Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 127: Starlight, Steam, and the Silent Friend

The War for the North[15]

After the meal, a silent and obedient maid guided Cassian through the labyrinthine corridors leading to the castle’s lower levels.

As they descended underground, the cold of the stone walls gave way to a gentle, humid, and warm airflow.

The maid stopped in front of a massive sliding door made of frosted glass, etched with intricate runes.

Bowing respectfully, she handed Cassian the thick, soft towels and clean, comfortable clothes from the basket she carried.

"Enjoy yourself, sir," the maid said, her voice a whisper. Then, disappearing into the shadows, she left Cassian alone with that massive door.

Cassian took a deep breath. He inhaled the scent of sulfur and exotic flowers in the air. He placed his hand on the cold surface of the door and pushed.

The door slid aside with surprising lightness, and the view inside hit Cassian’s face with a magnificence that shattered all his expectations and imagination.

"Wow..."

What stood before him was not a simple bath or hamam. This was a secret paradise where nature and magic danced in perfect harmony.

The floor was covered with black volcanic stones, smoothed by thousands of years of water erosion.

A wide, circular pool occupied the center of the room, and the dense steam rising from the water’s surface surrounded the area like a mystical fog.

At the edges of the pool rose crystallized bamboo trees that looked as if carved from ice but were alive.

Despite the heat of the steam, these plants did not melt; on the contrary, they refracted the dim light inside, scattering prismatic colors all around.

However, this wasn’t what truly mesmerized Cassian, what truly took his breath away.

He slowly tilted his head up and couldn’t believe what he saw.

There was no ceiling.

Deep in the depths of Frosthelm Castle, he should have been under meters of stone and ice.

But looking up, he saw the North’s infinite, wild night sky as if there were no barrier between them.

Billions of stars shone like diamonds scattered on a black velvet cloth.

The moon cast its silvery light directly into the center of the pool, onto the water. And most fascinating of all; it was snowing in large flakes.

The snowflakes glided down, but without hitting the water’s warmth or the room’s invisible barrier, they melted just a few meters above the pool, turning into warm rain or mixing with the steam.

How is this possible? Cassian thought, his mind trying to decode this spatial magic.

Was this a high-level illusion? Or a spatial warp? A portal connecting the ceiling in the castle to the sky?

His knowledge was insufficient, but right now, he didn’t care.

Cassian felt like he was in a dream. For the first time in a long while, his red eyes shone with pure, childlike happiness.

The weight of war, blood, schemes, and that terrible burden of being the "Savior" on his shoulders was erased for a moment.

"Magnificent..." he whispered. His voice echoed within the steam.

He stripped off that formal black suit, shirt, and everything else in a single motion and tossed them aside.

When his bare feet touched the volcanic stones, he felt their warmth.

He walked quickly to the edge of the pool and, without hesitation, jumped into the water with the joy of a child.

SPLASH!

Water scattered around with a great splash. The stagnant surface rippled, shattering the moon’s reflection into a thousand pieces.

Cassian sank to the bottom, then pushed himself up. When he surfaced, he combed his wet white hair back with his hand. The drops sliding down his face couldn’t hide his smile.

"Ahhh..."

The effect left by the hot water on his skin was indescribable.

Every single knot in his muscles was untying, that ancient coldness that had penetrated his bones was melting away.

He let out a deep breath and leaned against a smooth rock at the pool’s edge. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

He savored the moment. Just warmth. Just silence. And just the peaceful bubbling of the water.

That never-ending strategy board in his mind, Varek’s severed head, the approaching armies... They had all evaporated and flown away. Right now, there was only Cassian. A tired soul inside hot water.

He murmured to himself: "I have one more reason to save Frosthelm now. No matter what... I must protect this hot spring. If Obsidian Dawn touches this place, I will drown them in this water myself."

Just then, above the pool, amidst the steam, an emerald green beam of light appeared. The light intensified, took shape, and assumed a small, delicate form.

Nivelle had returned to her fairy form.

Hovering in the air with tiny, shimmering wings the size of a palm above Cassian’s head. Her wings scattered glittering dust.

Cassian opened his eyes and smiled when he saw his little sister. He knew what she was thinking without even hearing that curious tone in her voice.

"Come on," said Cassian, making an inviting gesture by slapping the water. "Get in the water, Nivelle. Don’t be afraid to get wet in that form. Trust me, you’ve never felt this relaxed."

