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the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 129: How Did This Happen? · Oct 27, 2026

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Chapter List (304)

Page number / 7

101 Chapter 101: I Missed You 2026-10-27
102 Chapter 102: A Moment of Peace 2026-10-27
103 Chapter 103: The End of Questions 2026-10-27
104 Chapter 104: Beside Her 2026-10-27
105 Chapter 105: The First Move 2026-10-27
106 Chapter 106: The First Ripple 2026-10-27
107 Chapter 107: The Crown Prince Moves 2026-10-27
108 Chapter 108: The Last Olive Branch 2026-10-27
109 Chapter 109: Between Storms 2026-10-27
110 Chapter 110: The Name 2026-10-27
111 Chapter 111: The distance between us 2026-10-27
112 Chapter 112: What do you want? 2026-10-27
113 Chapter 113: Just Cassian 2026-10-27
114 Chapter 114: Then What? 2026-10-27
115 Chapter 115: The Audience 2026-10-27
116 Chapter 116: A Father’s Argument 2026-10-27
117 Chapter 117: And What of My Son? 2026-10-27
118 Chapter 118: Why Him? 2026-10-27
119 Chapter 119: If I Refuse 2026-10-27
120 Chapter 120: The Future 2026-10-27
121 Chapter 121: The Weight of a Crown 2026-10-27
122 Chapter 122: My Son Deserves Better 2026-10-27
123 Chapter 123: For the Best 2026-10-27
124 Chapter 124: Good News 2026-10-27
125 Chapter 125: The Road Ahead 2026-10-27
126 Chapter 126: Letting Go 2026-10-27
127 Chapter 127: The Proceedings 2026-10-27
128 Chapter 128: His Nephew 2026-10-27
129 Chapter 129: How Did This Happen? 2026-10-27
130 Chapter 130: My Brother’s Son 2026-10-27
131 Chapter 131: The Price 2026-10-27
132 Chapter 132: The Cost 2026-10-27
133 Chapter 133: Ashford House 2026-10-27
134 Chapter 134: Patience 2026-10-27
135 Chapter 135: Yours 2026-10-27
136 Chapter 136: Spring 2026-10-27
137 Chapter 137: The Invitation 2026-10-27
138 Chapter 138: The Season 2026-10-27
139 Chapter 139: Afterward 2026-10-27
140 Chapter 140: Questions 2026-10-27
141 Chapter 141: Attention 2026-10-27
142 Chapter 142: Answers 2026-10-27
143 Chapter 143: Waiting 2026-10-27
144 Chapter 144: His Grace, Duke Ashford 2026-10-27
145 Chapter 145: Home 2026-10-27
146 Chapter 146: Welcome Home 2026-10-27
147 Chapter 147: The Space Between Them 2026-10-27
148 Chapter 148: This Dance 2026-10-27
149 Chapter 149: Reality Returns 2026-10-27
150 Chapter 150: The Ring 2026-10-27

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: How Did This Happen?

”When did it begin?”

Silence.

Cassian stared at the Emperor.

For the first time that afternoon, he looked genuinely unprepared.

The Emperor appeared deeply satisfied by this.

”Well?”

Cassian considered the question.

Then frowned.

”I don’t know.”

The Emperor’s expression immediately soured.

”That is a terrible answer.”

”It is also the truth.”

The Emperor folded his arms.

”You expect me to believe that?”

Cassian nodded.

Because he did.

There had been no singular moment.

No dramatic realization.

No lightning strike.

Only a great many small things.

The Emperor sighed.

”Fine.”

A pause.

”Then let us begin with an easier question.”

Cassian immediately became suspicious.

That tone never led anywhere good.

The Emperor leaned back.

”Who approached whom?”

Silence.

Cassian’s expression froze.

Only briefly.

But it was enough.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes.

”Ah.”

Cassian closed his eyes.

”There is no reason to look so pleased.”

”There is every reason.”

The Emperor folded his arms.

”There is clearly a story here.”

”There isn’t.”

”There absolutely is.”

Cassian already regretted sitting back down.

Eventually he sighed.

”Marian spoke to me first.”

The Emperor’s eyebrows rose.

Now that was interesting.

”About what?”

Cassian looked away.

The Emperor smiled.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

”About what?”

”She was frustrated.”

”With Adrian?”

”Yes.”

The Emperor nodded.

That part was hardly surprising.

”And?”

Cassian sighed.

”She suggested something foolish.”

The Emperor waited.

Cassian waited.

The Emperor continued waiting.

Eventually:

”I refused.”

The Emperor studied him.

Then nodded once.

He believed that.

For some reason, that irritated him.

”And then?”

”We kept talking.”

The Emperor stared.

”That cannot possibly be the entire story.”

”Perhaps not.”

The Emperor looked satisfied.

”I knew it.”

Cassian ignored him.

For a moment he searched for the right words.

Then:

”We kept encountering each other.”

”Encountering.”

”A remarkable number of accidents.”

The Emperor looked deeply skeptical.

Cassian laughed quietly.

”They were genuine accidents.”

”Mm.”

The Emperor clearly believed nothing of the sort.

”There was a hunting excursion.”

The Emperor’s gaze sharpened.

”The forest.”

Cassian nodded.

The Emperor remembered hearing about it.

At the time it had seemed insignificant.

