Chapter 243 — The Blade Patriarch

Chapter 243: Chapter 243 — The Blade Patriarch

~ Raven ~

"Your brother?"

Raven stared at the little girl standing before her, wondering whether she’d heard correctly.

The child nodded enthusiastically, her loosely tied white hair shifting around her face as she moved closer.

"Yes. Cassian Blade. Do you know him?"

Raven blinked.

Cassian had a sister?

She studied the girl more carefully, noticing the familiar white hair and the confidence with which she carried herself despite being so small.

There was something about her features that reminded Raven of Cassian, although the bright, curious expression on her face was quite different from her brother’s usual composure.

"I do know him," Raven answered, sitting up properly. "But I didn’t know he had a little sister."

The girl frowned, looking mildly offended. "I’m not that little. I’m six."

Raven pressed her lips together, struggling not to smile.

"My apologies. Six is very grown-up."

The girl seemed satisfied with that answer, and she stepped closer to the bench before extending one small hand.

"I’m Sylvia Blade."

Raven took it, amused by how seriously the little girl shook her hand.

"Raven Rivers."

Sylvia’s expression brightened. "That’s a pretty name."

"Thank you." Raven released her hand and glanced toward the garden entrance. "Are you here with your family?"

Sylvia nodded, explaining that she’d accompanied her father to Valerius for the Renewal Concord, although she seemed considerably more interested in finding Cassian than discussing the reason for their visit.

"Daddy was talking to some important people, and it was taking forever," she complained, wrinkling her nose. "So I thought I’d find Cass."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "And your father knows you’re looking for him?"

Sylvia hesitated, her eyes shifting toward the garden entrance before returning to Raven.

That was answer enough.

"You know you’re supposed to tell someone before wandering away, right?" Raven asked, although the girl’s innocent expression made it difficult to sound particularly stern.

"I didn’t go far," Sylvia protested, gesturing vaguely toward the path she’d come from. "And I know where I am."

"Really?"

"Yes. I’m at Valerius."

Raven laughed before she could stop herself.

Well, she couldn’t argue with that.

Sylvia seemed pleased to have made her laugh and climbed onto the bench beside her after receiving a nod of permission.

For someone Raven had met barely two minutes earlier, the girl was remarkably comfortable around strangers, although considering who her brother was, perhaps that shouldn’t have surprised her.

"So," Sylvia began, turning toward her with renewed interest, "do you see Cassian a lot?"

Raven considered the question before giving a small nod.

"Quite often."

"Does he still act serious all the time?"

That caught her attention.

"Serious?"

Sylvia folded her small arms, adopting an expression that looked remarkably similar to one Cassian occasionally wore when somebody annoyed him.

"He does this thing where he looks at people like they’re being stupid, but he doesn’t say anything."

Raven stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Oh, Goddess.

That was Cassian.

"That sounds about right," she admitted, still smiling.

Sylvia looked pleased with herself, although her expression softened as she continued.

"He’s not always like that, you know. He smiles when we’re together, although sometimes he pretends he doesn’t want to."

Raven’s amusement eased slightly.

She’d seen Cassian smile often enough, usually when he’d found some new way to irritate her, but hearing his little sister describe him so affectionately made her curious about what he was like outside Valerius.

Sylvia continued talking, explaining how Cassian always ruined her hair whenever somebody managed to tie it properly and how he’d told her she couldn’t attend Valerius until she was older.

"He said he’d already graduated by then," she complained, looking genuinely offended by the thought. "Which isn’t fair because I wanted us to go together."

Raven glanced at the girl’s badly tied hair, suddenly understanding why several strands were escaping around her face.

"Did he do that to your hair?"

Sylvia immediately touched her head.

"No. This was someone else." Her expression became indignant. "But he always makes it worse."

Raven laughed again, trying to imagine Cassian Blade spending his time teasing a six-year-old girl about her hair.

Strangely enough, the image wasn’t as difficult to picture as she’d expected.

For all his composure, Cassian had a mischievous side that emerged whenever he became comfortable enough around someone, and judging by Sylvia’s complaints, his little sister probably received more than her fair share of it.

"He sounds like a good brother," Raven remarked.

Sylvia nodded without hesitation.

"He’s the best."

