Madeline had her own reasons for deciding to propose a marriage to the young lad. She wasn’t deaf when the Coachman referred to the young man as Lord Cassian, for she knew of only one popular man bearing such a name in the upper East quarters.
Lord Cassian, the son of Duke Richard himself.
Lord Cassian was known to be quite a charmer with a commendable physique, and it certainly wasn’t a fake rumor since she’s standing before him and taking notice of his appearance herself.
Not everyone is lucky to physically run into Lord Cassian~ scratch that, what she meant to say was, not everyone can be unfortunate enough to run into Lord Cassian. It was difficult to interact with a man who was fond of steering trouble towards his direction.
He doesn’t associate with people, and If he does, it was either to kill them, or send them behind bars for committing something. This explains why most people are fortunate enough to stay clear of him.
She’s heard he wasn’t someone to be messed with, he was considered insane after bringing a bucket filled with snakes to an event his father hosted, and a lot of people who were victims to the snakes were sent to medical centers to get treated.
She doesn’t know how true those rumors are, but if they were, that makes him a perfect suitor for her.
If there was one way to escape her uncle’s clutches forever, it would be by getting married to the Duke’s son. With his title and no nonsense attitude, he could protect her from falling into the hands of Roland’s malicious plans ever again.
But will he agree?
Amadeus, who stood facing the young fellows, felt his brain cells drift into the slowly darkened clouds as he froze. He wasn’t the one getting proposed to, but he was more petrified than the two young fellows who remained silent.
’This must be a dream’ Amadeus convinced himself.
"What’s your name?" Cassian finally asked with his brows furrowed suspiciously. To think a lady would be the one to propose a marriage to him, there has to be something behind her reasons for wanting to marry a man like him, and they’ve only just met properly.
"Madeline Albert." Madeline responded, stretching her right hand forward, "I’m the daughter of the late Baron living in this part of our divided sectors, it’s an honor to finally meet you, Lord Cassian."
Staring at her outstretched hand, the corner of his lips tugged up into a mysterious smile, and he received her hand in his, kind-heartedly accepting her polite way of greeting.
He was also impressed by the honesty in her words.
The same couldn’t be said about Amadeus who stared at their joined hands, wide-eyed, and he nearly fainted. She didn’t only shake hands with a Duke’s son, but she might as well be getting themselves into serious trouble with the Duke.
"I appreciate your daring proposal, but the thing is, I am not looking for a wife." Cassian refused her offer before releasing her hand. No doubt, he found her pretty interesting, even when he laid eyes on her for the first time on a night like this.
But what would he gain by helping her??
"I see the carriage!" A voice suddenly yelled out, drawing their attention to the path where the voice was coming from, and Madeline could already guess who’s voice it was.
"They found me." She took a step back, holding onto the hem of her dress in case she needed to make a run for it. If he wasn’t going to help and accept her proposal, then what is she waiting for??
"I_I need to leave."
"And where are you going?" Cassian’s voice made her stop, and she turned to look at him with widened eyes, unable to believe he was asking her a question that had an obvious answer.
"I am leaving."
"To where?" He snorted, "they’ll just follow you and the chase will never stop, except you have plans on leaving Carmarthen tonight. For them to chase you up here, it means you’re of more value to them."
"Then help me."
"There she is!"
Madeline’s eyes impulsively shifted to one of her uncle’s men who had spotted her. He was pointing directly at her so his fellow men would see her as well, and she gasped in fright, knowing she was done for.
Amadeus wasn’t frightened by the latter, he was standing beside Cassian to be worried about such men. Unsure of whether Cassian might come to her aid or not, he went to stand beside Madeline to reassure her she’ll be alright, and the young lady shielded herself behind him.
"You..!!.."
Roland stopped talking after coming to stand in front of Cassian, who stared at them like fools that have nothing important to do with their lives.
About four to five men were standing before him, and couldn’t be more ashamed that they would chase an unarmed lady during the night.
"And what is the commotion all about?" He asked, already feeling irritated by their ugly poor presence.
Roland didn’t need to look twice before knowing he was standing before Lord Cassian. The color on his face instantly drained when he met his eyes, and he immediately bowed his head politely at the Young Lord, stealing small glances at Madeline who hid behind Amadeus.
"Lord Cassian... your...your... presence is...."
"The question I asked doesn’t really rhyme with the response you’re giving." The arrogance in his tone made Roland’s shoulders quiver slightly. The young man’s power was definitely weighing him down.
"Forgive me, I am here to...to get my niece." He finally said.
"Your niece?" Cassian’s brows snapped together. He turned to look at Madeline for answers, and she nodded her head.
"He’s my uncle, but he’s not a good man." She glared at Roland, pointing a finger at him, "This man, he wanted to sell me to some old Barbarian so he could get his hands on my inheritance."
Madeline saw no point in hiding the truth from him, "him and his wife wanted to make me a list in one of the Barbarian’s pet collections. I ran away but he caught me and forced me to come to the church. Please don’t give me back to them."
"Madeline, I am your uncle," Roland, for the first time since Madeline had known him, spoke to her with a soothing voice.
"We’re only doing this for your own good. You didn’t have to run away like that, you should have told us you have no plans of marrying him, we would have understood, but you chose to run away." Roland feigned a pained expression, as though he was hurt by it.
"But it is alright, you won’t get married if that is what you want, but come--" he wanted to move closer to Madeline, but Cassian stood in his path, obstructing his view while Amadeus kept Madeline safe behind him.
"Did she give you permission to go near her?" Cassian questioned with his left brow raised in a silent threat.
"Huh? No, but--"
"It’d be best if you turn around and leave, it is obvious your presence isn’t welcomed here, and the stench of your poverty is making me itch in the wrong places."
His venomous retort left Roland speechless with shock, most especially when the young lad began to scratch the back of his neck as though he was really allergic to men like him.
"Quietly turn and leave, before the last drop of my kindness hits the ground." He was losing his patience.
Amadeus gave Roland’s men a look that told them to wisely leave before something happens.
"She is my niece, I have the right to take her with me." Roland had made up his mind, he wasn’t going to leave without her. Gregor wouldn’t hesitate to leave a bullet in his chest if he failed to bring Madeline with him.
"You do have that right, but that right is only applicable if she’s willing to come with you. She’s not a child, and she can make decisions for herself if she wants to."
"Lord_"
*BANG!!*
Everyone, including Madeline, nearly jumped out of their skin when Cassian fired a gun at one of Roland’s men, sending him to his early grave and silencing her uncle at the same time.
Madeline’s eyes widened at the sight of the man dropping dead to the ground, silence filled the area as Roland’s men cautiously backed away.
Madeline looked at Cassian who returned his gun at the side of his belt.
When did he bring that out without anyone noticing??
"Sorry but I didn’t like the way he stared at me," he apologized to Roland who was beginning to sweat.
"You were saying something." Cassian habitually shoved his hands into his pocket, looking unarmed and Roland, all of a sudden, didn’t have the guts to speak.
The rumors are true, the Young Lord is very much insane!