Cassianne sat carefully, her back straight, her hands resting on her knees. The Duke watched her with the sharp gaze of a hawk. The air between them was so tense it seemed to vibrate.
Elion Verelith set his pen aside and steepled his fingers on the desk.
"Good." His voice was deep, resonant. "Let us discuss matters of consequence. Your engagement to the Crown Prince…"
Cassianne raised an eyebrow, anticipating the topic with distaste.
"…remains unalterable."
She suppressed a grimace.
"Duke, with all due respect," she said, carefully controlling her tone, "what is the purpose of maintaining an engagement with someone who so clearly does not want me?"
That sentence would have been unthinkable for the original Cassianne.
Soo-ah knew it.
The Duke looked at her as if she had just uttered the greatest foolishness in the world.
"What does love have to do with it?" he snapped, annoyed. "Your duty is to fulfill your role. You are not being given as a lover. You are the future Imperial Consort."
Cassianne took a breath. A very deep one.
"Prince Alistair loves another woman," she stated coldly, driving her amethyst gaze into her father's.
The Duke frowned.
"Rumors," he responded with disdain.
"Rumors that everyone knows," she insisted. "Rumors that make me a laughingstock. A public nuisance."
Elion slapped his palm on the desk—not loudly, but with enough force for the sound to reverberate in Cassianne's chest.
"Your position is not a subject for mockery! It is a privilege!" His voice rose slightly, which was in itself alarming. "That marriage is essential for the stability of the empire. A perfect alliance between two of the oldest houses."
Cassianne looked at him calmly.
Far too calmly.
'Perfect' for you. Not for me.
The silence that fell was nearly lethal.
The Duke's eyes darkened, as if a frozen storm were gathering behind them.
Cassianne felt her body tense. A chill traced its way down her spine. Some deep-seated instinct begged her to lower her gaze, to apologize.
But she did not.
The Duke leaned forward, planting his elbows on the desk.
"Listen carefully, Cassianne…" he said, his voice so low and dangerous it seemed to vibrate. "Your duty is to obey. The marriage to the Prince is beneficial to House Verelith, to the empire, and, whether you wish to admit it or not, to you as well."
Cassianne clenched her jaw. Her chest burned with a mixture of rage and frustration.
"Beneficial?" She let out a soft, humorless laugh. "What benefit do I gain by marrying a man who does not even attempt to hide his contempt? A man who loves another woman right in front of my face?"
The Duke's eyes widened a fraction. It was the first time in her life his daughter had spoken back to him like this. The first time she did not tremble. The first time she did not cry.
To him, that could only mean one thing:
Something within her was broken.
"Enough." Elion raised a hand, irritated. "I will hear no more of this nonsense. You seem… unsettled by this morning's incident. Perhaps you should—"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three firm, urgent raps interrupted the Duke's veiled threat.
Elion gritted his teeth.
"What is it now?" he growled.
"Enter," he said brusquely.
The door opened and Sir Aldren Helvar entered with a military step, bowing respectfully.
"My apologies for the interruption, Duke," he said, without raising his head. "But the Emperor requires your presence immediately. He has summoned you to the Council Hall without delay."
Elion let out a frustrated breath, rising to his feet abruptly.
"Of all times…!" he muttered, adjusting his cloak.
His icy blue eyes fixed on Cassianne one last time.
Cold.
Angry.
Dark.
"We will continue this conversation later," he pronounced, the words a clear warning.
Cassianne merely inclined her head slightly, showing no emotion.
The Duke turned and strode across the room, his steps long and tense. Before exiting, he paused in the doorway, looking back at her once more.
That gaze…
It was as clear as ice:
"Do not challenge my authority."
Then he was gone, without another sound.
Sir Aldren closed the door behind him, leaving Cassianne alone in the office, heavy with the weight of authority and expectation.
She let out a long, slow sigh, finally allowing her shoulders to relax.
"What a… charming family," she murmured to the oppressive silence, her voice dripping with irony.
