A Father

The morning sun shone through the large windows, casting a golden glow upon the lavishly decorated chamber. The scent of freshly brewed tea lingered in the air, yet the atmosphere inside the former Empress Catherine's residence was anything but serene.

Catherine, dressed in an exquisite sapphire gown, sat on a high-backed chair, her elegant fingers gripping the armrests. Her blue hair was neatly styled, and her gray eyes burned with cold fury.

She had spent years—decades—building everything.

Her influence had been undeniable, her power absolute.

And yet—

The rumors.

The whispers about the current Empress, Diana Hinsdale, turning her back on Cassian.

An insane Empress, they said. A woman who had abandoned her love for the Emperor overnight.

A woman who no longer supported her son.

Catherine's delicate fingers tightened around the porcelain teacup in her hand.

Then, with a sudden crack, she threw it against the marble floor.

Crash!

The servants standing by the walls flinched, but none dared to speak.

Catherine's face remained composed, but her chest rose and fell with controlled rage.

"Summon Cassian," she ordered, her voice as sharp as a dagger.

Her attendants hurriedly bowed and rushed out of the room.

It took some time, but eventually, the Emperor arrived.

Cassian stepped into the chamber without hesitation, his regal posture making it clear he had not come to beg for his mother's approval.

The doors shut behind him.

He met her gaze without expression, his gray eyes as unreadable as ever.

Catherine, however, did not bother hiding her anger.

"What have you done?" she hissed.

Cassian took a seat without waiting for permission, reaching for the teapot and calmly pouring himself a cup.

Catherine watched, her fingernails pressing into her palm, before slamming her hand onto the table.

"You fool! Diana was a good piece! You should have controlled her better!"

Cassian took a slow sip of tea, his face utterly indifferent.

Catherine continued, her voice growing sharper.

"Do you think I agreed to that lowborn woman, Liliana, becoming Queen because I wanted to? I tolerated her because you agreed to marry Diana as Empress!"

She exhaled sharply, trying to maintain her composure.

"And now—now—you dare name that half-breed son of yours as Crown Prince?"

She nearly spat the words.

Cassian set his cup down with a soft clink.

"You mean Roan," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"A disgrace of royal blood," Catherine sneered. "That commoner's son does not deserve the throne. You had everything—Diana was loyal, the Hinsdale family backed you, and Lucien… Lucien has the purest aristocratic bloodline."

Cassian remained silent, his fingers tracing the rim of the teacup.

Catherine leaned forward, her gray eyes glinting.

"You think the nobles will support you?" she scoffed. "They're laughing at you. They see you as weak. A man controlled by a woman with no proper lineage. It took me years—years—to make sure you had the Hinsdale family's support. Do you think they'll stand by you now?"

Cassian's lips curled slightly, though it was not quite a smile.

"And yet," he said, lifting the cup once more, "you were so eager to marry me to Diana, knowing full well she was an obsessive fool."

Catherine waved a hand dismissively. "That's exactly why she was perfect. She clung to you like a dog, followed you without question. And now, look at her. Cold. Distant. Ruthless."

Her nails tapped against the table.

"And you let her go."

Cassian took another sip, swallowing the tea as if this conversation was nothing more than idle talk.

Catherine's patience snapped.

With a low voice, she asked, "Do you even understand what you've done?"

Cassian tilted his head slightly, waiting.

Catherine's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"You have become weak."

Cassian set his cup down once again, but this time, his gray eyes darkened.

Weak?

Was that what she thought?

Was that what everyone thought?

Catherine watched his expression carefully, then narrowed her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked. "What did that woman tell you?"

Cassian did not respond immediately.

Instead, he tapped a single finger against the table.

Then—

"The night I spent with Diana," he said. "It was your doing, wasn't it?"

Catherine's expression remained composed, but something in her eyes flickered.

She sighed, leaning back into her chair. "Of course it was. You needed an heir, a real heir. Diana was perfect for that. She was from a noble bloodline, she was devoted to you, and most importantly… she was easy to control."

Cassian's jaw tensed.

It was true, then.

It had always been his mother's plan.

And all these years—he had blamed Diana.

The very woman who had once loved him blindly.

Catherine, however, seemed unbothered.

"You should be thanking me," she said lightly. "Lucien is the only child you have with a noble's blood. He is the only true heir."

Cassian slowly stood from his seat.

Catherine watched, waiting for him to say something.

Instead, he turned and walked toward the door.

"Cassian," she called, her voice still firm.

He paused.

"Don't make a mistake you'll regret," she warned.

Cassian exhaled, but did not look back.

Then, in a voice quieter than before, he simply said:

"…I already have."

And with that, he walked away, leaving his mother seething in her throne-like chair.

As he stepped out of the room, his aide was already waiting for him, a thick stack of documents in his hands.

"My Lord," the aide murmured.

Cassian took the papers without a word.

His gaze swept over the reports.

Then—

He stopped.

The handwriting.

The records.

It was not Diana who drugged him.

His grip on the paper tightened.

Nothing changed.

Diana was cold-blooded. Ruthless. Ambitious. Just like his mother.

…Right?

Cassian folded the paper, pressing it into his palm.

And yet, as he made his way back to his chambers, a single image burned in his mind—

Diana, standing on the balcony the night before, staring at him with golden eyes filled with finality.

"I regret ever meeting you."

For the first time in years, Cassian felt something that wasn't control.

Cassian dipped his quill into the ink, his hand moving in precise strokes as he signed off on yet another document. His desk was covered in neatly stacked reports, yet his mind was elsewhere. No matter how much he wanted to ignore it, the truth weighed on him like an iron chain.