The answer was so immediate that Raven found herself smiling again. Whatever complicated relationship Cassian had with the rest of his family, his little sister clearly adored him, and judging by everything she’d heard, that affection was mutual.

Raven was about to ask another question when Sylvia suddenly straightened, her attention shifting toward something behind the bench.

"Daddy!"

Raven turned, following the girl’s gaze toward a tall man approaching along the garden path.

He was strikingly handsome in a cold, intimidating way, with sharply defined features and a broad frame beneath an impeccably tailored dark coat.

His hair was neatly arranged, and although he appeared considerably older than Cassian, the resemblance between them was unmistakable.

Raven recognized the shape of his face, the severe expression and, more importantly, the quiet authority with which he carried himself.

So this was Cassian’s father.

Sylvia hopped down from the bench and hurried toward him, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Daddy! I was looking for Cassian!"

The man’s attention moved briefly toward his daughter before settling on Raven, who had already risen from the bench.

For a moment, he simply studied her, and something about that cold, assessing gaze made Raven straighten instinctively.

"Sylvia," he said, his voice low and controlled, "you were supposed to remain nearby."

"I was nearby," the girl insisted, gesturing toward the garden. "And I found a nice lady who knows Cassian."

His eyes returned to Raven, and she noticed the subtle way his expression changed.

"You must be Raven Rivers."

Raven blinked.

He knew her?

"Yes, sir," she answered cautiously, inclining her head. "And you must be Lord Blade."

The man acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod, although there was nothing remotely welcoming about his expression.

"I’ve heard quite a lot about you."

Raven frowned before she could stop herself.

That was strange.

Her name was hardly a secret at Valerius, but something about the way Lord Blade spoke unsettled her. He seemed to know far more about her than she’d expected, and judging by the cold assessment in his eyes, he’d already formed an opinion of her long before they met.

Before she could decide how to respond, Sylvia tugged lightly at her father’s sleeve.

"She’s really nice, Daddy. She knows Cass, and she was telling me about Valerius."

"Was she?" His gaze remained on Raven, who offered a polite smile despite her growing discomfort.

"I wasn’t aware Cassian had a younger sister," she admitted, glancing toward Sylvia. "She’s lovely."

For the first time, something resembling warmth passed across the patriarch’s expression as he looked down at his daughter, although it disappeared almost immediately when he turned back toward Raven.

"Sylvia, why don’t you have a look at those flowers while I speak with Miss Rivers?"

The little girl glanced toward a nearby flower bed before nodding enthusiastically. Within moments, she’d hurried several steps away and crouched beside the flowers, examining them with the same fascination she’d shown toward everything else.

Raven watched her for a moment before returning her attention to the man standing before her.

The change in his expression was immediate.

"I understand you’ve become rather close to my son."

Raven’s shoulders stiffened.

There it was.

She’d been wondering how long it would take before the conversation turned toward Cassian.

"We’re friends," she answered carefully.

The patriarch regarded her for a moment.

"Friends."

He repeated the word as though he found it particularly difficult to believe, and Raven resisted the urge to fold her arms.

"Yes."

"How interesting." His gaze moved across her face with a cold assessment that made her increasingly uncomfortable. "Cassian has always been particular about the people he allows into his life. I was surprised to learn how much of his attention you’ve managed to occupy."

Raven frowned again.

How much did this man know?

Cassian had been away dealing with House matters until recently, and although Raven knew their relationship had become increasingly difficult to hide, she hadn’t expected his father to speak as though he’d been following everything happening between them.

"I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about," she replied.

The patriarch regarded her silently before the corner of his mouth moved.

"You misunderstand me, Miss Rivers. I’m not worried about whether my son enjoys your company."

His gaze hardened.

"I’m concerned about what that association might cost him."

Raven felt her irritation beginning to rise.

"Cassian is perfectly capable of making his own decisions."

"Yes," the man replied quietly. "That has become increasingly apparent."

Something about his tone made Raven pause.

He didn’t sound proud. If anything, he sounded displeased by the idea that Cassian had begun making decisions outside his expectations.

"I have spent years preparing Cassian for the responsibilities he will inherit," he continued. "There are expectations attached to the Blade name, obligations that extend far beyond whatever happens inside this academy."

Raven held his gaze, already disliking where the conversation was heading.

"And you think I’m interfering with those expectations?"

"I think you’ve become a distraction he can no longer afford."