Adeline kept looking at him with wide eyes, did she expect him to invite Lucas over? That was the kind of person Adeline was, she tried to see the good in everyone, right? In everyone except him. Hah.
"I suppose you want me to invite him over," Cassian said, his tone laced with sarcasm. Cassian did have numerous feelings about this half-brother of his, and none of them were positive.
Lucas... Cassian was hiding his powers on purpose sure, but he had kept his true self hidden for far too long. He wore a mask crafted by his mother while Lucas could be himself... And people still liked him. He did not have to be perfect and yet people still favoured him.
Cassian’s fists unknowingly clenched as he awaited Adeline’s answer.
Adeline blinked, caught off guard. "I just thought..."
"You just thought it would be the polite thing to do," Cassian finished, his voice softer now. "That’s who you are, Adeline. You try to see the good in everyone."
Adeline frowned, unsure if his words were meant as a compliment or a critique. To her, they were just children... Seeing a child look at them longing to join... Looking like he was left out made her feel sad.
But she should’ve taken Cassian’s feelings into account, she immediately corrected herself and spoke to him softly, "If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. You are my friend and I want you to feel comfortable."
She hoped he wouldn’t be mad at her, he wasn’t, but she thought he was. She realised that to Cassian, Lucas was his ’rival’. Possibly one of the reasons his mother hit him. How could she insist on inviting the second prince after understanding Cassian? She couldn’t.
Adeline observed the tension radiating from Cassian as his gaze lingered on Lucas in the distance. She understood the fraught dynamic between the two brothers, the layers of resentment, jealousy, and competition.
Her words made him silent, she didn’t know if she said the right thing. She hoped she did!
"Cassian..." She slowly called out. His silence made her uncomfortable. She didn’t mean to put him in such a difficult position!
Cassian turned to her, surprised. Adeline wasn’t pushing him to act like the perfect prince, nor was she urging him to extend an olive branch. She was letting him be himself, letting him experience these awful feelings of jealousy and anger without judgment.
For a moment, he didn’t respond. Then, with a faint nod, he murmured, "Thank you."
Benedict watched the exchange, his brows furrowing slightly. There was something unspoken between Adeline and Cassian, something that felt strangely intimate. But before he could dwell on it, Cassian cleared his throat.
"We should keep moving," Cassian said briskly, redirecting the group’s focus.
Adeline gave a light laugh and nodded, she was right behind him, and next to her was Benedict. His mood felt... Weird, he could not quite put his finger on it. He was fine until a while ago, but suddenly he felt...
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Anna’s eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she noticed was the suffocating darkness. The air was damp and stale, it smelled of mildew. Her head throbbed, and her limbs were aching.
She found herself on the cold, hard ground that made her feel like she was in hell. Panic clawed at her chest as she realised her hands and feet were bound tightly, restricting her movements.
She struggled to see her surroundings, but the darkness was impenetrable. The faintest sound of dripping water echoed in the distance. She attempted to calm her racing thoughts, but fear crept in, insidious and overwhelming.
Where was she? She could feel the injury on herself. They stung but that was not important to her right now. She was... Kidnapped!
Her mind raced through possibilities, but one of them seemed most likely: the Northern Duke. Could he have been the one to orchestrate this? Was this his retribution? Anna gritted her teeth. If that were true, she underestimated him far more than she thought.
She tried to shift, hoping to get a better sense of the space around her, but the movement only caused the rough ropes to bite deeper into her skin. The more she struggled, the more it cut into her skin causing her agony.
With sheer will, she forced herself into a kneeling position, her muscles trembling from the strain. What was her plan? Does she plan to crawl out of there with her knees? There was no way out!
Before she could regain her balance, her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed with a loud thud that reverberated through the empty room. The sound broke the silence, and Anna froze. Her heart pounded as she listened...
Just as she expected, there were footsteps approaching her. She cursed under her breath. The loud sound she made with her struggles caught someone’s attention.
The sound grew louder, and sharper until it stopped just beyond the single door she now noticed at the edge of the room. Her breath hitched as the doorknob turned slowly, she could not see it, but the sound of it turning made her heart beat out of her chest.
The door swung open, and the faint glow of a torch illuminated the figure standing in the doorway. A hooded man stepped inside, his face obscured by shadows. Behind him were two more figures, similarly cloaked.
Anna’s instincts screamed at her to run, to fight, but her restraints rendered her helpless.
"Who... who are you?" she demanded. She tried to sound brave but her shaky voice gave away her emotions.
The man ignored her question, motioning for the others to enter. The two hooded figures moved swiftly to her side, their hands reaching for her bindings.
"Remove them," the man ordered, his voice calm yet chilling.
Anna flinched as their hands grazed her wrists and ankles, cutting the ropes with precision. The moment her limbs were free, she tried to scramble backwards, but the man stepped closer, towering over her.
"Do not move," He said coldly, and she froze immediately. His voice held such authority that she had to listen.
The hooded man crouched before her, close enough that she could make out the faint outline of his lips curling into a sneer.
"Someone has been meddling," He said, his tone mocking. "That someone is courting death!"
His words sent a chill down Anna’s spine.
"What are you talking about?" She whispered, her voice barely audible. Was he talking about her? Was she caught? No, that couldn’t be! No one could have known!
"Do not play dumb Anna Knott..." He scowled. He whispered something to one of his attendants and they immediately left. Anna could not understand what was going on.
"What do you want from me?!" She screamed.
"It is not what I want from you," He spoke in a low and serious voice, "It is about your survival... Do not disappoint me."
From the back, the attendant he sent away had returned. She was holding something and under the dim lighting, she saw what it was. She carried a cushion and on it was... The Holy Sword of the North!