Mated To The Dead Prince
Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Cassius stood broodingly beside Cornelia’s bed, watching Rose’s unconscious form as Felonious placed different kinds of crushed herbs on her forehead.

Cornelia was sitting beside Rose, waving a glowing and smoking stick in front of her nose; Felonious had mentioned that it would help calm her mind.

After placing the herbs on her forehead, Felonious started murmuring silent spells, placing his hand over her forehead.

Cassius was anxious, but he didn’t show it; for the first time, he was kind of worried over someone’s life, over a human.

His eyes never left Rose for once; he was calm because he could still hear her faint pulse; it was his assurance that she was still living, human.

’What if she died? Would I be happy? Why was I even worrying? Isn’t it what I wanted: her death?’ He focused harder on her face; it was getting pale, and he didn’t like it; he loved seeing the red blush on her cheeks; it showed her beauty and made her look alive.

He hated that she was looking more like a vampire now, he wanted his Rose back.

He was suddenly aware of how boring and uneventful his life would be if he lost his human, he’d been too rough with her, and he felt horrible, but he couldn’t seem to have been able to control himself, something feral overtook him, he lost every shred of control, a feeling of possessiveness that made him want to claim her then and there.

He shouldn’t have.

She was human, a slave; all he had to do was get his pleasure from her and send her away, but he had wanted more than just getting his pleaser from her; he wanted her body, soul, heart, and blood; he wanted her whole.

"Your Majesty," Felonious stood erect and faced Cassius.

Cassius finally removed his eyes from Rose and looked at Felonious, "Speak," He ordered, his face unreadable.

"She fainted from exhaustion, and she’s withering...not from hunger or sickness, but from something far more insidious. A wound unseen, yet deep as any blade. Humans are fragile creatures, not just in body but in spirit. They thrive on warmth, acknowledgment, and the certainty that they are valued. But Rose, your human...she’s currently wandering the halls like a ghost trapped in the flesh, aching for the affection she dares not demand or accept." Felonious moved over and took the glowing stick from Cornelia, nodding at her in appreciation.

He went to his tray of herbs and placed down the glowing stick before returning to stand in front of Cassius, his head bowed, "Rose, her body seek yours, Master, yet you do not see her. Her heart calls, but you do not answer. This is not mere sadness; it is starvation. A slow, painful unraveling of the soul. If left untended, she will not break... but she will become hollow. And a hollow heart, Your Majesty, is far harder to reclaim than a broken one." Felonious looked at Rose and sighed.

Cassius felt a heavy feeling press down on his heart, so Rose was suffering because he had refused to mate her; how far could she go before she finally succumbed to whatever this was between them? Would he really lose her if he continued to refuse to mark her?

"You mean she wants me to mark her?" Cassius asked slowly.

Felonious shared a look with Cornelia before replying, "Master, it’s clear that you both do not want to mark each other, but from what we’ve seen so far, you do react to her, and she does crave your mark, maybe, if not as a mate... then as your mate, all that is needed is a bond, a mate bond preferably, but a slave bond would do, at least, it’ll keep her out of harm’s way," he cautiously suggested.

"Then tell me, great mage, how does one mark someone with a burning blood?" Cassius’ green eyes gazed at Felonious, daring him to provide him with a solution.

Felonious sighed, "I’m sorry, Master, that is something I haven’t figured out yet. However, I do have a suggestion," He looked at Cassius, silently asking for permission to continue talking.

Cassius nodded, his eyes returning to Rose’s face; a little color was starting to her face, and her pulse had also increased; he didn’t realize it, but his soul was slowly feeling relieved by the realization that Rose was getting better.

"What do you suggest, Felonious?" Surprised at himself for actually feeling ready to do whatever his mage might suggest.

"Ahem, since it is this way, Master, allow me to suggest giving Rose away to Prince Athan since he’s already compatible with him and her blood doesn’t hurt him. Maybe, away from your presence, her body might forget you and become and start bonding with him, she’ll be safer that way, Master -"

"Do not misunderstand him, Master," Cornelia was suddenly in front of Felonious, kneeling with her head bowed.