He hated to admit it, but he had made a mistake.

Diana hadn't drugged him.

For years, he had blamed her, resented her, convinced himself she was just like his mother—power-hungry, calculating, and selfish. But the truth was out now.

It was Catherine.

Not Diana.

His fingers tightened around the quill, the ink blotting slightly on the parchment.

He should apologize.

Cassian scowled at the thought. He hated the idea of admitting he was wrong—especially to that extravagant woman who surrounded herself with wealth, beauty, and status.

But as an Emperor, fairness was his principle.

And fairness demanded an apology.

With a sigh, he put down his quill and stood up.

Immediately, his aide, Bernard, panicked.

"Y-Your Majesty! Where are you going?! There are still twenty-three more documents to review—"

Cassian shot him a cold glare.

Bernard's face paled, and his grip on the paperwork trembled.

Then, after a tense pause, he let out a defeated sigh and reluctantly stepped aside.

"…Have a safe trip, Your Majesty."

Cassian turned and strode out without another word.

Bernard could only watch in horror as the workload remained untouched.

It was his first time stepping foot in the Empress's palace.

The moment he entered the gardens, he immediately noticed how different it was from Liliana's Queen's palace.

There were no extravagant fountains, no golden statues, no foreign imported flowers arranged for display.

Instead, it was… simple.

Well-kept but plain.

Cassian didn't linger on the details. He continued walking in silence, his hands clasped behind his back, until—

A familiar figure caught his eye.

Under the shade of a large tree, a small boy sat alone, his black hair illuminated by the soft morning light.

Cassian stopped in his tracks.

Lucien.

For a moment, all he could do was stare.

The boy sat quietly, deep in thought, the pages of an open book in his lap completely forgotten. He looked like a miniature reflection of himself—same black hair, same gray eyes.

Cassian couldn't help but think back to his own childhood.

He, too, had once skipped lessons, hiding from his tutors to avoid boring lectures. Diana had been the only one who followed him stubbornly, scolding him and dragging him back to class.

Cassian's gaze darkened.

"Why did she cling to our childhood?"

"Why did she become a fool?"

He used to think it was pathetic.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

Lucien shifted slightly, still unaware of Cassian's presence.

Then Cassian stepped forward.

The boy flinched the moment he saw him.

Lucien quickly stood and bowed, his small voice polite.

"Your Majesty."

Cassian studied him.

Yesterday, he had seen this very same boy beaming at his teachers, greeting them warmly, clinging to Diana like an innocent child.

But now—

Now, he looked distant.

Cassian remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Sit."

Lucien hesitated, then quietly obeyed, settling back onto the grass.

Cassian sat beside him.

It was awkward.

Lucien flinched slightly, his posture stiff.

Cassian inwardly noted the difference.

If it were Roan, he would have run up excitedly, demanding a head pat.

If it were Elysian, he would have jumped onto him, laughing.

But Lucien…

Lucien had never once approached him first.

Cassian had rarely involved himself with his son. He was there for nothing—not Lucien's birth, not his birthday, not his lessons, outings, or moments of weakness.

Only occasionally.

Only when it was convenient.

And, if he was being honest—

He had always thought Lucien was a mistake.

But—

Wasn't that unfair?

It wasn't Diana's fault.

It wasn't Lucien's fault either.

It was Catherine.

The former Empress had forced this upon them.

But even so—

Cassian reminded himself.

Diana was just like his mother.

That was why he couldn't let his thoughts waver.

"...What are you doing?" Cassian finally asked.

Lucien hesitated. "...My tutors are busy today."

Cassian's brows raised slightly.

"Busy?"

Lucien nodded. "Teacher Lucius is… well, tired. And Teacher Zephyr is stuck in the Magic Tower, waiting for his leave request to be approved. So… I thought I'd take a break too."

Cassian blinked.

So he was running away.

"…Running away from lessons?"

Lucien gave a small, guilty nod.

Cassian's lips twitched, though he didn't comment further.

There was another brief silence.

Strangely, it wasn't as unpleasant as he expected.

Then, as if summoned by their conversation—

Lucius appeared.

The Underworld King walked toward them, his black coat slightly wrinkled, his usual refined appearance slightly disheveled. He looked exhausted.

Cassian watched as Lucien's eyes lit up instantly.

The boy sprang to his feet, beaming.

"Teacher Lucius!"

Lucius barely had time to react before Lucien launched himself forward, wrapping his small arms around him.

Cassian expected the man to push the boy away.

Instead, Lucius simply scooped him up, holding him effortlessly.

The supposedly cruel Underworld King—feared by the nobility, a man of brutality and shadows—

Cassian watched as that very same man calmly listened as Lucien excitedly spoke about…

…Tax evasion?

Cassian frowned slightly.

Lucien was talking animatedly about something involving numbers and estate fraud.

Lucius, despite looking tired, nodded along patiently.

Cassian sat there, staring.

How strange.

This—

This was something he had never seen.

And then—

Lucius glanced at him, meeting his gaze.

He didn't bow. He didn't offer any formal greeting.

He simply nodded, acknowledging Cassian as an equal, not an Emperor.

Cassian didn't react.

Lucien, still chattering happily, continued as if Cassian weren't even there.

Cassian's gaze drifted to the boy's small back, his expression unreadable.

And then—

It hit him.

Lucien had never once called him 'Father.'

Not once.

Cassian felt something strange settle in his chest.

But before he could dwell on it, Lucius turned, carrying Lucien away effortlessly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Cassian remained seated, watching them disappear into the distance.

A breeze passed through the garden.

For the first time, he wasn't sure what he was feeling.