Cassian's black hair turned ashen white in a matter of seconds. His face froze, but with a faint smile still on his lips, he looked toward Selyne, as if expecting her to handle this.
The duchess pulled his face closer, wrapping an arm around his back to cover it, and shot an angry glare at the young woman. The girl now stared in shock at the red scratches her mother had left on the back of the man she didn't recognize.
"Valeria!" Her mother's furious tone made her straighten up in surprise, staring back in disbelief. "As you can see, I'm busy. And stop entering my room without my permission."
"But..." Valeria's gaze darted between her mother's angry expression and the man pressing her mother down beneath him. She bit her lip, lost, and began to leave the room with clumsy steps. "I understand. I'm sorry."
Once the door closed hesitantly, Valeria stared down the hallway with unfocused eyes. She leaned against the wood she had just shut and faintly heard the murmurs inside.
The laugh of a man she didn't fully recognize rang out.
Her face flushed red.
Thoughts she had never had before began to surface, and one face kept appearing in her mind.
She slid down to the floor, her back still pressed against the wood she had just closed, and let out a sigh.
Meanwhile, Selyne looked at Cassian's face without amusement.
But at that moment he thrust forward, drawing a reluctant moan from her.
The duchess refocused on what they had been doing before her daughter interrupted them.
"Let's finish this already."
He raised an eyebrow.
"We're far from finished."
...
On Elara and Cassandra's side, things had been hectic ever since the former was on the verge of ascending as the first empress of Demor.
But they weren't the only ones with work to do.
"The Church will give its blessing during the coronation; it will gain support among the commoners and nobles directly connected to Vitalis," Lisbeth Vitalis said seriously, wearing her characteristic attire that marked her status.
"Do you really think that will help? Considering what your 'father' has done for them..." Caelia Lothe incited with an ironic and playful smile.
"The Church and my house still hold relevance in this empire. Not like the Lothe or the harem of the now-crippled emperor," Lisbeth shot back sharply.
Caelia raised her eyebrows, surprised. She had always thought this little girl didn't have much bite in her to counterattack.
"Oh, but I have more power than you do. I'm sure you've met my dear son."
Lisbeth frowned but stayed silent, though her face told Caelia that she hadn't truly won if she had to resort to using him.
The empress shrugged, indifferent.
Throughout the entire exchange, Cassandra Demor remained silent, waiting.
The door opened and Elara appeared, wearing what would be her outfit for the day of the coronation.
The black robes with golden details and faint crimson accents gave her an aura that was beginning to make it believable that the masochistic princess Cassian had known months ago —or the coward who had power but couldn't use it— was going to become the future empress of an empire.
However, that bubble quickly burst in the eyes of the three women present: the look of insecurity immediately appeared on the princess's face.
"I hope you've practiced what you need to do that day. I can't help you with that or with what comes after, Elara."
"Master..."
"I am an ancestor and I teach you how to become stronger, not how to manage the court or your people."
"Oh, you can always leave those things to me," Caelia added at that moment, with a sly smile and eyes that clearly hid other thoughts.
Elara's eyes lit up and looked at her with hope.
"Really?"
"Mmm."
"Thank you!"
Cassandra, seeing the interaction, shook her head. And she thanks her...
...
In Cassian's room, Adela was cleaning thoroughly.
The maid approached a shelf, ran her finger over it, and upon seeing it clean, smiled with satisfaction.
"Mmm, mmm," she hummed twice in approval. "This is enough for him. Nothing less or it would be a universal sin!"
She then moved on to another area to make sure she wasn't leaving anything undone, with the same level of attention.
Not long after, two figures appeared in the room.
Adela's happy expression changed immediately. Her eyes turned cold and she spoke in an emotionless voice:
"What happened?"
One of the two shadows took a few hesitant steps toward her and handed her a report.
The maid took it brusquely and began to read it carefully.
Her eyes widened more and more in surprise as she read further.
She gripped the paper tightly, wrinkling it, and disappeared from the room, heading quickly toward a place in her mind.
She wouldn't take long to arrive. Elizabeth's office, as she always knew it, was there.
Thalassa and she were working on some papers.
The incongruous figure was Duchess Cordelia Valois, who also seemed to be working alongside them.
When Elizabeth saw who had entered so suddenly, her eyes grew serious.
Adela's face told her that things were far from okay...
She glanced at the two women with her; both quickly understood what she meant.
The duchess watched the maid attentively as she left, studying her completely, particularly curious about the paper she held tightly in her hand.
Thalassa leaned more toward concern. In all this time by Elizabeth's side, she had grown a certain attachment to her.
When the office door finally closed, Elizabeth asked urgently:
"What is it?"
Adela handed her the paper with a trembling hand. Elizabeth took it with the same brusqueness Adela had used the first time, but with greater urgency.
Her eyes scanned the report quickly. Once finished, the paper fell to the floor.
"He must not find out."
"Huh?"
"You can't tell him, Adela."
The two women looked at each other; Elizabeth's intense gaze met Adela's uncertainty about the other's decision.
The maid frowned deeply and prepared to retort.
Hiding something from her master went against her very being; she couldn't fully understand Elizabeth's decision.
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Author's note:
Hello everyone!
These two seem to have an agenda coming...
Also, Thanks for the power stones this week!
If you want to support my work and read ahead, remember that you can find up to 40 advanced chapters already available on my Patreon, plus some exclusive extra content.
Thank you for reading! Have a great weekend, and see you on Monday!