Last Chance [Extra #2]

Part 36

Simone couldn't help but reminisce how the man widely known as someone without blood or tears coddled his fiancée he arbitrarily brought to the capital. It was something unexpected. After the way his previous fiancée left him for none other than the Crown Prince, who also happened to be his cousin, it was clear to everyone who knew the Duke that he was not interested in getting married. Elizabeth's betrayal left a deep scar on his heart, and it was clear that it wouldn't be easy to overcome the pain she caused.

And yet, there he was, acting so oddly affectionate towards a woman whose origins were unclear. On one hand, the Herouxes talked about her taking their daughter's place, and yet the Duke called her Celosia, as if she was someone entirely different.

The Duke's eagerness when it came to Lady Celosia was more concerning than anything. Simone hoped that he was making the right choice this time. She couldn't bear to watch him fall into despair again because of a woman.

However, there was no way to evaluate Lady Celosia's feelings, even if it was something the Duke would never agree to. He would definitely get mad if he found out about it.

Which was why Simone needed to act cautiously around the Lady.

***

"Can you please stop your leg from shaking so much?" Celosia laughed as Cassian squeezed her in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder as if to hide away. "To think you were so confident before..." she joked, shaking her head at how adorable Cassian was being. He was nothing like people said, and the way he clutched onto her to hide his nervousness about meeting his uncle was endearing. He reminded her of a puppy she used to have in her third life. It was a wolf pup she had accidentally found in the woods where the poachers killed its mother. Out of pity, she took it with her and raised it as well as she could. Living alone in a hut in the woods made her a little lonely, and the wolf pup was her only companion. It grew so attached to her it didn't leave her side no matter what happened. Even when the whole pack was nearby, calling out to it as if trying to reunite with the lost pup, it still chose his human and stayed by her side.

And Cassian oddly reminded Celi of that pup. His behavior was just like that poor lonely puppy.

"I haven't seen the Emperor in years and knowing that he's scheming something is only making me more anxious. There's so much at stake, Celi, the Dukedom, my title, my people... Everything I worked for my whole life could be taken away by that man with just a word. How can I not be nervous about meeting him?"

"I understand he holds a lot of power, but you really don't have to be scared of him with me nearby," Celosia reassured. She already had an idea as to how to startle the annoying old geezer that seemed to be glued to the throne.

"How are you so confident?" Cassian pulled his fiancée onto his lap, ignoring Simone's earlier warnings to not let the dress wrinkle, and just stared at her in amazement.

"It's hard to be shy after living for a thousand years," Celosia shrugged nonchalantly.

"True..."

"You stopped shaking," Celi observed. Cassian's body was no longer trembling and his leg wasn't shaking like earlier, and his heartbeat went down a little. It was a good sign. He needed to be calm to meet the Emperor.

The couple reached the Imperial Palace sooner than expected. Except for the knights who came to escort them, there was almost no one else around, almost as if the palace had shut its doors to people. It was odd to see a place as loud as the palace to be so empty.

They walked confidently towards the throne room, hand-in-hand, with their heads held high, earning shocked glances from the people they passed. It was uncommon for someone to show off their relationship so openly in a place as sacred as the Imperial Palace.