The Blood of the Crown [BL]

The mist dissipated, and suddenly, I was no longer in the room. I was standing in a dark, cold corridor, with stone walls and flickering torches. A small boy with white hair and red eyes was curled up on the floor, crying. It was Cassius, but much younger.

"Why are you like this?" a harsh voice echoed down the hall. It was a woman's voice—cold and filled with disdain. "You are a disgrace to this family."

I turned my head and saw a tall, elegant woman with the same white hair as Cassius and piercing violet eyes. It was his mother. She looked at the boy with disgust, as if he were something repulsive.

"I never asked to be like this," the young Cassius sobbed, his small voice trembling. "I just want to be normal."

"Normal?" his mother laughed, a hollow, humorless sound. "You will never be normal. You are a curse, an abomination. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

The young Cassius shrank even further, as if trying to disappear. I felt a pang of pain in my chest as I watched the scene. I knew what it was like to be rejected, but this… this was something much worse.

The scene shifted, and now I was in a grand hall, filled with nobles and courtiers watching. Cassius, now a little older, stood in the center of the room, his face marked with bruises. His father, a tall and imposing man, stood beside him, holding a whip.

"You need to learn to control this," Cassius' father said, his voice deep and full of contempt. "You are a weapon, not a son. And if you can't control yourself, I will destroy you."

Cassius didn't respond. He simply stared at the floor, his red eyes filled with tears. I could see the pain on his face, the way he tried to remain strong even as he was being broken from the inside out.

The scene changed again, and now I was in a garden. Cassius, now a teenager, was sitting on a bench with Bianca beside him. She was young, but she already had that calculating look I knew so well.

"You need to be stronger," Bianca said, her voice soft but laced with manipulation. "If you don't control yourself, they will kill you. And I won't be able to save you."

Cassius looked at her, his red eyes filled with hope. "Will you stay by my side, Bianca? Will you help me?"

Bianca smiled, but there was something false in it. "Of course, brother. I will always be by your side."

But I knew she was lying. I knew that, deep down, Bianca was only using Cassius for her own gain. And when he needed her the most, she abandoned him.

I didn't know if it was because I was inside a novel, but everything felt so real that, for a moment, I wanted to embrace him. Just for a moment.

The mist cleared, and suddenly, I was back in the room. Cassius was still looking at the mirror, but now his hands were trembling, and I could see the tears in his eyes. He looked lost, as if he was still trapped in the dark past we had just relived.

"Cassius," I said softly, trying to bring him back to the present. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer immediately. His red eyes still glowed with that supernatural light, and the markings on his face and body remained visible. He was fully immersed in his demonic side, but I didn't feel fear. On the contrary, I felt a strange connection to him.

I decided the best thing to do was to help him pull himself together. The wine stain was still on his attire, and he looked so vulnerable in that moment that I couldn't resist the urge to take care of him. I picked up a clean cloth from a nearby table and stepped closer.

"Let me help you clean this up," I said, keeping my tone casual, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Cassius didn't react. He kept staring at the mirror, as if entranced. I began wiping the stain from his attire, starting at his chest and slowly working my way down.

That's when things got… interesting.

My fingers brushed against something that was definitely not fabric.

I froze for a moment, realizing exactly where my hand had landed. Cassius, on the other hand, snapped out of his trance immediately. He looked at me, his red eyes glowing with a mix of surprise and discomfort.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice filled with a blend of incredulity and irritation.

I quickly pulled my hand away, gripping the cloth like a white flag. "Relax, prince," I said, trying to keep my tone light. "It's not what you're thinking. I was just trying to clean the wine stain."

Cassius stared at me, clearly skeptical. "You were… down there."

"It was an accident," I responded, raising my hands in surrender. "I swear. I wasn't trying to… you know."

He continued to glare at me, but there was something different in his gaze now. He seemed surprised, not just by the accidental touch, but by the fact that I wasn't afraid of him. His red eyes still gleamed, his fangs were still visible, yet I didn't back away.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" he asked, his voice lower now, almost hesitant.

I looked at him, a smile playing on my lips. "Why should I be? You're just a guy with some glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. I've seen way worse, Cassius. And to be honest, you actually look better like this."

Cassius frowned, clearly thrown off by my response. "Better?"

"Yeah, better," I continued in a relaxed tone. "The fangs, the markings… it all suits you. It gives you that mysterious aura, you know? Like one of those novel characters my cousin is obsessed with."

He stared at me as if trying to figure out whether I was joking or not. But for a brief moment, I saw something shift in his expression. A flicker of relief.

He wasn't used to being praised—especially not when his demonic side was exposed.

"You're strange, Delacroix," he murmured, but there was a trace of admiration in his voice.

"I've been told that before," I replied with a grin. "But hey, at least I'm an interesting kind of strange."

Cassius didn't reply, but I could see the faintest hint of a smile forming on his lips. He looked back at the mirror, and this time, it seemed like he was seeing himself differently.

Maybe he was starting to realize that he didn't have to hide from me.