Exiled Prince: I'm the Unexpected Extra in the Novel-Chapter 163: The Lizard in the Butterflies’ Hands

The War for The North [51]

Chapter 163: The Lizard in the Butterflies’ Hands

"C-Cecilia?" Cassian stammered. His voice sounded just like a child caught in the act.

Cecilia’s blue eyes now resembled a stormy sea. Her face was so close to Cassian’s that the warmth of her breath brushed against his forehead, which was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Sir, my Prince?" Cecilia said, her voice soft as silk but just as dangerous.

Cassian tried to look away, but Cecilia’s other hand gripped his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"Why are you calling me that?" Cassian asked, taking refuge in an act of innocence. "What does ’my Prince’ even mean?"

Cecilia’s lips curled into a perilous smile.

"Why?" she whispered. "Wasn’t it you who told Fredrinn that you liked it? Didn’t you say, ’They keep calling me my prince; it was annoying at first, but once you get used to it, it feels nice’?"

Cassian swallowed hard. The pressure of the hand on his throat increased slightly.

Did she hear me talking to Fredrinn? he thought in horror.

No, no... If there was any eavesdropping magic in the room, Fredrinn would have definitely noticed. That man is paranoid.

There was another possibility.

Or did that idiot... simply not care, even if he noticed? Just to watch me suffer?

A surge of anger rose from within him as he screamed in his mind: Damn you, Fredrinn!

Outwardly, however, he let out a tense, almost hysterical laugh.

"Ahaha! That? You misunderstood!" he said quickly.

"Those witches... They are just joking. It’s a game among them. Besides, I am the Prince of the Void, you know. That is my title! They are just using my title, there is no other meaning. Really!"

"Is that so?"

Cecilia didn’t look convinced. On the contrary, this explanation seemed to pour gasoline on her fire.

Her nails began to dig into his flesh, tightening her grip on Cassian’s neck. It hurt, but he didn’t dare make a sound.

"What about Lilith?"

"Cryomara told me everything. She said that when you passed through the barrier, you called her ’my woman.’ And that witch claims to be your ’first wife’!"

Cassian’s eyes widened like saucers. He remembered that moment. Cryomara’s attack, the instinct to protect Lilith... The words that had slipped out of his mouth...

"That wasn’t me saying that!" he blurted out in panic. "Well, I mean, it was me but... it wasn’t the normal me! Do you understand?"

Cecilia frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Sovereign Form!" Cassian said, as if it were a magic word.

"When I take on that form... My personality is forced to change. Those words didn’t belong to me; they were a side effect of that form! I... I wouldn’t normally say things like that!"

It was a half-truth and a half-bold-faced lie, but it was the only harbor Cassian could seek refuge in right now.

Cecilia withdrew her hand from Cassian’s neck.

Just as Cassian thought he could relax, Cecilia grabbed both of his cheeks with her hands and pulled his face sharply toward her own.

Their noses were touching. Her blue eyes stared threateningly into the deepest depths of Cassian’s crimson eyes.

"Cassian!" she said through gritted teeth. "Do you take me for a fool?"

The room fell into silence for a moment. Only the crackling of the fire in the fireplace and their rapid breathing could be heard.

Cassian didn’t know what to say in this moment. No logical explanation came to mind that would save him from this situation or quell Cecilia’s anger.

What was he supposed to say from the beginning anyway? Why did he have to explain anything to Cecilia?

His logic rebelled. I have no bond with this woman outside of Frosthelm, he thought. She isn’t my lover, nor my wife. She is just my ally. So why is she demanding answers as if I belong to her, as if she owns me?

Cecilia ran her hand along Cassian’s cheek. Unlike her previous roughness, her touch was soft, yet still dangerous.

"I wanted to put a leash on you and keep you by my side forever," she whispered.

There was a glint of pure madness in her eyes. "But Cryomara said that would only push you away from me, that it would cause you to hate me."

Her eyes welled up.

"She asked me to be kind to you, to give you space. But I left you alone for only a few weeks, just a few weeks... And you found yourself other women! An army full of witches! And that white-haired girl... I don’t like the way she looks at you at all."

She lowered her head and rested her forehead against Cassian’s chest. Her voice became muffled.

"I don’t know what to do with you."

