Lilith returned to the bedchamber with Cassian and sat on the balcony whilst she waited for him to be done with his bath.

All that Lilith had to wait for now was the coronation in the evening, which would be followed by a ride around the town in the morning to give the townspeople a look at their queen and king.

Lilith didn’t bother to hope that the days would pass without a hitch, as the castle was always filled with danger and drama.

’How far did he get?’ Lilith wondered, thinking about Solomon. She was eager to find the Queen’s hiding place and set it on fire to lure her out.

Lilith tapped her fingers against her leg. "Patience, Lilith. I can’t have it all happen within a few days.’

Hearing the sound of knights’ armour clinking as they walked, Lilith peered down from the balcony to where knights and soldiers marched in two straight lines. Her interest in their match went away slowly until they were stopped by Richard.

’That man is everywhere,’ Lilith thought, disliking the new pest in the castle.

She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look, but it was no use. She leaned back on her chair, no longer interested in what he was doing.

"That man is a bother," Lilith said, followed by a sigh.

Sooner or later, Richard would try getting into Cassian’s head to make him take more women to his side and eventually push her out as queen.

While Lilith still wasn’t opposed to Cassian having any lovers, she would not have them come at the hands of Richard.

Lilith stopped tapping her fingers against her leg. ’He must die soon,’ she thought.

She rose to her feet with a plan in mind. For it to succeed, she would have to make some use of her dear husband.

Lilith left the balcony, returning to the bathing chamber to speak to Cassian.

The maids had long left the chamber, as Cassian had sent them out, not needing help with his bath.

Lilith pushed on the door to be welcomed by the sight of Cassian’s body dripping wet with water. His hair was slicked back out of his face, allowing her to see his full expression.

Based on Cassian’s smile, Lilith knew he was expecting something more.

"Calm yourself, Your Grace," Lilith said, teasing him by not referring to him as her husband. "I have only come to speak to you."

"You chose when I am having my bath to want to speak to me? How cruel of you to come only for a talk. Couldn’t it wait?" Cassian asked, though he welcomed Lilith being in the chamber. "Am I in trouble?"

"If you were in trouble, I would not grant you the sight of me inside this chamber while you have your bath. Getting you excited is not a punishment," Lilith said, her gaze flicking to his lap. "I’ve come to speak about your family and your land."

Lilith came to a stop at the edge of the tub. "Now that you are going to be king, someone will have to watch over your land. While your mother was a former duchess, your family will not let her do it alone. You have no sons, but you have nephews. Why not assign one of them?"

"My uncle troubled you, yet you are thinking of rewarding one of his sons with my land and title. What are you plotting, Lilith? Didn’t we agree to be honest with our plans?"

"Did we? I agreed not to harm myself for my plans. This won’t end up with me being harmed. It will help to keep your uncle silent about the castle, and away from it," Lilith explained.

"I can entrust my land to my nephews, but not when their father is around to try to take control. I know this isn’t the only reason for you suggesting this, Lilith. What are you planning?" Cassian asked, certain there was more.

"To get your uncle out of the castle. That is all," Lilith played innocent. "You should bring up the idea before the coronation. There won’t be any questions about who will be the new duke then. Let us silence one matter before it arises."

Lilith placed her hand in the water, checking that it was still warm. "If you don’t want your uncle to be near your nephews, then we can send him away on a task. Let him think he is an envoy acting on our behalf, and if the ship he is on sinks at sea, we’ll pray for him."

Cassian chuckled. "I am fortunate that I am not on the list of people you want to get rid of anymore. I already planned to leave my nephew in charge of my land, so I shall speak to him. Promise me that you aren’t going to harm yourself, Lilith."

"Sweet, Cassian," Lilith said, her tone sweet as honey. "At this point, you should be worried about whether I am going to hurt you, but I won’t. Both of us shall remain safe. I merely want your uncle out of the castle because he seems to think he has more power than he truly holds."

"You got a good understanding of him quite fast," Cassian said, impressed.

"I’ve come across men like him many times before. This should keep your family together and not divided now, when you need to stand tall. I won’t disturb you for much longer," Lilith said, getting to her feet. "Do hurry so you can find out why our food is so late. I have a bit of a temper when I don’t eat."

"So all this time, it is because you haven’t eaten," Cassian joked.

"Ha!" Lilith let out an exaggerated laugh. "Your family is just filled with humour, aren’t they? Be fast," she said, walking towards the door.

"You will not give me a helping hand?"

"You have two fit hands at your side. I suggest you use them if you want to finish your bath. Let us not be so needy," Lilith said, then opened the door to leave.

Cassian smiled after the door closed. He couldn’t wait for the days when Lilith would become the needy one.