Chapter 83: Chapter 83 - Protection
Lilith watched as Cassian’s cousins left to speak to others. ’How long must this go on?’ She wondered, uninterested in pretending to mourn Richard for long.
"You are quite the little actress." Cassian’s breath tickled her ear, warm against her skin.
"Wouldn’t that mean you are good at acting as well? I must keep my eye on you. I was meant to visit the orphanages, but-"
"You aren’t going out of the castle today, Lilith," Cassian interrupted before she could finish.
"If I wanted to, why couldn’t I?" Lilith asked, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.
"Because I said so," Cassian vaguely answered.
"I know it could be because Virgil hasn’t been caught. I advise you to explain yourself rather than give out orders, because there might be misunderstandings between us. Or do you finally have some need to order me around?" Lilith asked, disliking the way Cassian spoke to her. "Are you putting on a show?"
"For who? Who would I put on a show for? These people?" Cassian asked, peering down at Lilith. "I am not in a good mood."
"Well, don’t take it out on me. It’s not going to be good for you if you do so," Lilith said, uninterested in being his target.
Cassian sighed, not liking where this was heading. "I haven’t taken out my anger on you. I only said that you are not leaving the castle. I will be the one to organise your outings. Do not make plans without telling me."
"These aren’t my plans. It is my duty as the queen to go around the town, showing my face and caring for others. I am willing to forget this moment. It is so small and shouldn’t be made bigger," Lilith said, calming herself. "But when you tell me no, I expect an explanation."
"Must I? You don’t always give me explanations, Lilith. I am not arguing with you, merely pointing out that we both do it. Everything I do is for your safety, so when I say no, know that is the answer," Cassian explained.
"There better be a good reason for the change in your mood. Then again, I don’t know you very well to think this isn’t you. Before you interrupted me, I was going to say that I was meant to leave for the orphanage, but I would use this day to get to know you," Lilith said, though her plans had shifted.
"Instead, I think I would like to be alone and enjoy how quiet the castle is. I must oversee the servants and start making plans to ensure the kingdom doesn’t face a famine. I shall drop this," Lilith said, but she grabbed hold of Cassian’s shirt to pull him forward. "But don’t order me around."
"I will do what I must to keep you safe," Cassian replied, standing on his actions.
Lilith frowned. "What has happened? Is there a new threat to me? Is that it? There is blood," she spoke softly, noticing a dark stain on his shirt. "You killed someone. Was it Virgil?"
"It wasn’t him. We shouldn’t speak of this when there is a crowd around us. Just know that I keep you safe, Lilith. It is all I do," Cassian said, his voice low.
Lilith stepped closer to Cassian, her eyes narrowing. "I want to know what the dangers were. Keeping me in the dark does nothing but stop me from being prepared if the same dangers rise again."
"There were traitors in the servants planning to attack, so I slaughtered all of them. Servants who were still loyal to your family. I must limit your movement for now until I have gotten rid of the danger. Do not make plans to leave the castle," Cassian said, leaving no room for arguments.
"I know you wish to show that you are a good queen, but I won’t let you fight me on this. Listen to me."
"I know when to listen. See, wasn’t that easy with you telling me the reason why? I don’t want to run straight into danger, Cassian. If it is not safe for me to leave the castle, I won’t push for it and place innocent children in danger. I will stay," Lilith agreed with Cassian.
"You have been a busy man this morning. Have you killed all of the servants?" Lilith asked, holding onto Cassian’s arm as they walked away from the crowd
"Not all of them. I had to come here. That is not all that has spoiled my mood," Cassian said, anger simmering beneath his words. "My family gathered early in the morning, not to speak of Richard, but of us and a court."
"Let me guess. They have questions about whether we are performing our duty because they didn’t get to see the blankets stained with blood after our wedding night. Or they are already suggesting that you take daughters of nobles to your side to cement their alliance," Lilith guessed.
Cassian looked down at Lilith, surprised by her accuracy. "They did both," he admitted.
"You shouldn’t be surprised by it, as it was bound to happen. You selected a woman with no power as your wife. Your family is in a hurry to let a more suitable woman become your mistress and have the first prince. That would be the start of pushing me out," Lilith said, observing Cassian’s family.
"To everyone here, eventually you shall lose interest in me, and when that happens, they won’t want my son to take the throne. That is why I want a child to secure my position at your side," Lilith said, wanting to be ahead of the crowd.
"You are not going anywhere, Lilith. I am not going to take a mistress," Cassian promised.
"You say that now," Lilith said, having seen this once before.
"Lilith," Cassian said, his tone startling her because it lacked warmth. "There will be no others. The stain on my shirt wasn’t from the servants killed. My relatives will die before you are ever replaced."
Lilith stared at Cassian, trying to place who had died if it wasn’t the servants, and then it struck her. "It was a relative," she whispered, realising the cause of his earlier bad mood. "You killed them for me?" she asked, genuinely surprised by the revelation.
