Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 131: Crimson Eyes, Azure Truth [2]

A/N: I rewrote the previous Chapter because I wasn’t fully satisfied with it.

Please reread the previous Chapter before continuing with this one.

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The War for the North [19]

As sunlight began to filter into the room through the frosted windows of Frosthelm, Cassian slowly regained consciousness.

He felt himself wrapped around something incredibly soft and warm.

With the drowsiness of sleep, savoring this warmth, he pulled himself a bit closer to that softness, buried his face into it, and wrapped his arms even tighter around it.

However, a second later, the scent of fresh snow and faint flowers hit his nose, and he opened his red eyes slightly.

Right in front of him, he realized a pair of azure eyes were looking carefully into his red ones.

"Pervert," whispered Cecilia. Her voice held a mocking yet affectionate tone.

Cassian quickly closed his eyes again. He slowly pulled his arms away from that softness.

His heart was pounding against his ribcage.

His mind recalled the events of last night.

’Why is this girl still here? Did she seriously sleep with me all night?’ he thought with horror.

’Just a few days ago she tried to kill me because I saw her naked, and now we are sleeping cuddled up together. What is this girl’s goal!’

Cassian decided to act as if nothing had happened and tried to sit up in bed.

Just as he was about to get up, Cecilia’s hand quickly grabbed his pajamas and pulled him back down onto the mattress.

"What?!" stammered Cassian in surprise.

"You can’t go yet," said Cecilia. There was not a shred of emotion in her voice, acting as if this were completely normal.

Cassian wanted to ask why, but he knew the answer would be absurd.

At that exact moment, Cecilia interlaced her fingers with Cassian’s. She locked her hands with his.

Cassian’s mind went completely blank. His palms began to sweat involuntarily, and his body temperature rose rapidly.

’What is she trying to do? Is this some kind of torture or...’

"Lady Cecilia?!" he stammered.

"What?"

"My hand..."

"What about your hand?" Cecilia gripped his fingers tighter. "Are you uncomfortable?"

Cassian swallowed hard. "It’s nothing..." he mumbled, silently praying for Cryomara to come and save him from this situation.

He had never felt this uncomfortable in his life.

Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door. A maid’s voice was heard:

"Lord Cassian! Wake up, sir, it is breakfast time. Lady Cryomara is waiting for you."

This voice was like a ticket to freedom from the execution scaffold for Cassian.

When Cecilia’s attention shifted to the door for a split second, Cassian did not miss the opportunity.

He immediately changed his form; his body turned into a black, fluid liquid. He slipped through Cecilia’s fingers like a shadow and fled the bed.

In the middle of the room, he reverted to his human form, that young man with black hair. He didn’t even glance back; he didn’t have a single second to lose, or Cecilia would imprison him in the room again before he could escape.

He opened the door in a panic, rushed into the corridor amidst the maid’s bewildered looks, and slammed the door shut with a "Bang!" He took a deep breath in the corridor, his heart still beating like crazy.

"This girl..." he said to himself. "Is more dangerous than the gods."

Cassian entered the grand hall, trying to steady his breathing after his escape in the corridor.

His steps were cautious, as if he were walking to an execution block rather than a dining hall. And what he feared had come to pass.

At the head of the table, looking flawless even at this early hour, sat Cryomara.

She reached elegantly for the plate in front of her, carrying a piece of fruit to her mouth with a silver fork.

The moment she noticed Cassian entering, she paused. She slowly turned her head, and a smile appeared on her lips.

This was not a friendly smile; it was the final look of a cat that had cornered its prey before playing with it.

"Good morning, little lizard," Cryomara said. Her voice was as smooth and sharp as a blade sliding on ice.

Cassian’s heart skipped a beat. His throat went dry instantly.

But he had no intention of showing weakness. "Good morning," he said, trying to keep his voice as cold and emotionless as possible.

Quickly, he pulled out a chair as far from Cryomara as possible, yet not so far as to violate the rules of etiquette, and sat down.

Since the round table was not very large, the distance between them wasn’t much.

As the maids filled his glass with juice, Cassian focused on the empty plate in front of him, avoiding eye contact with Cryomara.

Cryomara continued to watch him, gently swirling the goblet in her hand.

"You look like you’ve been sweating," she said, her voice full of feigned concern. "Did you have a nightmare? or was your bed... too hot?"

Cassian swallowed. He felt a drop of cold sweat accumulating on his forehead.

"Y-yes," he said quickly, throwing out the first lie that came to mind. "The approaching war... Strategies... You know, I’m a bit excited."

He forced a crooked smile onto his face. "Just stress."

"Hmm... Is that so?" said Cryomara, tilting her head slightly and narrowing her eyes. Her azure irises were piercing through Cassian’s soul.

"I thought there might be an extra heat source in your bed..."

Cassian’s heart rate accelerated at these insinuating words. ’Does... Does she know?!’

Cassian fabricated something to dodge Cryomara’s question.

"I can say that the bed and quilt kept me warmer than expected. I’ve never slept in such a thick quilt."

Then, Cryomara dropped the bomb.

"So..." she said, deliberately lowering her tone. "Have you seen my little butterfly? She wasn’t in her room this morning."

Cassian was trying to butter his bread with a trembling hand at that moment. With Cryomara’s question, his hand spasmed.