The moment Felonious mentioned that Cassius should give Rose away, she noticed the instant color change in Cassius’ eyes. Felonious didn’t notice, but if Cornelia hadn’t rushed to plead, his head might well be rolling around the floor by now.

Vampires were possessive creatures, and by the looks of it, Cassius was becoming possessive over Rose, obsessed even; Cornelia knew that Felonious’ idea wasn’t what Cassius wanted to hear.

"Then save him, Cornelia, tell me what he meant to say," Cassius’ eyes found Felonious’ lowered face, the mage had realized his mistake, he’d said too much and put himself in trouble, he knew that if not for Cornelia, he’d be on his way to hell by now.

"What he meant to say, Master, is that you try to make your slave comfortable around you, it might make her stop seeing you as a threat and hence make her blood harmless toward you. If that happens, you can now mark her as your slave or as your mate," Cornelia explained.

Cassius was quiet; he looked at Felonious, then turned his face to Cornelia, "See that she is well-fed and dressed; bring her to me before sunrise," He ordered and left the room.

Cornelia immediately stood up, glaring at Felonious, "Oh, wise mage, how you almost got yourself killed," She flipped her long white hair over her shoulder, her eyes challenging him to say a word.

Felonious sighed, "I know it was thoughtless of me. However, I was ready to risk my life to make him realize that he, too, was suffering, he needs her just as much as she needs him..." He paused and stared seriously at Cornelia, "You never know what you have until you lose it." His voice was low as he spoke, almost as if he was saying it directly to Cornelia.

Cornelia looked away and cleared her throat, "I understand. He needed to imagine her with someone else before he realized that he couldn’t afford to let her leave his side. Still, you could have just said it as it was, and you had to mention Prince Athan, you know the Prince has something special for the Master’s slave," She frowned.

"Then I must thank you, Cornelia, for saving me," He stepped closer to Cornelia and gently held her hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it briefly, "When she becomes aware, you can take make off the herbs before she has a bath. Have a good day, Cornelia," he bowed his head to her and quietly left the room.

Cornelia was stunned; after ten years, she never thought that Felonious would ever show his feelings again; she guessed he might have done it to show his gratitude for saving him and not because his feelings for her were returning. It was impossible for him to love her again, he’d clearly stated that he wanted to concentrate on being a mage and not on love.

"Love is for the shallow-minded," he’d said.

Cornelia smiled to herself and turned to look at Rose and saw her furrowing her brows; she quickly returned to the bed and sat beside her, "Hey, Rose, are you awake? Can you hear me?" She placed a gentle hand on Rose’s arm, looking closely at her face.

Her color had fully returned, but she looked exhausted; Cornelia knew that the girl needed rest, so she decided to help.

She wouldn’t let her go the moment she woke up, she was going to defy Cassius for the first time, but sjebwoukd also be helping him.

She was going to keep Rose away from him because she knew that Cassius would still overwhelm Rose if he saw her as soon as she woke up; she’d keep her here with herself, allowing her to eat properly and rest so she would be ready to face the Master again.

It must be really draining to be the only human in a world filled with magical creatures; the girl needed a break if she might actually die before the bond got to her.

Rose suddenly coughed, drawing Cornelia out of her thoughts.

"Oh, my, poor child, how are you feeling?" Cornelia asked, immediately taking off the crushed herbs from her forehead.

Rose was about to reply when the door flew open to reveal Cassius’ tall figure; their eyes locked, and Rose could feel an invisible rope drawing her whole being to him; her body felt electrified, sparks and tingles running down her spine with just a single look from Cassius.

"Ca..." She shut her mouth and looked away.

Cornelia was shocked at what Rose wanted to call Cassius. Were they secret on a first-name basis?

Cassius slowly walked into the room and sat beside Rose; Cornelia immediately left the bed; she knew that her plan to keep Rose away was dead; Cassius himself was here, and there was nothing she could do anymore.

Cassius raised his hand to Rose’s cheek and caressed it before turning her face to look at him, his thumb traced her cheek, his grip firm but oddly gentle. His jaw clenched. "I was... too rough."

Cornelia’s jaw was on the floor. Did the dark Vampire Prince just attempt to apologize to his human slave?