The Morning After.
The cold morning light filtered softly through the heavy velvet drapes, painting the room in pale shades of gold and grey.
Cassian woke up slowly, every muscle in his body aching with a deep, heavy exhaustion as he was still completely wrapped in Lucien's arms, his back pressed against the knight's warm chest. And with a sudden, breath-catching realization, Cassian felt that Lucien was still buried inside of him.
And a single, involuntary shift of Cassian's hips was all it took for Lucien to stir instantly, his grip tightening around Cassian's waist and his eyes opening with a slow, predatory intensity.
Without a word, the heavy silence of the morning broke into another languid, breathless round of lovemaking—a slow, possessive, and far gentler than the fierce frenzy of the night before. It was slow, passionate, and romantic, every touch lingering until the room felt warm again.
And by the time the sun fully crested the mountain peaks and the fever had finally cooled down, they both lay tangled in the soft, messy furs, bathed in the early glow of the morning. Cassian rested his cheek against Lucien's bare chest, listening to the steady, rhythmic thrum of the knight's heartbeat while Lucien's fingers traced silent, tender patterns over Cassian's shoulder, occasionally brushing away the stray strands of hair clinging to the prince's damp forehead, followed by a soft peck on the crown of Cassian's head.
"You are awfully quiet this morning," Lucien whispered softly, his voice gravelly from sleep. Cassian closed his eyes, leaning into the touch despite the storm raging in his head.
"I am thinking."
"Thinking? About what? About who fed you the aphrodisiac during the ceremony?...Or are you simply thinking about what happens when we finally leave this room, mhm?" Lucien turned his head slightly, kissing the crown of Cassian's head once again, as if it were the only best thing he had done since waking up.
"Mhm. To tell you the truth, I know it's Thoris who did that to me just to get me to his bed last night," Cassian murmured, his voice low. "And as for what happens when we get out of here... well, isn't it obvious that we continue living our daily lives just like we normally do?"
"That is true," Lucien replied quietly. "But yet here you are, sleeping with your knight in your bed, fondling each other like we are already lovers."
He paused, his grip tightening slightly around Cassian's waist.
"Cassian, do you think everything will ever be the same between us?"
Cassian swallowed hard, a cold knot tightening in his chest. But for once, he was not going to run away from his feelings. For now he decided that he would do whatever his heart wanted him to do going forward.
"Although the political web around us is suffocating, Lucien... I also want to be with you. Not to be like lovers, but to actually be lovers. I want to explore my feelings for you, even if it means swallowing my manly pride and stop running away from my feelings. And I will also try to worry about leaving once I actually cross that bridge."
"Then does that mean you will finally change your mind about marrying me off to Ruby, and let me be with you instead?"
Cassian caught his breath, and silence hovered over them for a brief, tense moment.
"Cassian...you just said you want us to be lovers. Don't tell me that you're–"
"Wait, before you get mad."
Cassian pulled himself up to sit on the bed, despite the aching of his muscles and the sharp pain in his hips. He sighed, looking directly into Lucien's beaming, blue eyes.
"Although I want to do that as well, it won't be so easy, Lucien. The Thompsons are already deep into sending their daughter to you. And if you think about it, she is the best prospect for you to build a home with... especially for when I'm gone."
"Cassian, I want to be with you. Not Ruby, not anyone else but you."
"I want that too... but I will be leaving soon," Cassian said, his voice dropping softly. "I was serious about that, and I meant every word. You know this too—you know how hard I have researched skipping dimensions this past year and just how much I want to leave this place."
He reached out, his fingers lightly touching Lucien's jaw.
"And even though Ruby was only a means for me to push you away from my side, I actually want you to build a life with her. She is meant to be yours, and you two compliment each other so much. She is in love with you, and I am sure that you will also grow to love her too once I'm gone.... so let's just take our relationship as only an affair."
"I don't want her Cassian! I never did!" Lucien growled, sitting up abruptly, his eyes suddenly burning with raw frustration.
"You are the one that I have grown to love!...not her."
"But I am leaving soon!"
"Then just take me with you!...why won't you consider bringing me along then?, I will give up everything and just go with you."
"Lucien, that is impossible!"
"You haven't even tried, so you don't know that for sure!"
"I know it very well," Cassian insisted, shaking his head. "I have done my research okay?"
He looked down at their tangled sheets.
"So once I leave, I want to leave you with a brighter future and the warmest home you could ever have. Something that you'd never get from me."
Lucien let out a heavy sigh. Sitting up fully, he pulled Cassian close, pressing his forehead directly against Cassian's.
"Why are you so set on deciding my future for me huh?"
Lucien rasped, his voice trembling with anger and brewing devotion.
"I don't need your protection if it means losing you. Stop trying to decide my fate for me. And if you want to leave, then just go, and I'll find my own way to follow you. Just don't give me up to someone else—someone that I don't like."
Cassian sighed, staring at Lucien as a quiet thought crossed his mind.
