Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 110: Evershade [12] Rose’s Scolding

After the duel with Liora, Cassian had returned to his room to rest and clear his head.

The room was the largest and most luxurious in the wing reserved for guests, but right now it wasn’t exactly comfortable for Cassian.

Cassian was lying comfortably on the large bed, hands clasped behind his head, legs crossed, staring at the ceiling.

The expression on his face was as relaxed as if he were the most carefree person in the world.

However, not everyone in the room shared this relaxation. Especially Rose, whose face had turned crimson with anger.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Rose roared. Her voice echoed off the walls of the room, trying to tear through the veil of peace over Cassian.

She came to the edge of the bed with quick steps and looked down at Cassian with blazing eyes.

"I am talking to you, Cassian! Are you listening to me? Why did we come here? For a picnic? Or to make enemies?" Rose threw her hands in the air. "We came here to ally with Evershade, gain trust, and establish a good relationship! We need their army to survive that damned war! And what do you do?"

Cassian didn’t answer, just yawned slightly.

Rose became even angrier at this indifference. "The Marquis’s daughter... Liora Stormvale! Not only did you defeat her, you humiliated her in front of everyone! Breaking her nose, throwing sand in her face, pulling her hair... Was this a knight’s duel or a street fight? Do you realize what you’ve done? That girl is the apple of this castle’s eye!"

Eric sat on a velvet-covered chair in the corner of the room, having taken off his armor gauntlets and put them aside. He had a thoughtful and worried expression on his face, but he maintained his silence.

He didn’t want to agree with Rose and make the atmosphere even tenser, nor did he want to defend Cassian and draw Rose’s anger upon himself.

Right now, the best thing was to wait for the storm to pass and intervene only when necessary.

Rose continued to pace back and forth in the room. The sound of her heeled boots on the wooden floor kept the rhythm of her anger.

"Think about it, Cassian! What must the Marquis be thinking right now? ’The man who saved my son is a barbarian, a thug.’ They won’t trust us. They might withdraw that army. You ruined everything!"

Finally unable to stand this nagging any longer, Cassian sat up in bed. He fixed his messy white hair with his hand and gave Rose a weary look.

"Do you have to make such a fuss about everything, Rose?" he said, his voice calm. "What we did was a duel. We weren’t playing chess. In duels, it is normal for people to get injured, bones to break, even honor to be bruised. I didn’t force that girl, she called me into the ring."

"The problem isn’t that you dueled!" Rose snapped. "The problem is what you did! You damaged our image in the eyes of those soldiers, commanders. You made us look like dishonorable, lawless bandits."

"I was just teaching them a lesson," said Cassian, shrugging. His eyes grew serious. "Honor and justice... These are ornaments of peacetime, Rose. In the approaching war, honor won’t save lives against Obsidian Dawn. If those soldiers get stuck on these ridiculous rules, they will be the first ones to die on the battlefield. To survive, sometimes you need to throw sand in someone’s eyes, sometimes you need to hit below the belt."

Rose crossed her arms over her chest with a sarcastic smile. "Look at this... As a 13-year-old kid, do you see yourself enlightened enough to give life lessons to generals with hundreds of years of experience, to a whole army?"

Cassian got out of bed and stood right in front of Rose. He was shorter than her, but the aura he emitted could cause Rose to step back.

"Yes, I do," said Cassian, without hesitation. "Because I am the strongest kid in this world. And rest assured, Rose... if we add up the lives I’ve lived, the wars and deaths I’ve seen, I possess an experience of not 13, but over 1000 years. I know that what they call ’honor’ is nothing more than an excuse to be written on gravestones."

Rose put her hand on her forehead and exhaled deeply. Having a serious conversation with Cassian was like talking to a wall. He had his own logic, his own truths, and no one could budge him.

The room went silent for a moment. It was Eric’s calm voice from the corner that broke this silence.

"Just asking, Cassian..." said Eric, leaning forward. "Why did you agree to duel that woman? Normally you don’t fall for provocations. I know you, you hate wasting unnecessary energy."

Rose also raised her head and began to listen carefully. Eric was right.

"I was trying to stay neutral," Eric continued. "But this issue caught my attention too. In your eyes towards that woman, towards Liora, there was more than just anger felt for an opponent."

"It’s hard to explain but... There seemed to be deep, personal feelings hidden. You acted as if you knew her from before, as if you had a past with her."

Cassian put his hand to the back of his neck and massaged his tense muscles. He averted his gaze. Eric was a sharp observer as always.

"It’s a bit hard to explain," said Cassian, choosing his words. "Physically, I actually met her for the first time today. That is true. But it is also true that I knew her from before, knew who she was and what she represented. And to be honest... I can’t say I like her very much."

That old, suppressed anger he felt towards the game’s scenario, that harem-building main character, and everyone around him flashed in his eyes.

"Let’s say it’s a personal matter."

Realizing Cassian wouldn’t explain further, Eric nodded. "I understand."

Rose remained silent for a while, weighing this answer. Then assuming that authoritative attitude again, she asked: "So, Mr. Genius... What do you intend to do now?"

Cassian raised a single eyebrow. "What do you mean, what do I intend to do?"

"Don’t play dumb!" said Rose, her voice rising. "Our alliance might fall apart because of your personal issues! Maybe the Marquis is planning to kick us out right now. You need to fix this. You need to go and apologize to the Marquis and that girl."

"In your dreams!" Cassian snapped, his voice hardening. "I’m not apologizing or anything. She was the one who provoked me first. Ask Eric, he was there too! I am innocent. I just defended myself and put someone who challenged me in their place."

"Cassian, Rose is right," said Eric, intervening. "It’s not about who is right or wrong. You wouldn’t want to waste all our efforts, this plan we’ve been building for months, for your personal issues, would you?"

