Cassian had been quite vocal about not wanting to share the same bed with Lady Katherine, but she had insisted. Now, he sat awkwardly at the edge of the bed, watching as Katherine fidgeted with her clothes, folding and refolding them on the table for the past ten minutes. Finally, unable to contain his frustration, he asked, "My lady, can I help?"
Katherine turned to him with a frustrated expression and said, "Yes, align them perfectly, like you do with my other clothes."
Cassian nodded, taking the dresses and neatly arranging them the way she liked. Her expression softened slightly, though the frustration lingered. She pointed to another piece of clothing in the bag and said, "Do the same with those."
It was her undergarments, and Cassian didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed handling them—nor did she. After all, he arranged them daily at the castle. It might've been a different story if she were actually wearing them, but for now, they were just pieces of clothing.
As he picked up a simple red bra, he couldn't help but comment, "This one's different from your usual ones, my lady," feeling the fabric before adding, "It's also a bit less soft. Won't it be uncomfortable for you?"
Katherine looked at him, a bit surprised. Not by the question, but by how casually he'd asked it. An amused smile crossed her face. "You know a lot about undergarments?"
This time, Cassian didn't fumble, thinking she was asking casually. Without looking back as he placed the bra on top of the already neatly arranged dresses, he replied, "Oh, that's because I usually put them away in your closet after they've been washed, so I've picked up a few things here and there."
"Is that so?" Katherine's amused smile lingered as she added, "And did you ever imagine me just wearing them only?"
Cassian was about to answer with a quick 'yes,' but snapped out of his relaxed state. Turning to her swiftly, he shook his head vigorously, saying, "No, I wouldn't dare, my lady."
"Yeah, yeah, like I believe that," Katherine replied in a slightly mocking tone as she leaned back on the bed. "Cassian, one thing I know about men is that when they start growing hair down there, their inner pervert shows up automatically. So, I'm sure you imagine me in those every time you handle them. I don't care that you do, just don't lie about it."
Cassian had to admit, her analogy wasn't far off, but agreeing with her might cost him his head, so he silently returned to arranging her clothes the way she preferred. Katherine, now staring at the ceiling, went quiet for a few moments before breaking the silence, "The staff said this ship is taking off at sunrise, right?"
"Yeah, he said the ship will take off at the first ray of sun," Cassian replied, still puzzled. He couldn't wrap his mind around how this ship could fly. He knew mages could levitate, but seeing an entire ship do the same? That was something entirely new to him.
"So, just an hour or two until we're off. Wanna watch it?" Katherine asked, glancing out the window at the fading darkness, the first hints of morning light creeping in. "It's really fun—the ship dives down the mountains at first. It's such a rush!" she added, her face lighting up with excitement.
But Cassian wasn't sharing her enthusiasm. "Fun?" Diving down a mountain didn't sound like fun to him at all. Even if there was an ocean below, falling from this height seemed like a death wish. With a bit of controlled apprehension, he asked, "But, my lady, aren't we supposed to… fly?"
"It'll fly, but only after the fall," Katherine said, sitting up again with an excited grin.
Cassian, still uneasy, couldn't help but ask, "If it's gonna fly, why fall in the first place?"
"It's some complicated stuff, but why worry? Just wait and see—it's way more fun when we dive down. Trust me, it's better than just flying." She turned to the window again, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Some people say flying makes them feel free and weightless, but for me, it's the fall. That's when you feel true freedom and weightlessness. It's amazing."
Katherine's excitement and smile did wonders in easing Cassian's fears. Her genuine happiness while talking about falling from great heights was infectious—he hadn't seen her this joyful, at least not in the time he'd worked for her. "I guess I'm looking forward to it then," he said, feeling his nerves calm.
Katherine smiled at him, and Cassian, feeling a little more comfortable, decided to ask, "Lady Rowena is... quite peculiar. How did you two become friends?"
"It happened because we both had the same etiquette teacher," Katherine replied with a small grin. "Though clearly, she didn't learn much from her." Her smile faded slightly as she glanced at him, her tone turning more serious. "Talking of her, why did you offer your body to her? That's not something you should offer to someone you've just met."
Cassian blushed slightly as he recalled the moment and replied, "What else could I have said? She was putting pressure on me," his face still flushed. "Besides, I didn't have anything else to offer her, my lady. I even offered to massage her feet but—"
Before he could finish, Katherine cut him off. "And that—don't offer massages to anyone else, either. You only do that for me, understand?"
Cassian nodded, still confused. "Yes, my lady, but... is there a reason for that? Do they do something special?" He had been thinking about offering massages to earn extra money to fund his swordsmanship lessons, but now he'd have to reconsider.
Katherine sighed before explaining. She told him how she'd had complications at birth and how those specific massages had helped her. She even mentioned that they had some effect on improving the strength in the massaged areas, which surprised Cassian. His plan to use massages for extra cash reappeared in his mind.