Familiar Ties

In the afternoon, Isabelle brewed another calming tea for Cassian and soon he excused himself to get some more rest. Isabelle didn't admit that all that she did that day was to distract Cassian from work and give him respite. Knowing that Cassian's responsibilities do not stop even if he has, she met with Samuel to guide the decisions on any upcoming meetings. Samuel smiled with satisfaction as he once again saw his princess in her true form, confident to tell him her thoughts on which meetings can be postponed or dealt with via letters. 

It was a nice change of scenery to then spend a few hours with Chiron looking at different derivation techniques, including precipitation of mixtures. Isabelle did all of the steps of the process with utmost precision, equivalent of the most skilled alchemist. She was on par with Chiron who spend years perfecting his abilities.

After a tedious afternoon, Isabelle ate her dinner on her own after being informed that Cassian still slept. In her solitude, she decided to tackle the study. Dusting and tidying took a while but after she beamed with satisfaction.

As a reward, Isabelle sat on the floor of the study with the book that she found on one of the dusty shelves. She flipped through the pages with utter amazement. Her eyes glistened as she read the most unreal content under the dim light of an oil lamp. She was reading a book about pure bloods. But no one mentioned to her is the kind of powers the pure bloods could carry. They genuinely possessed magical powers. Some were able to see in the dark, others could become invisible on command. Unfortunately, the mutation causing those abilities was one of the recessive characteristics and since the pure bloods started to marry humans, these special powers vanished from generation to generation. There was less than a handful of pure bloods and even a lot of them didn't posses the powers as sometimes it skipped a few generations.

Isabelle reached a middle of the book with multiple family trees drawn. Yvelone line was there. Cassian was one of the blood lines that once were pure bloods. They still might have been. Isabelle looked at the family names recognising some from history books and random conversation. 

Bellatoregius was another familiar name. A bloodline of the royalty of Merion. Kingdom of Merion was the kingdom that Galbore was in war with. These were the people that Cassian defeated. Isabelle pondered whether her father struggled winning the war because of his own lack of powers and that was what was making Merion have gains for so long before Cassian led the battle.

Isabelle stopped reading as her mind was too focused on trying to work out what Cassian's powers might be. He never spoke of it and no one else mentioned it either. Maybe it were his good looks? She smiled at that thought, recalling their recent encounters and growing connection. Even with her eyes closed she saw the blueness of his eyes. And then, his eyes transformed to the one's of Atlas.

Isabelle wrapped her arms around her legs and sobbed in a dark study that belonged to Atlas's grandfather. It hit her even more now. She felt like she was betraying her dear friend by being with Cassian. And what's worse was that she started to feel that weird tugging on the inside around Cassian as she used to around Atlas.

If Atlas were alive, he might have been standing in Cassian's place. He might have been the one she showed her true self too. And he might have been the one that was to become the king of Ariadna. If he was alive, his powers would have been used well. He would've used them for his kingdom, whatever his powers could've been. And if he didn't have powers, he would've used his stubborn nature to lead his country.

But he was dead due to a plague and Isabelle was too late to try to save him. Maybe some of the medicines and elixirs she was deriving could've saved him. She sat there for a while longer, until her tears run dry, and then she collected herself enough to return to her chamber. Her eyes were glued to Cassian's chamber door when she walked past it, her mind curious about who he truly was. No one spoke of Atlas even once in the past few weeks but it didn't mean they didn't care. As time passes, the name slips away as the pain is buried deeper and deeper until everything else grows around it and makes it almost bearable.

Before Isabelle fell asleep, she took out one single letter she managed to keep safe for so many years, where Atlas promised to return to her and take her away. Even if he couldn't do it while alive, Isabelle nearly believed that her current life was still somehow his doing.

She put the letter away safely and rested, tired from the sobs.

The knock woke Isabelle up. She put on a nightgown and opened the door, surprised to see Cassian.

"Good morning, Isabelle." He said with a smile, holding a tray with breakfast on it.

"Good morning, Cassian." Isabelle answered in surprise.

"As I have missed dinner last night, I thought that perhaps we should have a private breakfast." Cassian suggested.

"I am not yet dressed." Isabelle blushed in deep red.

"That's why I brought breakfast over here." Cassian smiled again. 

Isabelle opened the door wider, as a silent invitation. Cassian keenly set the tray on the table, placing deliciously smelling bakes and bowls of fruit on the table, along with cups of tea. Isabelle sat down opposite him, very aware of her morning state, of the unbrushed blue and white hair, and her nightdress under the thin night gown.

Once Cassian set the table up, he looked up and his eyes met with Isabelle's. He wore his regal dress this morning, of cream coloured suit with navy and gold embellishments. The suit highlighted his features.

For Isabelle, it was like a sudden, involuntary pause—her breath caught for a split second, and the world seemed to narrow its focus as her eyes saw the depth of the blue in Cassian's eyes.

There was a mix of awe and disbelief, as if her brain needed a moment to register that someone can actually look like that. It was not just about symmetry or features; it was the way Cassian carried himself, the energy he exuded.

Isabelle's heart skipped, her thoughts scrambled, and for a fleeting moment, she felt as if she was witnessing something rare, almost unreal. It was a little like standing in front of a masterpiece—equal parts admiration and fascination, with a hint of something deeper, something unnameable.

She caught herself in her act, and she did everything to divert her gaze, trying to pour tea into the two cups.

"I see that you are dressed for the day." Isabelle noted aloud to break the silence that now made her uncomfortable solely because it gave her mind space to wander into the sides she was so embarrassed to think about.

"Yes. I decided to take a few meetings this morning."

"Are you certain that you feel up to it?" Isabelle showed her worry.

"Yes." Cassian smiled again. "But I did ensure that I have a quieter evening planned."

"That's good." Isabelle nodded, hiding her sudden nervousness by clenching onto the cup as she drank the anemone tea - the same tea that she had every morning since she remembered.

"What are your plans for the morning?" Cassian enquired showing keen interest in Isabelle, not shying away from having an eye contact with her.

"I shall get dressed in something a little more appropriate at the first instance." Isabelle chuckled as she looked down at the night dress. "Then I will send the letters to the physicians I was able to get the names of and maybe have a walk to the city to see if I can find a right place for the healing centre. Besides that, I have a little bit of work left to prepare for the ball and preparing more ointments."

"It sounds like a busy day." Cassian furrowed his brows.

"Is something bothering you?" Isabelle asked directly. "Am I doing something I shouldn't? Or am I missing something?"

"No, not at all." Cassian shook his head, softening his face again. "I did wonder whether I could spend some time with you today. I feel I was neglecting you recently."

"Neglecting?" Isabelle raised her brows. "You have absolutely not. But I have nothing against spending time together." Isabelle pursed her lips as she thought. "Perhaps a walk? It will do you good to spend some time outdoors. The weather seems rather pleasant today. Perhaps after lunch."

"That's a splendid idea." Cassian agreed eagerly. 

There was something so familiar about him now. It felt as if Isabelle knew him for nearly forever as they spoke of any topic that rolled of their tongues.