Cassian woke up to the sound of glass or porcelain shattering against the marble floor in the castle's foyer, but he didn't go out. He heard the clatter of boots pacing back and forth and energetic voices from one end to the other on the floors below. He remembered his father's rages and thought that this must be one of those. It was early, and the curtains in his room and bed were open, letting in a cold sun that didn't warm anything. The folds of the silk also gave him that cold feeling.It was impossible for it to be his father because he was dead. Remembering this, he turned to his window, which overlooked the main garden, to see what was happening, as the noises had moved there. The statues and the garden with its perfectly trimmed shrubs, without a dry leaf on the ground, gave an impression of unreality, as if it were a model rather than a real garden under that icy sky.Ethan was striding with long steps, followed by Lord Ridley, trying to restrain him while he raised his hands to the sky. He was agitated, convulsed with emotion."Give me one good reason why I should stay in this damned place!" Ethan shouted, almost out of breath. The rage and pain barely allowed him to speak."Cassian is not to blame for your father's decree. Understand that at last," Ridley said. His copper hair fell in locks over his forehead. Ethan next to him wasn't much shorter, but he was clearly younger and didn't have a well-groomed beard like Ridley's."You're on his side too! Everyone is fine as long as I become more and more insignificant! My mother told me this dirty family would be my end," Ethan said finally, more to himself than to anyone else."What did you say?" Ridley asked, convinced he must have heard wrong."I said... this dirty family, this disgusting, repulsive family!" Ethan replied with indignation, struggling to pronounce the words as they tumbled over each other."Ethan," Ridley said patiently, "You can't speak like that about the royal family of Naësu. No matter how much it pains you, Cassian is the heir and deserves your respect.""I can't be responsible for Ezra's son with one of his whores," Ethan said, with a certain satisfaction as he frowned.Overwhelmed by Ethan's insolence, Ridley stepped up and slapped him."I'm going to have your hand cut off. You won't get the chance to raise it again," Ethan said, regaining his upright posture."Maybe not, Your Majesty. But I'll know I used it well if it was the last time.""Do you have anything else to say to me?" Ethan asked, incredulous."Do as you please. I answer directly to the heir to the throne.""Go to Cassian, you stupid dog!"Ethan pushed Ridley away from him with force, blinded by rage and helplessness. He left the main garden swiftly, but without running. Cassian heard him climbing the stairs with long strides and did not open his door to see him, even though he could have: he feared that Ethan might attack him, kill him, or worse in the frenzy he was experiencing."The next time I enter this fortress," Ethan threatened after a while, as he packed a few belongings haphazardly and headed for the front door, "it will be treading over your backs, on a red carpet."Ridley, who was in the foyer watching Ethan leave, swallowed hard as he reflected on how it was possible for someone so young to have such ideas in his head. Where had they come from? Was it the influence of that wicked girl, Shun-Ri? Or was it something earlier? Had he always been this way?"You don't have to come out, Cassian," Ethan shouted towards the main room. "You're right to hide. Hide... while you can."Cassian heard those words and walked towards the two wide doors, with their intricate designs. He placed his hands on them and then his head. He cried softly, without making any noise, and only for a moment. He wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his pajamas. He was waiting for them to call him, to say those two words he knew well. And he heard them right away."Your Majesty," Ridley requested from the other side of the door, after knocking lightly. "May I speak with you for a moment?""Leave me alone," Cassian said with difficulty."There's no need for you to suffer alone. Don't punish yourself.""Leave me alone!"Ridley reflected that despite being of different mothers, Ethan and Cassian had the same father, and that was now more evident than ever. He opened his mouth to say something more but didn't know what to say to the young prince. He wasn't his father, and despite how much he cared about his well-being, he couldn't force his way into the royal room. He hoped that this sadness would be temporary. Although the relationship with Ethan had suffered a terrible break, there was no need to have such a person around, someone who might have eventually corrupted Cassian's heart with his envy. Ridley knew that Cassian still had goodness, despite everything. He vowed to himself to be the guardian of that goodness because it was what the nyasuk needed. Ridley wasn't a statesman, but he had clear principles.Cassian moved to his bed and threw his pillows around, crying uncontrollably but silently. He was angry at himself for crying and made a conscious effort to stop.He swallowed, inhaled deeply through his nose, and wiped his runny nose with his sleeves, sitting in the middle of the disheveled bed.It was true that he was alone. But not defeated.