Chapter 29
Theo stood and brushed an invisible speck of dust from his robes.
"I will take my leave," he said. "Arrangements have already been made. You will be relocated to the Tower tomorrow. It is safer there."
"What?" I asked.
"You'll see."
That was profoundly unhelpful.
Then again, I was beginning to suspect that mysterious and unhelpful was simply his natural state.
He looked at me once more and smiled.
"See you tomorrow, Cassie."
I frowned.
Of course he would use that name.
Then he simply walked away, leaving behind a handful of answers and an alarming number of new problems.
───
"Are you angry with me, Rey?"
"I could never be angry with you, Senna."
"It was necessary. I'm sorry. It... it couldn't wait. Things were not looking good, and I panicked. You weren't here either. I didn't know what to do."
A brief silence followed.
Then Rhaevan's voice softened.
"Hey, it's alright. I'm here now. You don't have to worry anymore."
"She is angry, isn't she?" Lysenne asked quietly. "I'll talk to her. I'll make her understand, Rey."
"It's alright, Senna. Don't trouble yourself. I'll handle her."
"What would I do without you, Rey?"
A soft chuckle followed.
"Guess you'll never find out."
Then came laughter.
I stood there, staring at the wall.
I hadn't meant to eavesdrop.
I had merely been waiting for the unfortunate staff member who was supposed to show me to my room when I noticed the shadow of a gown and a robe further down the corridor.
Unfortunately, my ears worked perfectly well.
So I stopped and listened.
Because, really, what else was I supposed to do?
By the time the conversation ended, my blood was boiling. Mostly because the "she" they referred to was definitely me.
I'll handle her?
Excuse me?
What exactly was I? A difficult household pet? An unruly child? A particularly troublesome piece of furniture?
And why had that sounded so natural coming from him?
The audacity of this man truly knew no bounds.
I crossed my arms.
Then uncrossed them.
Then crossed them again.
The more I thought about it, the worse it became.
And, rather inconveniently, another realization began to creep in.
These two had nicknames for each other.
Rey.
Senna.
Such affection.
There was also the fact that she had panicked because he wasn't there, and he had immediately reassured her in that irritatingly calm voice of his.
Oh.
Oh no.
The romantic subplot had definitely kicked into place.
I had somehow walked into the middle of it.
Wonderful.
To fulfill the heroine's wishes, the second male lead sacrifices the villain.
A tale for the ages.
A pair of majestic blunderhead assholes.
I scoffed.
Far too loudly.
Lysenne's head turned immediately.
Wonderful.
She started walking toward me just as I was attempting a very not so dignified retreat.
"Cassiane?" she asked.
"Ah... I... was looking for my room," I said, gesturing vaguely in the direction I had just come from. "Wrong turn. Not this way. Nobody came to show me where to go. I was just leaving."
"Wait, Cassie. Allow me to escort you."
"That won't be necess-"
I looked around.
I had absolutely no idea where I was.
"...Well. Alright."
Lysenne fell into step beside me.
She didn't force conversation or fill the silence with meaningless words, and I appreciated that far more than I intended to.
"I know you're angry," she said after a while.
I didn't respond.
"And you have every right to be."
Still nothing.
"I'm happy," she said quietly.
That made me glance at her.
"I've always wanted a sister."
That caught me completely off guard.
"And father..." She hesitated. "He wasn't fair to you."
That was perhaps the greatest understatement I had heard all day.
"Mother is ill," she added.
I stilled.
"She was attacked."
Something unpleasant twisted in my chest.
I didn't particularly appreciate it.
"I've been handling things since then," she continued. "That's why I called you. Even against Father's wishes."
I looked at her.
Properly this time.
And for the first time since arriving here, this didn't feel like manipulation.
It felt real.
"You should rest tonight," she said softly. "We leave tomorrow."
I nodded.
"Goodnight, Cassie."
"Goodnight... Your Highness."
Her smile faltered ever so slightly.
Wonderful.
I had somehow managed to make a perfectly ordinary farewell awkward.
A remarkable talent of mine.
She nodded anyway and quietly left.
───
I walked to my room and let out a slow breath.
"Brilliant," I muttered.
I pushed the door open.
And stopped.
Because standing inside, looking as calm and familiar as ever, was Martha.
She turned and bowed slightly.
"My lady."
I blinked.
"...Martha?"
"I've been assigned to assist you."
I narrowed my eyes.
"As my maid or as my supervisor?"
She didn't answer.
She simply looked at me for a long moment and sighed.
"How have you been, Cassiane?"
I froze.
Because no one asked that.
Not really.
Not because they genuinely wanted an answer.
And suddenly, everything I had been holding together simply gave up.
I couldn't answer.
My throat tightened, my chest hurt, and before I could stop myself, I was crying.
Not quietly.
Not gracefully.
Just completely.
Martha didn't say a word.
She stepped forward and pulled me into an embrace.
And for the first time in a very long while, I let myself lean into it.
I let go of the anger.
The confusion.
The loneliness.
The constant, exhausting feeling of being unwanted.
I simply stood there and held on because, for once, I didn't want to be strong.
I just wanted to feel.
Before everything changed again.