Cassian felt the girl trembling against his chest. His hands hovered in the air, unsure of what to do. Then, hesitatingly, he placed his hand on Cecilia’s silvery hair and stroked it slowly.

"What do you want from me, Cecilia?" he asked in a whisper.

Cecilia lifted her head. Her eyes were teary but determined.

"For you to stay with me forever!"

Cassian froze. "What... am I supposed to take from that?"

Suddenly, Cecilia pushed Cassian by the shoulders, knocking him onto his back on the bed. Without wasting a second, she climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. Her hair fell over her face like a curtain, isolating Cassian from the outside world.

"Isn’t it clear enough?" Cecilia said.

She leaned down slowly. Her lips were just a breath away from Cassian’s. Cassian closed his eyes, waiting.

"When did you two get so close?"

An icy, mocking voice echoed through the room.

Cecilia and Cassian flinched as if struck by electricity. Cecilia straightened up quickly but didn’t get off Cassian. Both of them looked toward the direction of the voice, at the edge of the bed.

Cryomara was there.

She was wearing a midnight-blue silk nightgown. Her arms were crossed over her chest, one eyebrow raised as she watched them.

Her eyes darted between Cassian and Cecilia, making it very clear she wasn’t pleased with the situation, perhaps even a bit disgusted.

"Little lizard," Cryomara said, her voice as sharp as a knife. "I remember telling you that if you touched my butterfly, if you upset her, I would castrate you. And the scene I’m seeing right now... doesn’t look like an innocent chat."

Cassian tried desperately to wiggle out from under Cecilia.

"I am innocent!" he shouted, raising his hands in surrender.

"I swear! She climbed on top of me! I was just taking a shower, and then I sat on the bed, and then this happened! I am the victim!"

Cryomara rolled her eyes. "From here, it doesn’t look like that at all." She pointed at Cassian’s face. "That bite mark on your cheek... And the scratch marks on your neck... You look less like a victim and more like you just came out of a war."

Cassian brought his hand to his cheek. It really was stinging.

"Can you stop messing with me already!" he rebelled. He got out of bed and pulled the quilt over himself. "I destroyed two princes single-handedly! You should be thanking me, declaring me a Hero, erecting my statues... What is this castration nonsense? What kind of ingratitude is this?"

Cryomara paused. The expression of anger on her face softened for a moment, replaced by a thoughtful look.

"Uhh... I forgot about that," she said, as if it were a minor detail.

Then she clapped her hands slowly, sarcastically.

Clap... Clap... Clap...

"Congratulations, little lizard."

"I congratulate you for saving the North from two major nuisances, those disgusting insects. I suppose I should reward you. In a manner befitting a hero."

She brought a finger to her lip, pretending to think.

"Let’s see... What would you like?"

Cryomara slowly approached the bed. She brought her hand to the chest of her silk robe and slightly parted the fabric. Her smooth, ice-blue skin glowed in the dim light.

"Would you like to spend..." she said, her voice turning into a velvety whisper, "...this night with me? With a real woman?"

Cecilia’s mouth dropped open in shock, her cheeks burning with shame. "Cryomara?!"

Cassian, however, looked completely unimpressed and grimaced.

"Fuck off," he said instantly.

Cryomara burst into laughter. She adjusted her nightgown and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What happened? Didn’t you like it?" she asked with amusement. "With all these girls around you, dragging those witches along... I thought you had a weakness for women. Turns out you’re picky."

"Stop joking and tell me," Cassian said, turning serious. He had to change the subject, or this room would become his grave. "Did you finish gathering all the people in the capital? Is the plan working?"

Cryomara crossed her legs.

"Of course we finished."

"While you were flirting with witches outside, some of us were focused on our duties. The border villages have been evacuated. Refugees have been settled in camps around the walls and in safe zones within the city. Everyone is here, under my protection."

Cassian ignored the jab and coughed lightly.

"Good," he said. "Arrange an emergency meeting with the lords tomorrow. Everyone must be there. The day after... it’s time to showcase the first act!"

Cecilia asked curiously, "The first act?"

"Yes..." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Cassian raised his right hand. In his palm, a small, pulsating orb formed. But this was not chaos or darkness. This was a pure, golden light. Holy Mana. A peaceful warmth instantly filled the room.

"It is time to purify the North," Cassian said. His eyes were shining. "We will wipe the plague, Umbrelion’s filth, from these lands."

