Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 141: The Heartless Prince

As the sharp pain from Ivy’s knee strike slowly subsided and gave way to a dull ache, Cassian looked at the other girls in the room.

He searched for an apology or concern in their eyes, but all he found was an ice-cold indifference.

Olivia had retreated to her cushion by the fireplace, wrapping her hands around her hot cup, listening to the crackling of the fire.

She wasn’t even turning to look at Cassian; acting as if there wasn’t someone writhing on the floor right there.

As for Eula, she was sitting upright at the table, her eyes fixed on the darkness outside the window.

The gentle smile on her face had been erased, leaving a cold distance in its place.

It was as if they had all made a silent agreement that Cassian deserved this.

Cassian straightened up on his knees, holding the still-aching part with his hand.

"I thought I was your prince," he said, his voice a bit choked, a bit mocking.

Roxy didn’t even raise her head while turning the page of the book in her hand. As her eyes wandered over the lines, her voice was calm and clear.

"Yes, you are. You are our prince and our hero."

"But this doesn’t make us your slaves. You can’t insult us as you please and disregard our feelings. We have feelings too."

She didn’t even look at Cassian’s face while saying this.

She seemed focused only on her book, but the resentment in her voice was more apparent than the rustling of the pages.

"My ass’s feelings," Cassian mumbled through his teeth. "As if you cared about mine."

He stood up with difficulty. His legs were trembling a bit, but he pulled himself together.

He walked over to the empty chair in front of Eula and dropped himself into it.

The moment Cassian sat down, Eula drank the tea in her cup in one go.

She got up from her chair noisily. Without casting a single glance at Cassian, she walked towards the room Ivy had just entered and closed the door behind her.

Cassian closed his mouth, which had hung open in surprise. "What is this now?" he said, turning to Roxy who was still reading. "Are you giving me the silent treatment or something? All of you at once?"

Roxy finally lifted her head from the book.

She looked at Cassian over her glasses. There was the usual intelligent glint in her eyes, but this time it was a bit colder.

"Silent treatment?" she said, laughing lightly. "No, my prince. Just... we are showing you the love you showed us. We are showing you the treatment you deemed worthy for us. How is it? Not a nice feeling, is it?"

Cassian couldn’t answer.

Roxy tucked her book under her arm and stood up.

"Good night, my prince," she said and retreated to her room.

Cassian looked angrily after the girl.

Now he was left alone in the room with Olivia. Olivia was still sitting by the fire, her back turned.

Her shoulders slightly slumped, her head bowed. She wasn’t looking at Cassian at all; her only focus was the embers of the fire creaking and dying out in the fireplace.

Cassian thought internally. ’Are they seriously expecting me to apologize or something?’

At that moment, Cryomara’s mocking, wise voice echoed in his mind: "When you argue with a woman, you are always the wrong party, little lizard. Even if you are right."

Cassian realized he couldn’t leave this event victorious, couldn’t win this war of silence. Sighing, he buried his head on the table.

He wrapped his arms around his head and tried to shut out the rest of the world.

Silence hung in the room like a heavy fog.

Minutes passed. Only the howling of the wind outside and the weak sound of the fire could be heard.

Olivia moved from her place after a while.

She stood up slowly. Her steps were silent. She went to the large cauldron still heating on the stove. She took a bowl and ladled hot soup into it.

Then she approached the table and gently placed the bowl in front of Cassian, who had buried his head.

When Cassian smelled the soup, he raised his head. He turned his head towards her.

Olivia paused when she noticed Cassian’s gaze.

There was neither anger nor resentment on her face; only a deep, sorrowful fatigue. Her voice, unlike the others, was still gentle and warm, but it held a distance.

"I thought you were hungry," she said quietly. "If you don’t want it... I can take the food away."

Cassian couldn’t stop his stomach from rumbling. His pride had succumbed to his hunger.

"No," he said, his voice softening a bit. "I’m hungry."

He straightened up in his seat. He took the spoon and took a sip of the soup. When the hot liquid went down his throat and warmed his stomach, he realized how tense his body was.

