Nola yelled and kicked down her armour then Isander appeared at her doorway in his black robe, "I would appreciate it if you take your little disturbance elsewhere. Today was a very tiring day and I have to rest" he said and was about leaving but she turned to him.
"Why was it tiring? You had already anticipated what was going to happen" she said and he turned and smiled, "I had not anticipated you and my dear brother engaging in a sword fight. But that was very interesting to watch. Two lovers drawing their swords at each other. What a love story" he cooed.
"Former lovers, you mean" she rolled her eyes and he rested his hip on the table, "Care to elaborate?" he said. "After your little stunt of throwing Cassian to the wall, I went back to make sure he was...dead! But then I saw him holding that pregnant woman in his arms as she looked at him like he was the only thing in the world".
"Why did you go back?" Isander asked and she looked at him, " I told you! I went to make sure he was dead!" she said and he chuckled, "You and I both know that a hit like that will not kill Cassian Monterey. Also I can read your mind" he smiled.
Nola hated it when Isander did that. "You went to check if he was okay, did you not?" he asked and she looked at him before she nodded. He laughed, "Why did you not say so? Are you scared I will show you those memories again?" he held her face, "Those memories in which you were separated from your dear Cassian forever" he laughed and threw her face away.
He sat down on a chair in her room, "Anywho, now we are certain that Cassian has forgotten you and he loves that new woman. So let us get on with the remaining plan" "I thought you made them settle for an agreement" she said and he laughed for a long time.
Nola got really uncomfortable with the laughter. He looked at her, "Why would I want to settle with that kingdom when I hate every single thing and person from that kingdom? Their king, did this to me" he said and ran his finger on the scar on his cheek.
"Also, I want to take anything that makes Cassian smile" "Do you hate him that much?" Nola asked and he clenched his jaw, "Never ask me that question!" he got up from the chair and walked away.
When he reached the door, Nola called out, "May I go out tonight?" "I do not care. Just make sure you are not seen" he walked out.
Nola looked at her black cloak then she grabbed it and draped it on herself. It was time she paid a visit to her former husband's new wife.
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Zemira took off her shoes and her stockings then she dipped her legs into the cool water. After she and Cassian had arrived at the manor, she had overheard some servants talking about a lake by the manor. So after making sure Cassian was alright, she had snuck out to enjoy the lake. For protection, she had taken a knife.
She sighed and moved her legs in the water then she looked around. In all of her adventures with Stern, she loved the ones wherein they went to a water body. It could be an ocean, a sea, a lake or even a small puddle. Oh! How she loved puddles. She loved jumping in them and getting her gown all messy.
She heard ruffling from the bushes behind her and she looked back, "Is someone there?" she asked but there was no response. Perhaps a rabbit, she thought and continued moving her legs, creating ripples in the water.
She heard the ruffling again so she stood up and took out the knife which she had strapped to her shin. She looked around and the ruffling stopped. She was about to sit back down, but then she heard quick footsteps coming from her side.
She turned and saw someone in a black cloak jumping out of the bushes then she saw a dagger headed towards her belly. It was too late. She could not avert it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The doctor took the vial and inspected the transparent liquid then he looked at the king and queen who held their hands in anticipation.
He dropped the vial and sighed, "It is a fake" he said and Soteria squeezed Noelle's hand, "What do you mean?" he tried to be calm.
"Taraxacum officinale has not been for years now. This is Hyoscyamus niger. It is a nightshade poison which can kill an adult man in less than three days...and a child, less than a day" the doctor said and dropped the vial.
The butler escorted the doctor out. Soteria was about to get up but Noelle squeezed his hand, "Your majesty" she said and rubbed his hand soothingly. She was trying to soothe him meanwhile tears streamed down her face.
Soteria removed his hand from her grip and got up then he took the vial on the table. As he held it, he remembered Isander's sadistic grin, "Do we agree to a settlement?" he smashed the vial on the floor angrily, the transparent liquid spilling onto the floor.
Noelle covered her nose with her handkerchief. "He tricked me!" he cursed and punched the wall, "That damned man tricked me!" Soteria yelled. He was irked that Isander had used Sorin as a leverage to get the settlement and now, he could not start a war. The peace treaty had already been signed. He was supposed to be getting the heads tomorrow.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Blood splashed on the leaves of the plants there as Zemira bit her tongue to prevent herself from screaming. Nola tsked, she had missed her target.
Zemira staggered back and looked at her hand which a dagger was pierced through it. When she had seen the dagger coming towards her belly, she had put her hand out in front and so Nola had stabbed her hand.
Zemira held the dagger and after a quick count of three in her head, she pulled it out. But she did not scream.
Nola was impressed. When she had seen Zemira in the painting, she was expecting her to be a scared and whiny woman but the woman in front of her, looked scared...but not whiny.
Blood dripped from Zemira's stab wound to her blue skirt, "Who are you?" she asked and Nola smirked, "I believe Cassian should know me" she charged towards Zemira who had her knife in her hand.