Cryomara frowned as she looked at the light.

"You aren’t thinking of purifying 800,000 people in one go, are you?" she asked suspiciously. "Healing that many people... That would be suicide. Even your mana reserves aren’t enough for that."

She continued, her voice warning.

"If you do that, if you use Holy Magic on such a massive scale... You could cause unwanted side effects. The Gods might even... forcibly take the holy mana from you. or you’ll draw their attention."

Cassian shrugged. He extinguished the light in his palm.

"Those gods can’t stick their heads out of the holes they’re hiding in," he said confidently. "If they had the courage to do that, they never would have let me kill Aethrax and Seralya right in front of their eyes. They are cowards, beings trapped by their own rules."

"Even so," Cryomara said. "The reason you can use holy mana is that you possess fragments of a saint in your soul or can mimic that power. If the Gods choose a new Saint or Saintess... If they grant that authority to someone else, you can no longer use holy mana. Your connection will be cut."

"Nope," Cassian said, grinning. "I can use it! I am here to break the rules."

Cryomara sighed deeply. This boy’s arrogance could be headache-inducing sometimes.

"If you say so, I won’t interfere with your business, little lizard," she said. "But if you die, I’m not cleaning up your corpse."

Then she suddenly waved her hand.

Vines of ice shot up from the floor, wrapping around Cassian’s waist. Before Cassian could understand what was happening, he was lifted into the air and pulled toward Cryomara.

"Hey! Again?!"

Cryomara caught Cassian and sat him on her lap like a well-behaved child. She wrapped her arms around his waist to prevent him from escaping.

"Now..." Cryomara said, her voice taking on a dangerous tone. "Let’s get back to the important topic, the real issue, little lizard."

Cassian struggled, but it was futile. The Mystic Beast’s grip was like iron.

"Let me go! We were making war plans!"

"War can wait," Cryomara said. She brought her face close to Cassian’s.

"What do you think about Cecilia?"

The air in the room instantly turned to ice.

Cassian looked at Cecilia in panic. The girl was sitting on the other end of the bed, holding her breath.

She fixed her eyes on Cassian to hear the answer. There was both fear and anticipation on her face.

This was a trap. A wrong answer meant death.

"I don’t know..." Cassian spoke, his voice hoarse. "She is... a good person. My ally. My partner."

Cryomara was not pleased. She leaned into Cassian’s ear, her lips almost touching it.

"If you say something that upsets her, that disappoints her..." she whispered. "I will castrate you right here, right now. And this time, I am not joking."

Cassian cursed his situation internally. On one side, a psychopathic Mystic Beast; on the other, an emotional Duchess. The battlefield was safer than this.

He desired a miracle, a savior to rescue him from this situation. Anyone.

And his prayers were answered.

BANG! BANG!

The door of the room was pounded heavily and hurriedly.

"Cassian! Are you awake?!"

That voice... Harsh, authoritative, and a bit angry.

Cassian recognized this voice. But what was she doing here?

"Liora Stormvale..."

Cassian’s eyes lit up. Salvation! He wanted to open his mouth and scream, "I’m here! Save me!"

But Cryomara, as if understanding his intention, clamped her elegant, cold hand tightly over Cassian’s mouth.

"Shhh..." she said, winking. "We wouldn’t want to be interrupted."

Liora called out a few more times from behind the door.

"Cassian! I know you’re in there! I heard your voice! We need to talk!"

When no answer came, there was silence. Then the sound of footsteps fading away. She had left.

Cassian’s shoulders slumped. His last chance was gone.

Cryomara smiled and removed her hand from Cassian’s mouth.

"See? No one can disturb us."

Just at that moment...

BOOM!

The door was blown to pieces, torn from its hinges. Splinters of wood scattered into the room.

Through the cloud of dust, a girl charged into the room, holding a sword crackling with ice and lightning.

Her black hair was messy, swept by the winds of battle. Her red eyes were like two embers glowing in the dark. She was armored and ready for war.

Liora Stormvale lowered the sword in her hand and looked at the people in the room.

She saw Cassian sitting on Cryomara’s lap, and Cecilia looking on from the bed in bewilderment.

A wild, dangerous smile appeared on her face, like a predator finding its prey.

"So you were here!" she said, pointing her sword at Cassian.

"I found you!"