The hall felt suffocating.
He needed air.
He strode into the garden. The cold breeze hit his face, clearing some of the heat in his chest.
And then he saw her.
The maid who had been struck earlier. She sat alone, talking softly to herself.
"…Vivienne?" he said.
She looked up at him casually.
"Hi," she said.
No fear. No trembling. Just… hi.
Hi? he thought.
She turned back toward the sky and continued as if speaking to no one in particular.
"Yeah, Vivienne," she said casually. "All she does is cry. She acts like she doesn't want attention, but somehow every man ends up kneeling for her. If you don't like someone, just say it and move on. Why make everything dramatic? Save me… kill him… kill her…"
He froze.
Even hearing Vivienne's name didn't make him angry. Not at all.
And yet… her words made him feel something strange. Something like… happiness? Amusement?
She shook her head slightly. "And she acts like a saint. 'You should be kind and loving.' Who even says that? I never saw her actually do anything. Just talk. Talk and talk, and pass time being a woman… face or say something!"
The way she described Vivienne was so brutally honest, so… true… that Cassian couldn't help it.
He laughed.
And then he laughed harder.
And harder.
He didn't even realize how long he had been laughing.
Then, suddenly, the girl collapsed.
Cassian's laughter stopped.
He looked at her.
"She is… interesting," he thought.
Before anyone could react, he stepped forward and scooped her up in his arms.
The household froze as they saw him carrying her. Every servant, every maid, every guard watched silently.
He didn't wait for the doctor.
He carried her straight to his chamber.
For the first time in a long while, he didn't think of Vivienne.
Instead, he stared down at the girl in his arms—curious, amused, and… strangely relieved.
And it felt… good.
.
.
.
.
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