Rosalina

We both know who is meant to sit on that throne next to you.

But do not worry, for I am coming to claim my crown.

See you soon, my love

I miss you.

Those words played through Cassian's head all night, not allowing him to think of anything else. As though it wasn't enough that almost every noble lady was competing for his admiration, now someone else has joined the parade.

However, this mystery writer tends to be more direct than the other ladies. Most would signal with their fans or their eyes what they truly desire.

Though Cassian should be flattered with such forwardness, it only led him to start brewing anger. Is it not bad enough that everyone, especially his parents wanted him to marry so quickly? Now someone is forcing the idea that they are the only one who is to sit beside him. This season is already becoming unbearable to Cassian.

Cassian did not bother rattling his head over the thought of which lady would send such a letter. He knew only certain women would be so direct with their wants, unlike the ladies of the season. It is no secret that Cassian has had very interesting interactions with many different women. The stories did not just come out of thin air as he's been with opera singers, seamstresses, and even some noble ladies from Nirvana and abroad. It could only be one of the ladies from his past who would do this. And he knew precisely which lady it was.

"Where is he!" Cassian shouted, pacing through the saloon as it was now morning.

"Are you all just going to stand there and watch me" he questioned the staff, who stood still in the corner of the room as Cassian continued to storm around the room.

After terrifying the maids for almost half an hour, Rupert made his way to Cassian, who sat with a drink in his hand.

"Are we now allowed to drink whiskey before our morning tea?" Rupert jokes as the maids leave quietly.

Cassian does not reply but instead hands him the letter while slumping into his chair and drowning in his drink. Rupert did not react as he read the note.

"Who would send something like this?" Rupert asked as he scanned through the letter once again.

"Isn't it obvious who? There is only one person who is bold enough to send such an outrageous thing," Cassian exclaimed, standing up and snatching the letter out of Rupert's hands.

"How are you so sure that it is her?" Rupert asked, removing the glass of almost finished whiskey out of Cassian's hand.

"There is no one else in their right mind who would say such nonsense like this," Cassian claimed. "What other lady do you know to be such a–"

"Your majesty, she has arrived," a still frightened maid announced before disappearing quickly once more.

Rupert looked at Cassian with raised eyebrows. Cassian did not respond to his confusion but instead looked afar with a deadly gaze clenching his jaw.

It was not long before Cassian's guest arrived. Long midnight black hair swayed down her sculpted figure as she strides into the room with a smirk on her face as she gave Cassian a troublesome look. The two looked at each other without uttering a word as Rupert stood to the side, still unsure of what was going on.

"It seems that we haven't seen each other in a while…..your majesty," the woman said, not taking her eyes off an angered Cassian.

"Rosalina," Cassian growled, glaring at her mischievous smirk as she moved closer to him.

"It feels weird to think of you as a king when I know you best as a rebellious, lustful crowned rake," Rosalina stated, caressing his cheek down to his chest.

"Get your hands off me," Cassian growled, staring straight ahead with his clenched fists behind his back. Noticing his tightened jaw, Rosalina quickly removed her hands off him as her smirk turned into a serious face.

The room was now filled with heavy breathing as Rupert watched the glaring contest from the other side of the room, pouring himself a drink.

Cassian held the mystery letter up between them, only allowing him to see Rosalina's forest-green eyes. She raised one of her arched eyebrows, which Cassian mimicked, tilting his head. Rosalina swiftly snatched the letter Cassian had been flagging in her face.

"What is this?" she asked before reading.

"Do not act ignorant now," Cassian remarked.

He waited patiently for Rosalina to finish reading the letter. As she read it, she let out a little chuckle, making Cassian eye her more.

"I've read it," she said.

"Now explain yourself," Cassian commanded.

"Do you believe I wrote you this letter…your majesty?" she asked, cocking her head with a raised brow.

"Only you would be bold enough to write such a direct message to someone. Only you do not know the meaning of overstepping one's boundaries. And only you would take such a risk in doing such a thing as this," Cassian berated.

"Is that what you think of me?" she asked, fiddling with the letter in her hands.

"I think more of you, but I don't think it is appropriate to say with Rupert here," he answered as they looked to where Rupert was sitting with a drink in his hand.

"Do not mind me, for I'm not paying attention to your little dispute," Rupert said.

