Chapter 45
“Be honest with me, Damia. Do you truly like that person?”
“Arsen, you’re doing this because you’re afraid you’ll lose, right? Stop dragging this out and just play your card already.”
Damia’s indifferent reply slowly chipped away at Cassian’s firm confidence.
Why doesn’t she confidently say she likes me in front of that guy?
A sense of resentment, almost like hurt, rose up to his throat.
“Your Highness the Young Duke, Lady Lomin was here just a moment ago.”
“You don’t need to explain.”
“The door was left open, so nothing could possibly damage Lady Damia’s honor.”
Sensing Cassian’s mood turning strange, the butler hurriedly tried to explain himself.
But none of that mattered. He wasn’t angry about his fiancée’s somewhat free-spirited behavior.
It was just…
“Damia.”
Cassian suppressed an inexplicable, irrational anger and called his fiancée in a low voice.
Without even waiting for a response, he stepped into the room.
He could no longer stand watching those two talk.
“Your Highness?”
Damia stood up in surprise.
The formality in her voice made Cassian’s sculpted brows furrow.
She called that shady guy by name so casually, but with me it’s always ‘Your Highness.’
Cassian had already told her she could speak to him more comfortably. But she stubbornly insisted on using his title.
It had bothered him before—but now it was deeply irritating.
All the other noble ladies practically begged to call him “Lord Cassian.” Even Vivian Rosen today had been the same.
So why was Damia always the exception to his expectations?
Not only had she confessed she liked him, but she was also officially his fiancée.
“Is something wrong? Didn’t you say you were busy today?”
This room had been personally supervised by him during renovations.
And yet, aside from checking it once after completion, he had never really come here.
He had thought of it as her private space.
And yet she brought that suspicious guy here?
A childhood friend sending shameless letters saying they should have lived together in the Kingdom of Rodion…
That kind of guy.
“Your Highness?”
Damia’s violet eyes narrowed slightly. She seemed to have been playing cards; a white hand held a card.
“Who’s that over there? I’ve never seen him before.”
Cassian tried to act calm and pointed with his chin.
Arsen Cadis.
He already knew exactly who he was—but he couldn’t show it.
“Oh, hello, Your Highness. Sorry for the late greeting.”
He was a pretty boy with light brown hair and sky-blue eyes.
He stood up slowly after placing his cards on the table.
His friendly smile carried no trace of ulterior motive.
“My name is Arsen Cadis. I’m from the Kingdom of Rodion, and I’ve known Damia since we were children.”
“……”
“You’re Duke Sarskis, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from Damia… ah, well, not a lot. Just a moderate amount.”
Even if he had been ugly, it would have been unpleasant—but being handsome made it worse.
Cassian, who had a very picky aesthetic sense, began to wonder: maybe Damia didn’t have few friends—maybe she only kept those who met her strict standards of beauty?
Such a ridiculous thought oddly felt plausible, given how outstanding Arsen’s appearance was.
So she was casually spending time with someone like that?
An unexplainable anger flared inside his chest like wildfire.
It was the first time he had ever felt such an intense emotion; his hands trembled slightly.
“I heard you’ve helped Damia in many ways. Thank you very much.”
Why are you thanking him?
Damia Ponty is my fiancée!
Cassian’s crimson eyes wavered violently.
“This is my one and only friend that I always talk about—Arsen.”
“Really? I don’t think I’ve heard that before.”
“I came all the way from the Kingdom of Rodion to celebrate her birthday.”
“…Damia, your birthday is still far away.”
At that moment, Arsen smiled and spoke instead.
“I originally planned to accompany my father on his visit to the Empire, but I came early because I wanted to see Damia.”
What?
Because he wanted to see her? In front of me, he’s openly saying he came to see someone else’s fiancée?
If anything like this keeps happening, maybe minors traveling alone across borders should be banned by law.
“I was also curious about what kind of person my old friend’s fiancé is.”
And why would you be curious about that?
While Cassian simmered in frustration, Arsen smiled with eyes gently curved.
“By the way, Your Highness, what brings you here? You said you were busy today.”
“You were the one who said you were disappointed I had to leave because it had been a long time since we met.”
Cassian’s words, said with deliberate emphasis, made Arsen’s expression stiffen for a moment.
“Ah, right. Still, you didn’t need to come all this way. It must be inconvenient.”
Then Arsen let out a soft laugh. It didn’t suit his angelic face—it felt almost mocking.
“Why? Am I in the way?”
Cassian immediately regretted speaking without thinking.
It sounded exactly like jealousy. Hadn’t they agreed not to interfere in each other’s personal lives?
“Are you in the way? Not at all… Oh, Your Highness, would you like to join our card game?”
“What?”
“Let’s finish this round first. I’m winning, so I need to finish it.”
At that moment, Arsen’s pretty face twisted slightly.
And at the same time, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Cassian’s lips.
He had no intention of joining some childish card game—but he couldn’t leave them alone together.
“Come on, Damia. I don’t think His Highness would be interested in such games. He seems very mature.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It might feel too childish for him. Let’s not bother him.”
“Hmm, I guess so?”
Hey—at least ask me before deciding for me!
Even if he wasn’t interested in such a childish game, he would have played because of her!
“Since Your Highness is here, let’s stop the game.”
“But I was winning…”
“We’ll continue later. You’ll be staying at my house for several days anyway.”
At that shocking statement, Cassian felt his breath tighten.
“…What did you just say?”
His voice was so cold that even Damia tilted her head in surprise.
“Oh, I came ahead of my family, so I don’t have a place to stay right now. I’ll be staying at the Ponty Viscount’s house for a few days.”
Arsen Cadis replied calmly without a trace of intimidation.
“Viscount Ponty already allowed it. We’re childhood friends, after all.”
A faint superiority could be felt in Arsen’s gentle smile.
How long is he going to keep using that childhood friend excuse?
Cassian’s crimson eyes burned with rage. His muscles stiffened, and he bit down hard enough to taste blood.
His slowed heartbeat, due to the dragon’s curse, suddenly felt like it was racing.
Whether it was an illusion or not, he couldn’t tell.
It felt like he was possessed by jealousy itself.
Wait—jealousy?
Cassian, startled, labeled the boiling anger as jealousy.
That couldn’t be. This wasn’t jealousy.
Then what is it?
His trembling eyes shifted to Damia.
He looked at her rosy cheeks, her healthier complexion, her more vibrant silver hair, and her still-thin shoulders.
A dull ache spread through his chest—and he instinctively felt relief.
Right. This isn’t jealousy.
He was just worried about Damia.
As an older brother would worry about a younger sister.
That concern must have gone too far and turned into anger toward that shady guy.
Satisfied with this clean conclusion, Cassian’s breathing steadied. He regained his composure.
“I didn’t give permission for that.”
Cassian raised his voice slightly—but with arrogance instead of emotion.
As if he were the real fiancé of Damia Ponty.
