The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!-Chapter 306: Including You

Cassian stepped through the palace gates like a man who had already won.

The sun had set, and most of the guests had long since dispersed—some still whispering, some pretending they hadn’t just witnessed the political wedding of the century implode before their eyes.

The grand hall that had once echoed with ceremony and music was now deathly silent. All that remained were guards stationed at key points, and waiting for him near the entrance was the commander, next to him were more of those guards, they were prepared to escort the prince the moment he arrived.

Cassian raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He adjusted the cuffs of his black and gold attire—the same clothes he was meant to be wearing while standing beside Annora at the altar—and offered them the faintest smirk.

"His Majesty is waiting," the commander said, his voice tense.

"Of course he is," Cassian replied smoothly, his tone almost amused. "Lead the way."

The tension in the air was thick as the guards led him through the palace corridors. Servants kept their heads down and scurried away as soon as they saw him approach. Everyone knew what had happened. And everyone was waiting to see how it would play out.

When the throne room doors opened, Cassian stepped inside with the same confident pace. The Emperor stood by the dais, still in full ceremonial regalia, his face twisted in barely contained rage.

The moment their eyes met, the Emperor’s voice exploded in the hall.

"How dare you!"

Cassian didn’t flinch.

"You abandoned your own wedding!" the Emperor shouted, his voice echoing off the marble walls. "In front of the nobles! The temple! The entire court! Do you know what kind of mess you’ve created?!"

Cassian tilted his head slightly. He stared at his father coldly.

The Emperor barked, taking a step forward. "You humiliated the Saintess, disrespected the temple, and made a fool out of the imperial family! Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?"

Cassian stayed quiet, hands behind his back, his expression unreadable. He knew his father well enough. The shouting was expected. He was used to getting his way, of course, he would throw a tantrum.

The Emperor’s nostrils flared. "What in the world were you thinking?!"

Cassian stood tall, his posture relaxed but his gaze steely, unwavering. "I am finally doing what I want to do," he said, voice calm, cold, and echoing through the throne room like a blade dragged across stone.

For a moment, the entire room stilled. The Emperor looked like he had been slapped. His face, already flushed with fury, darkened further. A vein throbbed visibly at his temple.

"You don’t have the luxury to make those kinds of decisions!" the Emperor barked, his voice trembling with rage. "I was going to elect you as Crown prince—your life is not your own to—"

Cassian tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into the faintest smile, one that was not born from joy, but from provocation.

"Of course I do," he said coolly. "And if I don’t..."

He took one deliberate step forward.

"Maybe I should just become Emperor. Then I can do whatever I want."

Silence.

A thunderous silence.

The words echoed like a war drum. The guards around the room froze, unsure if they had heard him correctly. Then the weight of what had been said settled on everyone at once, like a tremor before an earthquake.

There was a metallic ring as several guards instantly drew their swords, blades pointed at the first Prince. The air thickened with hostility. Every breath became strained with tension.

That—those words—were treason.

The Emperor’s hands trembled with pure, unrestrained fury. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Say that again," he spat, pointing a shaking finger at Cassian, as if daring him to repeat the offense.

And Cassian... did not hesitate.

"I said," he repeated slowly, each word sharper than steel, "maybe I should become Emperor. Then I wouldn’t need to ask for permission ever again."

The next moment happened in a blur.

Cassian reached for his sword.

Steel sang as it slid from the sheath.

With a swift motion, he plunged the blade into the floor at his feet. A sharp chill exploded outward in a blinding flash of blue and white. The temperature in the throne room dropped instantly. Cracks spiderwebbed across the marble floor, and then the ice erupted.

Spikes of jagged frost shot up around Cassian, encasing him in a circle of deadly crystal—an icy crater formed by his sheer power. The force of the blast sent every guard within striking range staggering backward, shields raised instinctively against the cold.

The guards hesitated, none daring to step forward again.

The Emperor stared, stunned—not just by the audacity, but by the raw, terrifying magic his son had just unleashed.

Cassian stood at the centre of it all, untouched, unmoved, his blade gleaming with frost in his hand, the spikes forming a crown of ice around his feet. His breath came out in pale clouds, but he looked utterly composed. Regal. Powerful.

And dangerous.

"Now I don’t mind not being the Crown Prince, the third prince can have that title, what I don’t like is people getting in my way... That includes you. Father."

The Emperor, still recovering from the shock, gritted his teeth. "Are you threatening me?"

"I’m giving you a choice," Cassian answered, sheathing his blade with a soft metallic click. The ice remained, jagged and cold, a reminder of what he could do. "Accept that I am not your pawn, or keep trying to control me—and watch what happens next."

The Emperor’s mouth twitched in restrained fury, but he didn’t speak.

---

Adeline looked up to the ceiling, waiting for a response. The Goddess had reduced contact with her, and she barely replied to her questions. But still Adeline waited for a response. The author always asked her to stay away from Cassian, and now that she agreed to get engaged to him, she would have something to say.

"Don’t you have anything to say?" Adeline slowly asked.