Chapter Four: The Crown’s Request

Cassian turned from Garrick to Seraphine. “Leave us.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I need a word with your tailor’s apprentice. Alone.”

Seraphine’s jaw tensed, but she caught the look in Cassian’s eyes—impatient, immovable. She crossed her arms, her expression sharpening.

“The dress still needs to be finished,” she said coolly. “It has to be perfect today.”

“It will be,” Cassian replied, not even glancing her way.

Seraphine held his gaze for a beat longer, then exhaled through her nose and retreats with an audible growl, silks snapping behind her like a closing curtain. Garrick lingered, eyes flicking between Cassian and Eden, uncertainty etched into every line of his face.

Eden gave him a small nod.

He gave nothing back but a clenched jaw before following Seraphine out.

The doors closed behind them with a hollow, final thud.

Only one guard remained, stationed by the door, expression unreadable.

Cassian didn’t speak at first. He paced slowly, as if gathering his thoughts, then turned to her with that same heavy gaze.

“You said you’re loyal to the kingdom,” he said. “Tell me what that means.”

Eden took a breath. “It means I want peace. Safety. I want the city to be more than power plays and whispered threats. I want people to stop disappearing. I want to believe in what my parents believed in—before it all turned to ash.”

Cassian’s lips twitched—not quite a smile, but something close. He studied her face again, not with suspicion this time, but with focus. Curiosity.

“You believe that,” he said.

“I do.”

He nodded once, then took a few steps closer, slow and deliberate. “Would you have a reunion with your brother, Eden?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Would you infiltrate Cade’s network—use Erec to get close to him?” Cassian’s voice dropped lower, more measured now. “We’ve never had anyone close enough to slip past his circle. No one who wouldn't immediately raise suspicion.”

Eden’s heart thudded. “I haven’t seen Erec in over a decade. He was ten years older than me. We were never close. He didn’t even return after the fire. He didn’t come for me.”

“Make him trust you,” Cassian said, too smoothly. “Be the sister who survived. The girl lost to time. Let him see the woman you’ve become.”

His eyes lingered—too long—on her face, her figure. When he spoke again, his voice had softened, but not with kindness.

“With those eyes, that face—he’ll believe it. Cade will, too.”

Eden’s spine stiffened. “And if he doesn’t?”

“Then we’ve lost nothing,” Cassian replied coolly. “But if he does… we gain everything.”

She hesitated. “I need time.”

Cassian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes flickered—sharp and wanting.

“You have three days,” he said. “I’ll send for you.”

He circled her slightly, gaze drifting lower—not by accident. Not by curiosity. By calculation. Like a man appraising a weapon hidden beneath silk.

“You’re not what I expected,” Cassian murmured, his gaze lingering. “Quiet. Beautiful. Far too tempting for someone so unremarkable on paper.”

He took a slow step closer, closing the space between them. Eden held her ground, but her breath caught in her throat.

Cassian leaned in—just enough that she could feel the weight of his presence, the warmth of his voice against her skin.

“Dangerous, in the wrong hands,” he said softly, almost like a confession. Or a promise.

Her breath caught, but she didn’t move.

His eyes dragged over the delicate lines of her dress—not the craftsmanship, but the shape it concealed. His voice dropped to something almost indulgent. “For a commoner, you’ll be exactly the kind of distraction Cade won’t see coming. He won’t think twice before letting you in.”

Eden’s stomach twisted. Whether it was anger or shame, she couldn’t tell.

Cassian’s gaze lingered a second longer—possessive, greedy—before he finally stepped back and turned to the guard.

“Escort her back to the shop.”

He paused, then added without looking back, “We’ll be keeping Erec… for observation. It’ll take some time to treat our guest before we release him.”