His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 74

Raena sighed in annoyance, wondering why she had so many covers on top of her when the weather was so hot. She tried to turn around and throw them off, when she realized she couldn’t move and the covers were concerningly heavy.

She forced her eyes open, looking down at them only to realize there was just a thin sheet snaking around her lower body, and a big hand that definitely wasn’t hers wrapped tightly around her waist. What she thought were covers was actually the body of the hand owner, which seemed to be radiating enough heat to cook breakfast.

She turned her head slowly, craning her neck to look at the person lying next to her, only to have her breath catch in her throat. Kassian’s head appeared right next to her shoulder, his face close, their noses were almost touching. His expression was completely relaxed, lips curved into a content smile. He looked even more handsome like that and as she stared at him with shock and confusion, her heart was beating so hard she was afraid the damn thing might wake him up.

How the hell did she end up in the same bed as him? And what was this place?

Her eyes examined the room they were in – painted in dark blue, black, and silver, the space gave a cold and stoic feel. There was barely any furniture apart from the bed, a table with two chairs, and a wardrobe, but they were all exquisitely made.

The Ultimate Trump Card

The only other thing inside were a few big plants-with giant green leaves that seemed to spread around a pleasant but unimposing smell of vegetation. Everything was tidy and clean, only the table had a few papers and quills scattered chaotically on it.

Her eyes landed on the sword that was propped by on the wall and the memories of last night flooded her head. The running in the forest and the people chasing her, the guy that had caught her and taunted her and then.. the b***d and the bodies. The head that had fallen in her lap…

Her stomach turned and bile rose in her throat, threatening to suffocate her. Raena pushed Kassian’s hand off and jumped to her feet, looking around in panic. She ran to one of the flowerpots and threw up in it, retching painfully as her chest tightened and her stomach continued to twist and turn until there was nothing left in it. She leaned her head on her hands, trying to calm down and regain control of her trembling body.

“Here, drink this.” Kassian’s voice said somewhere next to her. She froze, staring at the floor for a second before closing her eyes. Of course he’d wake up with all this noise. Why was she even surprised?

Raena wiped her mouth and pushed herself off the pot, looking up. He was standing next to her, holding a tall transparent glass with a yellowish liquid inside and waiting for her to take it.

His expression was still sleepy, but his eyes were wide awake as he watched her get to her feet. He wasn’t wearing a shirt for some reason, but at least he had pants on. Raena glanced down at her own body, somewhat relieved to replace herself dressed in a nightgown reaching to the middle of her calves. For a second she wondered if he had been the one to change her clothes, but then pushed that thought away.

Raena accepted the glass silently, raising it to her lips. She took a big gulp, expecting it to be tea or water with some herbs, but the taste was bitter and unpleasant, almost as if it was mixed with medicine. She tried to move the cup away, but he reached out and put his finger on the bottom of it, forcing it up again.

“Drink all of it.” He insisted, holding it like that until she resumed drinking. He pulled his hand away, his eyes still locked on her until she finished the rest of the nasty stuff. Raena wiped her mouth again, shuddering at the aftertaste.

“What was that?” She asked in a hoarse voice, glaring at the glass.

“A medicine to calm your nerves.” He replied, taking the cup from her and walking back to the bed to leave it on the nightstand. Raena glanced at the door she had noticed a few seconds ago, wondering if that was the way out. When she looked back at him, she realized he had seen her do that.

“Do you want to leave?” He asked.

“Kara will be worried about me,” Raena said the first thing that came to mind.

“Alright.” Kassian nodded. “But first, let’s have a talk.” He strode to the table, sinking in one of the chairs and looking at her. When she didn’t move, he pointed at the chair across from him. “Sit. Now.”

Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. And of course he would want to talk. With everything that had happened and in this situation where she literally had nowhere to go, he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass.

But neither was she.

Raena strode to the chair and sunk into it, ignoring the pain in her muscles. The way Kassian was staring at her was unnerving, even more so by the fact that he had no intention of putting a shirt on, and looking at his hard, well -defined muscles was more distracting than she thought it would be.

He was now leaning his head on his hand, staring at her with a thoughtful expression. Raena bit the inside of her l*p, forcing herself to return his look. Kara’s voice kept whispering in her ear, like a little devil – or an angel – hovering over her shoulder.

