Chapter 185: Broken His Word

"What?" Karen blurted out, shocked by the request. The Basilisk Prince wanted her help.

"Can I trust you?" Caelis suddenly asked while Karen was still struggling to recover from the first surprise.

Karen’s mouth fell open, and then she found herself nodding like some idiot.

"Yes, you can trust me. What do you want me to do?" Karen was more than eager now.

To think she had been looking for a way to get into Caelis’ good graces, and the opportunity had practically landed in her lap. Yes, the universe was really on her side tonight.

At that response, Caelis suddenly reached a hand toward her, and Karen flinched. But he didn’t stop. His hand continued forward until his fingers settled against the side of her face.

Karen gasped at the contact. Just as she’d imagined, his hand was cold to the touch, although the chill seemed to adjust to her temperature surprisingly fast. Karen, however, had stopped breathing altogether when Caelis began rubbing his thumb across her cheek almost affectionately.

"You do know Aria Aspen, right?" Caelis asked, still caressing her cheek, and Karen could only nod like some compelled human.

"I want you to start some trouble with her at the fight tonight," Caelis told her.

It was safe to say Karen was sold the moment he mentioned Aria and trouble in the same sentence. Finally, Caelis was beginning to see why that bitch needed to be taught a lesson.

But no matter how enthralled Karen was by Caelis’ sudden charm, she could never pass up a golden opportunity.

"It’s not going to be easy," Karen told him.

"If it were easy, I wouldn’t have sought you out."

As if testing how far Caelis was willing to go for this, Karen stepped closer until their bodies briefly touched. She expected him to move away from her or even threaten her like he usually did. But Caelis remained exactly where he was, and for once, Karen could see something almost challenging in his eyes.

"It’s going to cost you." She smirked.

"And what would it cost?" Caelis lifted a brow, his thumb still caressing her cheek.

Karen was becoming increasingly lightheaded from all the attention he was giving her, but she didn’t let it show. This was exactly what she’d wanted from him since arriving at Bestiaris, and she wasn’t about to lose her nerve now that she finally had it.

"You," Karen said.

For a moment, something changed. The softness disappeared from Caelis’ silver eyes, replaced by a look so cold and dangerous that Karen was suddenly reminded of exactly who stood before her. His hand might still have been resting against her face, but the Basilisk Prince was back, and there was nothing charming about him now.

Her heart leapt, and Karen quickly clarified. "I want you as my plus one."

And just like that, the danger disappeared as though it had never been there in the first place.

"Deal," Caelis said.

A small, victorious smile made its way across Karen’s face. She could have demanded a separate room, but then it would be much more difficult to get the other girls to run her errands.

Or Karen could have made him excuse her from the mandatory duties every member of House Ophidian was expected to perform to contribute to the House’s strength, especially when she considered most of those duties beneath her.

But no, tonight Karen was going to make every head turn. All the other human girls would envy her and wish they were in her shoes. She had come to this academy with a mission, and tonight, she’d demonstrate to the other girls just how bright her future here could be.

Caelis wasn’t finished. "You will only hang on my arm tonight. Nothing else. And under no circumstances will you expose our deal to anyone. Otherwise, you can rest assured I’ll have your head myself. Most importantly, you will fulfill your part of the deal regardless of how difficult it becomes."

For the first time, Karen found herself staring directly into Caelis’ silver eyes. They were beautiful as hell, but there was no mistaking the threat behind them now. He would make good on every word he’d just said, and Karen could see it.

Karen swallowed.

"Deal."

Suddenly, as though everything that had happened between them had been nothing more than a performance, Caelis withdrew his hand and stepped away from her. Karen blinked, her senses finally returning as it dawned on her that she’d just been played. But perhaps because she was no stranger to putting on a performance herself, Karen kept the cheerful smile on her face.

What mattered was what everyone else would see and envy tonight. She could work on winning over Caelis Cobryn afterward.

"Be ready at eight on the dot. Not a minute later."

Of course, he was keeping his side of the deal too. Karen couldn’t wait.

"As you wish, Prince Caelis. You won’t be disappointed." She curtsied to him as though that was supposed to impress him.

Caelis barely spared her another glance before Karen turned on her heel and left the office, barely able to contain her excitement. She found Venus waiting near the entrance and, for the first time since meeting him, actually smiled at him before walking past.

The moment Karen was gone, Venus returned to Caelis’ office.

"You agreed that no human would come to harm during the party. You gave your word, Your Highness!" he protested.

But Caelis merely looked at him. "The letter specified during the gathering. Rhydian invited them to the party, not the fight. Moreover, this is human against human."

For the first time, Venus truly understood just how strategic Caelis could be. He hadn’t broken his word. He had simply found the space between the words where his promise no longer applied.

"Damn," he breathed, unable to hide how impressed he was. "Still, Maverick and Rhydian won’t let you get away with this."

"I know that," Caelis said calmly. "But by the time they come for me, I’ll already have what I want. It’ll be worth it."