The Corruption- First Draft

Chapter 4

Cassius moved around the table with practiced ease, setting down dishes with a calm, steady hand. "Dinner is served," he announced, his voice carrying an air of pride. He took his seat at the head of the table, glancing briefly at Garbone, who sat farther down, deliberately keeping their distance. Garbone focused on pouring drinks, their expression tight as they avoided eye contact with their grandfather. Jaryn was the first to break the silence. "Smells fantastic, Cassius!" he said, reaching for the nearest platter. Akae gave a polite nod of approval, while Havre passed around the salad with a quiet smile.

Jaryn, seated beside Garbone, nudged them lightly and grinned. "I see you've already got your eye on the dessert."

Garbone smiled faintly, but their attention quickly shifted back to the plate in front of them. "Maybe I'll skip dinner and go straight for it," they muttered, drawing a chuckle from Jaryn and Ryo.

Cassius, ever stubborn, barely seemed to notice the distance between them, too caught up in the praise of his guests. The evening carried on with light conversation and laughter, though Garbone remained on the fringes, watching the scene unfold, feeling like they were sitting at a different table altogether. It didn't take long for them to start drinking more ginger tea to soothe their nerves, and a more genuine smile returned to their face, causing Havre to smile.

Cassius noticed how the two seemed close, but didn't say anything to avoid ruining dinner. Garbone definitely noticed him staring, and gulped his tea nervously.

Dinner would conclude after an hour, everyone seemingly content. "Ryo and I have never eaten this much before, thank you for the dinner," he said, facing Cassius.

He smiled. "It's not a problem. I'm happy to feed whoever can help my kin. Now, we should all go to bed now. We'll have to be up early to catch the boat to Symilf," He said as Eilis collected the empty plates and dirty serve ware. Everyone started walking out, though Cassius straggled. "Havre, could I talk to you privately?"

She paused when Cassius asked her that. "Oh, uh sure. What did you need to talk to me about?" She asked as everyone left the room. Garbone was suspicious, and so hid in the next room.

"I tried to be polite about it, but I cannot watch this go on any longer. I don't want you dating Garbone." He said sternly, looking right in her eyes.

Her face went a dark red as he said that. "I don't have feelings for them, we're just close is all, I promise," she pleaded, holding her hands together nervously.

"I don't buy it. You transgenders have a sneaky way of corrupting others, and I won't have it with my grandson."

"H-how did you...?" she trailed off.

"Eilis told me. Look, this is the last and only warning I'm going to give you- do not corrupt my grandson. I don't need him thinking he's some girl or whatever. You're lucky I'm not going to use my powers on you, but don't think I'm afraid to use it to get my way. I'm doing this as a courtesy since you're aiding in the investigation- but my patience has limits. Do you understand, "duchess"?"

Tears fell from her eyes as she nodded silently.

"Good. Since I know your culture views that weirdness as important, I'll respect you, for now. But make a wrong step and I will refer to you as a man. You got that?" He asked, never breaking his eye contact with her.

She nodded again.

His grimace quickly turned into a smile, as if nothing was wrong. "Good! It's good to have you as an ally, it'd be a shame if you did something to ruin it. Now, go freshen up and go to bed. We'll need you to help pull the carriage until we get to the boat."