After calming down, Cassius dressed in his regal attire, but the tightness in his chest wouldn't ease. He felt disoriented, like the world wasn't quite right after the dream. His hands trembled slightly as he straightened his collar.
In the dining room, Julius sat idly picking at his goblet. His brow furrowed the moment Cassius entered. "Whatever happened to you?" Julius's tone was laced with concern. "You vanished and I had to bluff to get the council meeting re-scheduled!"
"I… fell asleep," Cassius muttered, flopping into his seat with a heaviness that made it clear something was wrong. He leaned forward, pressing his hands to his temples. *Why do I feel like this? His mind hadn't fully returned to reality, still clouded by the lingering emotions from the dream.*
"You still look like shit," Julius remarked, now eyeing him more closely.
"Yeah," Cassius replied weakly, closing his eyes as if that would help drown out the strange feelings. *Lilian's lips. Her skin…* He shook his head, trying to focus.
"What happened?" Julius pressed, his voice sharper now.
"I slept," Cassius repeated. "And I had a dream," Cassius admitted, though the words felt wrong coming out. Vampires don't dream or sleep.
Julius put his goblet down, his eyes wide. "What?!" His tone had a mix of confusion and panic. "What did you dream about?"
But before Cassius could answer, the door opened, and Lilian entered.
"Lilian!" Cassius shot to his feet, his body moving with an awkward jerk. He bowed stiffly, the action feeling unnatural, as if he'd been caught in the act of something illicit. Julius was slower to rise as he still watched him carefully, his gaze drilling into Cassius with a mixture of suspicion and worry.
"Morning, your majesty." Lilian's voice was soft, but there was an odd hesitation in it, as if she too was feeling that something was off. She sat down in her usual spot beside him but avoided looking directly at Cassius, her eyes darting away too quickly. The air between them thickened, the silence becoming a palpable weight, pressing down on everyone at the table.
Cassius's mind raced. Lilian's sudden coyness, her avoiding his gaze—it unsettled him more than it should have. She wasn't speaking much, wasn't her usual self, and it made him feel… exposed. As if the dream had bled into reality in ways he couldn't control.
After the meal, Lilian excused herself, retreating to her room for some more sleep, but Julius lingered, his eyes still locked onto Cassius with a fierce curiosity. He waited until Lilian was gone before touching onto the subject again, now without any apprehension.
"What do you mean you had a dream?! Vampires don't dream!" Julius's voice was sharp, almost accusatory, as if Cassius had broken some sacred rule. Cassius thought it was rather hilarious, in some way, as if Julius thought he had forgotten how to be a vampire.
"I know," Cassius snapped back, the anxiety he'd been holding onto slipping into frustration. "I don't know why. It just… happened."
"Then what was it?" Julius demanded, refusing to let it go.
"I don't—" Cassius's voice faltered, his usual composure cracking under the weight of his thoughts. "It was… nothing," he stammered, unsure how to explain the dream. *Nothing I can say out loud.* was the true content of the dream.
Julius wasn't buying it. "Was it something bad?" His voice had softened slightly, but the worry was still evident.
"No," Cassius lied. But then the dream hadn't been bad—but it had affected him a deeply.
"Could it be a prophecy?" Julius asked, his tone growing more serious, eyes narrowing as if trying to read Cassius's mind.
"Very unlikely," Cassius said.
"But if it is?" Julius pressed, refusing to let the matter drop. "If it means something…?"
"Then it won't affect anyone beside me," Cassius said, his voice growing quieter. "And it wasn't bad." He paused, struggling with his own emotions. *It was… too good.* "It's just unrealistic. You know, like a dream," he added with a helpless shrug.
Julius didn't seem reassured. "But it's wildly intriguing," he said. "And somewhat concerning. Something is changing beyond us, beyond what we understand."
"Indeed," Cassius muttered, his mind elsewhere. *Something's changing. Inside me.* Julius shifted in his chair. "What about Lilian?"
Cassius's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "What about Lilian?" His voice was sharp, too defensive, betraying more than he intended.
"She's been here a month," Julius pointed out, watching his reaction carefully.
"Yes," Cassius replied, already feeling cornered.
"You still haven't spoken to her about the fact that she's your soulmate."
"No."
"You still didn't make a single attempt at pursuing that relationship."
"What are you getting at?" Cassius's voice had grown tense, his patience fraying rapidly under the weight of Julius's questions.
"I'm just confused about your intentions, that's all," Julius said, his voice firm but not unkind. He was trying to understand, but Cassius didn't want to be understood. Not now. Not about this.
"I have no intentions," Cassius ground out through clenched teeth. His chest was tightening again, his pulse quickening. "She's safe here, and that's all I want."
"Cassius…" Julius sighed, clearly frustrated but unwilling to push harder.
"Drop it," Cassius snapped. He couldn't handle any more questions, not now. Without another word, he stormed out of the dining room, his head spinning and his body thrumming with the remnants of the dream.
He retreated to his chamber, sitting heavily in his chair with a book in hand, though he couldn't focus on the words. His mind kept drifting back—back to Lilian, back to the dream, to the kiss that felt too real to have been imagined. He was certain that he still felt the warmth of her lips on his.
Cassius stared blankly at the pages. Something was changing, and he wasn't sure he could stop it or if he wanted to.