A Royal Assassination (on hold)

Part 5 - seduction

The dinner on his plate was nothing like he'd ever seen before. The colorful display struck him as not only unfamiliar but almost off-putting. It was an assembly of purple, red, blue, and all the other various colors that he already recognized. The portion wasn't large enough for him, but certainly large enough for the much smaller heir.

Someone had poured butter all over the carefully arranged fish, all bones already plucked from the white flesh. His normal response would be to ask about all the unfamiliar vegetables, but he didn't want to give the heir any kind of advantage.

Takeeo leaned back in his chair. "Why don't you light a candle?"

Cassius scoffed. Candles were for romantic dinners, and this was certainly not one of those. However, he was supposed to do the heir's bidding, no questions asked, and he wanted to eat before talking back. He pulled back the chair, rose, and brought the candle with him to the large oil lamp on the mantle piece. The wax candle all but melted when he put it to the orange flame, allowing a hot drop to fall in his flesh. Steadying his hand, he returned, set the candle beside Takeeo and sat without further probing. He didn't want to wait for a command to sit a second time. If the heir wanted him to play along, he could, but his servitude came at a price. He'd said the first day that he had no master, and if the heir thought him docile, he had another thing coming. His adult life had been all about strategy and carefully laid out plans, but that was something he'd not had the time to do yet. Perhaps the dinner would prove informative so that he could form an idea of his adversary.

He almost smiled. It was a strange thing to think of the man he was set to protect as an adversary. But he also knew it was true, at least tonight.

"So," Takeeo clicked his gold ring against the wine glass, "what is your story?"

My story. "What would you like to know?" He had no intention of revealing anything.

"I want to know why you came to my room last night. It's an easy question, isn't it?"

"You know why I came."

Takeeo carefully selected a few pieces of food with his fork and placed it on his tongue, chewing slowly as if to waste time.

"Do you really want to know who wants you dead?" Cassius said at last, unable to temper his impatience.

"Oh, I know who wants me dead. I simply wonder why you decided to take their offer. You were a lone agent, I believe, or were. Why would you risk your life and freedom for something so silly as killing me. Surely, I'm not worth it."

Cassius had some wine, curling his tongue around the taste of red velvet. He had to think. Quickly. "Perhaps I resent power."

"And yet you are, the most powerful of us all. An executioner. Someone who decides who lives and who dies."

"It's not the same," Cassius replied. "I don't kill on a whim."

"So you presume to know the history of those you cut into pieces? Do you know whether they deserve to die?"

Cassius had no response to that. Instead, he stared at the untouched food on his plate, poking at the fish. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to swear that my life is safe in your hands. On your honor."

It was a strange request, and the power that had shifted towards the heir mere seconds ago seemed to have reverted back to Cassius. He pondered the words and what such a promise would entail. He admitted that Takeeo intrigued him, but he remained undecided in all other aspects concerning the young man. There was danger playing in those cold brilliant eyes. There were degrees of manipulation and layers of personality traits. The Emperor's son was, in short, utterly unpredictable. At the same time, he had not been outside of the city. He'd not seen the world. What was he to do if he left, never to return? He had two choices, two adventures ahead. One by the heir's side, and one wholly alone. Perhaps, it was time to leave the testy street urchin in the past and do something that he someday might feel a sliver of pride about.