Chapter 123: Keep your thoughts to yourselff

"You do not decide whom I talk to or whom I meet," his deep voice tried to pierce through her psychoanalysis like a serrated blade. Cassian definitely did not take it lightly when she told him to stay away from Cixi. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"She is trouble," Sashkia flicked her gaze toward the spot on the table where his phone was resting.

"She is my trouble," Cassian declared, his broad shoulders stiffening under his tailored jacket. "Keep your unnecessary opinions to yourself."

"Your trouble?" Sashkia tilted her head, studying the man across from her with renewed fascination. "We will see how long the word ’love’ remains a curse to you." She crossed her arms, openly challenging the Devil Crown in his own domain. "Because from where I sit, a shift has already begun inside you. For example... you gave her a nickname."

Cassian remained entirely unimpressed by her self-satisfaction. "I remain the same heartless devil I was before, Sashkia. I am no fool like the rest of you. You people constantly mistake obsession and possession for love."

"Do not dare disrespect my love for my husband." The air around Sashkia instantly changed with mystic energy, raising the hair on the back of everyone’s neck in the bar.

"I have, and I will again. You know exactly how much I hate that pathetic word, yet you keep speaking of me as capable of it." Cassian clamped his jaw shut, refusing to speak another syllable on the matter.

Sashkia looked at him over the rim of her glass, clearly deciding to ignore his warning. "Do you treat her the same way you treat everyone else?" She did not give him time to respond. "Do you want her to fear you?"

A heavy silence followed her question. Cassian refused to answer, yet it revealed itself in the sudden stillness of his posture and the clenching of his jaw.

It made her smile deepen. "No... you do not want that." Her voice carried calm certainty. "In fact, I did not sense your coin on you today. But when I attempted to connect to her, I saw your coin around her."

Her eyes locked onto his, stripping away his aloof façade.

"You gave her your coin. In your underworld, that gesture signifies protection. It means that anyone who even looks at her with harm in mind instantly becomes your sworn enemy." She let the truth settle. "So do not sit there and tell me things have not changed."

"You are fortunate that I respect you, Sashkia." His voice dropped into a deadly, guttural tone, vibrating with a promise of unimaginable pain.

She accepted the shift without the slightest sign of alarm. "I earned that respect. And I doubt you will find it easy to harm me while sitting inside my city." She gave him a provocative smile again. "Are you sure you want to threaten me in my own place, a place built upon the legacy of my husband and me?"

"Why do I get the distinct feeling you want to slaughter everyone in Valtham just to prove a point?" Sashkia gave him a dry, calculating look that did not sit well with Cassian.

The dark shade of his eyes slowly began to dissolve. The colour shifted until his irises burned a vivid, demonic golden yellow. The temperature in the bar seemed to drop instantly.

"I was merely teasing you." Sashkia sounded genuinely amused by his reaction. "To prove me wrong, you were ready to massacre the entire city. Your denial runs deep." She finished her drink and set the empty crystal glass down. "It seems I cannot tease you freely."

"Nothing is free." Cassian lifted his whiskey glass and drained the amber liquid in a single swallow before setting the crystal down. "Not even freedom. Do not challenge me next time, Sashkia."

"Oh, I will." She flashed her brightest, most audacious grin. "Especially when your Lousy Kisser is around."

Cassian ignored the jab, and his eyes slowly returned to their original shade. "Let me know when you plan to visit Demond City." He slid his phone back into his pocket and rose to his full, intimidating height. "And give my regards to Raymond." Just like that, the atmosphere shifted from tense to ordinary.

Sashkia looked up, surprised by the abrupt departure. "You are leaving already?"

"Yes."

She watched his towering form for a moment before leaning back in her chair. "That is wise. You need to build a strong bond between the two of you."

Cassian’s face revealed no emotion. "I have other matters to deal with at home."

Sashkia’s brows lifted slightly. She knew the word home had not sounded like a real place in his mouth for centuries, yet she let the slip pass without comment.

"Then go," she said, urging him forward with a soft wave of her hand. "Before she decides to cause even more dramatic chaos."