Olivia sat in the chair opposite him but didn’t eat. She just clasped her hands on the table.

"Don’t mind the others," she spoke, as if apologizing on their behalf. "For what happened in the morning... they are a bit hurt by your words. They... were really waiting for you. They hadn’t imagined their hero like this. But they’ll return to their old selves tomorrow. We... aren’t very good at holding grudges."

Focusing on the soup, "I don’t care," Cassian said. But his voice didn’t come out as harsh as he thought.

Olivia’s face fell. Fixing her gaze down on the wooden patterns of the table, she asked:

"Why do you hate us so much..."

Cassian put down his spoon. The anger inside him flared up again, but this time it was more controlled.

"I guess..." he said, taking a deep breath. "I need to pour out my hatred for Lilith onto someone. And you witches... you are the ideal choice for this."

In a resentful and trembling tone, Olivia objected, "But we didn’t do anything! We are not Lilith."

"What had I done then?" asked Cassian, his voice rising.

"What had I done for Lilith to curse me? I was just a newborn child! A baby! Just because my great-great-grandfathers killed her, I had to pay the price!"

Cassian sighed, his shoulders slumped. "I guess this desire for revenge makes me the same as the woman I hate."

Cassian took another spoonful of soup. As the taste spread on his palate, he saw Olivia’s eyes filling up. The girl was biting her lips not to cry.

"Lilith," Cassian asked suddenly, changing the subject. "What was she like?"

Olivia shook her head. "I don’t know."

"Why don’t you know?" Cassian frowned.

"You were saying you are their eldest sister, right?"

"I am not small!" Olivia objected, there was a childish touchiness in her voice. "Just... my growth stopped. At some point." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Then her voice became serious. "All my sisters in the village and I... we were born long after Lilith’s death. We never saw her. We only know her stories, her prophecies."

"Hmm," Cassian mumbled. The biology of these witches confused him. "Witches consist only of women, right? Meaning... there are no male witches."

"Yes," said Olivia.

"So," said Cassian, succumbing to his curiosity. "How are you witches formed? I mean... reproduction... how does it happen? Do you sleep with each other?"

Olivia’s face turned red like a tomato. Her eyes opened wide like saucers.

"WE DON’T DO SUCH A THING!" she shouted, her voice thinning with panic.

Then taking a deep breath and calming herself, she put her hand on her chest.

"As I said," she said, her voice still trembling. "We are all sisters! We come from the same essence."

"Then how?" asked Cassian insistently. "Do storks bring you?"

"We don’t know," said Olivia, desperately. "Just... we exist all of a sudden. In the forest, in the hollow of a tree, by a river... We wake up and find each other. As if... as if the world is giving birth to us."

Cassian didn’t understand anything but stopped asking. The rules of this world were confusing enough already.

"So you know nothing about Lilith?" he said, with disappointment.

"We know nothing except the prophecies..." said Olivia, her voice turning into a whisper.

"What prophecy?" Cassian’s interest increased.

Olivia fell silent. She avoided his eyes. "I can’t tell you... Yet."

"Even though I am your prince?" said Cassian, with a mocking smile.

"If I tell..." said Olivia, as her eyes welled up. "You will leave us!"

"I will leave you in any case," said Cassian ruthlessly. "Did you forget what I said? I don’t care about you witches. When I’m done, I’m leaving here."

Olivia clenched her hands into fists under the table. "Why are you like this!" "Why are you so heartless?"

"What were you expecting?" said Cassian, standing up. "A spineless, naive fool willing to save you? A prince on a white horse?"

He leaned over the table, bringing his face close to Olivia’s.

"Sorry princess, I am not someone like that. My own life is more valuable to me than anything. Your prophecies, your fate... are not my problem."

He straightened up and crossed his arms on his chest.

"Besides," he said in a questioning tone. "What is the saving thing? Why do I need to save you anyway? What are you afraid of? Who is the enemy?"

"We don’t have an enemy," said Olivia, her voice trembling.

"Then what is the saving thing?" said Cassian, his patience overflowing. "Save from whom, from what?"