CHAPTER 373: OUR LOVE TERRIFY THEM-I

Arabella’s gaze flicked toward Cassius, searching his expression, but he only lifted his shoulders in a languid shrug, his disinterest as obvious as it was deceptive. She had spent enough time by his side to recognize that look, he might appear bored, but a plan was already forming behind those cold eyes. Whatever this imposter was playing at, Cassius would not leave it unanswered.

Arabella’s own curiosity, however, stirred restlessly. An impostor who wore her beloved’s face and utter prophecies? What manner of trickery was that, and what kind of danger did it invite?

Paolo, meanwhile, looked almost relieved to have her attention. For once, someone at court seemed eager to hear him out rather than drown his concerns beneath Cassius’s silence and sharp dismissals. His voice grew steady, solemn.

"The prophecies varied, milady, but they always circled back to the kingdom’s fate," he explained gravely. "And what unsettles many is this: the impostor began speaking them long before His Majesty was crowned. In those days, he declared, again and again, that Prince Cassius would rise to rule Versailles... and that at his side there would stand a woman with eyes of bright, unmistakable green."

Arabella stilled. She felt Cassius shift against her, the faintest flex of his arm around her waist, but his silence said more than words could.

"My triumph was always the likeliest outcome," Cassius said flatly, his tone dismissive, as though brushing dust from his sleeve. "It is hardly prophecy if one merely wagers on the most probable result."

"True, Your Majesty, very true," Paolo agreed quickly, though his hands twitched with unease. Then, as if struck by sudden recollection, his eyes widened. "But, there is a troubling part of the prophecy I have not yet shared." His voice dropped, the words heavy as iron.

Cassius’s gaze slid toward him, cold and for a moment his lazy gaze shifted to something deadlier. Arabella felt her breath tighten at the reaction.

"The impostor declared that Versailles would not flourish, but fall," Paolo continued, his face paling as he spoke. "He said that a great calamity would descend upon this kingdom... and at its heart, the lady of green eyes would meet her death. In that moment, our King would lose his reason, and in his madness, Versailles itself would be dragged into ruin."

The chamber seemed to still. Arabella’s pulse thudded in her ears, the mention of her fate coiling around her like a noose. She dared a glance at Cassius, but his expression was unreadable, carved with something worse than just anger.

"Have you found the impostor?" Cassius demanded, his voice cutting through the air like the edge of a blade.

Paolo swallowed hard and shook his head. "N- no, Your Majesty. It appears he had not been paying his tabs at the inn and was thrown out. Since then, his location remains unknown—"

Cassius’s crimson gaze narrowed, a flash of danger igniting in his eyes. "Then what are you waiting for?" His tone sharpened into something merciless. "Scour every corner of Versailles. Search the gutters, the forests, the graves if you must. And when you find him, drag him here to me."

The weight of the order struck Paolo like thunder. His knees nearly buckled, a shiver racing down his spine until his body trembled outright. He bowed so low his forehead almost touched the floor.

"Y- yes, Your Majesty!" he stammered before bolting from the chamber, each hurried step a desperate attempt to outrun the terror Cassius had carved into his bones. He knew well that if he delayed, death would not be the worst punishment awaiting him.

As Paolo ran from the chamber, Arabella turned to Cassius with a slight frown, "You should have just given him order without scaring him."

"You would soon know that fear works best than a simple order," Cassius leaned to her stomach, inhaling her scent that eased his nerves, "Don’t worry, as I have promised, I won’t take lives more than necessary."

Arabella smiled a small smile and gently placed her hand on top of his chest, smoothening his inky locks, "Are you worried about the prophecy?"

"How can I not when it involves you?" Cassius was uneasy as the prophecy speaking about Arabella’s death was akin to the current problem he was facing.

It didn’t help that Lastor had gone to the mountain of the coldest forest to meet with a witch, telling him days ago that he would travel away to find the witch who was more knowledgable with the curses similar to Arabella’s.

But he didn’t promise that the ice witch could give a proper result, all because the witches are fickle and they won’t move unless they wish to.

"A prophecy usually tells about the future but it could also be use to help avoid the disaster that the future bring," she said with a smile, gently lifting his face with her hands around her jaw, locking her green eyes to his uneasy red ones. "We can simply find this person and find a way to avoid the disaster right?"

"Yes," Cassius grabbed her hands a little too tightly and closed his eyes, "You’re right."

And she smiled as she could see that his nerves were finally eased up from all the knots, not knowing the darker gaze that had overtook his eyes.

The next evening, Atlas slowly stirred from his deep slumber.

His blue eyes, heavy with the haze of sleep, blinked at the canopy above him. For a fleeting moment, his mind was blank, no thoughts, no fears, no memories, only the muted silence of waking. Then it struck him. The last moments before darkness swallowed him surged back with brutal clarity. His breath caught, and he bolted upright.

"CIRCE!"

His voice tore through the chamber, raw with urgency. He staggered out of the bed, his feet nearly tangling in the sheets as he lurched toward the door. Every nerve in his body screamed with dread. The image of her, her voice calling, her presence slipping away, clawed at his thoughts.

The chamber doors burst open as he shoved them wide, startling the guards stationed outside.

"Where is she?!" Atlas’s words thundered, the sharpness of his tone leaving no room for hesitation.

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, their silence dragging for a dangerous second too long.

"Tell me!" Atlas roared, his blue eyes burning with a desperation so fierce it bordered madness.

"Calm down," a deep voice broke through, startling Atlas awake.