Chapter 72
The discussion in Theo's office had drained my last living brain cell. I walked like a confused zombie to Lucien's chamber after the war council, but he was fast asleep under the influence of heavy healing medicines.
Defeated, I retreated to my quarters. Martha had already prepared a hot bath, and Cookie stood eagerly by the hearth waiting for me. I lifted the small puppy into my arms, gently stroking his ears as I sank onto the edge of the mattress.
"Well... you know what, Cookie?" I whispered into his fur, letting out a long sigh. "In the original plot, I was supposed to be a basic villain who did terrible things and died early. Now my destiny looks completely doomed all over again."
I lay back on the pillows, staring out the high arched window at the night sky until exhaustion finally pulled me under.
The next morning, I returned to the infirmary armed with far stronger emotional support: Cookie.
"Look who came to visit you," I announced dramatically, stepping into Lucien's private room after confirming the healers were absent.
Cookie wriggled excitedly in my arms before Lucien carefully reached out and took him, settling the puppy against his lap.
"Oh," Lucien murmured softly, his bruised face relaxing instantly. "Hello there, little menace."
Cookie wagged his tail enthusiastically, licking Lucien's wrist.
"He's grown quite a bit since I last saw him," Lucien noted, scratching behind Cookie's ears. "Clearly you've been feeding him well."
"He has excellent taste," I replied proudly, taking a seat in the velvet chair beside his bed.
Lucien leaned back carefully against the raised pillows. He looked significantly healthier today, though his skin remained pale enough to concern me whenever I wasn't actively distracting myself with snark.
He looked at me and asked, "Cass, are you alright?"
I shook my head faintly. "Yes, I suppose. Just trying to adjust to the new developments."
"Care to share?"
I exhaled and gave a briefing about Theo's office discussion.
His expression grew grave. "Things are getting worse faster than expected. Such a bad time to be resting."
He sighed after a moment, absentmindedly petting Cookie's back.
"I can't wait to get out of this bed. Lying here all day makes me feel useless, like I'm missing out on all the action. No wonder I don't get visited by Rhaevan and Lysenne often. They must be occupied with the crisis. Before this mess, it was always Rhaevan, Lysenne,
and me mapping out investigations together. I wonder what those two are up to right now."
Unfortunately, I already had a fairly good idea.
Earlier that morning, while making my way toward Lucien's chamber with Cookie, I had spotted Rhaevan at the far end of the corridor.
He had just emerged from his study and was walking in my direction.
Although he didn't see me approaching, I had actually started to smile and was about to call out to him when the door behind him opened again.
Lysenne stepped out.
I stopped.
Rhaevan turned when he noticed her and said something I couldn't hear from that distance. She answered, and after a brief exchange, the two of them disappeared back into his study together.
The door closed behind them.
I had stared at it for several seconds before rolling my eyes and continuing down the corridor.
Apparently, whatever extremely important investigation they were conducting required the two of them to be alone in Rhaevan's study.
Frequently.
Very efficiently.
And, judging by how comfortable they seemed with each other, probably without any of the awkwardness that accompanied most of my interactions with Rhaevan.
So when Lucien asked what those two might be doing, my brain helpfully supplied the image again.
I, who was fumbling with my gown, answered automatically before my brain could stop me: "Probably locked inside Rhaevan's study, being all efficient and comfortable around each other."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Lucien slowly stopped petting Cookie and looked at me.
"Well," he said carefully, a smirk playing on his lips, "what was with that statement? Someone sounds jealous."
Oh. That had come out loud. Deeply unfortunate.
I let out a weak, forced laugh. "Jealous? Me? Absolutely not. I was merely making neutral observations regarding two politically active individuals cooperating within appropriate professional boundaries."
Lucien simply stared at me.
"I am entirely uninvested in their interactions," I added hastily.
Lucien looked far too entertained for a man who had been at death's door forty-eight hours ago. "You are overexplaining for someone who claims to be unbothered."
"I am not overexplaining."
"You absolutely are."
"You're flustered, Cassiane."
"I am articulate."
"That is not the same thing," he noted dryly.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I should remind you that you're not quite well enough to test my patience."
At that exact moment, the chief healer entered the room. He looked between the two of us, sighed deeply, and radiated the exhausted disappointment of a man who regretted every career choice that had brought him here.
"You are disturbing the recovery environment, Lady Cassiane," he announced stiffly.
I opened my mouth with three separate retorts ready, then closed it. Growth. Character development. A deeply upsetting experience overall.
Lucien, entirely unbothered by the healer's scolding, leaned forward with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Do you like him? Rhaevan?"
"What?!" Heat rushed into my face with the force of a localized fire magic spell. "No! Absolutely not! I have no idea what you are implying!"
"Oh, I think you do."
"I don't! I don't harbor romantic feelings for anyone in this tower," I declared, scooping Cookie off his lap to prepare for a swift strategic retreat. "Especially not Rhaevan."