The butter knife slipped from his fingers; but with a sudden reflex, Cassian recovered. Twirling the knife between his fingers like a master dagger user, he saved the situation skillfully, as if it had never been about to fall.

"What?!" Cassian looked at the knife, then at Cryomara. "No! Why are you asking me! How would I know!"

Cryomara stared at Cassian after watching his sudden recovery.

"What do you mean, why?" she said, her voice turning into a dangerous whisper. "Weren’t you two together all night?"

Cassian froze. Time stopped.

Cold sweat began to pour down his face like a waterfall.

’She knows!’ his mind screamed.

This damn monster knew everything! She is just playing with me right now.

Before eating me, she wants to enjoy the taste of meat seasoned with the fear of her prey!

"I... Well... We..." Cassian couldn’t string the words together.

He remembered Cryomara’s last threat. ’The threat to castrate Cassian!’

As Cassian thought about this, he swallowed involuntarily, felt a tingling sensation in his lower region, and his shoulders tensed.

Just then, the door to the hall opened again.

Cecilia glided in with her white dress and slightly messy silver hair.

There was a peaceful expression on her face, mixed with morning drowsiness.

The moment she saw her, that sadistic, predatory expression on Cryomara’s face was wiped away. It was replaced by the mask of a compassionate, protective mother.

"Good morning, my little butterfly," Cryomara said, her voice sweet as honey.

As she approached the table, Cecilia gently said, "Good morning."

Then her gaze shifted to Cassian.

She paused.

Her blue eyes locked onto Cassian’s red eyes.

That moment of silence felt like a century to Cassian. In Cecilia’s gaze, there were traces of the sincerity and the embrace from the night before. And this look was the most dangerous thing possible in Cryomara’s presence.

Cassian was screaming internally: "Don’t look at me! For God’s sake, don’t look at me like that! That woman is watching us! She will castrate me right here on the table!"

But Cecilia didn’t do that. On the contrary, she gently said "Good morning" to Cassian and headed toward the chair right next to him.

As she sat, she pulled her chair a little closer to Cassian, as if by coincidence.

Cryomara’s eyes caught that small movement instantly. Her gaze swung like a pendulum between Cassian and Cecilia. One eyebrow shot up.

Breakfast had started, but for Cassian, it was not a feast, it was a torture session.

Cassian took a piece of the omelet in front of him. The bite grew and grew in his mouth... He tried to swallow, but his throat was knotted. What he was eating didn’t feel like food, but like sand and gravel.

While playing with the cheese on her plate with her fork, Cecilia was constantly stealing glances at Cassian.

With every glance, she was sliding her chair inch by inch toward Cassian without making it obvious.

Cassian, on the other hand, was following the exact opposite strategy.

Every time Cecilia got closer, Cassian pushed his chair millimeter by millimeter in the opposite direction, toward the edge of the table, without making it creak.

’Don’t come...’ he begged silently. ’Please don’t come. That monster is watching me. If she thinks I touched you or seduced you...’ Cassian didn’t even want to think about the consequences.

At one point, he felt Cecilia’s knee touch his own under the table. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Cassian flinched as if electrocuted and pulled his leg back so fast that he kicked the table leg hard.

BOOM!

The table shook. Liquid spilled from the tea glasses.

Cryomara put down her fork. Silence covered the room.

"Do you have a problem, Cassian?" asked Cryomara, her voice dead calm.

"No!" said Cassian, his voice an octave higher. "My leg... It cramped. War stress. Definitely a cramp."

He turned back to his front and pretended to be interested in the olive on his plate. But he knew. This breakfast was going to take at least ten years off his life.

Cryomara took a sip of her tea, pulled her gaze from Cassian, who was nervously eating, and turned to Cecilia.

"So, my little butterfly. Have you decided?"

Cassian pricked up his ears at the sudden change of topic and tried to understand what they were talking about.

Cecilia looked into Cryomara’s eyes and paused. "I gave him a chance for you."

"Honestly, I still thought he was a hypocritical, manipulative, arrogant, and perverted lizard."

Then she turned back to Cassian’s face, and her voice took on a compassionate tone.

"But now I see that he is just a child who needs love."

Cassian’s heart fluttered in his chest; when he looked at Cecilia’s face and felt the compassion in her blue eyes, his red eyes trembled.

When her ocean-blue eyes locked onto Cassian’s crimson ones, the young man felt his soul laid bare. There was no judgment in those looks, no fear. Only pure understanding and affection directed at Cassian.

Cassian’s breathing accelerated involuntarily. ’Why do I feel like this...’

Cecilia raised her hand slowly as if to seal this silent confession. Her fingers glided to touch the coldness on Cassian’s hand.

But this contact was the last straw. Cassian’s heart could not handle this intensity. Just as Cecilia’s fingertips were about to touch his skin...

WHOOSH!

Cassian’s solid form severed its tie with the reality he held onto. His body suddenly melted and flowed down the chair like a black, dense shadow.

Cecilia’s compassionate hand remained suspended in the void.

The liquid, flowing rapidly across the floor like a river of ink, climbed the window sill and there transformed into a large black crow with feathers as black as night. The crow, without daring to look back, threw itself into the arms of the storm and disappeared from sight.

Left behind were Cecilia, her hand still in the air and lips parted in surprise, and Cryomara, smiling with amusement.

Cryomara took another sip of her tea and leaned back.

"The little lizard is shyer than he looks, huh?" she said with a smile.

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