“Does it hurt somewhere?” He finally spoke, and Raena blinked in surprise at the unexpected question. “The doctor said you were not seriously injured, but you probably know your body better…”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Raena replied stiffly. Another long pause followed, broken by Kassian’s heavy sigh.

“About last night… Do you know any of the people that were there? The guards or the masked men? Have you met them before, do you recognize their voices or anything else?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, letting his hand fall and leaning forward. She nodded. “Then why were they trying to kill you?” Raena swallowed the lump in her throat, unable to look away from his eyes.

“They weren’t trying to kill me. They said they were there to take me.” She said carefully, watching as his expression changed. “l just got their leader angry, so he decided to teach me a lesson before taking me wherever they were supposed to take me.”

“And where is that?”

“I don’t know.” Raena said quietly. Kassian sighed, letting his head drop down, then rubbing his neck. “I swear I don’t know. The guards came to my residence saying you summoned me here, and I followed them. I found it weird that we didn’t go through the garden but through the Concubine’s palace, but by that time the one with the mask appeared and then his buddies killed the soldiers, saying they weren’t supposed to leave witnesses. I ran, and they caught me in the forest where you found me.”

Kassian had returned to staring at her, his eyes cold and full of suspicion. The way he was looking at her bothered her more than if he had turned angry, but she knew she deserved it. She had done nothing but lie until now so him not believe her was actually smart of him.

He got up without a word, walking away from her and heading towards another door that she hadn’t noticed before, half-hidden by the enormous unlit fireplace facing the bed. He pushed the door and disappeared into a room drowned in darkness, the only sound coming from his steps and the screeching of a drawer being pulled. Raena waited impatiently, wondering what he was up to.

He returned shortly after, but he was still empty-handed. Raena raised an eyebrow as she looked back to his face, which for the first time showed absolutely nothing. He took a seat across from her again, licking his lips. A moment later, he looked back at her, and his hesitation disappeared.

Raena raised her eyebrows in question, waiting for him to say something.

Kassian extended his hand over the table, raising something between his thumb and his forefinger. Raena switched her attention to it – it was a small golden plate with a square form, holding the Imperial crest in its center. Raena narrowed her eyes in confusion before looking back at him.

“Do you know what this is?” He asked. Raena shook her head. “This is an immunity token.

There are only a few of those and only direct members of the Imperial family – as well as a few distinguished nobles and military commanders –

Own one. With this token one can receive immunity for any crime excluding high treason such as attempted murder of the Emperor or a member of the imperial family.” Raena’s eyes widened as she stared at the token, so she jumped as Kassian’s other hand caught hers. A second later, he was pressing the token against her palm, closing her fingers around it. “l give you this token but I want you to tell me everything.”

“I-I-I really don’t know anything about the two soldiers or the masked men, I swear,” Raena said breathlessly, raising her wide eyes to him. His expression made her tense, but she forced herself to keep calm.

“I know,” Kassian said quietly. “That much I can tell. But that’s not what I am talking about. I want you to tell me everything. Starting from the reason you married me, the reason you pretended to be something you’re not, the reason you bought those slaves at the market, the reason you kept all those secrets. The reason you became…”

“..Madam Lydia.” Raena finished, and his hold on her hand tightened. “So you did know. I thought as much, but you never said anything.” His expression didn’t change, but the look in his eyes was so impatient and so intense that she suddenly felt threatened. She looked down at their hands-hers holding the immunity token and his holding hers so gently yet so desperately.

She could almost imagine Kara screaming at her right now. He had just given her the ultimate trump card, which cleared all obstacles in her path.

With this token, even the Emperor could not kill her.

The worst it could happen.. the worst it could happen was for Kassian to hate her. But if that happened, she’d be getting exactly what she thought she wanted – divorce and freedom to leave.

And at least he’d get some answers and hopefully enough information to protect himself.

But how much could she tell him? How much would he believe? Even Kara, who had been with her from the start, struggled with accepting everything Raena had dumped on her at first. And Kassian.. he didn’t even trust her to begin her, why would he believe..

Raena looked back at his face, searching for something to tell her how to go about it. When their eyes met, she froze, feeling almost as if somebody had just punched her in the gut. His gaze was overflowing with desperation and hope she would accept his offer and tell him the truth this time. Hope she’ll finally open up.