"I did not write this letter," Rosalina stated, turning her attention back to Cassian.

"You are a liar," Cassian hissed, whipping his head back to Rosalina, who responded to his angry look with a sly smile.

"You will not believe anything I say," she claimed, glancing again at the letter still in her hands. "I may not have written the letter, but I tend to agree with it."

"Are you finally admitting–" Cassian stated.

"I am not admitting anything," she interrupted. "I am only agreeing that I deserve to be the one who gets to sit on the throne next to you….as your queen."

Cassian stood still with eyes wide open, unable to utter a word about Rosalina's statement.

"It only makes sense, for we have such a beautiful history together," she smirked, stepping closer to Cassian. "A relationship that none of us wanted to end," Rosalina whispered into Cassian's ear, gently touching his neck.

Cassian would not call what they had a relationship but more intimate relations. As what he had with Rosalina was not that much different from what he had with other ladies. It was just meaningless sex.

The only difference Rosalina had from his other lovers was he was more frequent with her. They understood each other's bodies well, like their favorite spots and what it takes to make the other reach their peak. Cassian found it easier to connect with her than any other lady. He admired the way she was able to pleasure him for once.

However, they both made the mistake of continuing whatever it was they had out of the bedroom or whatever new place they were able to make love. In the beginning, it seemed right to further their relationship, seeing how well they seemed to understand each other. Everything was perfect as they enjoyed each other's company and got to know each other with clothes on.

Unfortunately, Cassian and Rosalina as well were both people who had a very strong sex drive. Though they enjoyed each other, they got bored, very bored of being with the same person for a long period of time. Cassian felt a rush being able to seduce women, sometimes multiple at a time, into doing his bidding. It was like a game to him, seeing how easily women are willing to fall into his lap. Sometimes he didn't need to utter a word to make a lady feel for him, as a simple stare in their direction would work.

But being in relations with Rosalina did not allow him to participate in his favorite activity. Though being with someone does not necessarily mean you can not be with someone else, Cassian was not one to be unloyal to his partner, unlike the other gentlemen he witnessed on his outings.

This meant Cassian and Rosalina ended their relationship numerous times to please their needs. Yet, they always found their way back to each other after a while. But Cassian ended the cycle not too long ago as he was soon to be king. He no longer wanted to continue that life, for it was only going to be a distraction to his role as king. Although he would not admit it, he was scared of the feelings he was starting to develop.

Now Rosalina stood in front of him for the first time in a long time, stating that the crown should be hers because of what they had.

"The crown is not yours," Cassian spoke. "Nor shall it be yours, for I am to marry one of the noble ladies from the social season," he stated, refusing to make eye contact with her.

Rosalina took a few steps away from Cassian.

"You do not want to marry any of these ladies," Rosalina stated.

She was right.

He did not want to marry any of the ladies, but most people knew that, except for the oblivious ladies, his stubborn father, and people in society. A few people knew he didn't want to marry the ladies.

"It does not matter if I want to or not, the fact of the matter is that I am to marry a lady," Cassian explained.

"And I am a lady," Rosalina responded. "Or have you forgotten?"

Cassian indeed did forget that she was a lady of a noble house.

Lady Rosalina Emirit from house Emirit is one of Nirvana's most well-known families. Rosalina created a big scandal when a lady of such status started being intimate with multiple partners before marriage. Though members of her family were outraged with her tarnishing the family name, she did not let that concern her. She felt freer wearing clothes that complimented her physique while exploring what she liked without feeling trapped.

"If it is fight that I have to fight amongst the other ladies to get us back, then that is what I shall do," Rosalina stated. "Though you would not admit it, we had something, and I am not giving up on us."

"What makes you think that?" Cassian asked.

"You and I know that we have more fun with each other than you will have with any of these ladies if you are to choose them," she said. "Make the right choice," Rosalina whispered as she handed Cassian back the letter before striding out of the room.

Cassian stood still, slapping the letter in his hand as he processed Rosalina's words. Rupert made his way back to Cassian after finishing his drink, giving him a supportive pat on the shoulder.

"So I have been paying attention to both of you, and I can tell that there are strong feelings there," Rupert claimed.

"There are no feelings there…there never were," Cassian uttered, starting to pace once more.

"It is evident that your emotions are high," Rupert stated.

"The only reason they are is because I am upset, nothing else," Cassian hissed.

