--
The room was thick with tension. The silence that followed Selena's tearful exit lingered like a heavy fog, suffocating the air around them. The dining table, once lively with food and conversation, now felt like the center of a battlefield. Princess Lily awkwardly clung to Asher's arm, trying to lighten the mood with her presence, but even her smile faltered under the weight of the Queen's fierce, unwavering stare.
"Asher," the Queen finally said, her voice calm, but every syllable carried a cutting sharpness. "You knew she was a clone. And yet, you let her serve you, stay close to you, without ever once acknowledging her pain. Why?"
Asher leaned back in his chair, gently removing Princess Lily's hands from his arm. He knew this wouldn't be easy. He had trained his body to survive blade and battle—but emotional vulnerability? That was an entirely different battlefield.
"She's not the original," he replied coolly, lifting his cup of tea, only to find it empty.
"That's not an answer," the Queen snapped, rising halfway from her seat. "She may be a clone, but she breathes, feels, and hurts. You of all people should understand that."
"Of course I do?" Asher said calmly, eyes half-lidded, his tone unreadable. "Because from where I stand, everyone expects me to feel guilty and emotionally hurt, when I have felt like that all my life but try to hide my emotion and focus on what is physically important."
"You coward," the Queen hissed. "You're not running from battle anymore. You're running from guilt."
Asher's crimson eyes glinted with dangerous calm, and he smiled—not in amusement, but as if calculating her words like an equation. "You seem awfully concerned about my emotional state, Your Majesty. So tell me, what is the best solution to my problem; Because I don't see how you condemning me is solving any thing?"
That made the Queen blink. Her lips parted to speak, but no words came. Her teeth shut tightly together —not out of embarrassment, but from realizing she had been emotionally disarmed.
Princess Lily, sensing the tension rising again, raised her hand like a child trying to answer a question. "I think we all just need to give Selena some space, am sure she will calm down?"
No one laughed. The Queen sat down slowly, still staring at Asher, who used the opportunity to rise from his seat.
"If you'll excuse me," he said, his cloak fluttering behind him as he turned. "I have something more important to deal with."
And with that, he disappeared into the shadows of the hallway.
---
Meanwhile, in the garden behind the mansion...
Selena sat on the stone bench near the koi pond, her head down, her fingers twisting the ends of her sleeves. The sunlight illuminated her features—eyes red from tears, her breath shaky. The quiet hum of the breeze that blew the trees filled the air, but none of it comforted her.
"Selena," came Cassandra's voice, calm and firm.
The bodyguard approached with slow, deliberate steps and sat beside her. She didn't speak at first, only offered a warm cup of tea she brought from the kitchen.
Selena accepted it with a silent nod.
"You're hurting," Cassandra finally said.
Selena let out a humorless laugh. "Is it that obvious?"
"More than you think." Cassandra paused. "I've trained for years to protect royalty. To kill, to observe, to remain detached. But when it comes to you… I see more than just a clone. I see someone trying so hard to prove she's more than a copy."
Tears welled up in Selena's eyes again, but she kept them from falling. "It's not even about proving anymore. I just… I want him to see me. Not her. Not the version that died. Just me."
Cassandra looked at her, then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Then stop waiting for him to see you. Make him see you."
Selena looked up, surprised by the directness.
"You're not a ghost," Cassandra continued. "You're alive. You feel. So don't fade away. Don't become what they think you are. Be louder. Be stronger. Be undeniable."
The wind picked up slightly, blowing strands of Selena's hair across her face. For the first time in weeks, she smiled.
"Thank you, Cassandra."
"Don't thank me," Cassandra said, standing. "He's the one who owes you an apology."
Then Selena gave Cassandra's a warm hug .
---
Later in the night…
Asher stood in the training hall. The moonlight filtered through the glass ceiling, casting silver patterns across the floor. He swung his chain-blades in a dance of motion and focus, every movement fluid and precise. But his mind wasn't on the training. It was still at that dinner table, on that garden bench, in Selena's trembling voice.
I'm also hurting… you of all people should know what it feels like…
His inner demon whispered from the back of his mind. You don't get to run this time, Asher. Fix what's broken.
Asher cursed under his breath and dropped the chains. He turned and left the hall, footsteps silent on the marble floors as he made his way through the sleeping halls of the mansion.
---
He found her standing near the balcony, looking out at the moonlit woods beyond the estate. Her silver-white hair fluttered in the breeze, and her reflection shimmered in the glass.
"I wasn't sure you'd come," she said softly, not turning.
"I wasn't sure I would either," he admitted.
Silence fell between them, but this time, it wasn't the kind that suffocated. It was the kind that waited—for the right words to be said.
"I… never hated you," he began. "When I found out you were a clone, I didn't know how to react. I wasn't angry. I was just… scared."
Selena finally turned to him, her eyes searching his.
"Scared of what?"
"That I'd lose you again," he said, voice quiet. "Scared that if I opened up, I'd start seeing her in you. And if I lost you too… I don't know what would be left of me."
A tear slid down her cheek, but this time, she didn't hide it.
"You never really lost me," she whispered. "I'm still here."
"I know," he said, walking up to her. He reached out and took her hand—hesitantly at first, then firmly. "And I'm sorry for pretending you weren't."
Her breath hitched. For a long moment, she simply stared at him, disbelief and relief swirling in her expression.
Then she nodded. "We're friends again?"
"We never stopped," he said with a soft smile as he leaned towards he and gave her a kiss....
On the forehead that lasted for seconds
She was shocked she didn't know how to respond or even when she started to blush .
Her heart raced as she saw Asher's beautiful face from upclose and was lost gazing into his eyes.
Asher smiled back at Selena and they both just stared into each other's eyes .
But Asher shot his eyes closed,In disapointment as his inner demon started making kissing sounds to annoy him.
"Are you okay?" Selena asked
"Yeah am fine, I just need to continue my training" he answer as he walked away to the training room mumbling angry to himself
"Okay ". Selena responded while her hands were placed on her fast beating chest.
---
Far away, in a shadowy chamber lit by blood-red crystals…
Marshall, One of the leaders of the Assassins Guild group, leaned at the branch of a tree with the rest. Around him were cloaked figures—elite killers from every corner of the continent.
Fin, the youngest among them but with a kill count that outmatched most war veterans, leaned forward. "Are we sure this is the right time?"
Tony's eyes narrowed, glowing faintly with infernal energy. "Cassandra is vulnerable. She has too many people to protect now—too many distractions. A perfect opportunity."
Another assassin, known only as Whisper, tilted her head as she sat calmly excited on the tree."What's the objective?"
"The Queen and the princess ," Marshall said. "We take their life and we fall back. Be careful of Cassandra avoid her at all costs and I also heard the lord of this mansion is also strong but don't take him lightly; break his bones and don't let him get the upper hand"
A deep growl came from the end of the table. "wouldn't it to be easier to kill all of them in the mansion"
"No," Marshall said, his grin stretching unnaturally wide. "We can't face Cassandra and the guards all by our self because of he troublesome ability to see the future possibility. But that's why I'm sending all of you. A full infiltration,at dawn."
One of them chuckled. "We'll paint that mansion red with royal blood."
Marshall stood straight, his cloak whipping behind him like a dark flame. "Then sharpen your blades, brothers and sisters. The age of fear begins and we will be remembered as legends from generation to generation, and our name will be fear all across the world ".
---
To Be Continued…