly, I will be cautious. Take no offence. It is simply how I must live," said Lilith.
Her gaze moved to the food and wine set in the corner of the chamber, untouched since the maids had left it. "I would advise you not to wake in the night and help yourself to any of the food. After the coronation, we need to replace a great many of the castle’s servants and guards. Too many of them cannot be trusted."
"I don’t think you will ever truly trust anyone, Lilith."
"I was trusting once. Every time I believed someone was different from the last, they showed me they were not. When that begins in childhood, it is not easy to undo. But it has also kept me alive," Lilith said
.
"Give me the chance to prove myself. Don’t judge me based on what others before me did," Cassian requested.
"I shall try, but it will not come easily or quickly. It is a hard thing to fight against," Lilith said and turned onto her side, putting her back to him. "I think we should end the night here. Good night," she said.
"Good night," Cassian replied, remaining awake as Lilith fell asleep.
