CASSANDRA: The Unfavored Princess-Chapter 100: Affect You?

Duke Salvador walked back into the ballroom before going to the fifth Princess’s room.

Aiden walked as he saw Lord Bentham coming towards him. A smile played on Duke Salvador’s face as he stood in place waiting for his friend to come towards him.

"Aiden, I want to talk with you." Lord Bentham said as soon as he reached.

"I was hoping that you would come to me, Achard. Otherwise, I had to come at you." Duke Salvador’s voice was serious.

Lord Bentham could not understand why Duke Salvador’s tone was filled with annoyance. But Achard understood that the situation called for it. Won’t all the dukes be busy and tense due to the situation created by the first Princess?

"Should we go then?" Duke Salvador asked as he looked into Lord Bentham’s eyes.

"Yes, after you."

—--

"So tell me Achard, what is it that you wanted to say?" Duke Salvador asked in a serious tone. There was brewing darkness surrounding him which Lord Bentham could predict.

Lord Bentham could not understand why his friend had turned a lot crueler at this point but he could not help himself but say. "Aiden, I am here to talk with you as a friend."

Duke Salvador laughed at Lord Bentham’s words. "You are always here to talk with me as a friend, Archer, but are you really one?" Aiden took a step forward as he continued. "Do you know what I’ve been thinking for a few days now? I have been wondering what has gone wrong between us. We have known each other from a very young age. We have even been a part of a few great wars. I’ve always looked up to your intelligence. I have always admired it, but now at this point, I feel like you are way too intelligent for me. Because you are able to fool me into thinking that we were friends?"

"BUT WE ARE!" Lord Bentham said immediately as he cut through Duke Salvador’s words.

"Am I? Really? I do not feel so Achard. Have we behaved as friends in situations like this?" Duke Salvador raised his eyebrows as he looked at his friend. "I told you that you should not get married to the fifth Princess and without telling me the real reason why you decided to ignore my advice. And now at this point, you want to go to an enemy kingdom because you want to read some books? Do you take me as a fool, Achard? Because I think you do."

Lord Bentham shook his head. "How can I? I have never taken you as a fool. You are my friend Aiden and even if you do not feel that now you should always remember that you will be my friend. That is my true feelings for you. You were, are, and will be my friend. We have gone through many ups and downs and that is not something which I would experience with someone who I do not consider one of my own. You are one of my own, Aiden."

Lord Bentham’s words choked at the end but Duke Salvador laughed at those words as his eyes narrowed. "If what you say is true, then you tell me as a friend and give me a proper reply. What is the real reason that you want to go to the Vivere Kingdom? As you said, I am not a fool. I can see and I hear you and my brain do work to understand that whatever your father and you are telling us all is b*******. I do not care what you or your father are planning, but you both look hell-bound with sending the fifth Princess there."

Lord Bentham’s eyes widened at Duke Salvador’s words. He could not say anything else to release his pent-up anger, but a small smile formed on his face. "Yes, how could I forget that Duke Salvador is never a fool."

Both the men looked at each other with a complicated case. There was a stiff tension between them but no one said anything else. The atmosphere chilled down as the aura of Aiden and Achard toned stronger.

"I will not let you take Princess Cassandra there alone." Duke Salvador said in a whisper as if giving a warning.

"And why would it affect you?" Lord Bentham asked in a sarcastic tone. "As for what I know. the fifth Princess and you are not acquainted. You were never interested in any of this before so why do you care who I take with me and who I don’t."

Duke Salvador did not reply for a few seconds. He stared into Achard Bentham’s eyes before he raised his eyes. "Yes I do not know her, but I know you."

Duke Salvador walked towards Lord Bentham with a smile on his face. "And it was you that made me interested in her. You refused to back down. You gave her away."

Lord Bentham’s eyes widened in disbelief before he murmured. "What does that means?"

"You know the power I hold Achard. I can stop you from going to the Vivere Kingdom. As a friend, I am giving you a chance to tell me some truth now. I will not repeat myself again. Achard. You should think about it and then let me know."

Lord Bentham stared into Duke Salvador’s eyes and he could see that his friend was not joking around. The seriousness induced into Duke Salvador’s eyes was dripping as a lingering fear started receding into Lord Bentham’s heart.

’What Aiden is saying is true.’

’I will leave this Empire and I will take Cassandra with me, but I need Aiden’s help.’

’Isn’t this the reason I called him up?’

’I cannot tell him the truth even if I want to’

’What should I do?’

Lord Bentham’s thoughts were running wide, but soon he composed himself. It was a give-and-take relationship. Even though they have friends, the situation Achard was in was getting more complicated day by day. The only person that would pull him out would be Duke Salvador.

"I will tell you whatever you want to know, but please understand that I do have my own secrets. Even though I want to tell you things, I may not be able to, but I will try my best. Just because we are friends." Lord Bentham’s words were filled with emotions. He looked at the Duke before turning his gaze down. "Ask me whatever you feel like, Aiden?"

Duke Salvador’s eyes narrowed. It was not difficult to understand his friend’s words. Achard was only going to tell him the things, he would be allowed to know and skip the other.

"So why do you want to go to the Vivere Kingdom? You can’t go just for the book?" Duke Salvador said.

"Yes there are indeed some ancient scriptures in the Vivera Kingdom that have been long destroyed, maybe that might tell us the actual prophecy."

Duke Salvador raised his eyebrow. "Do you mean the prophecy that we have been following for decades is false?"

"It is not false." Lord Bentham continued. "It is just misinterpreted. The actuality is something else."

Although the prophecy has been in the Empire for a long time its authenticity was always doubted.

"But why would the Lord take the fifth princess with him?" Duke Salvador’s voice was filled with questions, but before Lord Bentham could say anything he continued. "And do not give me the answer that you are both fiances and that you don’t know how long you will be in the Vivere Kingdom. I want to know the truth."

Lord Bentham was quiet for some time. He was in deep thoughts.

’Aiden could see through me.’

Lord Bentham took deep breaths as he controlled his emotions before looking up into Duke Salvador’s eyes. "I will take Princess Cassandra no matter what you say. She is at a risk here and you know that."

Duke Salvador’s gaze shook due to Lord Bentham’s words but he did not let his expression show. "Why would an unfavorable and powerless Princess be at risk?"

Lord Bentham smiled as his body relaxed. He folded his hands as his eyes sharpened. "Are you telling me that you do not know the powers of the fifth Princess?"

"Do you?" Duke Salvador raised his eyebrows.

"Just a few minutes ago, you praised my intelligence. Don’t doubt it now Aiden. I know that you know about Cassandra." Lord Bentham’s lips curled into a smirk.

Duke Salvador’s body tensed. His eyes sharpened as his breathing became shallow. "So the Lord is also knowledgeable? Are you a part of the Vivere Kingdom as well? They also knew about her powers." Duke Salvador raised his eyebrows in question at his good friend.

"They do." Lord Bentham said in a confident voice. "Of course, they do. They are the ones who will save her. She needs the protection now, Aiden, but she not only needs the protection from the royal family. She needs protection from you too."