'In the novel and in my past lives, you were so set on wanting Ruby as your wife, even though you weren't allowed as a Holy Knight. I really have drifted the plot away from the original story in this timeline huh?'
"Cassian, you are mine now," Lucien's deep voice snapped Cassian back to reality.
"I told you last night, didn't I? I won't let you marry me off to her or anyone else. And I won't let you throw me aside again. Now that we have come this far, I intend to take full responsibility for you and stay by your side forever."
Cassian looked up into Lucien's eyes, seeing a fierce, unyielding devotion that both terrified and warmed his frozen heart.
'The author should have just cast this guy in a romance novel once and for all,' Cassian thought to himself, a tiny smile fighting its way to his lips.
'What do you mean he's a crazy paladin obsessed with executing the dark Prince? Seeing him now, he's completely smitten by the crown prince he's supposed to execute. I have overturned this into a whole romance novel.'
A soft chuckle escaped Cassian's lips, and he allowed himself to lean into the warmth of Lucien's care.
"Okay," Cassian whispered softly, closing the tiny distance between them to kiss Lucien gently on the lips.
"I will try and talk to my father to end your engagement with Ruby. But we will need a good reason for that."
"Just leave it to me. I will make one up," Lucien murmured, leaning in close. "You... you just stay by my side. We'll look for a way to leave this world together, and we will face everything side by side."
Lucien pressed his lips against Cassian's once again, deepening the kiss as they fell back into each other's arms once again and colliding underneath the warm blankets..
"Let's go again..."
"Fine, but just make it quick."
*****
By mid-morning, the Madurai stronghold had returned to its usual bustling state, clearing away the remnants of last night's grand celebration.
In the sunlit courtyard, the contrast among the court members was stark. Adrian stood near the wooden stables alongside Elyria, watching Thoris across the yard. The newly wedded barbarian prince was leaning against a carved stone pillar, staring blankly at the ground, completely isolating himself from his clan. He was unusually quiet, his brows furrowed in a dark, sulking frown that made him look less like a ferocious prince and more like a defeated child.
"Is... Thoris alright?" Adrian asked softly, turning to Elyria with a worried frown.
"He looks as though someone had stolen his prized mount. Did something happen after the feast?"
Elyria chuckled softly, shaking her head as she adjusted her fur cloak.
"Just like you, I am wondering the same thing. But let's not worry about him. I'm sure he will come around in no time."
"Mhm, I doubt it," Adrian murmured, keeping his voice low.
"By the looks of him, Elyria, we better be prepared for whatever he might do to relieve his frustration on us."
Elyria sighed in understanding. She couldn't agree more.
And across the courtyard, sitting under the high pavilion with a cup of spiced tea, Ruby's gaze had been fixed entirely on the guest wing terrace for the past two hours.
Finally, she watched Lucien step out into the cold air. His posture was relaxed, his usual harsh edge completely smoothed out. A moment later, Cassian joined him, standing side by side and close enough to rub against each other's shoulders.
Seeing that scene, Ruby took a slow sip of her tea, a subtle, cold scowl touching her lips.
Suddenly, she was reminded of the previous night. She had seen everything. She had watched them together in the warmth of Cassian's room. And seeing them now—trying so hard to maintain their formal master-and-guard facade while radiating an undeniable intimacy...it was far more sickening than any political scheme she had ever endured.
Lucien and Cassian finally emerged from the guest wing, walking toward the hallway that led to the courtyard where everyone else was lounging around.
A careful distance had returned between them, a few steps separating their stride. While their expressions were calm and controlled, as though nothing intimate had transpired between them hours earlier.
Cassian adjusted the cuffs of his formal tunic, clearing his throat as he looked around the yard.
"Have we been in bed for too long? It feels like it's already afternoon."
Lucien nodded, a small, mischievous smirk playing on his lips.
"Of course we have, Your Highness. After all, who was having such a hard time untangling himself from my arms?"
Cassian scoffed, hitting Lucien's arm playfully and Lucien chuckled softly before straightening his posture behind him.
"Stop fooling around," Cassian murmured, smoothing his tunic once more.
"We can't have anyone knowing the Crown Prince is fooling around with the hero of the Empire before marriage and while promised to Sora. We won't be able to handle the scandal, so let's take it slowly."
"I understand," Lucien nodded in agreement.
Cassian composed his expression completely as they headed toward the long table to join everyone for lunch—both of them entirely unaware that someone else now carried the truth they had fought so hard to keep hidden.
And that very person was staring daggers down at them right from the pavilion, as if she could tear the whole world apart with her own bare hands.
"So that's how it is..." Ruby whispered to herself, taking another careful sip of her herbal tea.
"I won't expose you. Not yet... After all, secrets are far more valuable when they are revealed at the perfect moment."
With that, she gracefully settled back into her chair, quietly bracing herself for the long game ahead.
"But I'm definitely not giving up what's only meant for me. I always get what I want, no matter what."
*****