sovbooks Chapter 76: Invasion
Chapter 76: Invasion
Chapter 76: Invasion
Lillians mouth opened and shut several times before a seemingly late gasp left her mouth.
Goodness gracious
She let out an exclamation of disbelief, as if what she was looking at couldnt possibly be real. Obviously, when I followed the direction of Lillians gaze, it was Cassadin who stood there.
Cassadin briskly passed by Lillian, who was staring at him with awe, then walked closely towards me.
I was incredibly bewildered by Cassadins sudden appearance.
Why did he come here when its the day of his awards ceremony?
With the new fiefdom that the Emperor had given him, he should be busy dealing with his new mansion and title.
And just when Lillian happens to be here too.
When I looked up at Cassadin without hiding my surprise, he slowly opened his mouth.
Sister.
There was no longer any reason for him to call me sister, but maybe he had done so because of Lillian. Thus, Cassadin had once again called me sister.
And following Cassadins movements, Lillians eyes rolled toward us. I hinted at Lillian to leave the room already.
She mustve understood my signal, but Lillian didnt seem to have any intention of leaving the room. Her eyes glittered with greed. Instead of closing the door and leaving, Lillian twirled around and marched in my direction.
Lilians wavy orange hair bobbed along with her movements. Contrary to Lillians bright smile, my expression progressively darkened.
Do you know her?
I shook my head in response to Cassadins question as I answered.
No. Ive met her for the first time today.
But as soon as I spoke, Lillian quickly butted in.
My my. Even if Milady was once family with the Marquess, isnt it a bit improper to speak like such?
Lillians eyes were wide open as she spoke. I responded to her behavior without any expression as I spoke.
It looks like she doesnt understand that she has been excused.
Seeming not to have heard me, Lillians cheeks blushed as she looked up at Cassadin.
Your Lordship is much more handsome than the rumors claim. Who would have known?
Smiling prettily at Cassadin, Lillian began her unasked introduction.
Nice to meet you, Sir. My name is Lillian.
Cassadin didnt give even as much as a glance at Lillian. Instead, he responded to my remark.
An uninvited guest, I see.
It was only after I nodded my head that Cassadin turned to Lillian. Looking down at the woman who was mere inches away from him with a reddened face, Cassadin slowly parted his lips.
I will show her out.
But I shook my head at his suggestion. It was because I saw Lillians lips curl up faintly when he said so.
I do not want to burden My Lord with such menial tasks. I can order someone to do it instead.
I purposefully addressed Cassadin in a formal manner with a smile. Then, picking up the golden bell that was placed on the table, I rang the bell for a servant.
With a few clear rings of the bell, the servants soon arrived at our room. Seeing Cassadin, who should most definitely be elsewhere at the moment, their eyes also widened in shock.
But that had only been a moment.
Please escort this woman out. As far away from this mansion as possible while youre at it.
Nodding their heads in acknowledgment of my command, the servants each grabbed one of Lillians arms. I expected her to scream out and break into a fit, but she quietly let herself be taken away.
Is it because Cassadin is here?
I do remember that the last expression on Lillians face was a smile, if my memory serves me right. It was, in fact, true that those who had nothing to lose, like Lillian, were often more unpredictable than those who had too much to lose, like Damian.
The way she uses any means possible to reach her goal makes her such a perfect match for him, does it not?
As such, Damian and Lillian had caused much trouble to those around them with the perfect harmony they had.
I smiled faintly. Cassadin, who had been quietly watching me, then asked.
Are you alright?
I returned that silent gaze to Cassadin, inspecting his face. Slowly, I took my time turning my eyes from his sharp jawline, gentle smile, and faintly glowing silver hair down to his purple eyes that resembled the skies at dusk.
I believe you said you trusted me back at the palace. I also think likewise.
His deep amethyst eyes gently curled into a crescent, and his light pink lips drew a pleasant line through his face.
It wouldnt have been weird if my eyes had become blinded by that smile right there on the spot. His smile, which didnt contain a single speck of pretense or hypocrisy, made its presence clear in my mind.
It worries me. That someone may take you away from me while I am absent.
Cassadins quiet voice reminded me of the hazy fog of a rainy morning.
There is no reason for you to worry. You are the only one that I have.
I leaned my head against Cassadins toned chest. And I could feel Cassadins light sigh tickle the top of my head.
Looking up at Cassadin, I caressed his cheek with my hand. Meekly lowering his head, Cassadin seemed to be enjoying my touch.
So please, rest at ease, My Lord.
It looked like my words had been enough to reassure him, as Cassadin opened his eyes and smiled at me.
May we meet again in the closest days that come.
When I answered with a small nod, Cassadin gave one last smile that brought ones mind to peace, then left the drawing room.
Now alone in the empty drawing room, I closed my eyes.
Many things have changed. This is no longer the past that I know.
Damian knew that Cassadin was the culprit in the Crown Princes poisoning incident, and the Emperor, who had seemed somewhat friendly with me, was now wary of me.
In addition, Lillian had her eyes on Cassadin, who was now a Marquess.
From what I knew, there was still a year and a half until Elsia, located in the Northwest, would mobilize all of its forces and attack the Empire.
The war that had taken away my fathers life. At the time, I had been so heartbroken by the news of my fathers passing that I did not realize something had been strange.
No matter how strong the small country of Elsia had become, there wasnt a single army on the continent that was superior to the Seville Empires. Not to mention that it had been Cassadin who had been the Chief Commander of the Imperial Knights at the time.
So, it was basically suicide for Elsia to initiate an attack on the Seville Empire.
What if? Though it is incredibly unlikely, what if someone had intentionally instigated that war on purpose?
Just as his father had done when destroying the Hyran Kingdom, what if the one who had contacted Elsia and encouraged them to initiate the war had been Damian?
This might just be a mere assumption. It could just be a delusion that my anxiety had fabricated.
But it was still possible.
He was located not too far from Elsia. And not only did the northern regions that Damian ruled over have minimal casualties, but there were close to no damages either.
The people had praised Damians swordsmanship for the minimal damages, but was that truly the reason?
Since the situation was completely different from the past, I couldnt predict what was going to happen now.
Cassadin had become a Marquess, information on Damians heart condition was widespread, and Lillian appeared in front of my eyes like nothing had happened.
There is no effect without cause in the world.
The words that the Great Prophet Notius had said to me were right. There is no effect without cause in this world. Many things had already changed as a result of my actions.
Then, what I had to do next was now clear.
The first thing I need to do is cover Damians eyes.
At the very least, so that I could prevent him from spreading Cassadins weakness, I had to make a move before Damian began scheming something.
I ended up spending the entire night planning what to do next.
The next day, Sasha knocked on my door as soon as the sun rose.
Knock knock.
Miss! Miss! Theres an emergency!
Hearing the urgency in her voice, I hurried to the door and opened it for Sasha. There were beads of sweat running down Sashas forehead, showing that she had rushed over here.
What is it, Sasha?
To my question, Sasha answered with a somber expression.
A-A war has broken out. Elsia troops have invaded the Empire
Elsia attacked the Emprie.
This had happened only a day after Cassadin had been titled.
According to the past, this war should have broken out a year and a half from now.