A flicker of fear broke through the King's pride as he recognized that look on Cassius's face, the look of a man who had finally pieced together the truth. The look of someone who had seen through all the lies carefully spun for survival.
"I had nothing to do with your mother's decline!" the King snapped, voice rising with desperation. "If it truly was poison from a witch, then I—"
"You're always so quick to wash your hands of blame." Cassius's sigh was almost bored, but the edge beneath it was cold enough to cut. "I never expected much from you, but it's still irritating to watch you dismiss every problem as if you weren't the root of it. You were a husband. You brought home a mistress greedy enough to steal everything your wife had. Did you really think she wouldn't kill her to claim the crown?"
