Chapter 28: A blob? A slime? A couple of...girls?
"What the fuck was he talking to Sam about?" Cass grumbled to himself. "Sam’s innocent. If he had a problem, he should have just yelled at me." He couldn’t help it. He’d had a habit of talking to himself when he was alone. It had the positive effect that he didn’t forget how to talk to people.
The negative effect was that if others heard him, he sounded crazy. That was why he was only talking to himself now that he was in a gazebo near the edge of the garden where no one could hear him.
"And what was with him? I was not flirting with him. Makes me wonder if he even knows what fucking flirting is." Cass grumbled, his mood soured. He was having such a good time earlier too. His body was getting better, he felt stronger, and he was getting Lord Blackburn’s memories back too.
Even if the book took up so much space in his head he felt like he was going to fall over, it was nice to know that even with Lord Blackburn gone, he was still getting the memories he left behind. He didn’t want to erase him completely, even if he did bad things.
Plus, his legacy remained considering the way that the others treated him.
"Fuck. This is just so messed up. Ugh. Why did I have to run into Draken?" Cass complained to no one but himself. He couldn’t even be too angry at him, Draken was just too damn handsome.
They all were, which made Cass want to lash out more. If they ever found out that Cass wasn’t ’like them’ and in love with Lady Fiona, things could get dicey.
Cass had been reading about the discrimination that same sex couples faced in this era because unfortunately, his family was directly tied to it. His Grandfather was a bigot, and an asshole. He hated gay people with a passion, and had apparently made it his life’s mission to make sure they were as uncomfortable as possible in this country.
It made Cass’ blood boil, not just for himself, but for every other gay person who had ever existed. He’d apparently made ’examples’ out of gay couples who got caught. Cass had to stop reading in fear that he’d throw up. He couldn’t spare a single calorie right now, so he’d had to look away from the crimes of his family.
It was no fucking wonder that Lord Blackburn came out so damn twisted. Cass had a feeling that Lord Blackburn wasn’t as straight as he pretended to be, especially from a few of the memories he’d picked up on.
Lord Blackburn’s gaze had lingered a little too long on the other male leads when they were topless. Too long for comfortable reasons, that’s for sure. He’d also sneaked peeks at them when they had been showering, or had their clothes ripped because of a battle.
While he would go change on his own without anyone else seeing him. Cass still didn’t understand that part, beyond his own desire to not be watched while he bathed. He even shoed Sam out so that he didn’t see him fully unclothed.
But then again, given how they had reacted at seeing his body, maybe there was a reason he wore so many layers. To hide how skinny he really was, and how ill he really was. The man was a stick. He had issues with his health due to food related issues, and it wasn’t as if he was starving himself intentionally.
It also didn’t help that magic was a huge toll on his body, and even if Cass was relearning it, that didn’t mean he didn’t have it. He was beginning to sense the magic in the air thanks to the books on magic that littered Lord Blackburn’s office, but he was still a ways away from actually being one of the best magicians of his generation like Lord Blackburn was.
He just prayed they didn’t need him for a quest any time soon.
A crunch from the bushes behind him had him freezing. Turning, he looked over his shoulder and into the woods behind him. A wrought iron fence separated the forest from the garden, but Cass had a feeling that was only a temporary stop gap.
His fears were confirmed when a large, dark green form shuffled towards the fence and scaled it quickly. Cass held his breath as whatever it was landed on the other side. His heart was racing in his chest, and he wondered what the hell he was supposed to do in this situation.
He was supposed to be a powerful magician. He was supposed to be able to protect himself, but he wasn’t himself right now, nor was he even Lord Blackburn. What the fuck was that thing, anyway?
It looked like it was someone wearing camo or as close as one could get in this world. The strange patterns, and the way it moved made Cass think it was some kind of blob. A slime? Those were pretty common in fantasy words.
But slimes shouldn’t be an issue, and they also shouldn’t have to jump over fences. They should have just...slipped through the fence? Unless there was magic on it? Fuck. Cass didn’t know enough still to make a good guess, and it was driving him insane.
"Is anyone around?" It was a soft whisper, and Cass jerked. Slimes shouldn’t be able to talk! So what the fuck was going on?
"Why would anyone be around? It’s so early in the morning." Why did the voices sound...familiar?
"You know I don’t like sneaking out like this." They sounded...indignant, and the other voice chuckled quietly.
"Oh hush. You love that there’s a thrill to this." That was....wait a second.
"Lady Fiona and Lady Ava?" Cass covered his mouth as soon as the words left it, and the blob froze. He didn’t know how he could tell, but he just knew. That was all the answer he needed, and Cass felt his whole heart freeze. Oh shit.
He’d found out something he clearly shouldn’t have. He didn’t know what it was, but it was clear as day that they wouldn’t be sneaking out if it was something normal.