"Then do I have a chance?" Lucien asked casually out of nowhere. "I was actually considering asking you to become Viremont's crown princess."
I froze mid-step, my brain completely stalling. "...What? Lucien, I... I never..."
Lucien suddenly burst into laughter, wincing immediately as the movement pulled at his bandaged chest. "Relax," he choked out, holding his side. "I'm kidding."
"That is not funny!"
"You would make an excellent princess, though."
"Please stop speaking."
"Too late."
"Lucien."
"You're blushing."
"I'm leaving!"
Before the conversation could evolve into something capable of causing permanent psychological damage, I grabbed Cookie and marched toward the heavy doors.
Which opened at that exact second.
I walked directly into a solid, immovable wall of a chest. I stumbled back, looking up slowly. Rhaevan was standing in the doorway. Princess Lysenne stood right beside him, offering a gentle smile.
"What were you two talking about?" Lysenne asked brightly.
I turned toward Lucien instantly, shaking my head with microscopic urgency to communicate a desperate message through eye contact alone: Do not speak. Do not ruin my life. Do not create problems.
Lucien looked directly at me and smiled.
That smile - that manipulative, princely, emotionally lethal smile - belonged to a man who had chosen absolute violence.
"Well," Lucien began smoothly, pausing dramatically as he glanced between Rhaevan and Lysenne. "I just asked for Cassiane's hand in marriage."
Complete and utter silence descended upon the infirmary.
"I asked her to become Viremont's crown princess," Lucien continued, his voice sounding horrifyingly sincere now. "And she said she would think about it."
My soul left my body so fast it probably crossed state lines. Beside me, Cookie barked once in sheer confusion.
Lysenne blinked rapidly, her smile faltering. "...Are you serious, Lucien?"
Lucien nodded solemnly. "She seemed quite moved by the proposal. Didn't you, darling?"
Darling?!
My brain shut down entirely. I turned toward him slowly, my face frozen in a look of sheer, unadulterated betrayal. "I..."
Nothing came out. Words had completely abandoned me.
My eyes instinctively went towards Rhaevan, who was standing across the room.
He had gone entirely still. He wasn't looking at me, which somehow felt ten times worse.
His expression had turned completely unreadable, controlled in that quiet, dangerous way of his.
But I noticed the slight, sharp tightening of his jaw before he turned his gaze toward the window.
Maybe I was imagining it - maybe my panicked brain was inventing details - but for one split second, he looked genuinely furious. Or hurt.
Meanwhile, Lucien looked seconds away from dying of suppressed laughter. He was enjoying this far too much.
Before I could hurl Cookie at Lucien's face or attempt a verbal defense, Rhaevan stepped forward, deliberately cutting through the tension.
"We're here because we found a major lead," Rhaevan said, his voice flat and perfectly controlled as he addressed Lucien directly.
The playful atmosphere vanished instantly. Lucien straightened up in bed, his amusement giving way to sharp focus. "What kind of lead?"
Rhaevan unrolled a map scroll onto the side table, outlining everything we had gathered from Albert and discussed in Theo's office. "The woman who attacked you belongs to The Veiled Thorn. We now have official confirmation that Varynthar is operating alongside them."
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "They've been conducting illegal human and beast experiments for years, infusing dark magic to win border wars."
"And from our investigation at the inn," Rhaevan added, "we believe they are searching for something specific in our territory."
"What?" Lucien asked.
Rhaevan hesitated briefly before answering. "Solithium."
The room grew dead quiet.
Meanwhile, I stood there wondering why everything in this universe sounded like an ancient plague wrapping around a pronunciation difficulty?
"What exactly is Solithium?" I asked, breaking the silence.
Rhaevan looked at me, his expression grave. "It's an ancient magical mineral. Extremely rare. Most kingdoms believed it went extinct years ago."
"And why is everyone terrified of it?"
"Because Solithium amplifies magic exponentially."
"That doesn't sound inherently terrible," I noted cautiously.
"It amplifies all magic," Archmage Theo's calm voice suddenly drifted from the doorway as he stepped into the room. "Innate magic, structured spells, and corrupted dark magic."
I frowned. "Meaning?"
"In the right hands, Solithium can power an entire kingdom's defenses," Theo explained quietly. "In the wrong hands, it can erase one."
"If Varynthar obtains a stable supply," Rhaevan continued, "they can accelerate their dark experiments tenfold. Stronger army, deadlier weapons, and unshakeable spellcraft."
"And The Veiled Thorn will gladly weaponize it for them," Lucien added grimly.
At what point had my life spiraled this far out of control?
A few weeks ago, my biggest concern had been not accidentally flattening innocent furniture with my magic.
Now I was sitting in the middle of a war council.
And, as if the cult with a ridiculous name wasn't enough, the universe casually tossed in an ancient magical mineral like it was adding seasoning to an already overcooked stew.
How had I ended up here?