Maybe it was her bold tone, or the way that she whispered her words against his ear. Either way, she didn\'t like how her words seemed to amuse him. He blinked in surprise, before he let out a soft chuckle, the sound bubbling up from his throat.

His hand slid towards her lower back as he cocked his head and looked at her. Suddenly, she felt exposed. "It seems like we will have an interesting… hunt." The smile on his face didn\'t vanish as he ambled away from her and her grandfather.

Her grandfather\'s low hum interrupted her stupor. "It looks like Carmichael was right. You are indeed acting… different around this man."

His words reminded her that they… were not alone. Just as she had expected, everyone was staring at them—her..

And one by one, she met their gazes. What the hell was wrong with these people? When she was nineteen, they wanted her to marry and even shoved an engagement up her throat. Now that she was engaged, they were looking at her as if she was from some new species.

Was it because she didn\'t blush when they stared at her?

"It\'s because you are partnered with a cripple." Those harsh words came from a man wearing a black cape. An insignia of the wave could be seen in the man\'s chest.

Water element.

Cephie clan.

"Lady Cassandra La Roche… I\'ll never forget the first time we met. But I\'ll keep on trying." The man continued as he extended his hand towards her.

"Jude Cephie…" she looked at his calloused hands before staring at his grayish eyes. As the heir of the Cephie water elemental clan, the man\'s temper was surprisingly the opposite of calm. Sometimes, she wondered how he had became the heir. "I too would never forget you. After all, your face reminds me of the trash in my room."

"You—"

"Jude, where is your grandfather?"

Cassandra\'s grandfather interrupted them. When Jude motioned towards the tent, her grandfather eyed Cassandra before leaving them.

"I heard about your engagement. Pity how you are destined to marry a cripple." Jude said. As Carmichael\'s rival, Cassandra had grown trying to irritate Jude. Basically, they grew up trying to irritate each other.

Obviously, many people thought it was naïve of a woman to talk like that to a man. But this never bothered her, nor Jude, nor their grandfathers who were actually close friends.

"Jude, I would rather marry a handsome cripple than someone like you." The smile on her face was too bright Jude let out a few low curses before he glared at her.

"At least I am not useless in the war…"

"You\'re not?" her eyebrows lifted. "I heard different stories from the soldiers."

"You—Are you trying to insult my family?" First she had called him ugly! Second, she had called him ugly! Now she was calling him useless! "I— "

"Goodbye Jude, it\'s nice to see you alive. I hope to see your corpse next time!"

"You—Hey! Where are you going?"

"Away from you?" She walked into the tent and as she had expected, the man followed her. "I heard your wife gave birth to your second son." To avoid producing a weaker heir, it was like a basic rule to marry someone having the same elements. This is why Jude and she were never engaged in the past.

Two guards opened the door for them, revealing the elegant interior inside with carpets and unnecessary blue linens that hung from the tent, intricately folded to look like waves.

The soft sound of jazz accompanied with the smell of jasmine tea immediately lightened her mood. She smiled and looked at Jude who was walking next to her.

As expected, the dark look on the man\'s face vanished as if it were never there in the first place. "Oh, Laura just—"Jude shut his mouth when he noticed the grim atmosphere inside the tent. He looked at his grandfather who was looking at Cassandra, frowning.

"Cassandra… Cadell said you wanted this marriage?" Wolstan Cephie, the current patriarch of the Water elemental clan asked.

Cassandra nodded. She already expected the question from the no nonsense patriarch of the Cephie Clan. Just like his grandson, Wolstan was also wearing a black cape with the same insignia.

The silence that followed made everyone uncomfortable — except her. When the old man stared at Cassandra, she didn\'t back down and turn her gaze away. Instead, she bravely met his gaze.

From her memories, the old man looked more or less the same. He looked a little bulkier maybe, and perhaps older. He was sitting in the same velvet chair that he always brought wherever he went.

"I assume you understand what is going to happen?"

Again, she nodded. With her becoming a part of the royal family, the other clans might avoid the fire clan and think that they were now a part of the royal family. However, she was confident that this was the best decision she could come up with.

The old man continued, "As long as you understand the consequences of your actions."

She nodded. Cassandra wasn\'t going to explain that Prince Hunter was not really considered \'Royalty\'. He was ostracized for being the son of the mistress and had spent most of his life away from the capital.

Wait. Why was she defending that man?

Irritation flashed in her eyes.

"Anyway, once the hunting starts, you and the Prince can stay with Jude. The forest this time is a bit different from the previous years. The number of demons lurking around the capital is increasing. The miasma that is giving off the negative energy around is also increasing." Wolstan gave her a meaningful glance.

She smiled. "Many thanks, Patriarch Cephie, but I believe it is best if I stay away from the other people in the four great families. After all, the hatred between us and the Royalty is increasing day by day."

"I understand. It is presumptuous of me to assume that you needed my grandson\'s help when your grandfather is not showing any hint of worry." The old man laughed.

Cassandra gave a wry smile before she heard an announcement from the outside of the tent.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! Announcing the arrival of his royal highness, the King of Zealandia. King Titus Corvus!"

Cassandra and everyone else except her grandfather and Patriarch Wolstan bowed their heads. She heard the sound of coins before the tent.

"Rise."

The gruff voice echoed inside the tent.