A minor inconvenience.

Nothing more.

Now, suddenly, it seemed very significant indeed.

”You were trapped together.”

”Yes.”

”For how long?”

Cassian hesitated.

The Emperor noticed immediately.

”How long?”

”Three days.”

Silence.

The Emperor stared.

”Three days.”

”Yes.”

”Alone.”

”Yes.”

Neither spoke.

Then:

”Your Majesty.”

”I didn’t say anything.”

”You were thinking it.”

”I was.”

Cassian rubbed his forehead.

For some reason, that seemed to amuse the Emperor greatly.

”Nothing happened.”

The answer came immediately.

The Emperor looked at him.

Cassian looked back.

Then the Emperor said:

”That wasn’t the surprising part.”

Silence.

Cassian blinked.

The Emperor leaned back.

”The surprising part is that after three days together, you both apparently returned determined to continue making responsible decisions.”

Against his will, Cassian laughed.

”That didn’t last.”

”No.”

”It clearly didn’t.”

For a moment both men were smiling.

Then the Emperor gestured.

”Continue.”

Cassian exhaled.

”We talked.”

”About?”

”Everything.”

The Emperor waited.

Cassian sighed.

”Politics.”

A pause.

”History.”

Another.

”Books.”

Another.

”The future.”

The Emperor nodded.

”And?”

Cassian looked toward the window.

Searching for words.

Then:

”At some point she stopped feeling like Adrian’s fiancée.”

The room grew quiet.

”And became Marian.”

A long silence followed.

The Emperor understood.

Unfortunately.

Not a title.

Not a future Empress.

Not an obligation.

A person.

Cassian continued quietly.

”We spoke because we enjoyed speaking.”

A pause.

”Then we started looking for each other.”

Another.

”And eventually...”

He stopped.

The Emperor waited.

Then:

”We forgot we weren’t supposed to.”

Silence.

For a long moment neither spoke.

Then the Emperor asked:

”When did you realize?”

Cassian smiled faintly.

”One day I found myself measuring every room by whether she was in it.”

The Emperor said nothing.

Because there was no easy response to that.

Then:

”And Marian?”

This time Cassian answered immediately.

”She fought.”

No hesitation.

No uncertainty.

”More than I did.”

The room became quiet.

Cassian continued.

”She defended Adrian.”

A pause.

”Defended the engagement.”

Another.

”Defended every reason she should stay.”

Silence.

”And lost.”

The Emperor looked away.

Toward the window.

Toward the fading afternoon light.

”She tried.”

It wasn’t a question.

”No.”

The answer surprised him.

The Emperor looked back.

Cassian met his gaze.

”She didn’t try.”

A pause.

”She fought.”

The words landed heavily.

For a long moment neither spoke.

Then the Emperor leaned back slowly.

”So that was it.”

Cassian looked at him.

The Emperor shook his head.

”Not ambition.”

A pause.

”Not manipulation.”

Another.

”Not conspiracy.”

Silence.

Then:

”Just two fools.”

Against his will, Cassian laughed.

The Emperor pointed at him.

”Do not look pleased.”

”I’m not.”

”You are.”

”I’m really not.”

The Emperor ignored him.

Then, after a moment of thought, pointed again.

”I have reached another conclusion.”

Cassian immediately became wary.

”It’s your face.”

Silence.

Cassian closed his eyes.

The Emperor nodded firmly.

”That is the answer.”

”To what?”

”Everything.”

Cassian groaned.

The Emperor folded his arms.

”My son is handsome.”

”Of course.”

”Very handsome.”

”Yes.”

The Emperor pointed at him.

”But you.”

A pause.

”You are a menace.”

Cassian laughed despite himself.

”For years you wandered around the capital looking perfectly harmless.”

”I was harmless.”

”Clearly not.”

The Emperor looked genuinely offended.

”You waited until adulthood.”

”That is not how faces work.”

”How convenient for you.”

Silence.

Then the Emperor muttered:

”If there had been a war, songs would have been written about this.”

Cassian immediately looked alarmed.

”What?”

The Emperor ignored him.

”Kingdoms ruined.”

”Your Majesty.”

”Families divided.”

”That one actually happened.”

The Emperor pointed triumphantly.

”Exactly.”

Then:

”Cassian of Ashford.”

Cassian immediately disliked where this was going.

”The face that launched a constitutional crisis.”

”That is not a title.”

”It should be.”

”Please don’t make it one.”

The Emperor appeared entirely unconvinced.

”My son loses a fiancée.”

A gesture.

”The Empire develops a collective headache.”

Another.

”Valmort argues with the Crown.”

Another.

”And somehow I am expected to believe your face is unrelated.”

For several moments neither spoke.

Then, to his immense annoyance, the Emperor started laughing.

Actually laughing.

The sound echoed through the room.

Cassian stared.

”You’re enjoying this.”

”A little.”

”A little?”

The Emperor waved a hand.

”You have caused me weeks of trouble.”

A pause.

”I am entitled to at least one joke.”

The laughter gradually faded.

Silence settled once more.

Then the Emperor looked at him.

Really looked at him.

His nephew.

His brother’s son.

The amusement disappeared.

Something older replaced it.

Something quieter.

”Stay seated.”

Cassian blinked.

The Emperor leaned back.

Because there was still one conversation left to have.

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