Deviating from the original plot

Chapter ninety-two

"Your Highness?" she called.

"I can't sleep," Cassius said without looking up. "Not when my father is possessed and planning to destroy this empire."

"Figures," Victoria replied.

"Then why aren't you doing anything?" he demanded.

"Who says I'm not?" she shot back. "I'm working on a way to stop him."

"The palace is probably sealed tight," Cassius said, lowering his blade and meeting her eyes. "I can't go back in there with no plan. I'm worried about my mother."

"You must really care for her," Victoria said, and he looked away for a moment.

"I want to save her," he said.

"I know but it won't be easy," Victoria admitted.

Cassius said, voice steady. "An infiltration would be the best course of action."

Victoria considered that, then smiled faintly. "You're not wrong. A careful infiltration would be effective."

"You should thank me — I gave you the idea," he crowed. "

"You are annoying," Victoria deadpanned.

"Then air your grievances. Fight me!" He tossed her a spare sword.

"You can't be serious," she said, making a face.

"Unless you're scared I'll beat you," he taunted.

"I'm not scared of beating you," Victoria said, taking the sword. "I'm scared of hurting you, Your Highness."

"Take the sword, you brute!" he laughed.

"All right," she said, stepping into stance. "But don't cry when I make you eat dirt. Princess."

They circled each other. The clash that followed was quick and sharp. Victoria's strikes were precise; Cassius's were rawer. She held back just enough, letting him land a few blows so he'd keep his confidence. When she finally disarmed him with a twist and shove, he laughed, dropping to one knee.

"That was... humiliating," he admitted, grinning despite himself.

"I told you," she said with a faint smirk, extending a hand to help him up.

Cassius took it, rising to his feet, still breathing hard. "Well, you did," he muttered, half-smiling.

"You'll live," she replied. Then her tone softened, serious again. "I promise you, Your Highness—we will succeed. By dawn, we will need to start planning at once."

✦ ✦

In the daytime ~

The group descended deeper into the black market — a dimly lit maze of stalls where smoke hung heavy in the air and the scent of burnt incense mingled with metal and decay.

"I can't believe a place like this exists in the empire," Cassius muttered, eyeing the cloaked figures haggling over strange relics. "All these people should be in jail."

"Do anything rash and I'll personally knock you out," Evelyn warned, not even looking back.

Cassius frowned. "You know it's true — this is illegal!"

"Shut up before you get us all arrested," Victoria hissed.

He wrinkled his nose. "And it smells like something died here."

"Cassius, enough!" The three women snapped at once. He fell silent, sulking.

They pushed through the crowd until Evelyn stopped at a small stall without a word. She dropped a few coins and bought a basket full of wrapped cookies.