Cassius POV
To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. I was feeling a severe headache since start, so i took the medicine but who would have thought that, this dumb lady would chose to crack a joke right at that moment.
My eyes wide opened and I choked with all the medicine and water over her.
"What did you do?" she asked, looking at her wet face and clothes and then shooting daggers at me.
"Me, what did I do, you are the sick one here, how did your mind even work? How could you even reach this conclusion, and here I thought you are smart?" i could not believe she just said that!
"How did my mind work, so you are blaming me now, what else would i think when i saw you laughing and chattering all the time." she grumbled.
"For christ sake Marianne, when have you ever seen laughing while talking with her, and have I ever been that free to chatter around." i replied as i took out my handkerchief and passed it to her.
But instead of saying thank you, she snatched it from me as if it was hers since the start!
"I have seen you meeting her personally more than once. But the point is if you do not like her, why is she so attached to this palace, why did she have so much power in the past" her voice was full of suspicions as she looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"First wipe yourself, your face is looking red.'' I reminded her and she nodded.
She used the napkin to wipe her face and then her neck. I did not want to but my eyes followed her actions as she cleaned her collarbone and her cleavage. I gulped as suddenly I felt thirsty.
I looked at the glass and sighed, one glass I had already drank and another was on her body. I had cleared all the maids from this area, in case we had an argument or maids saw her sneaking in the office and rumours were created.
"You should go and change your clothes." i said as she continued cleaning herself. Did this woman have any self awareness that I was sitting right here in front of her?
"It won't be needed, I can manage for a few more hours' ' she replied as she moved her hairs to the other side of her neck and then cleaned her shoulders adjusting her dress.
And I closed my eyes.
'You may be able to manage, but I am having a hard time doing that' I wanted to shout, but that only would prove me insane or pervert in her eyes so I kept my mouth shut.
Finally what felt like an eternity of torture did she stop playing with her clothes.
"I am still waiting for your answer." she pointed and I sighed.
"She is the sister of my first wife and aunt of Killian. When I was not married to you she was the only woman in our contact, who could handle Killian and a few other duties where a woman was needed." i replied, though it was not a complete truth, it was not a complete lie too.
"But what about the time when we are already married?" she retorted back and i raised a brow.
"Oh, you want me to tell you, alright. You are busy seducing me with your foolish acts. And then you were also busy brooding and hating Killian, so you never even once claimed duchess duties or asked for any other right except going out with me, spending time with me and trying to sleep with me.`` I saw her face getting reddened but she needed to know that she was at fault too.
"Yes, I was a fool that time who thought that I should aim for your love in the first place, I would never repeat that mistake again." she pointed and I sighed. 'Sleeping together on bed was not love, if it would have been, Elizabeth would have loved me all this while, as we had slept and spent the night in each other's arms every night.' i wish i could share this simple fact with this stupid girl that union of bodies was the last thing in a relation and the start should be from knowing each other. If she had not tried to climb in the bed, then maybe our start would have been different.
'I still felt nauseous even thinking about it, how I slept with a woman, touched her and made love to her when it would have been just hours that she would have been in someone else's arms.'
"You don't need to make that face, I am not vying for your love at all. So, you can be assured, i am not going to repeat my past mistakes." she added looking at me, like i was a sore thumb in her life.
I nodded hard, "anything else you want to know or ask?" I wanted to know how she even reached that conclusion.
"I want you to put an end to your relationship with her." she added and i furrowed my brows.
"We don't have any relationship to begin with, Marianne. Are you even listening to what I am saying." or was she just playing here.
"I did, and though i did not believe you completely, i am still accepting what you said. So according to you she was here because there was no woman in the palace, but now that i am here, i did not think she is needed anymore, so i want you to deny her from entering the palace." she replied in a strict tone, if anyone would hear, they would never believe that she was requesting but ordering around.
"I can not do that." otherwise who would spy on us and inform duke Wiltshire that we were in love and close enough to have a second child. She was the pawn we both were going to use, but she deserved it completely.
"And why is that so?" she asked as her suspicion returned.