Sitting quietly like a shadow in the corner, Cordelia listened carefully to this verbal argument between Cassian and the others.

She could feel that Cassian was in a bad mood, that he was being pressured. Normally she would attack Rose, but to not annoy Cassian further, for now, she chose to grit her teeth and remain silent.

Cassian paused for a moment at Eric’s words but then jumped off the bed with a stubborn attitude.

"You are blowing the matter out of proportion," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. "No need to worry so much. Marquis Aldren is a smart man. He wouldn’t sell out an ally who saved his son’s life and promised him a victory over a duel. Our alliance is unshakable."

He walked towards the door to leave the room. He wanted to escape the stifling air in this room, Rose’s nagging, and Eric’s logical but boring advice.

"I’m going to get some air in the garden until dinner," he said, holding the door handle. "You guys stay here and calm down a bit. Stop panicking."

Just as Cassian was about to exit the door, he turned his face to Rose and that annoying, sarcastic smile appeared on his lips.

"Although..." said Cassian, winking. "If you have so much free time, Rose, instead of yelling at me here, go and make better plans on how to seduce Fredrinn. Maybe you can hook him this time."

Rose’s face turned red as a tomato. Angrily she grabbed her staff. "You little...!"

But before she could finish her sentence, Cassian had already closed the door and disappeared into the corridor.

The large garden in the inner courtyard of the castle was bathed in the crimson light of the late afternoon sun.

The smell of earth after rain had given way to the sweet perfume of flowers.

Cassian walked aimlessly on the stone-paved paths, hands in his pockets. His mind was still cluttered, but the fresh air was doing him good.

His duel with Liora had somewhat soothed that suppressed anger inside him, but it had also drawn attention to him.

He could feel the Marquis’s suspicious gazes, the fear of the soldiers. But he didn’t care. Power commanded respect.

"Mr. Cassian?"

Cassian turned towards the person calling him.

Before him stood not that boy confined to bed, on his deathbed yesterday. Caius stood upright, wearing a stylish nobleman’s outfit. His face was healthy, his eyes lively. The horns on his forehead shone in the setting sun.

"Caius," said Cassian, smiling slightly. "I see you’re up on your feet."

"Thanks to you," said Caius, bowing slightly with respect. "I was taking a walk. May I accompany you? If I’m not disturbing you, of course."

"No problem," said Cassian, gesturing to his side. "Come."

The two began to walk side by side on the quiet paths of the garden. They remained silent for a while, only their footsteps could be heard.

"About my sister..." Caius began, with a timid attitude. "I heard what happened today. You dueled with Liora."

"News spreads fast," said Cassian. "I hope you aren’t angry with me. I roughed your sister up a bit."

"Angry?" Caius laughed. "On the contrary! I wish I could have been there to watch. Liora is quite strong. She is the pride of Evershade. She graduated first from the academy. Very few people can defeat her. Even my father struggles when training with her."

Caius looked at Cassian with admiration. "Being able to handle her, even putting her in that state... That makes you someone amazing, Cassian. You needed to humble my sister. Sometimes she can be... too arrogant."

Cassian shrugged. "Your sister was holding back. If she had used her true power, the Sixth Star level, things wouldn’t have gone well for me at all. Still... yes, it was a good lesson."

"Still," said Caius, "defeating her despite the level difference... This cannot be explained by power alone. I am very curious about how you fight. Do you have a fighting style?"

"I don’t have a specific fighting style," said Cassian. "I mostly fight with my instincts. And use my opponent’s weak points. Honor, style, form... these just slow you down."

Caius nodded, etching these words into his mind. "By the way, I heard you use a strange sword. A sword unique to the East, single-edged."

"Do you want to see it?" asked Cassian.

Caius’s eyes lit up. "Really? Can I see it?"

Cassian stopped, reached his hand into the void, and took out his katana in its black sheath from his dimensional bag. He slowly drew the sword from its sheath. The black steel emitted a cold and deadly gleam under the evening sun.

Caius gently took the katana from Cassian’s hand with permission. He examined it with admiration.

He looked at the sword’s balance, curved structure, sharpness. While the katana’s steel and quality might not be perfect compared to Evershade’s weapons, its design and the vibe it gave were completely new and fascinating for Caius.

"It’s very light..." murmured Caius. "And very sharp. What is the difference, the advantage of this over normal, double-edged knight swords we use?"

Cassian took the sword back and sheathed it. "Speed," he said clearly. "Normal swords are built on power and collision. But this was designed to cut. In terms of muscle strength, I mostly fall behind compared to my opponents. So I have to rely on my speed, my agility. A single fast, deadly cut is better than ten heavy blows. And using a katana feels more suitable for this."

"I understand..." murmured Caius, thoughtfully. "Speed and sharpness."

He sighed. "I’ll ask my father, the blacksmiths to make such a sword, a katana for me too. But I don’t think he’ll allow it. The Stormvale dynasty’s tradition is the spear. My father wants me to inherit his spear art, to become a spear master."

Cassian looked at him sideways while continuing to walk. "Then why don’t you master both?"

Caius looked at him in astonishment. "Both? But I’m not sure if I can do it."

"For a normal person, even mastering a single weapon art, just the sword or spear, takes years. A lifetime isn’t enough. Even a genius like my sister is still not considered a complete master in sword art despite giving years to it."

Cassian stopped. He turned to Caius and slowly placed his finger on the boy’s chest, right where that mana core he healed was.

"You are right," said Cassian, his voice serious. "For a normal person, this would be close to impossible. Dividing your energy and time would make you mediocre in both fields."

He fixed his eyes on Caius’s purple eyes.

"But Caius... you are not considered someone normal."