Nivelle did a somersault in the air. Her fluttering transparent wings slowly dampened and vanished. She surrendered herself to gravity.

Plip.

She made almost no sound when she fell into the water. Her light body floated on the surface without sinking, just like a wide lotus leaf. Her green hair got wet with the water and stuck to her face.

Even in the dim light, Cassian could see that expression of pure relief appear on her face when her tiny body made contact with that hot water. Nivelle turned onto her back and let herself go with the water’s current.

"Isn’t it great?" asked Cassian, resting his head back against the starry sky.

Nivelle cupped her tiny palms and took a little water in them. Even inside that drop of water, the reflection of the sky and the moon shone.

Her lush green eyes, shining even more with this enchanting view, turned to Cassian.

"Yes..." said Nivelle, her voice as melodic and peaceful as a wind chime. "It is very beautiful, brother."

They swam silently for a while. Only the splash of water and the sound of melting snowflakes gliding from above could be heard.

Nivelle noticed that Cassian’s gaze was constantly wandering above, in that infinite void.

Especially the moon... While looking at that silvery sphere, an expression rarely seen appeared on Cassian’s face. Longing? Gratitude? Or sadness?

Gathering her courage, she swam over the water towards Cassian’s shoulder.

"Do you like the stars?" she asked innocently.

Cassian shrugged without taking his eyes off the sky.

"I don’t know..." he said honestly. "Alone, they don’t mean much. They are unreachable, distant, cold, and not very bright. But... when they all come together, when they pierce that darkness, they create a beautiful scene."

Nivelle nodded, then asked the question she was really curious about.

"What about the Moon?"

She fixed her eyes on that massive silvery sphere in the sky.

"Whenever you have free time, you always watch the moon. Sometimes... I find it eerie. As if you are talking to it."

She giggled slightly and added: "You also carry ’Werewolf’ genes and parts in your body, right? I wonder if that’s the reason? Does feeling an affinity for the moon come from those wild instincts?"

Cassian laughed. This was a sincere, genuine laugh. Its echo rang off the stone walls.

"Haha, I realize it might look like that from the outside. But no, that’s not the reason, Nivelle. I have no instinct to howl at the moon or fluff my fur."

His smile slowly faded, replaced by a deep, melancholic seriousness. He took his hand out of the water and reached towards the moon, as if he could hold it in his palm.

"I just... like the Moon," he whispered. "It feels more ’real’ to me than the stars, more reachable. Too white. Too spotless. In the middle of that darkness, it stands as if nothing can contaminate it."

He narrowed his eyes, his mind going back to the past, to those painful days.

"I don’t know, there is something about it that pulls me. I remember the night I escaped from that laboratory... that hellhole. I was out of breath, my lungs were burning. When I poked my head out of that pit and looked at the outside world... it was the first thing that greeted me."

His eyes shone.

"It was so bright, so big and white... It illuminated my way even in that filth pit I had fallen into. ’I am here,’ it seemed to say. ’There is still a light.’ That moment... was the moment I understood how precious life is, what freedom looks like."

He lowered his hand and slapped the water.

"Maybe that’s why. It is my silent friend."

Nivelle remained silent in the face of this confession. She felt that deep wound inside Cassian and, at the same time, the hope that bandaged that wound. She placed her small hand on Cassian’s shoulder, offering silent support.

While the two savored this peaceful moment, this emotional sharing, the concept of time seemed to melt away.

However, this peace was broken by the heavy creaking of the door.

CREAAAK.

The sliding door opened harshly and recklessly this time. Along with a cold airflow, a much colder and more dominant aura filled the inside.

Cassian and Nivelle turned to the door, startled.

Through the steam, a silhouette appeared, as flawless as a goddess, as proud as a queen.

Cryomara.

And on her... there was nothing.

Her ice-blue skin shone like a marble statue in the dim light of the hot spring.

Her silver-blue mixed hair fell freely down her shoulders to her waist.

Not a towel, not a bathrobe. Just pure, uncensored, Mythical Beast glory.

Cassian’s eyes flew wide open, unsure what to do or where to look. Nivelle, in panic, dove under the water, leaving only her eyes above the surface.

Ignoring their astonishment, and even enjoying it, Cryomara walked towards the water, swaying her hips elegantly. On her face was that familiar, dangerous, and mocking smile.