Chapter 125: (Bonus Chapter)

"You’re invited to the palace?" Madeline asked Cassian the next morning when he discussed with her about what was written on the note he received. The young lad nodded, barely looking excited about visiting the palace, and that made Madeline grow concerned as to what else was written on the letter.

"Why does he need you to come? Is it regarding the case?" She guessed, and Cassian shook his head, subconsciously nibbling on his pink bottom lip as he couldn’t bring himself to reveal to her what was written on the letter.

"I don’t know." He sighed. "I’ll confirm my suspicions once I go there, but it’s not something you should stress upon, focus on getting better instead, and take your medications at the appropriate time."

"But....when are you going?"

"It’s not as urgent as you think, but since it’s from his Highness, I’ll have to be there today and see what he wants from me." As much as he tried to hide what he felt, Madeline could guess that the reason why he never frequents the palace was because he never liked going there, else, his reaction wouldn’t be like this.

Seeing as he wasn’t ready to continue the discussion, Madeline respected his privacy and tried to clear off the gloomy air with a bright smile.

"Guess what?" She asked, and Cassian cocked his brow at her sudden question, finding her unexpected thrill to be the distraction he needed.

"What?"

"Last night, I forgot to take my medications before heading to bed and before you say anything, it wasn’t intentional. Normally I’d find myself sleepwalking or revisiting that same night but I barely dreamt about the accident when I slept last night. For the first time, I didn’t have to wake up to that nightmarish event, and this happened without using the pills."

"That’s my girl." He raised his hand for a high-five and Madeline didn’t hesitate to connect their palms together as his words made her feel even more confident.

"Does this mean you’ll stop using the medication?" He felt prompted to ask, and Madeline thought about it before shaking her head.

"I will, but not on a daily dose, maybe once a week, or once every two weeks. I’ll keep stretching it until I can survive without those medications."

"You do you, I’ll inform the physician about your time change for the doses, and if he thinks it’ll help, then we can go with it without any worries."

"Fine by me."

Sitting up properly on the chair, he leaned closer and placed a palm to her forehead, feeling her temperature. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmmn?"

"After what happened with Jeremy, I want to confirm you’re not pretending to be alright with the situation." His eyes flashed with concern, enough to send ripples to her racing heart, and she took his hand away from her forehead, clasping their fingers together.

"All my life I let my emotions get the better of me, and that led to my insane trauma that refused to leave me till this day, but not anymore. I have to admit that recalling it does make me shiver, it was a terrible experience and I’m bound to feel that way, but didn’t you say I am strong? I won’t let myself be traumatized ever again, no matter the situation."

"My little wife made me feel proud this morning, if you keep this up, my poor heart won’t be able to contain the excitement." He winked while clutching playfully to his chest.

Madeline smiled appreciatively at his words, unsure of how she should thank him for always being there for her, and boosting her confidence all the way. She remembered when they met when she crashed his carriage into a tree, and he was the one who made her find the courage to even request a marriage from him.

She lost half of her shyness after meeting him that day, and maybe it was time to lose more of it.

When Cassian suddenly rose from his chair, Madeline grabbed his wrist in an attempt to stop him from walking out on her. She was pretty much aware of how intense his gaze on her was when she kept speaking, most especially when she caught him staring at her lips from time to time with a strange glint in his eyes during their conversation, and it hurt her pride a bit when he refrained himself from coming closer to her.

"Do you want anything?" Cassian, who had taken his seat on the chair, asked as she had stopped him from leaving, and when she didn’t give him a response, he proceeded to ask again, but was instantly thrown off-guard when she leaned to kiss him on his lips, and she pulled back after that.

Cassian was dumbstruck for a few seconds as he could still feel the lingering sensation of her lips on his, and he blinked his daze away before looking at the woman who was trying so hard to keep herself composed, but the faint hue coloring both side of her cheeks already gave her away.

"Did you just...."

"Why? If you can do it to me then I can certainly do it to you too." She countered back, and when he said nothing more, Madeline found the courage to ask after taking a deep breath.

"Why.... Why don’t you kiss me anymore? Am I that bad that you’ve lost interest in kissing me like you normally do?"

"What?" Cassian’s eyes widened at her complaint.

"I’m just trying to confirm if I’m terrible at kissing or not."

"You’re not."

"Then why don’t you kiss me anymore?" Saying this, she leaned once more to kiss him quickly before pulling away, and every kiss she left on his lip made his eyes darken strangely.

Cassian couldn’t help but feel a surge of desire coursing through his veins each time her lips brushed against his. It was a simple gesture, but it ignited a fire within him that he couldn’t ignore.

"You shouldn’t do that."

"Why not?"

"Because..." He abruptly got up from his chair, trapping Madeline in hers with such speed that she involuntarily flinched back against the chair she was sitting on, Instinctively backing away when his face inched closer to hers. His Amber-brown eyes gave a darker glint, and she could see golden sparks that displayed in his irises, making her feel burned as she found it difficult to avert her gaze.

"You have to stop because I can’t control myself around you, Madeline," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it sent her heart rocketing when his fiery gaze raked her face. "You’re too beautiful, too tempting. I want to do more than just kiss you, but if we continue down this path, I won’t be able to stop myself."

There was a moment of silence between them after he made her aware of what he wanted. The tension and heat of the moment hangs thick in the air. And then Madeline nodded, her eyes never leaving Cassian’s.

"You are not bad at kissing, you learn pretty fast actually.... Which is why it’s even more dangerous for you. I don’t want to push you if you aren’t ready to have all of me, and if you want me to keep kissing you, then I will not be blamed for taking things far."

"But...."

"If you want me to kiss you, I’ll take it for the fact that you’re starting to want me, or do you?" His hold on the arms of the chair tightened, to the point Madeline could hear it squeak against Cassian’s restraints as he still held himself back.

All kinds of lumps formed at her throat due to his question, and she had to swallow it down in order to breathe properly. The hesitation in her eyes still hadn’t left, and she noticed a flash of disappointment in his eyes as though he already sensed her doubt.

"That’s what I thought."

He wanted to pull back, but Madeline’s fingers instinctively clutched against the collars of his shirt, surprising herself and Cassian. What does her own actions mean? She couldn’t tell, but after noticing the faint smile on Cassian’s lips, the young lad leaned close enough till their lips met for a kiss that said it all, and he pulled back to look into her eyes.

"Tonight." He whispered, his hot breath caressing her already burning cheeks. "Wait for me tonight."

After hearing this, Madeline finally let go of his collar.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read