She thought her attacker was going to aim for her belly again so she held her knife in front of her as soon as the person charged towards her. But she was wrong. Nola's aim was her spine; to break it and leave her in a crippled state. She could not kill Zemira though she badly wanted to. Isander was the one that wanted to kill Zemira, so he could see that sad and painful expression on Cassian's face again.
Nola somersaulted across Zemira, her dagger ready to stab her spine and her knuckles ready to break a few bones, but then Zemira turned around and raised her knife to Nola's face. That was when she saw it.
The ring on Zemira's finger. It was just like the one Cassian had slipped on her finger on their wedding day. Perhaps the same one? She got angry. How could he give her that ring to which he had pledged his undying love for her? Did he even ever love her.
Her aim shifted from Zemira's spine to her finger. She was going to chop off her finger which held that ring. Her dagger moved down to Zemira's hand and she was about to cut her finger, but Zemira slashed her face and so her hand missed and her dagger slipped the ring out of Zemira's finger and into the water.
Zemira looked at her finger and saw blood coming out of the small cut Nola had made. She looked at the lake and ran to it, "No" she gasped as she searched for her ring.
Nola cleaned the blood coming out of her face and she grabbed her dagger and was about to strike Zemira but someone kicked her away. She looked at the person and saw Cassian standing in front of her. His eyes widened as he looked at her face.
She realized her hood was now showing her lips. "Tch!" she said and dragged the hood down then she ran into the bushes. Cassian looked at Zemira who was still searching for her ring.
"Where is it?" she dipped her hand in the lake then she stood up and was about to jump inside but he held her, "What do you think you are doing?" he asked and she shrugged him off her, "I have to get my ring!" she said and was about to jump again but he held her, "Zemira stop this! You are with my child! Do not think of jumping into that cold water". She pushed him, "Let go of me! I need that ring!" she cried and almost jumped in but Cassian held her and turned her to face him.
"Just forget it! It is just a ring!" he said and she pushed him away, "It is not just a ring! It is the symbol of our marriage. I need it to show people that I am no longer the woman I was" she wanted to enter the lake but he grabbed her arm, "Zemira stop this madness! If it bothers you so much, I will get you another one!"
"I do not want another one. I want that one because it is blessed! With that ring you pledged your love and loyalty to me though you did not mean it. That ring means so much to me and I will not lose it" she said and tried to shrug his hand off her arm but his grip did not waver.
"Why does it mean so much to you? I thought you hated me, so why do you care about the ring I gave you on our wedding day?" he asked and tears slipped from her eyes.
"It is because I love you" she whispered and he let go of her arm. So he was not wrong. She was in love with him. But why? All he had ever done was push her away and be hostile.
"I know I was not supposed to fall in love with you and I know your heart belongs to another, but I still love you" she reached out to touch him but he moved back. She felt shattered.
"Why?" was what escaped his lips. "Cassian, I do not need a reason to love you" "No, you do! Why are you in love with me? Actually, why did you fall in love with me? I have done nothing but hurt you. I put a baby in you, against your wish, I got married to you for my selfish reasons, I almost killed you with my sword" "I almost killed you too!" she sobbed but he ignored her.
"Your blood was on my sword and dagger, I called you disgusting, your whole appearance once made me boil with anger that the woman carrying my baby is not the woman I love. So how the hell did you fall in love with me?"
"I hated you too. I hated the fact that you got me pregnant, I hated the fact that you claimed me on the day we got married, I hated that the man I was married to was a stuck-up fool who was still in love with a dead woman! But overtime, I grew to love you. I grew to love everything about you; the way you protected me when I was in danger, the way you smile when you are doing something you loved, the way you make me angry all the time but still make me feel my stomach churn. Cassian, I love everything about you and I do not need a reason to continue loving you".
Cassian stared at Zemira. There was no trace of laughter on her face. She was serious about loving him. But he can not be in love with her.
"I never protected you from danger. I was only looking out for my baby" he said and her heart dropped. She knew he was going to reject her. She had already braced herself for the rejection, so why did it still hurt?
He walked towards her, "I had my suspicions that you were in love with me which was why I had clearly told you to not fall in love with me". She held back the tears in her eyes, "As you have said, my heart belongs to another and her name is Nola. She may be dead but she will forever the only woman I have and will be in love with".
Zemira nodded, "I understand" her voice broke, because of the lump in her throat. Why did they have to be outside the manor? She would have ran to her room and cried her eyes out if they were at the manor. "You are free to love anyone you like" she forced a smile as her vision was blocked with tears.
Cassian's chest tightened. She was about to cry and he knew he could not hold her. Holding her meant giving her the idea that he was in love with her and that was not the case.
She felt a tear slipping out of her eye so she quickly turned and looked at the lake, "Well then, allow me to look for the only thing that makes me feel that our marriage is not fake" she said and was about to jump into the lake but he held her wrist and spun her around.
