Chapter 43: Are you surprised I can’t trust you?
Cass stared at Draken, who seemed to be nervous while faced with Cass at his desk. Draken kind of looked like a kid being scolded at school, and Cass shook his head.
He could not be thinking of Draken that way. The man was an ancient dragon who had helped from the country they were living in. No matter what he said about his sad backstory, the man was instrumental in the history of this country. He just ’happened’ across Lady Fiona in the story.
Cass was just a side character in their story. A plot device.
"You are worse then fucking Edgar." Draken growled and Cass took it as a glowing compliment. It was a great thing to be told that he was worse than an official for the temple. It made his heart warm.
"That’s a very nice thing of you to say, but still doesn’t answer my question." Draken seemed confused for a moment, before his expression smoothed out.
"You like being called sneaky and underhanded?" Cass blinked.
"Is that what you were calling me?" Draken nodded. "Well, doesn’t everybody like that?" Cass asked in turn and Draken stared at Cass, leaning against his hand on his desk, doodling on a blank piece of paper while he spoke to Draken.
"No, Lord Blackburn. Most people do not like being called that. I doubt that any of my kind would like it, save one. My broodmother." Cass froze. He did not like the sound of that. That felt too romance novel-y. Being compared to anyone’s mother was never a good sign.
"W-Well, Lord Vespertine and I both like compliments like that, so it’s not that unusual, now is it? Well? You still haven’t answered my question, Draken." Cass was desperate to not keep the conversation on this train of thought. He did not think it would have a good reality for him.
Draken rumbled, crossing his arms as he stared at Cass. It did not surprise Cass in the slightest that as soon as Draken revealed the tiniest bit of his race, that he would be less human. It was very Draken of him. He did the same in the story too.
"I don’t have any nefarious plans, Lord Blackburn. If I wanted to kill you, I would just do so." Cass chuckled.
"But what if you embarrassed me? Or harmed me again? Or, you could let it be known to the others that I am potentially lacking my magic abilities right now. You might not consider those things nefarious, but they would be very damaging to me. Most people in this castle already don’t like me because of my family name, Draken. I don’t have to do much to make more people turn against me." Cass chuckled. "I already know I’ve made more enemies today. Poor Sam is going to have a hard time." Cass sat up, smiling, but he knew it held a sour note to it. "I didn’t think I’d have to explain this to anyone, but here I am." Cass crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair as he stared at Lord Draken. Draken seemed surprised. Stunned, actually.
"People hate you?" Cass scoffed at his question.
"You hated me, Draken. You made it very obvious. When I first woke up, you spoke and looked at me like I was shit on the bottom of your shoe. So, forgive me if I’m having a hard time understanding your sudden change. All of your actions until now haven’t exactly felt friendly, or like you even liked me. It felt hostile, like everyone else." Draken stumbled back, like he had taken a blow. His face held every ounce of confusion that Cass thought he could muster.
"I didn’t-no, I might have." Draken muttered. "Oh. I need to...I need to think about this." Draken murmured quietly, turning quickly and heading for the door. He paused right before grabbing them, turning and staring at Cass for a long, quiet moment. "I meant what I said when I said I would train your fledgling, and everything I said before and after that. I also meant it when I said I would train you. I just want...I just want to spend some time with you alone. Is that too much to ask?" Cass didn’t respond to his words.
In Cass’ mind, why would he want to spend time with someone who appeared he would not leave him alone once he left the castle? Cass wanted nothing to do with the hero party if he could help it. He had a feeling that getting involved with them would only hurt him in the long run, and ruin the plan that the ’gods’ wanted him to do.
"It might be." Cass finally said and Draken frowned. His orange eyes were full of emotions that Cass refused to look into. He didn’t have the time to deal with a moody dragon. He barely had time for his own ailing body, why would he have time for anyone else?
"Keep it in mind. We are born from magic, Lord Blackburn. No one else could teach you better." Draken told him before he opened the door. Sam was waiting outside, a tea set in his hand, and he stared in shock as Draken nodded to him, patting him on the shoulder aggressively and heading on his way. Sam almost dropped the tray, but managed to catch it before it fell to the ground.
"D-Did something happen?" Sam asked. "I feel like...Lord Draken has...changed?" Sam asked carefully, heading towards Cass before he set about placing the tea next to him, within Cass’ reach.
"Well, one could look at it that way." Cass muttered before he sighed. He ran his hands over his face, ignoring the way his heart ached. It didn’t feel like his own feelings, and it seemed that Cass had to come to terms with something else.
He had been very wrong in his assumption. The ’gods’ hadn’t given him an empty vessel. Those motherfuckers had kept Lord Blackburn in his own body while they gave someone else control.
Fucking monsters. It was the genre he hated the most out of these possession stories. His sister had loved them, but Cass? Nightmare. He would hate to be trapped in his own body without being able to control it. He could only imagine how Lord Blackburn felt, but at the same time, he had no idea how to approach this. How did one talk to the other person in the body they were occupying? Could he hear Cass’ thoughts?
Oh fuck, that would be horrifying. Cass would hate to feel like someone was looking into his own thoughts, but...well...Lord Blackburn was allowed access to them, he guessed. After all, Cass was able to control his body while he couldn’t. An invasion of his own thoughts was the least of his concerns if compared to what Lord Blackburn was suffering through.
"Um, I couldn’t help but hear the last line. Lord Draken was born from magic?" Sam asked and Cass sighed, removed from his thoughts by Sam’s question. Cass turned back to the task at hand, nodding.
"Yes. He’s a beast unlike any other. Which is why it’s so surprising that Byron is the same. I thought he was a fairy, not...like Draken." Cass muttered, turning his attention to the papers before him.
"You thought Byron was a fairy?" Cass nodded. "But you should have recognised him if he was. Fairies recognise other fairies." Cass blinked.
"I’m part fairy?" Cass asked and Sam stared at him, confused.
"Of course you are. On your Mother’s side. Did you...not recover those memories?" Cass blinked, before he turned back to his papers and chuckled.
"No no, I just...I have a lot to think about. I seemed to have forgotten that little tidbit of information. Thank you for reminding me Sam." Cass didn’t question why Sam would know that. There were a lot of things servants and aides of rich people were supposed to know. Cass also didn’t care if Sam wasn’t human either. He was hoping he had made it very clear that he didn’t care about much, beyond loyalty.
"Sam, could you go check how much is left in the other room for things the Duke wants me to finish? I just want to wrap my head around what I have left." Sam nodded. He stared at Cass for a moment before he headed for the door.
"Just let me know if you need anything else, my Lord." Sam said and it felt oddly similar to how Draken had just left. Sam speaking that way just before he closed the doors behind him felt eerie, and Cass had to put down his pen and rub his forehead after he left.
This felt like too much fucking work. How many times had he been injured since he arrived? His shoulder hadn’t even properly healed yet and his stomach was injured. This body was weak. Or, maybe this was just the least ideal area for him to live.
Fuck. This was so annoying. Why couldn’t he just speed through this like he could when he was reading a book? It’d probably hurt less if that was the case, since every moment of betrayal and pain would be minimized to a small snapshot.
Sighing, he turned back to the papers before him, putting his head down so that he could work past the pain that was gnawing at the back of his mind. If he focused on something else, it wouldn’t hurt as much. He’d forget about it. He was sure that this was something that Lord Blackburn was well versed in. Cass could manage at least this much.