Unbecoming 05

The horses neighed as they were stopped by Cassius. He sighed in relief and looked at the lady behind him, inspecting her if she had any bruises or wounds as the latter remained expressionless while she stared at him. The coachman behind the horses yelled words of reprimanding at the two.

He exhaled another breath as it seemed that she was alright.

He would lose his head if she was injured. He patted his chest and turned to the onlookers and the now fuming coachman, "I apologize for the ruckus."

Accidents were rare in the capital.

Cassius kept apologizing as he pulled the lady with him away from the crowd. He was tasked to accompany the lady, and let her see his work. Lai told him that the Duke expected him to let his daughter learn from him. 

What could he teach? He was confident that she had more knowledge of the world than him. It would be a challenge to meet the Duke's expectations. There was nothing he could do, he was summoned by the Duke himself, and ended up bringing the favored one along.

He silently complained about the Duke's orders. He glanced at Cailina and wanted to scold her for not paying attention to her surroundings, but immediately swallowed the words he carefully thought about. 

"What are we doing in such a secluded place?" Cailina asked.

Cassius' lips twitched as he tried to smile, "I could not take the unwanted attention."

She clicked her tongue and walked past him. She refused to be part of another scandal, especially she was the Crown Prince's fiancee.

Cassius abruptly grabbed her arm without thinking, and realizing he was under another glare, he immediately let go. 

"I will make it clear; I did not intend to cause such a mess earlier," she clasped her hands together and lowered her gaze.

It all started when Cassius went out to talk to a person he knew, and Cailina didn't want to hear their conversation so she decided to walk around on her own.

The streets were bustling with life as they prepared for the summer banquet. Children were running around with grins on their faces. It was a sight that Cailina wanted to share with Aris.

The capital city, Farren, was a melting pot of beings that come from different places, for the reason of trade and gaining wealth. It was also where nobles reside as its security was incomparable to any other cities. 

Cailina roamed the streets without worry.

She didn't miss out on any spectacle that she would come across. Her steps eager to see everything, and she wouldn't forget to write it all to Aris. She would describe everything in detail to make up for leaving her puppy behind.

Cailina only then realized that she had lost her way when the joyous streets turned into a foreign land, she looked behind her and not see even Cassius' shadow. She stopped her tracks and quietly observed her surroundings. 

Her brows knitted together as she tried to recall where she came from. She exhaled her frustration as almost where she turn was similar to where she was. She spotted a fountain and decided to wait for Cassius there.

As she was about to cross the street, and the rest was history.

"No, my Lady," Cassius interrupted, "the fault is mine, I should have been more careful."

He glanced at his pocket watch; they were a few minutes late. He sighed and looked at Cailina, "I did not rent a carriage. We may share one with another."

The first lesson he thought to teach her was to enjoy a simple carriage ride? He sighed in his heart, he gestured her to follow.

Cailina nodded and followed without complaint as she was silent the whole way, Cassius could not help but think of what he did wrong. Was she disappointed to be in a shared carriage? He looked at Cailina with worry, but the latter played with the ring on her finger, drowned in her thoughts.

"Hey, miss." 

A child placed his small hands on Cailina's, "You have pretty hand."

Cassius' eyes widened in fear that she would show an irritated look at the child. Most nobles acted that way, it disgusted them if a commoner brushed up to them accidentally. He wouldn't be surprised if Cailina would do worse.

After all, she was the daughter of the Imperial Duke.

"Yes, because I cared for them," Cailina replied.

Her soft answer was the opposite of the list of replies Cassius had expected. He pursed his lips as he crossed his arms to listen to the two.

Cailina saw the child as the little Aris. His soft and lively energy reminded her about her puppy when they were children. She gave a small smile at the grinning child before his mother ushered him closer to her. 

 The journey passed smoothly as they arrived near the outskirts of town. Cassius offered his hand for Cailina as the latter accepted it without a change in her expression. She was told that the place was secluded and kept a secret from the public eye, and they needed to be on foot until one of his workers would meet them.

"I am about to show my Lady the thing that would keep our Empire free from the control of another nation," Cassius said with much enthusiasm, "it is still in the early stages, but I hope it would be finish before I rest in my grave."

Cailina looked around with her gaze; the time within these streets was long passed as there was no sign of other presence other than the two of them. The silence continued for a while, and only Cassius and her footfalls were heard tapping on the cracked pavement.

A man rushed to Cassius with a smile on his face, "Sir, it's good that you're here. The first trial is about to begin."

His attention landed on Cailina, and returned his eyes on Cassius with a questioning look, "The lady might be?"

"Ah, this is an old friend of mine," Cassius introduced, "she asked me if she could see around."

The man led them to a carriage. Cailina stared at the window and observed the passing run-down buildings that held each of their histories and legacy. A place could only be dead if its residents moved to another to find a stable place to live in. 

Erimso Castle...

The stale sign displayed the name of the once-greatest place that housed a traitor of a noble.

The gates screeched as another worker opened it for the carriage to enter. Cailina tapped her fingers on her ring; her heart anticipated something good that Cassius would show her.