One thing I find most relaxing in my life as Cassian Varkas is my time with Bethany. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

She was always coming up with some wild idea and dragging us along on her "adventures."

Still, considering what was about to happen before she showed up, I can’t say I’m completely happy with the outcome.

Margery still doesn’t know I’m not really her brother, but that was the last thing on my mind when she was on top of me, clearly wanting my body to react in a certain way.

On the other hand, Cassane was an unexpected addition. After the way she ran off the other day, I thought she had finally given up. I’d have to have a serious talk with her sometime...

But right now, under the midday sun, watching Bethany’s new maid struggling with a pile of toys the little had bought, along with Margery and Cassane—who had followed us everywhere—a faint smile unconsciously crept onto my face.

Bethany was in my arms, pointing at everything she saw with sparkling eyes, until something in particular caught her attention so strongly that she suddenly jumped down and ran toward it.

They were small fireworks that, when lit, looked like tiny stars. The vendor presented them as a novelty from a distant land, and Bethany couldn’t stop watching the sparks with pure delight.

Margery quickly caught her excitement, and both of them bought several for themselves.

Cassane, on the other hand, seemed unwilling to break her persona over something so "childish," unaware that it was precisely that attitude I disliked about her.

"Aren’t you going to try one?" I asked in a flat voice.

She lifted her head to look at me, then glanced at Bethany and Margery.

"I’m not interested."

I laughed and walked over to the stall to buy two.

When I returned to Cassane, I lit the "star" with magic before handing it to her. She looked at me in disbelief but took it.

I turned around, lit mine, and stood beside her, staring at an empty spot, hesitating whether to speak.

But she spoke first, watching the sparks still flying from the firework.

"You know... you really confuse me. Does trying to get into your bed really change the way you treat me that much?"

I smiled.

"That usually changes things quite a bit for me... whether for better or worse."

I looked at her intently, studying her reaction. I leaned close to her ear so no one else could hear and whispered:

"And I’m definitely going to enjoy breaking that icy face of yours in bed, Cassane."

Without saying anything else, I went back to my two sisters, who were already calling me to join them, without even glancing at how Cassane reacted to my words.

We stopped for lunch after midday.

Bethany couldn’t contain herself when we left and saw a dessert shop, so we ended up having a full meal there.

Bethany’s new maid, Mina, turned out to be especially useful. Now I understand why Alexandro assigned her to Bethany.

While inside the dessert shop, I felt someone calling me.

I excused myself from the women accompanying me and headed to a private room in the store.

Upon entering, a table full of pastries greeted me, along with a woman who seemed to be waiting for me.

She had the same sharp bearing as last time, but she couldn’t hide her more relaxed personality.

It was Selyne Astaford, Valeria’s mother—a woman I had met incognito before, though it seemed that disguise hadn’t really worked.

She gave me a happy smile and motioned for me to sit.

I frowned.

"I don’t know why you called me, but I can’t stay long."

I didn’t ask how she recognized me; I could already imagine that Sylvia had spilled the beans to her friend, or that this woman had forced it out of her.

"You promised me something last time when I supported Elara... though that’s not why I called you," Selyne said. "Though, to be honest, this meeting was more of a coincidence. I love the pastries from this shop."

I looked at the table full of the recipes I had given Elizabeth and smiled ironically.

"And what would that be?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, first, I wanted to meet you without that mask from last time. And on the other hand, it seems you forgot about your candidate too quickly, because everyone already knows that Cassandra Demor is keeping Elara as a prisoner, although others believe she wants to support her."

"Cassandra Demor..." I frowned.

The name sounded familiar. I remembered that when Elizabeth investigated the true power behind the empire, that name was at the top: an ancestor said to have surpassed the third limit.

I nodded, thanking her for the information, and turned to leave.

"Wait! I didn’t say that was all."

I turned back, annoyed, and asked, "What else?"

"Since Sylvia told me you were the one who helped her with the limit, I’ve been looking into things a bit. It seems you have a closer relationship with Valeria than I’d like. I’m going to ask you to stay away from her."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled ironically. "I’m not the one approaching her."

Either way, her words trying to tell me what to do were unwelcome.

I suddenly appeared beside her.

She blinked, surprised by the speed, dropping her relaxed state and enjoyment of the pastries to look at me more attentively.

I stared at her coldly. "But since you’re so worried about me getting close to her, why don’t you take her place?"

Selyne burst out laughing. "You already have Sylvia and you’re still not satisfied?"

"Oh, this is very different. I think you need someone much more than Sylvia did, and that’s saying a lot, Selyne."

My words seemed to anger her. She stood up to hit me with a piece of cutlery from the table, but I wasn’t going to play along like I did with Eleanor.

I gripped her hand tightly, looking at her expression and knowing exactly what she was hiding... what she desired.

"Yes, I’m quite sure I’m not wrong about anything, Selyne..." I deliberately dragged out the last word.

With that, I disappeared from there and returned to the others.

Selyne fell back onto the couch with anger on her face, but something else was surfacing.

The duchess blushed, bit her lip, and began to lift her dress to touch herself underneath.

"Is it that obvious?" she murmured with a worried look.