Third Person POV
“Clear!!” Voices filled the air and he looked back to find royal guards pushing through the onlookers and coming straight at them and behind them was someone whose sight fills Cassian with deep hatred.
This was the same man who had ordered his execution.
Crown Prince Lysander.
The crowd parted almost instantly.
Crown Prince Lysander stepped forward, his presence drawing every gaze around him.
Golden hair gleamed beneath the afternoon sun, each strand seeming meticulously arranged by the heavens themselves.
His features were as flawless as Cassian remembered—sharp jawline, straight nose, piercing blue eyes that had earned the admiration of countless nobles and commoners alike.
The kingdom called him the perfect prince, wise, noble, compassionate and a future king blessed by the gods.
Cassian knew better.
Looking at that handsome face, all he could see was the man who had calmly watched him kneel upon the execution platform.
The man who had listened to his final plea, the same man who had stared him dead in the eyes and had given the order.
‘Proceed.’
Just one word but that one word had been enough to sever his head from his body.
An icy chill spread through Cassian’s chest.
Ten years.
He had returned ten years into the past and yet, the hatred remained as fresh as the day he died.
Unfortunately, the crown prince looked as infuriatingly perfect as ever and where the kingdom saw a future king; Cassian saw an executioner wearing a crown.
“Can anyone tell me what is going on here?”
His voice was deep and steady, carrying effortlessly through the crowd.
It was the kind of voice that inspired trust without trying, calm enough to soothe panic and firm enough to command obedience.
To Cassian, his voice was unfairly pleasant.
It was deep, clear, and dignified—and looked like the sort of voice bards would write poems about.
But it only made Cassian want to throw a heavy brick at him to shut him up.
But this was okay, he was here so he would convict me easily and let everyone know the type of evil that I am.
“Crown Prince…..Your Highness!
You must get justice for me!” Hans fell to his knees with tears filling his eyes and the Crown Prince turned to him calmly.
“Rise and tell me what is the matter?”
“This wicked boy that I have had no problem with just came today and set my bakery on fire!” Cassian grinned as the Crown Prince turned to him with a questioning look.
“Is this true?”
“Of course, it’s true.
You don’t believe it?” Cassian asked and the Crown Prince’s eyes widened slightly.
He hadn’t expected this boy to give himself up so easily.
But isn’t this the Count’s third son?
“How can this boy be so confused?”
“Yes!”
“Why would he set this beautiful bakery on fire?”
“Has he gone crazy?”
“You admit to it?” He asked just to be sure and Cassian gave him a funny look.
“Does it look like I’m lying to you?
Or did you forget your brains at the castle?” He fired and gasps filled the air but paid them no heed before slowly stalking forward and gesturing towards the still raging inferno.
“What a beautiful sight, eeh?”
Too bad no one saw the cellar, that place is full of every illegal substance you can ever hope to smuggle into a kingdom.
It held so many things.
I think he was even holding some kids there but had arranged for them to be moved earlier today to their buyers.
Good thing I didn’t add them to the collateral damage this fire would run for.
The Crown Prince turned to whisper some things to his two subordinates and they nodded before they rushed straight into the fire with three others and Cassian’s eyes widened.
What are they even doing?
It didn’t take long before the five of them rushed out and they were carting quite a whole lot of things and Cassian’s brows furrowed as he stepped forward and when he saw what it was, his eyes widened.
What the hell?
How did they find that so quickly?
They never discovered that cellar in his previous life so how had they gotten the news and known exactly where to go to find it?
Hans had turned pale with horror at the sight of the items and as much as Cassian didn’t want to admit it but he felt a great sense of satisfaction upon seeing the bastard in that situation.
“These were all found in your cellar.
Could you tell me how you came about it?
Of course, once you do that, then we can get justice for you.”The Crown Prince’s intelligent eyes stared down at the trembling man and Cassian narrowed his eyes at them.
What the fuck is going on here?
“I…I d-don’t know what those are or wh-where it came f-from.”he stuttered and Cassian let out a scoff.
Of course he would lie, it was not as if Hans was like him who just loves telling the truth no matter how much it hurts the person receiving it.
“Oh but of course, they all just appeared out of thin air in your cellar.
You’ll explain all these plus the receipts of how you got them to the Aurelia Security District.Take him away!” The crown prince ordered and three guards instantly came to grab Hans.
“Please, Crown Prince.
I was just confused—”
His screams faded as he was pulled into a carriage and taken away without hesitation and then the Crown Prince turned to the crowd of onlookers.
“Everyone, if it wasn’t for the third son of Count Valmont, we wouldn’t have discovered that he had been smuggling illegal substances and indulging in illegal trafficking of children.”
What?
Who?
Me?
Is this Crown Prince maybe brainwashed or his sense of right and wrong is somehow muddled and filled with water?
“So that’s why he was so calm earlier?”
“Yeah, I was surprised when he said that and then turned himself in!”
“That means that we have only him to thank for all these.!”
“Yes, some of our children who had gone missing can be saved now because of him!”
“Thank you, Young master!”
“You had our thanks, Young master!”
“Please accept this as our thanks!”
A group of people brought forward a basket of gifts and Cassian stared at them with distaste and annoyance.
Who wants their gifts?
This isn’t at all what he had wanted to happen!
This wasn’t following the scripts as it should have.
Why was it so different from his previous life?
And why was it changing when he had started to come to terms with his villainous role?
Was fate playing with him?
Did it not have enough fun in his past life?
He sent the Crown Prince a withering look.
“Did I ask you for your help?
What the hell is this nonsense and what are you playin at?”
The Crown Prince stared at him in confusion for a moment before something dawned on him and he smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll let my father know of the great help we received from you during this investigation.” He promised and the veins on Cassian’s forehead bulged to the point of eruption as rage unlike anything he had ever felt before surged forward and he instantly sent the platter of cake he was still holding flying at the Crown Prince’s head.
The Crown Prince dodged it, albeit shocked at the action but Cassian was fuming and one last hateful look at the Crow Prince before he turned around and began to walk away.
How had today gone so differently from what he had expected?
Why wasn’t he in chains and been taken to the Aurelia Security District now for questioning?
Then his father would come bail him out and confine him to his room without food for a week or so!!
Why and how had the Crown Prince discovered that there were illegal substances been hidden in that cellar?
No matter how much he thought about it, none of anything that had just happened made any sense to him.
And the more he thought about it, the angrier he became because this was supposed to have been his debut into his villainous role and this stupid Crown Prince had turned it into a heroism act.
Who wanted to be the hero?
For this leeches that condemned him to death?
Never!!
“Young master, you’re forgetting the gifts.
Ta—”
“Keep your lousy gifts to yourselves!!
Get out of my way!!” He pushed some people out of his way as he stomped over to his carriage.
“He’s so humble too!”
“Yes, look at him saying all those things like he doesn’t want them!”
“He just doesn’t want to take things from us!”
“He sees the people’s suffering too!”
“Young master is so wise!”
Cassian growled out an order as he finally got to his carriage and quickly entered.
“Get me out of here immediately!”