"What are you still doing here?" Princess Vivette glared at Diana as she crossed her arms.
Diana didn't want to approach her but she had no other choice. The cruel woman had thrown out all of Diana's things, leaving her with nothing.
She wanted the items back. She had valuable items in there, things that meant a lot to her.
"I would like to know where you've moved my belongings," She said calmly and firmly.
"How am I supposed to know?" Vivette scoffed.
Diana took the opportunity to try and glance past Vivette, to see inside the room. Lady Katherine had given instructions to people under her to check on Cassian periodically, to ensure that his wounds were clean and dressed.
Vivette shifted her weight, blocking Diana's view.
"Please, just tell me where my things are and I'll leave you be," Diana pleaded.
She hid her clenched fists under the long sleeves of her dress, trying her best to remain calm.
"I'm surprised Katherine let you stay with her. Did you bribe that old woman to let you stay with her?"
"Lady Katherine is Cassian's mother. If you really are going to be with Cassian, perhaps you should show more respect to his mother," Diana said.
Giving up on her endeavor, she picked up her skirts and left in a huff. She would just have to find her stuff on her own.
Vivette's expression grew dark. She did not appreciate Diana's comments.
"Who does she think she is? Acting like she still owned the place!" Vivette muttered angrily beneath her breath.
In a fit of rage, she picked up a lamp and smashed it onto the ground. The lamp shattered upon impact, sending shards flying across the room. The maid who was in there with her flinched at the sound of the shattered porcelain.
She was afraid of Vivette, but she hurried over to clean up the broken pieces.
What Vivette hadn't noticed, was that the sound stirred Cassian awake.
"Diana…," He whispered her name as memories flooded his mind.
The news of his death was all part of his plan to lower his enemy's guard. He hit them when they were relaxed and won the war. It was a tough battle and Cassian lost more than half of his men.
All he could think about after was returning to Diana's side. Though they had only spent three weeks together before his departure, their relationship blossomed in the next three years during their exchange of letters.
They confided in eachother, and Cassian grew to love his bride.
But while returning to his estate, his battalion was ambushed by unseen forces. It was a massacre. They were cornered and badly wounded when Cassian came face to face with the woman who now claimed to be his lover.
Princess Vivette of Sparks. It was a smaller kingdom that shared a border with the Kingdom of Cinder. She had her men pierce a sword through Cassian's abdomen, causing him to collapse on his knees.
His breathing quickened as he glared at her in rage. He'd made a promise to return to Diana's side. He wasn't about to break the promise! Even if he had to fight till his last breath, he had to see her again.
"Don't worry, Cassian, you're more useful to me alive than dead," Vivette had said with an evil grin.
She cupped his chin roughly, forcing him to meet her gaze, "I can't wait to make you my dearest husband."
He lost consciousness shortly after that, unable to do anything. His wounded body needed time to heal and progress was slow. It was as if it had been hindered on purpose. But in the depths of his mind, he heard Diana calling out to him.
That was when she visited him.
"Cassian, can you hear me? I'm here. It's me, Diana."
He mustered all the strength he had to reach out to her and grab her hand. But all he could do was call out her name over and over again, only for Diana to be pulled away from him. When he realized it was Vivette who did so and what she had done to Diana, he was fuming.
He curled his fists as he watched helplessly.
'I can't even protect my own wife,' He thought to himself in anguish.
That day, Cassian made a vow to himself.
He was going to make Vivette pay for what she had done.
But now, all he could do was bide his time and play dead. Being this helpless irked him. He was always the one taking charge, helping others. To be in such a state was a disgrace, a stain on his pride and honor.
"My my, look who's awake. Good morning, future husband," Vivette said as she looked down upon Cassian.
He glared at her, anger fuming within him but he couldn't do anything. Cassian's heart sank as he realized he had no control over his own body.
'What in seven hells is going on?!' He thought to himself.
Vivette chuckled as she watched Cassian panic. She leaned in close and held onto his hand.
She caressed his skin, and carefully placed his hand on her cheek. Cassian was disgusted by her behavior and wanted nothing to do with her.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull himself away from her.
Looking up at Vivette, he noticed the ring on his finger and on hers.
Vivette smiled, "Oh, you finally noticed. It's our engagement ring, isn't it pretty?"
"You know, it's pretty useful too. Such as…" She waved her hand and miraculously, Cassian began moving his hand too, "giving me control over my beloved fiance. Isn't it something?"
Cassian was livid.
"You-"
Vivette placed her finger on his lips, "Sssshhh. Cassian my dear, you need your rest. You need your energy for later. I suspect we're going to have a lot of fun later tonight."