A faint, dangerous glint flared in his golden eyes. "You have run your mouth far too much today."

That was all he gave her before turning and walking out of the dim bar. Sashkia remained seated, watching his broad back disappear, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips.

*

That same day, at midnight, while Cixi’s soul wandered elsewhere to witness another murder, someone else stood inside her room.

The large bedroom was pitch-dark. Cixi lay motionless on her side, a thick blanket pulled over her shoulders.

The tall window remained open, allowing the cold night breeze to filter through the heavy curtains.

A figure stood in the shadows near the foot of the bed. The darkness concealed his features, but his broad shoulders and muscular build marked him as a man well over six feet tall. He simply stood there in silence, watching her sleep.

A sharp gasp tore from Cixi’s lips as she jolted awake. Her heart pounded frantically against her ribs. She took several ragged breaths, struggling to orient herself. After a moment, she scanned the dark room until her eyes locked onto the open window, where the curtains swayed gently in the breeze.

By the time her vision cleared fully, the man was gone, and Cixi remained oblivious to anyone having been in her room.

A dry ache clawed at her throat.

She looked for a glass of water, but the bedside table was empty. She slid her bare feet onto the cold marble floor and searched the spacious suite. Near the sitting area, she found a personal mini-fridge stocked with various drinks, including soda. Several heavy crystal glasses rested on the top shelf.

She pulled one down, opened a bottle, and drank the cold liquid in deep swallows.

Once the glass was empty, she placed it aside and returned to bed, though sleep did not come as easily as before. She tried anyway.

*

The next morning, bright sunlight streamed through the open window, waking Cixi early. She dressed quickly for the day, carefully hiding her blonde hair beneath a scarf and adjusting the padding of her fake pregnancy belly beneath her clothes.

She crossed the grand bedroom, the study, and the living room before stepping out into the hallway. As she walked, she memorised every turn, painting, and decorative vase, making sure she could find her way back to Cassian’s suite without getting lost.

She took the lift and pressed the first floor.

When the doors opened, the palace had already come alive. Maids moved swiftly through the corridors, carrying trays, linen, flowers, and cleaning supplies.

Cixi’s eyes passed over several of them before settling on a younger maid with brown hair, shorter than her, with a gentler face than the others. She looked far more approachable.

"Excuse me."

The girl turned. Cixi glanced at the small nameplate pinned to her uniform.

"Anna, where is the kitchen? I need some water in my room."

Anna looked at her from head to toe, not rudely, but with quiet curiosity, as though trying to place her within the strange and shifting order of the palace.

"Are you the new miss staying in Sir Cassian’s room?"

"Yes."

"I can show you," Anna replied, though a hesitation crept into her voice, almost. "Although no one from the family usually enters the kitchen, so I am not sure if you would still want to..."

Anna was unsure of exactly how to treat the new guest. No one from the elite family had invited the girl down for lunch or dinner the previous day. Rumours were already spreading among the Palace maids, claiming this mysterious outsider was carrying Cassian Crown’s child.

Cassian was a man everyone feared and adored from afar. It was the exact reason he had moved out of the Palace after living with them for five years; once a maid killed herself who was afraid of him, but also was in love with him. For feeling helpless, unable to confess her love, which started to frustrate as time passed by, the frustration turned into depression, and she decided to end her life by jumping from the terrace... Ana shook those thoughts away and focused on the new Miss standing infront of her.

"I would still like to know where the kitchen is," Cixi told her with a small smile. "In case I need something in the middle of the night."

Anna’s face brightened a little then, relieved perhaps to be able to help without overstepping too much. "For that, you have the phone in your room. If you dial number nine, it connects directly to room service, and they’ll bring whatever you need."

Cixi blinked. "Thanks. I didn’t know that."

"Yes, I think they forgot to tell you." Anna then lifted the small flip phone clipped to her waist and showed it to her. "And if you ever need me, you can dial fourteen. It connects to my phone."

That touched Cixi more than it should have.

"Thank you, Anna. That was very helpful." Cixi felt a small wave of relief. She had finally found someone approachable inside this hostile Palace.

"ANNA!"