"Our marriage is not fake" that was the last thing Cassian said before his lips smashed against hers. Zemira's eyes widened in surprise as Cassian's lips moved slowly against hers. His hands slid around her waist and pulled her closer while her hands went to his shoulders.
She closed her eyes and the tears trickled down. Cassian's nails dug into her waist as he bent his head more to deepen the kiss. Zemira moaned as she felt his nails digging into her flesh and he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. Their tongues pressed and rolled against each other as their heads kept on tilting to get a better taste of each other.
They had kissed before on the night they had met, but why did it feel so new? Zemira's hands moved to Cassian's face as his hands moved to her back.
They pulled apart and they gazed at each other. Zemira caressed Cassian's face and he gasped. She was really in love with him. He pushed her away. Why had he kissed her? He ran.
Zemira just stared at him as he ran away. Her heart shattered into pieces as she watched him run. She sunk to the ground and cried.
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Gertrude stopped pacing when she saw Cassian walking into the living room. She ran to him, "My lord, where have you been?" she asked and looked behind him, "Where is Lady Zemira?" she asked and Zemira walked into the living room.
Gertrude instantly noticed the blood on Zemira's gown, "My lady, you are bleeding" she said and Zemira looked at her hand which had dried blood on it. The pain could not even compare to the pain she felt in her heart.
Gertrude held her hand, "We should get it treated before it becomes infect---" Cassian grabbed Zemira's other hand and dragged her away. Zemira did not complain or grumble. Right now she was dead inside.
Cassian sat her down on his bed with a towel immerged in a bowl of water. He rolled up his sleeves but Zemira was not affected. "Where does it hurt?" he asked and she slowly raised her wounded hand to her chest. She was not lying.
Cassian rejecting her and then kissing her and then rejecting her again just hurt so much. Why had he kissed her after he had rejected her? Was it out of pity? Or perhaps compensation for not being able to fall in love with her? But he had said their marriage was not fake before he had kissed her, what did that mean?
Cassian sighed and took her hand away from her chest then he cleaned the blood with the wet towel. He kept on stealing glances at her as he cleaned her hand while she stared at the floor.
Everything was so awkward. He had kissed her after he had rejected her. What was wrong with him? He held her hand up to inspect his work and then he saw the little cut on the finger where her ring was.
"You did not get the ring?" he asked and she shook her head, "I am with your child. I should not do anything that will affect the baby in my womb" she said without taking her eyes off the floor. He got up and went to his drawer to get bandages.
He opened his drawer and looked back at her. Her brown eyes which he had started finding alluring, were dead. He had made her look that way. He took the bandages and walked to her then he held her hand.
"I shall get you another ring tomorrow" he said as he wrapped her hand with the bandage. "I appreciate your concern but I do not want another ring" she finally looked at him. "Another ring will not have the promises you said to me on our wedding day. I shall be content with my bare finger" she got up and bowed and was about leaving but she needed an answer to the question that was disturbing her.
She turned, "Why did you kiss me?" she asked and he looked up, "I would have not asked if you had kissed me on a regular and normal day...no, I would have asked either way!" she internally cringed. She was rambling. That was not the plan. Her plan was to act like the fake married couple they were and not get too friendly with him, so that he could feel a tad of guilt.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she opened them, "Why did you kiss me after you pledged your undying love for your deceased wife?"
Cassian looked at the water stained with Zemira blood. Why had he kissed her? He too wanted an answer to that question.
He looked at her and opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He sighed, "I kissed you so that you would get a taste of something you will never have" he got up and walked towards her.
"I kissed you as a compensation. I kissed you as a sign of pity. I pity you because my heart will never be yours" he said spitefully as he looked down at her. Zemira stared into his eyes which at that moment had no emotions. Tears were beginning to block her vision.
"I kissed you so that perhaps after the kiss, your feelings for me will vanish because you already got what you wanted..." he leaned down to her and whispered in her ears, "...a kiss". Tears spilled on her face as he raised his head and looked at her in her eyes.
His chest tightened. He had caused those tears. But he just had to keep on going. He smirked and wiped her tears with the pad of his thumbs, "Or perhaps, do you want me to repeat what happened the night we first met?" his hand slowly moved down to the swell of her breast. "Will your feelings disappear then?" he flicked her breast, with that irritating grin still on his face.
Zemira moved back and scrubbed her tears away then she bowed and walked out of his room.
Cassian sighed and ran his hand down his hair. He had realized he hated seeing Zemira crying because the allure of her eyes went away, but now he had caused her tears.
He needed to push her away, for her own safety, also he was in love with another woman. Spending time with her meant her thinking he was in love with her and that was not the case...or was it?
A/N
What do you guys think of the kiss🌚
I honestly feel so bad for Zemira🤧 Cassian was so harsh.
Anyway, comment. I would really love to see you guys comments
Much love❤️❤️