"L-L-Lord Cassian?" It was Lady Fiona and Cass nodded, his hand still over his mouth. He glanced over at Sam, before he stood up and shuffled closer to the blob.
"Uh, um, I am so sorry. I was just-I was finally cleared to go outside so I didn’t-I’ll leave right away." Cass was flustered. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen. He wasn’t trying to find out anyone else’s secrets right now. Just Lord Blackburn’s!
"W-Wait! We should...we should talk about this." Lady Fiona took the fabric off of her face and revealed that her hair was a mess. Lady Ava, who was in her arms, didn’t look any better. Everyone was flushed, embarrassed, and Cass felt even worse.
"I don’t know. I don’t-I won’t say anything, I just, fuck, I’ll leave." Cass turned hurriedly and almost tripped over his own feet. He caught himself on the post of the gazebo, his face even more red as he grew even more embarrassed.
"C-Cassian, wait! Please! Let us...explain, at least." Lady Ava’s voice was desperate, and Cass froze. Fuck. It was super awkward, he’d admit it, but he felt like he’d hear something he didn’t want to if he remained.
When he looked over his shoulder, he met the desperate gazes of the two women and sighed, closing his own. He stumbled back into the gazebo and sat down. His hands on his knees, he rubbed them against the soft, but firm fabric there.
"Fine." He muttered, looking away from them and Lady Fiona let out a laugh.
"You don’t want to hear our words?" Lady Fiona sounded a little breathless as she discarded the rest of the cloth in the bushes, putting Lady Ava down on her feet. They both shuffled towards the gazebo, and had just reached the steps when Cass frowned, and opened his mouth.
"I don’t care about them, honestly." Cass told her. Both of the women froze and Cass flushed, realising how awful that could sound. "Whatever you two do isn’t any of my business, is it?" Cass asked, looking up at the two women. "It’s not like we’re married because I love you, Lady Fiona, so I don’t-it’s not my place to say anything." Both of them seemed shocked, frozen in place.
Lady Fiona’s face twisted into a warped smile.
"It’s not your place? You’re Lord Blackburn, Lord Cassian. Your family...your family hates..." Cass chuckled.
"Yes, my family hates a lot of people and things, but I would hope that you’d understand that most of that came from my grandfather. Not from me, and not from my father, either. I don’t have all my memories back yet, so I’ve been doing a lot of reading about it. It seems my father was trying to put a stop to all of it, but after my...well, grandfather took control again, and everything went back to square one." Cass gave them a tight smile, and Lady Ava gasped, covering her mouth.
"Wait, I knew that you two didn’t care for each other that way, but a contract marriage? With Lord Blackburn? What did you get out of it?" She asked Cass, since she clearly knew what Lady Fiona was getting out of it, even if Cass didn’t.
"I was supposed to get the title of Duke." Cass said, and when Lady Ava looked to Lady Fiona, she nodded.
"It was one of the conditions his grandfather laid down. Get married to a woman of worth. For some reason, Lord Cassian said that I would tick all of the boxes even though I’m just some nobody mercenary." Cass dropped his head at Lady Fiona’s words, shaking it as he laughed.
"Just some nobody mercenary, huh?" He muttered, before raising his head and smiling at them. "I think you sell yourself too short, Lady Fiona. Not many people can say they are a hero of the world, can they?" She frowned at his easy tone, crossing her arms as Lady Ava sat down across from Cass. Lady Fiona remained standing, hovering in between the two.
"You can now say it. That you’re a hero of the world, Lord Cassian." Cass blinked, before he burst into laughter. His stomach hurt as he laughed, and both women stared at him in surprise.
"Oh, I guess I could say that, yes. Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh." He wiped a tear from his gaze. "It didn’t matter, anyway, since my grandfather hasn’t handed over the title. He’s given me the work, but hasn’t given me the power." Lady Ava gasped, and Lady Fiona’s face hardened.
"What a jerk." Lady Ava declared. "That’s so cruel! You even married a woman you didn’t love to fulfil his will, and he still won’t pass it on to you? Are you going to have to wait until he dies?" She demanded, and Cass chuckled. He leaned back, staring up at the beams above them.
"I’m worried that even then it wouldn’t be enough. It seems that he really hates me." Cass told them with a smile. Lady Fiona stared at him, silent for a long moment.
"You really aren’t going to ask about what we were doing in the forest?" She said and Cass shrugged.
"Do you want me to?" He asked in return and she swallowed.
"Well, I am your wife. Even if it is on paper." She said and Cass stared at her. It was like staring back at his sister. Her gaze was steely, her arms crossed. She looked like she was waiting for a fight.
"Lady Fiona, I think there is one major thing that has changed about me since my accident." Cass stated slowly, and she perked up, listening. "I don’t care if you have secrets, and I don’t care if others have secrets. As long as they don’t hurt me, why should I care?"