The Remnant

Chapter 55

The tension in the air was thick. Every head in the room turned toward us. Valtair stood over the table, arms crossed, gaze locked with Cassandra. Even though it pained me to admit it, this was the first time in my life I was genuinely glad to see him.

"By all means, Majesty." Cassandra clapped her hands. "I'm all ears."

Valtair smiled and patted me on the head. "What if I told you my son taught himself? Would you believe me?"

"No," Cassandra replied.

"Well, what if I said I taught him?"

"You tutored your son?"

"What if I did..."

Cassandra sighed, shaking her head. "Your Majesty, do you take me for a fool? I've known you for centuries, and in all that time, I've never seen you tutor a single soul."

"We're talking about my son," Valtair said, chuckling as he drank from his cup.

"Yes, we are..." Cassandra leaned forward, nodding in agreement. "But, I still don't believe you."

I clenched my teeth, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over me. Cassandra was relentless. Not a single detail escaped her sight. Now that I was on her radar, I would have to be more careful than before.

Cassandra cleared her throat, lowering her voice so only the two of us would hear. "Your Majesty, please understand my intentions... All I want is the name of your boy's teacher."

"Why?"

"In all my life, I've never seen a child wield a blade like your son did today. Whoever is teaching him, must be a genius swordsman... One who I'd love to fight."

I fucked up... I fucked up big time! This is all because I lost my cool...

"You don't say..." Solomon sighed, the usual playfulness in his voice gone.

Valtair chuckled and rose from the table. "I already told you, Cass... I'm the one who taught him. If you're acting like this because of what happened in Eldrath, then stop! It's not my fault you missed your chance to fight him."

Fight who?! What in the world is he talking about?

As he started walking away, Cassandra jumped out of her seat and slammed her fist on the table. Gasps and murmurs rumbled through the room.

Valtair came to a halt, and the air in the room thickened. Every nerve in my body froze as his piercing dark eyes met Cassandra's. "If you act up again, I promise it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Cassandra's eyes widened, and she instinctively took a step back. A weighty silence settled over the room as the two demons locked eyes. Despite Cassandra's formidable strength, in front of Valtair, she was nothing. We all were...

"Fine," Cassandra sighed after a few seconds. "I'll drop the matter for now."

"Good." Valtair took a swig from his cup and walked back to his table.

As the room buzzed with chatter once more, Cassandra turned to me with a playful wink. "I'll be seeing you around, dear prince."

"I look forward to it," I replied hushedly.

A shiver crawled up my spine as I watched the blonde woman make her way out of the throne room. Given the act of boldness she'd just displayed, I had no doubt our paths would cross again. Cassandra didn't strike me as one to back down, especially not from a confrontation with Valtair.

"H-Highness?"

I blinked and looked at Count Digory, who was still staring at me with wide eyes. "Yes?"