"When are you going to stop denying that you had feelings?" Rupert asked. "It is entirely normal to love."

Cassian stopped his pacing as Rupert mentioned the word love. Though he may deny his feelings towards Rosalina, he never thought they had reached the stage of love.

"Love?" Cassian questioned, staring down at the letter. "I do not think we've reached that far."

Dear Nya Deglassie,

I am writing to invite you to the New King's Ball that will be taking place this Saturday. If I know anything about you from our short encounters, it is that you do not take a liking to my family or me, but I hope this does not stop you from gracing us with your presence.

This ball will feel dull without someone who is able to handle very strong liquor.

Hoping to see you there.

Sincerely,

Cassian Constantin

Nya sat with her mouth wide open as she read the contents of the letter over again while her siblings filled the room with excitement. Her mother arrived back from the market confused as to what was happening.

"What is the meaning of all this noise in the late evening?" Vara asked as everyone stopped their celebrations. Nya remained frozen in her position.

"Mama, you need to read this letter that Nya has received," Amira exclaimed, plucking the letter from an unmoving Nya and running toward her mother. "It's from the king," she squealed.

"The king," Vara gasped as she placed her basket on the ground before taking the letter from Amira's hands. Vara scans through the letter before letting out a joyful scream as the others join her in celebration.

Nya sat on the couch with her arms crossed as she watched her family get overly excited over the king's invitation.

"This makes no sense. Why would he send you an invitation?" Vara questioned, looking at the letter once more. "This can not be real."

"The king has clearly taken an interest in Nya after their encounter," Amira remarked.

"Just imagine how the other maidens would feel when they realized that Nya got an invitation to the royal ball and they didn't," Eliana laughed.

Nya watched in distaste as her family celebrated such a letter. She didn't understand what was so great about being invited to an event by the royal family. Nya viewed this invitation as a way for the royal family to try and keep her silent. She was not going to fall for their nice offer to the ball in hopes of it making Nya change her opinion of the royal family.

"Nya, are you not excited about this ball," Amira asked as she kneeled in front of her sister.

"I would have preferred it to have said that I was to be beheaded or even banished from the kingdom than having to go to this stupid ball," Nya sassed, making Amira roll her eyes.

"Mama, she's doing the thing again where she ruins a happy moment by talking," Amira sighed, making her way back to the others.

"Nya why is it that you can not just be happy about this" Vara asked as everyone now stared at an annoyed Nya.

"They are clearly doing this to show that they are good people so that I would change my opinion of them, but that will never happen," Nya claimed.

"You keep on saying they but you somehow fail to realize that this is a personal invitation from the king for you. The other members of the royal family have nothing to do with it, it's personal for you can't you tell" Eliana explained, handing the invitation back to Nya.

Nya read the invitation again, but this time she paid attention to the details, like how he made reference to her dislike for his family and their drinking competition. In her multiple reads of the invitation, she somehow didn't realize how personal it was.

"I am certain the other invitations are not like this one," Eliana stated.

"So are you going to accept?" Vara asked as her daughter now had a blank expression on her face.

"No, I don't think I will attend," Nya uttered. "There is not really a place for some random village girl at a royal ball filled with wealthy people."

"Nya, do not degrade yourself like that, please," Vara sighed.

"Why? This is what every one of those snobby people would think if I chose to attend," Nya hissed. "It's these kinds of people that believe we do not deserve anything nice."

"Nya, please calm down. There is no need to get upset over this," Vara said calmly. "It has been a long day, so go and rest and we shall revisit this with fresher and hopefully more open minds."

Dropping the invitation on the table, Nya made her way to her bedroom without uttering a word.

"Do you think she will change her mind?" Amira asked.

"It would be a miracle," Eliana said while everyone mumbled in agreement.

The sun seemed not to care about allowing people a few extra minutes to sleep as it crept through the curtains, yet again blinding Cassian in bed with its rays. The sun continued to follow Cassian through the palace keeping him alert with its blinding light.

"Your majesty, some of your guests have started sending in their RSVPs for the ball," one of the maids stated, handing him a tray filled with them.

Cassian rummaged through the pile of RSVPs, looking for a specific one. He spent a few moments inspecting every single response in order for him not to miss any. Unfortunately, he did not find the response he was looking for.