Damn it, Raena thought, her chest. He wanted to believe, he was, desperate to tightening.

If only I had done this from the start..

“Alright,” Raena said quietly. He looked surprised for a second, then his expression turned so relieved, she almost laughed.

“Alright.” He nodded.

They continued to stare at each other for a few seconds, then Kassian pulled his hand away, leaning back in his chair. Raena raised the token and placed it on the table next to her, letting her hands fall in her lap.

“Do you believe in life after death, Kassian?” She asked, watching him as he blinked in surprise at the mention of his name. “What do you think happens to a person’s soul after that person dies?”

“I don’t know… What does that have to do with…?” He asked, frowning in confusion.

“Answer me, please.” Raena insisted, and he sighed in exasperation.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “The priests say that once a person dies, they go to a different world and live the life they earned according to the deeds they had performed in the last life.”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I died in another world and woke up in this body shortly before our wedding?” Raena asked, her heart beating so hard in her chest, she found it hard to breathe. Kassian stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes hardening.

“No.” He replied. Raena swallowed the lump in her throat but kept her smile on.

“What if I can tell you what your mother’s last words were before they dragged her for the execution? That was before I was born, wasn’t it?

There is no way I could know that considering it was just the two of you when she spoke them.” Kassian’s face changed in an instant, his hands tightening over the armrests. “Protect the ones you love at all costs, my love, even if it means giving up everything because loving someone means having your heart living outside of your body. And without a heart, life isn’t worth living.”

Kassian continued to stare at her with a mix of shock and anger, his mouth slightly open if he planned to speak but couldn’t remember how.

Raena waited patiently for the words to sink in, watching him as he leaned on his elbows, running a hand over his face.

“Let’s say I believe you,” he finally said, his voice low and uncertain, as if even he didn’t know what he was saying. “How does that relate to anything you’ve done?”

“This is the reason for everything I’ve done.” She replied. “When I woke up in this body, I somehow knew things about this world and the future, and I planned my next steps around those things. I knew I would marry you and I knew I would divorce you. I knew certain changes would happen in the capital which would allow some businesses to thrive while others would fall into ruin. I used that knowledge to invest and develop thus making my businesses successful.”

“Wait, you ‘knew’ we’re going to get divorced?” He frowned.

“Yes. You were supposed to divorce me of your own volition.” She replied.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you were supposed to fall in love with someone else” Raena said, watching his eyes widen. “But as time passed, I realized that those things I ‘knew’ were likely things which could happen. Still, it seems those futures can also be changed.”

“I’m so confused.” Kassian sighed. “Let’s.. let’s say that is true. How does that…”

“My plan was to get married to you like it was supposed to happen in our future I saw and create a business that would make me money so own to rely on and I wouldn’t have to go back to my family only to be married off to someone else. And once I made enough money, I planned to leave the Empire because in the future l knew of, the Empire will soon go to war with Craidal and things here will turn ugly.” At the mention of Craidal, Kassian’s eyes snapped to attention, and he locked them on her. “I am not working with them, I swear. And when I bought Zen and his siblings, I didn’t even know they were from Craidal. I gave them their freedom the moment we were out of the market. They chose to stay with me and serve me.”

“And you’re sure they are not spies for Craidal?” He frowned.

“l am not sure of anything anymore,” Raena replied cautiously. “They’ve never hurt me and they’ve never opposed any of my others, but..”

“But..?”

“But I have concerns.” She added. “Which is why I am trying to figure out if those concerns are deserved or unfounded.”

“And the Empress? What is your connection to her exactly?”

“That’s..” Raena started when a knock came from the door. Raena glanced at it, then back at Kassian, who continued to stay still for a few seconds before rising to his feet and going to open it. When she heard steps, Raena turned to look at the newcomer, not at all surprised to replace Blaine there.

He bowed at her gingerly before returning his attention to Kassian.

“l apologize for interrupting your rest” He said with a tense, almost fearful expression. “But I have urgent news. Lady Vega was found dead along with all her servants.” Raena blinked in shock, her eyes darting towards Kassian’s back, which had stiffened, his hands balling into fists. “There’s more,” Blaine added and Raena’s grip on the chair tightened as she wondered what could make him get that panicked expression. “It’s about your brother. The Crown Prince was gravely injured last night and the imperial doctors say he might not make it.”