Cassianne exited the Duke's study with a slight frown and tense breath. The moment she crossed the threshold, a wave of irritation coursed through her.
"I hate this era…" she grumbled under her breath as she walked.
The long hallway, adorned with golden tapestries, was filled with servants pretending to be busy… yet unable to resist stealing glances at her.
Some watched her with veiled contempt, silently relishing her public humiliation.
Others looked at her as if she were an unpredictable creature, poised to explode at any moment.
And others… simply snickered amongst themselves at the "misfortune" of the Prince's fiancée.
Cassianne met their gazes with a smile so icy that three of them nearly dropped the trays they were carrying.
"Yes, yes… 'Cassianne the Mad,' 'The Prince's Cast-Off,' 'The Hysterical Villainess'," she murmured sarcastically as she advanced. "So original…"
She sighed deeply.
In her past life, at least the animals didn't judge, whisper, or invent rumors.
Here… the humans seemed like wild animals with no restraint.
Finally, she stepped out into the palace's main gardens.
The change was instantaneous.
The scent of freshly cut grass, the soft murmur of water in the fountains, the song of birds… it all enveloped her in a wave of warm calm.
"Fresh air, at last," she exhaled, closing her eyes. "If only the aristocracy were half as pleasant as this."
She allowed herself a few seconds of peace before beginning to walk along the white stone paths. Enormous, delicate violet flowers danced in the morning breeze.
But her moment of tranquility lasted exactly… fifteen steps.
Because there, at the end of the path, was the couple she least wanted to see.
Prince Alistair Dravenhart…
and Elowyn Saresh.
The scene looked like it was lifted from a romantic drama:
Elowyn was laughing softly, tilting her head with feigned shyness.
Her hands "accidentally" brushed against the Prince's, again and again.
He was looking at her with an expression Cassianne had never seen directed at her own body:
tenderness, affection, absolute devotion.
It was as if the sun shone for her alone.
Cassianne stood still for a few seconds.
"Cloyingly sweet…" she murmured without emotion.
And then, as if the universe had a sense of timing, Alistair turned and saw her.
His gaze changed instantly.
The affection in his eyes vanished…
replaced by ice.
Pure ice.
A look designed to make her feel small, ridiculous, and out of place.
Cassianne arched a single eyebrow.
And in the most anti-climactic move possible…
she turned and continued walking without granting him a single second more of her attention, as if he were a piece of old furniture cluttering her view.
Elowyn, confused, blinked several times.
The Prince frowned.
Soo-ah had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.
"I don't know who this body was trying to impress, but it certainly wasn't me," she whispered as she walked. "What a dramatic man…"
And then, as if nature itself sought to reward her for ignoring the prince, something small and furry crossed her path.
A cat.
Black, with a long tail and golden eyes, it walked with a regal elegance, as if it owned the palace.
Cassianne stopped dead.
"...A cat?"
The creature looked at her, tilted its head, and let out a soft meow… before turning and beginning to walk away, not fleeing, but seemingly leading her.
For the first time that day, Cassianne felt her heart quicken.
"It can't be," she whispered, a smile gracing her lips without her realizing it.
The veterinarian's instinct within her awoke instantly. She bent her knees slightly, following its steps with caution, making no sudden movements.
"Wait, little one… don't run," she murmured as she advanced. "I promise I don't bite. Well… this body might have, but I don't."
The cat stopped a few meters away, looking at her as if assessing something…
and then, with another soft meow, continued on towards a secluded corner of the garden, shrouded in shadows and thick bushes.
Cassianne followed it almost without thinking, driven by a reflex so natural that for a moment, she felt like Han Soo-ah again.
"Where are you taking me, hmm?" she asked in a low, amused voice.
She could never have imagined that this small creature would be the start of something that would shift all the pieces on the political board…
But for now, she just wanted to get closer to the cat.
As if, for a few precious seconds, the aristocratic world ceased to exist.