"This pile is useless. Get it out of my face," Cassian commanded.

"Yes your majesty," the maid obeyed, rushing out of the room.

The clouds now hid the sun as Cassian rubbed his forehead.

Was it a bad idea to send the invitation? At the time, it seemed to make sense in his drunken state. But the more he thinks about it now, it is foolish to believe that someone who despises the royal family would be happy to spend an entire night around those she hates.

"Cassian," a voice called, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Cassian turned to see his father standing behind him, waving his hand to him, signaling for Cassian to make his way over to him.

"Morning, father, wonderful weather we're having," Cassian greeted, making his way to his father.

"The weather could be better," Richard stated.

The two stood in silence for a moment as Cassian waited to see what his father would criticize him about this morning. Most of their conversations seemed to be about Richard not agreeing with his son's actions and giving him a lecture on how this will not make a good leader.

"I know I gave you a hard time about your time spent in the village," Richard started, "but that is only because you are now a king and do not have time to waste."

In the beginning, it may have sounded like the start of an apology, but Cassian knew that something such as an apology was something his father was incapable of giving.

"You can not be wasting your time when you have other people and problems to attend to," Richard stated.

Cassian did his best to remain calm and not argue against his father's statements.

"Are you excited for the ball this Saturday?" Richard asked.

"Something like that," Cassian uttered, waving off the maids who approached with more RSVPs.

"The ten ladies are very wonderful and any would make a beautiful queen," Richard said.

Cassian mumbled, not wanting to continue this conversation. He knew that for the entire season, he was going to have people saying the same thing to him. Though the season only started, he has already grown tired of it.

"Word on the street is that Rosalina Emirit has decided to join this year's festivities," Richard mentioned. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Maybe," Cassian mumbled.

"I wonder what made a woman like her think she can participate in the courting season," Richard ridiculed.

"She is still a lady," Cassian defended.

"A lady who has brought nothing but shame to her family's name, almost ruining their entire reputation," Richard argued. "A proper lady would consider how her vulgar actions would affect her family."

Cassian's jaw clenched at his father's words as Richard had said similar things to him. He can recall almost every moment when his father yelled at him for bringing shame to the royal family.

"Does that mean she should not be allowed to participate?" Cassian blurted before catching himself.

"Ah, of course, you would come to the defense of your mistress," Richard stated as a sly smile appeared.

"I ju- just believed th that um-" Cassian stuttered.

"Since you feel so passionate about this son, why don't you invite all of your whores to a sophisticated event, if that will please you" Richard suggested.

Cassian had no words for his father's remarks.

"I personally would not like any of your whore's here but you are the king, you make the decision," Richard stated. "Are you going to turn a well respected ball into your personal pleasure party?"

The former king's words rang through Cassian's ears for the rest of the day. His father was waiting to see how he would mess everything up so that he could scold Cassian once more.

Cassian made his way back to his chambers as the castle halls grew quiet in the night. In his sleepy haze, he saw a feminine figure lying across his bed in one of his robes. He wiped his eyes to see it was Rosalina.

"What are you doing here?" Cassian asked as Rosalina made her way to Cassian, exposing a little bit of what was under the robe.

"I'm here for us," she whispered, slowly undoing his shirt to expose his chest.

"There is no longer an us," he breathed as she slowly caressed his chest.

"Do you not want us back?" Rosalina questioned, making quick work of his pants.

"I-" Cassian sighed as Rosalina let her rob fall to her feet, exposing her naked body. Rosalina grabbed Cassian's hands, guiding them up to her chest. She closed her eyes as his hands made their way to her lower waist.

"We should not continue this," he sighed.

"No one is stopping you," she remarked, grabbing his hands off her waist and leading him to the bed.

"You are still wearing too many clothes," she said as she lay in the bed gesturing to his disheveled clothing with her feet.

In a swift instant, he matched her nakedness before taking his place between her legs. He placed gentle kisses up her inner thigh before licking the outline of her entrance, releasing a pleasurable moan from her.

"We should not be doing this," he uttered, looking up.

"Don't stop," she whispered, breathing hard before grabbing the back of his head to direct it back between her thighs.

The entire night was filled with moans and soft screams.

Cassian could not deny that this was a good distraction from everything going on. It had been a while since he felt this level of ecstasy.

It felt good.

But it was wrong.

But it was something he needed.