The following morning, the palace was still cloaked in the soft silence of dawn when Cassian requested a private meeting with Shinomi.
Shinomi arrived at the prince's reserved garden chamber—quiet, flowered, and far from the ears of nobles and servants.
Cassian stood waiting by the marble fountain, arms crossed. The calmness in his face was sharp, the kind that didn't soothe—it warned.
Shinomi approached without hesitation, his gaze neutral. "You called."
"I did," Cassian replied evenly. "I think it's time we had a proper conversation."
A short silence fell between them. The chirping of morning birds was the only sound.
Cassian took a breath. "You don't trust me."
Shinomi raised an eyebrow. "Should I?"
"I've never betrayed the royal house. Or the Queen."
"I'm not talking about your politics," Shinomi said, stepping closer. "I'm talking about Ren."
Cassian's eyes narrowed. "So it's true. You are keeping him from me."
"I'm protecting him," Shinomi said simply.
"From what?" Cassian snapped, voice rising. "A walk in the vineyard? A harmless conversation?"
Shinomi didn't flinch. "From people who see him as a curiosity instead of a person. From nobles who whisper behind his back because he acts too soft. From you—who only noticed him after he started glowing."
Cassian's expression darkened. "That's not true."
"Isn't it?" Shinomi stepped closer. "You didn't even know his name three months ago. He was just a background servant to you. Now you remember his old sketches, his childhood stories, his laugh?"
Cassian clenched his jaw. "Maybe I didn't notice him before. But I see him now."
"Too late."
"That's not your decision to make!"
Shinomi's voice dropped, low and lethal. "It is when he's under my protection."
Cassian scoffed. "You treat him like property. Like you own him."
Shinomi's eyes flickered—subtle, but Cassian noticed.
"I don't own him," Shinomi said, "but I understand him. And I won't stand aside while you play prince with his feelings."
Cassian's fists curled at his side. "You're afraid, aren't you?"
Shinomi didn't respond.
"You think if he spends time with me, he'll realize you're just a knight hiding behind orders and control. You're scared to let him see what the world is like without your leash."
That hit home.
Shinomi stepped in so close that Cassian could feel the chill in his words.
"If I am a leash, then you're a collar made of gold. Both pretty, but one chokes slower."
Their eyes locked. Neither blinked.
Then Cassian took a step back, smoothed his coat, and said quietly, "Fine. Then let's see what Ren chooses when you finally loosen your grip."
He turned and walked away.
Shinomi remained still—his chest tight, breath colder than the wind.
He didn't know what Aiden would choose.
But for the first time in a long time, he feared the answer.
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