Chapter 323 v4 - 24: the imperial banquet II

Chapter 323: v4 Chapter 24: the imperial banquet II

The doors opened.

Adrian stepped into the banquet hall first.

Cassian’s eyes settled on him.

He had already seen the Emperor that morning.

But the man entering the hall was dressed differently now.

The ivory riding coat was gone.

In its place was formal evening attire, dark and impeccably tailored, with the Imperial insignia worked subtly into the details.

Without the ceremonial horse, the distance of the avenue, or the spectacle surrounding him, Adrian somehow seemed even more imposing.

Cassian watched him cross the hall.

The platinum hair was unmistakable.

The sharp features.

The controlled expression.

The same quiet authority.

Six years had changed Adrian too.

Cassian had already known that.

Seeing him again only confirmed it.

Then Marian entered beside him.

Cassian’s attention shifted immediately.

For the first few seconds, he could not take his eyes off her.

He had already seen her that morning.

He had watched her standing at the palace entrance.

He had seen her smile.

He had known she was beautiful.

None of that prepared him for this.

Marian wore a light blue evening gown that left her shoulders bare, the fabric falling elegantly around her figure. Tiny crystals had been sewn throughout it, catching the chandelier light whenever she moved.

Her golden-blonde hair was styled half up and half down, with diamonds woven delicately into it.

A diamond necklace rested against her throat.

Matching earrings caught the light beside her face.

Everything about her was lavish without becoming excessive.

Tasteful.

Elegant.

Beautiful.

She looked as though the stars of the night sky had gathered together and decided to shine through her.

Cassian simply stared.

For years, he had carried the memory of her.

He had remembered her face.

Her hair.

Her eyes.

Her smile.

But memory had never been able to preserve her properly.

She was more beautiful now.

Every time he saw her, she took his breath away.

It was almost cruel.

His heart lurched.

Again.

And again.

He could not seem to make it stop.

A herald’s voice carried through the hall.

"And His Majesty, Lorenz, King of Milicia."

Cassian barely registered the words.

Lorenz was entering behind them.

That much he understood.

But his attention had already returned to Marian.

Marian walked beside Adrian with the effortless grace she had always possessed.

The light caught against the crystals sewn into her dress.

Her golden hair moved softly against her back.

And then she smiled at something Adrian said.

Cassian’s chest tightened.

That smile.

God.

He knew that smile.

He had spent six years remembering it.

The ache to reach for her was so immediate that his fingers curled against the table.

He wanted to stand.

To cross the room.

To take her hand.

To say her name.

Marian.

Just once.

He wanted to hear her answer him.

He wanted to know whether her voice would still sound the same when she said his name.

His hand tightened beneath the table.

He remained seated.

He had to.

Everyone was watching the Emperor and Empress.

It was perfectly natural for him to look.

So he allowed himself those few seconds.

He took her in.

Every detail he could see.

The way she held herself.

The way her dress moved.

The diamonds in her hair.

The curve of her smile.

The impossible blue of her eyes when she turned her head.

She was still Marian.

His Marian.

The thought came instinctively.

Then reality followed.

Not his.

Not anymore.

The Emperor and Empress continued toward the high table.

Cassian’s gaze shifted briefly to Adrian.

The pale blue at the Emperor’s throat matched Marian’s dress.

Of course.

They had dressed to complement one another.

Even that small detail struck him.

They looked like they belonged together.

The thought hurt.

Cassian looked back at Marian.

He could not help it.

She was the woman he had spent six years trying to return to.

And she was standing there beside the man who had taken those six years from him.

Adrian reached the high table.

Marian took her place beside him.

The room remained standing.

Cassian finally lowered his gaze.

Only then did he realize how tightly his fingers had been gripping the table.

He loosened them slowly.

Breathe.

He had already seen them together that morning.

He had already known what their relationship looked like.

But seeing Marian here, dressed for an evening at Adrian’s side, made the reality settle differently.

She was his wife.

The Empress.

And Adrian was her husband.

The thought was painful.

But Cassian forced it aside.

This was not the moment.

The Emperor gave a slight gesture.

"Please."

The room sat.

The musicians began again.

But before the servants could bring out the first course, Lorenz rose from his place.

The room quieted.

"Before we begin the meal," he said, "I believe it would be appropriate to introduce some of the principal members of our delegation."

Adrian inclined his head.

"Of course."

Lorenz turned toward the Milician side.

"Allow me."

The first name was called.

A Milician count rose.

He bowed toward the Imperial table and was acknowledged before taking his seat.

Another followed.

Then another.

Cassian listened.

Names.

Titles.

Families.

Across the room, Marian watched.

At first, her attention remained on Lorenz and the men being introduced.

But gradually, her gaze began to move through the delegation.

She studied each person with quiet courtesy, offering the appropriate nod whenever someone bowed toward the Imperial table.

Cassian kept his posture relaxed.

His expression composed.

He did not look at her directly.

Not yet.

But he could feel the possibility of her attention moving closer.

His heartbeat began to quicken.

He knew what was coming.

One more name.

Then another.

Marian’s gaze passed over the delegation again.

This time, it lingered briefly on him.

Cassian felt it before he looked.

He raised his eyes.

For one suspended moment, they looked directly at each other.

Something changed in Marian’s expression.

Her brows drew together slightly, as though she were trying to place him.

Cassian’s heart gave a hard beat.

She was looking at him.

At him.

He should have held her gaze.

He had spent six years wanting her to look at him.

Yet, for some reason he could not explain, his eyes dropped first.

Perhaps it was the distance between the man he had once been and the woman standing before him now.

She was the Empress.

She belonged here.

And he was sitting among foreign nobles beneath a name that was not his own.

The thought left him strangely self-conscious.

So he looked away.

He kept his expression composed, though his heartbeat had become impossible to ignore.

Lorenz called another name.

Cassian listened.

His fingers rested lightly against the edge of the table.

He did not look toward Marian again.

Not immediately.

Another introduction.

Lorenz paused.

His gaze moved toward the next member of the delegation.

Cassian knew.

The herald turned toward him.

"Marquess Carlo of Valmere."

--

Tbc

AN: i could notttttt but i love this reaction bec cassian, pur beloved cassian.... huhuhu he’s being insecure. I want to cry but yeah jusy because hahaha