Chapter 93: Chapter 93 - Warning
"Your Majesty, I can explain," Gerald said, followed by a pause as he searched for an excuse. His palms dampened as it wasn’t easy to face Cassian.
"You cannot simply say that you have been meeting with my mother in private? That you were at her side during the night and the day before? Or must I recount the other times you crept to her before we left for war?" Cassian asked, impatient with Gerald. "What must you explain?"
"All of it. I accept death if you would cast it upon me," Gerald said, lowering his head. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Do not be so drastic," Cassian replied, though his tone carried no mercy. He was not yet ready to spill blood within the castle walls. "Raise your head, Gerald. There is a reason for you to fear me, but not at this moment. I have long known of your meetings with my mother."
Cassian had uncovered the secret during his first marriage to Lilith. He knew how it began, and he knew the bitter end that awaited the private courtship, so he would not trouble it.
Gerald lifted his head. "I have been courting and entertaining her. I love her," he confessed, the words spilling out easier than he imagined they would.
"And if I demanded that you abandon all you achieved in the army to be with her or keep it all and leave her, what would you choose?" Cassian asked, testing Gerald’s love.
"I would leave behind the medals. I know what I accomplished in the wars and need no trinket to prove it. Lady Diana is special to me," Gerald said, his devotion to her greater than his interest in the army. "Our courtship is not as you think. We would not flaunt it now for your sake and her own."
Cassian’s brow arched as he was amused they dragged him into it. "My sake? Tell me, what does this have to do with me? My father has been gone for three years. I do not expect my mother to close her heart forever."
"Your uncle would not have stayed silent, and the timing, being so near to your ascension, would not have been wise. She wished to keep it secret a little longer, and I agreed. In time, we would make it known," Gerald explained, his voice faltering under Cassian’s stare.
"I do not care that my mother has a lover. I care about how you are with her. She may do as she pleases, and I will not interfere unless her safety is threatened. Do not make me the reason you continue to see her in the shadows," Cassian said.
"Am I permitted to remain within the castle?" Gerald asked, astonished that Cassian’s fury had not yet consumed him. "I was loyal to your father. I vowed to protect your family."
"You were under his command before mine, and you have kept your word. Even if you were dishonourable to entertain her whilst she was still married, it would not be my place to judge. She did not have an affair with you, did she?" Cassian asked, hoping his parents’ marriage was not spoiled.
"No," Gerald shook his head. "It has not been more than a year. It came suddenly, and we truly tried to avoid each other. I am only a soldier, whilst she is a lady."
"I have no interest in prying into this courtship. You are far older than I am, and you have proved your loyalty. My issue lies in the blindness this has caused you. I placed you at my wife’s side not only as punishment for my mother, but because of your skill," Cassian revealed his calculated cruelty.
Gerald’s breath caught as he realised Cassian had chosen him with strategy, not mercy. "Your mother is innocent-"
"You will address her as Lady Diana Mortimer whilst in my presence," Cassian snapped, annoyed by this distraction. "Do not presume to lecture me about my mother. That is not your place. Do not think yourself bold enough to cross that line."
Cassian stepped closer. His presence intimidated Gerald. "Should you harm my mother, I will discard all you have done for my family and drag you by your balls before your kin. In my eyes, you are a soldier before you are her lover. Do not find yourself too late at my wife’s side. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Your Majesty," Gerald replied, his confidence crumbling. "It will not happen again," he promised.
"If I may. How did you discover us? We were careful, meeting only in secret," Gerald asked, desperate to know where he had slipped up.
They had always met outside the estate, in a house bestowed upon Diana, filled with servants loyal only to her.
"You were sneaking with my mother upon my land, yet you thought I would not notice? You are fortunate, I know your heart. Stand watch and wait for my wife to finish dressing. You will escort her alongside me," Cassian commanded, turning back into the chamber.
Gerald held his breath until the door closed. Relief washed over him, but he was still concerned.
He glanced at the guards stationed by the door. They had not moved, and their eyes were fixed upon the hall. Gerald knew they were so loyal to Cassian that they would sooner cut out their tongues than speak of Cassian’s private matters.
"Good morning!" Gerald heard Alexander’s voice approaching.
"You are late," Gerald muttered, his back against the door.
"I was not late. I have been here since sunrise, watching her maid with her ear pressed to the door. I followed others acting suspicious. I worked whilst you rested," Alexander said, taking his place at Gerald’s right.
"I hear he has ordered everyone to gather in the throne room. Do you know why?"
"I do not," Gerald replied, his mind consumed by other thoughts.
Now he had to consider how he would tell Diana that Cassian knew. How would she take the news?
