?

　　The moment Cassian entered the room, he started chattering on and on about gossip among the noblemen. Gideon was completely immersed in listening to who amongst the men in the Adams family had run off with the head maid or which duchess of the Western Kingdom is filing for divorce.

　　I politely drank my tea, hoping that the two men would refocus about why we were here in the first place. But for the time being, I took the opportunity to study Cassian Alwyn properly. Out of the three men, he was definitely the most approachable with his friendly and outgoing personality. He easily captivated Gideon with his charms and effective social skills after all.

　　There was no doubt that he is a very handsome man, with short and smooth auburn locks. He had the most exquisite pair of light brown eyes, the kind that appeared almost golden under the certain light. His skin looked ridiculously smooth, without a blemish on sight and I could tell that he takes proper care of himself. He clearly is someone who knows he has the looks and the charms, and he uses them to his advantage.

　　Thinking back, that was exactly how he came off when we first met. He was quick to use his charm to pull my attention away from Augustus and Isaiah. He was bold enough for skin ship, holding my hand and pulling me close. He might be the most physically bold one out of the three as of now.

　　Cassian caught me staring at him which caused him to stop talking. “Ah, I apologise for rambling on and on. I hope I did not bore you, princess. Since you have yet to make your debut in high society, I doubt you know of the people I am talking about.” he smiled.

　　“That’s quite alright, Duke. I understand that you and Gideon are quite familiar with each other?”

　　“Why yes, we met on numerous occasions since he always followed the late Emperor Bryon to official events and balls.” He explained.

　　“I see.” I muttered, wondering why Gideon had chosen to keep that fact from me.

　　“Let us save the chatting for later, Cassian. We should start with the interview now.” Gideon stated.

　　“Of course. Ask away, I have nothing to hide from my future wife.” He beamed, emitting confidence that I would never have. He was so sure that he would be picked as my spouse and all I could do was just stare at him, completely baffled.

　　Gideon chuckled under his breath. “Well then, Duke of Ashborne, what were your first thoughts when you received the letter of proposal?”

　　I stayed silent, trying to figure out why Gideon had chosen a different question to ask Cassian.

　　“Hm, I was obviously shocked. The same kind of bafflement I felt when it was publicly announced that the princess is an omega.”

　　“Surely you knew about my second gender before the letter of proposal had arrived to you. If you have something against me being an omega then why did you agree to come all this way?” I asked.

　　“Oh no, no, you are mistaken, Your Highness. I am not prejudiced towards omegas at all. It was a surprising sort of shock that I had experienced but the moment I laid eyes on you earlier, I could tell that by your beauty and splendid allure…you were made to be an omega.” He purred.

　　My eyes widened at his bold statement, finding myself at loss of words for a long second. “Duke, I would appreciate it if you were to be a bit more professional when it comes to this,” I said, clearing my throat.

　　“Oh? I was not aware that being completely honest is deemed inappropriate.” He feigned confusion.

　　“I agree with the princess. Cease your flirtatious behaviour until we are done with the interview, if you would please.” Gideon said, sounding like a disappointed parent.

　　Cassian shrugged and leaned back against the backrest of the couch. “Very well, if what you want is plain old boring answers that I shall oblige.” He said, and yet he winked at me before looking away.

　　I choose to look past that, wanting to get this interview over and done with. It was clear that Cassian would be a rather tedious person to handle if we were to wed but there was something about him that is more than what meets the eye.

　　I may be wrong but growing up with Elina and Lilian, I had grown a keen eye from those who pretend to be something they are not and Cassian falls under that category. The way he carries himself, the way he dresses, the way he speaks, everything feels as though it was purely for show. If my instincts were correct about him then I’m fairly curious to see the true man behind the mask.

　　“But yes, to reiterate my answer. I felt shocked that the princess would think of silly old me. I am incredibly honoured nonetheless.”

　　“Correct me if I am wrong, Duke, but your family has a close relationship with the ruling family of Western Kingdom, yes?”

　　“You do not have to act so coy, Lord Gideon. But to answer your question, yes. Our families have been close for centuries as we have always been supportive of the royal family.”

　　“The royal family has eligible daughters, do they not?”

　　“I don’t see how that is relevant, my Lord.”

　　“To simply put it, why did you agree to Cordelia’s letter of proposal? I have heard of talks about the arranged marriage between you and Emperor Herman’s youngest daughter.”

　　This was the first I have heard of this. I was starting to think that Gideon purposefully hid certain details from me for the sake of having the element of surprise in his favour. I quickly glanced between Gideon’s and Cassian’s expressions. While Gideon held his expression, Cassian on the other hand looked almost shocked by the sudden mention of this.

　　“Leave it to Gideon Reyes to find out all the little whispers people make in the dark.”

　　“Are you denying it?” Gideon asked.

　　“No. What you say is the truth. My father had mentioned the talks of my arranged marriage to Princess Olivera.” He admitted.

　　“And?” Gideon pressed. “Why would you accept another princess’s proposal if that is the case?”

　　“Technically there was no official announcement or letter of proposal from Emperor Herman and since I received Princess Cordelia’s letter first, naturally I accepted. Who am I to say no and break a young and innocent princess such as yourself?”

　　I smiled directly at him. “You are lying.”

　　Cassian gasped at your sudden accusation. “I am telling the truth-”

　　“You seem like a very smart individual, Duke, which is why your statement is completely irrational. You would easily gain a higher title, wealth and power if you were to marry Princess Olivera after all and yet you decide to go with me where there will be risks involved in my ascending to the throne.” I said. “If you can explain yourself then I shall look past the fact that you had lied to my face.” I said, ending it with another gentle smile.?

　　By my side, Gideon nodded in agreement, a gleam of pride reflected from his eyes.

　　“You fail to see that I would gain a higher title, wealth and power if I were to marry you as well, Princess Cordelia. You are the next Empress of the Southern Kingdom whereas Princess Olivera is the youngest of four siblings. All I would gain from marrying her is the title of a prince.”

　　“A prince to the strongest kingdom is not something to brush over.” I argued. I was unsatisfied with his answer, knowing that he was hiding the true reason away from me.

　　He held eye contact with me for a prolonged second until he let out a sigh of defeat. “You have taught her well, Lord Gideon. She saw right through my lies.”

　　“I do not take credit for the princess’s deduction.” He beamed at me.

　　“What is your agenda with wanting to marry me, Duke?”

　　“It’s simple really, I did not want to marry Princess Olivera.”

　　I frowned at him. If my memory serves me correctly, Princess Olivera’s beauty was highly praised by the entire nation. She is intelligent and incredibly talented. Any man would be happy to be wed to her. Hut then an idea reached me as to why Cassian would not want to commit himself to her. “Does this have to do with your… promiscuous nature? I would think that the Emperor of the Western Kingdom would not be too pleased if you were fooling around.”

　　Cassian looked at me, completely baffled before breaking in laughter. “I’m sorry, please forgive my rudeness.” He said between laughs. I turned to Gideon, wondering if I had said something ridiculous to the point where he was reacting in such a way. Gideon looked back at me and shook his head. “It has nothing to do with that.” Cassian finally said.

　　“So tell us.” Gideon pressed.

　　“It’s because I see her as my little sister.”