It had been three days since the attack on the Ven Dyke family's nobles, where nearly a hundred of them were killed. However, most of those who died were notorious for their corruption and poor reputation among the public.
This put the Ven Dyke family's law enforcers in a difficult position. The killers were being hailed as heroes by the common people, making it hard to punish those who were caught and even harder to track down the ones still on the run.
But a few insiders knew the truth: these killers weren't the heroes the public believed them to be. When questioned, the captured attackers revealed their motives. Shockingly, there were around fifty of them, and they had come together from different kingdoms and territories to launch the assault. Their original goal was to breach the inner castle, but its defenses were too tight.
Instead, they focused their efforts on the outer castle, destroying numerous noble estates and killing their occupants—all with just fifty people.
And for what? Revenge. Each of them had some personal grievance with people connected to the Ven Dyke family—whether it was a soldier who killed a relative in battle, or others who felt wronged by the family, either through real injustices or perceived slights.
But all of this had been orchestrated by their leader, a figure they called "Demon Eyes" because his entire eyes—not just the pupils—were blood red. To the frustration of the law enforcers, none of the captured prisoners knew his face or name. All they could say was that he was a tall man with red eyes.
With public pressure mounting to stop the search for the escaped members, as many saw them as heroes, the enforcers had no choice but to call off the investigation. However, Tyron wasn't ready to give up. He led a small team to continue searching outside the city and castle, convinced the fugitives had fled beyond its borders.
For some reason, Lady Katherine was quite intrigued by this leader, impressed by the precision of his planning.
"My lady, forgive me, but isn't it wrong to be impressed by a man who planned the murder of hundreds of people, even if they weren't good people?" Cassian asked, his voice filled with confusion.
Katherine reclined in her chair with an amused smile, unfazed by Cassian's disapproval. "Cassian, impressive things are impressive, regardless of whether they are evil or good. Acknowledging brilliance, no matter its nature, helps you prepare to achieve even greater things—whether for good or evil," she replied calmly.
Cassian understood the gist of what she was saying—it was impressive how this leader managed to execute such a plan right under the noses of powerful warriors, escape, and even tarnish the Ven Dyke Duchy's reputation by making them look bad for trying to punish his accomplices.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder if they'd be having this conversation if one of the victims had been someone close to him or Lady Katherine. He doubted it. But Cassian didn't have the courage to voice that thought aloud; if he did, he might not keep his head on his shoulders.
"So, when is Miss Laureen coming back?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Not for a while. Why? Did you have something to say to her?" Katherine asked. Cassian shook his head. The day Lady Katherine returned, only Fuyuko had come back with her—Laureen was nowhere to be seen. Cassian assumed she'd return eventually and didn't bother asking where she was or when she might come back.
He wouldn't have cared much about Laureen if it weren't for the fact that she was the one who'd made him experience his first orgasm. At the time, he didn't even know what it was called. It was only later, through his friend Nahir, that he learned more about it.
To Cassian's surprise, Nahir was incredibly knowledgeable about such things—so much so that Cassian sometimes felt uncomfortable, almost on the verge of thinking Nahir was turning into a full-blown pervert.
Now that Lady Katherine mentioned Laureen wouldn't be returning for a while, and knowing her whereabouts wouldn't do him any good, Cassian had only one other option to experience an orgasm: Lucy. But she had been so busy with her work that, in the past two days, all he had managed was a few brief greetings.
He still regretted not getting a glimpse of her breasts that one day and often found himself daydreaming about kissing her and feeling them.
Still, there were other things that helped him keep his urges in check, like the soft, velvety feel of Lady Katherine's thick thighs, which he was now enjoying as he massaged them, a wide smile on his face.
Her skirt was raised just above her knees, exposing her legs and part of her thighs. Since that first day, he hadn't gotten another look at her underwear, but he didn't mind. He got to feel her ample thighs as much as he wanted, all while imagining what else he could do if he weren't just her servant. His thoughts often left him bricked up as he worked.
It was a win-win situation for Cassian, and the only way he could lose was if he did something foolish enough to make her stop allowing the massages. So, he practiced his technique as diligently as he did his swordsmanship. "Is my massage technique improving, my lady?" he asked.
Katherine spread her legs a little wider to give him better access and replied, "It's much better than your first day." That was an understatement on her part. Cassian's massages nearly made her feel like she was walking on clouds. She had never felt so relaxed in her life. The only discomfort she had left was in her buttocks and waist.
She was certain Cassian would eventually learn the proper technique for those areas as well, but she hadn't yet decided if she should allow any man other than her husband to touch her there. She was already pushing boundaries by letting him massage her thighs.
Katherine wasn't feeling guilt from it as knowing that her reason for these massages was purely for relaxation, not some cheap lustful pleasure. Yet, her marriage vows still meant something to her, even if they were just words, and this left her conflicted. When Cassian asked, "My lady, are there any more books to learn how to massage other parts of the body?"
She didn't know how to respond. A part of her was eager to rid herself of the discomfort in her waist and hips by giving him the proper books, but she hesitated. Finally, she said, "You've still got a long way to go before you're ready for that."