Chapter 296: v3 - 57: the truth II

Chapter 296: v3 Chapter 57: the truth II

Cassian turned back to the King.

For a moment, he said nothing.

He had kept this secret for five years and seven months.

Long enough that Carlo had become more than a name.

It had become the identity under which he had survived, fought, served, and built an entirely new life.

Telling Lorenz meant opening a door that could never be closed again.

Cassian lowered his gaze briefly.

Then he sighed.

"If you truly want to know..."

He paused.

"Perhaps we should begin with my name."

Lorenz said nothing.

Cassian looked directly at him.

"My name is not Carlo."

A silence followed.

"My name is Cassian."

He drew a slow breath.

"I am Cassian Ashford."

Another pause.

"Duke Cassian Ashford."

Lorenz’s expression changed.

But Cassian continued before he could speak.

"I was born into one of the Empire’s great houses."

"My family held the Duchy of Ashford."

"And I was second in line to the Imperial throne."

Marcus’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He had known Cassian was more than he claimed.

He had not expected this.

Cassian continued.

"My cousin, Adrian, was the crown prince."

"He was also engaged to a woman named Marian Valmont."

Lorenz remained silent.

Cassian’s expression softened almost imperceptibly at the name.

"I knew Marian for years."

"At first, there was nothing between us."

"Then that changed."

"We fell in love."

He paused.

"Marian did not want to remain engaged to Adrian."

"She asked her father to seek a dissolution of the engagement."

"Her father spoke with the Emperor."

"The matter was settled."

"The engagement was dissolved."

Cassian’s voice remained calm.

"Adrian appeared to accept it."

"At least, he gave us no reason to believe otherwise."

"Marian and I were happy."

"We began preparing for our marriage."

"For a time, I believed that was how my life would continue."

He looked down briefly.

"Then I was called away."

"There was a matter concerning my duchy."

"Something that required my presence."

"At the time, I thought it was of great urgency and importance."

"Looking back, I believe the matter was fabricated."

"But at the time, I had no reason to think so."

Cassian’s expression hardened slightly.

"I was on my way back to the capital when word reached me that the Emperor had fallen gravely ill."

"By the time I reached the outskirts, the capital had been placed under restrictions."

"No one was being permitted to enter or exit freely."

"And because of my position in the line of succession, every movement around the Imperial family was being watched."

"So I waited."

Lorenz listened without interrupting.

"The wedding did not take place."

"The celebrations were suspended."

"Days became weeks."

"I remained outside the capital."

"Then the Emperor died."

Cassian’s gaze lowered.

"I wanted to attend his funeral."

"He was my uncle."

"So I informed the head of security."

"They arranged an escort."

"Six Imperial Guards came for me."

"They told me that additional security had been ordered for members of the Imperial family."

"I had no reason to suspect anything."

"I left my own men behind."

"I entered their carriage."

"They took me through the security checkpoint."

"I was searched."

"My documents were examined."

"My weapons were removed."

"I cooperated with all of it."

Cassian paused.

"Then, after the checkpoint, they told me they would take me through a more secure route because the main road was crowded with mourners."

"I believed them."

"Until the road became too quiet."

His voice grew quieter.

"I realized then that something was wrong. It was an ambush."

Marcus’s expression had become hard.

Cassian continued.

"I asked who had ordered it."

"There was no answer."

Cassian’s hand tightened slightly.

"I fought. But I was without weapon, and I was also greatly outnumbered."

"In the end, I was stabbed and fell off a ravine."

Silence.

Lorenz stared at him.

Cassian looked down at his hands.

"I survived."

"Barely."

"I had no way of knowing who had ordered it."

"But I knew one thing."

He looked back at Lorenz.

"Imperial guards had taken me."

"Whoever arranged it had enough authority to use them."

"And I was not taken by some rogue group acting independently."

Cassian paused.

"I could think of only one person who could have arranged something like that."

Lorenz’s expression hardened.

"Your cousin."

Cassian nodded.

"I believe it was Adrian."

"I cannot say that I saw him give the order."

"I did not."

"But I knew what had happened before I was taken."

Cassian’s voice remained steady.

"I do not know who else could have done it."

"But if Adrian wanted me gone..."

He paused.

"He had a reason."

Lorenz watched him carefully.

"Marian."

"Yes."

Cassian’s gaze lowered.

"That is what I believe."

Cassian fell silent.

For several moments, no one spoke.

Lorenz let the story settle.

A duke.

A woman.

A broken engagement.

A wedding that never happened.

An assassination disguised as an escort to a funeral.

A duke presumed dead.

And an Emperor who might have arranged the entire thing because of the woman they both loved.

It was an absurd story.

And yet Cassian had survived long enough to tell it.

Lorenz finally exhaled.

"So, in short..."

He looked at Cassian.

"You are Cassian Ashford."

"A Duke of the Empire."

Cassian nodded.

"Your cousin, Adrian, is the Emperor."

"Yes."

"And if your conclusion is correct, he was the one who wanted you dead."

"That is what I believe."

Lorenz was silent for another moment.

"And the woman you both love is Marian Valmont?"

Cassian closed his eyes briefly.

He sighed.

Somehow, hearing the entire thing summarized aloud made it sound even more ridiculous.

Years of his life.

An assassination.

An imperial succession.

A woman caught between two men.

It sounded like the plot of some overly dramatic romance.

Except that he had nearly died in it.

"Yes," he said.

Lorenz stared at him.

Then he leaned back in his chair.

"Very well."

He folded his hands.

"Then let us assume, for the moment, that everything you have told me is true."

Cassian raised an eyebrow.

"You intend to return to the Empire."

"Yes."

"So now I want to understand exactly what you intend to accomplish once you get there."

Cassian remained silent.

--

Tbc