Chapter 65

ASHER

Chapter 65 News from Kane

I rubbed my temples and tried to remain calm. I was spending more and more time in my study these days to stay away from those who wanted to incite more. trouble or drama around me. I needed to stay relaxed, but the disease was affecting me more and more lately.

Heat spread through me as my head pounded and I could feel sweat building up. I rolled the sleeves of my shirt up and when I did, I winced in surprise. The mysterious black marks had been growing significantly, and now there were some blooming up on my forearms. I wanted Ca ssandra to check up on them, but since she was confined to her chambers, my health check would have to be delayed.

I hadn’t expected any of this to happen. It wasn’t my fault was it? Kane had. warned me beforehand and told me that Adalyn was jealous of how I treated. Ca ssandra. I knew that she was wrathful and hell-bent on destroying the healer.

But what I didn’t understand was how I felt about the ordeal and furthermore, how I felt about Ca ssandra.

All my life, I’d been someone who was always in control. I knew what to say, how to say it, and how to keep things from escalating beyond their means. But ever since, I’d met Ca ssandra, my sense of control had started sl*pping.

Seeing Ca ssandra’s bandaged hand and finding out that Adalyn had wounded her made me furious beyond imagination. I wanted to inflict punishment upon my wife like no other. There was even a small part of me that wanted to kill her.

I’d only felt this intensely protective over one person before.

Cora.

A thought crossed my mind. It was crazy and nonsensical, but the moment it entered, I couldn’t push it away.

What if Ca ssandra Keller was Cora?

Could she be?

Despite the inferno, the charred remains of Rosepetal, and the other evidence, I’d never believed that Cora had really perished in the fire. So what if there was some way she had changed her appearance and a*sumed a new identity?

My insane theory could explain why I felt so familiar with Ca ssandra the first time I saw her, why I wanted to see her all the time, why I wanted to touch her…

The idea was crazy. I knew that. But no matter how much I wanted to push it away and pretend I’d never entertained it, I couldn’t.

Ca ssandra Keller had looked so much like Cora at the banquet last night. The way the dress hugged her curves was all too familiar. I’d known that dress anywhere. It was the same Cora had worn to a ball long ago.

Where had Ca ssandra come across the dress? Was it gifted to her by someone, and if so, who was it? How did they come about an article of Cora’s clothing?

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. I let out a small groan. I wasn’t in any condition to be entertaining any more guests today.

“Who goes there?” I called out as I rolled the sleeves of my shirt back up. I couldn’t risk anyone seeing the black marks that painted my skin.

“It’s your stepbrother, Your Majesty,” one of the guards called out from the other side of the door. “He insists on seeing you right away.”

me?”

I sighed. “Enter.”

Moments later, Kane stepped into the room and smiled at me happily.

“Hello, brother,” he greeted me as the door closed behind him. “Did you miss

Kane had apparently returned from his short journey. Though he’d been vague

about where he’d gone, I suspected he went somewhere for a reason. He wanted to

avoid the visitors from Yurene.

His mother, Margaret, had wanted him to join in on the meetings with the diplomats, as she’d insisted that it would be a good chance for them to get to know. the royal family. But Kane had left just before the Northerners had arrived. Margaret was less than pleased by her son’s escape, and I a*sumed that’s why she hadn’t joined us for the ball last night.

Not that it mattered much. I was grateful my stepmother hadn’t been in attendance.

“Of course I missed you,” I remarked simply. “Now, what can I do for you, brother?”

Kane perched in the chair in front of me and studied me closely. His violet eyes. were narrowed in concern as they scanned every inch of me. “If you don’t mind me saying so, Asher, you’re looking a little worse for wear. In fact… you look like you’ve aged quite a bit. I can see some gray hairs on the sides of your face.”

“Don’t worry about those,” I muttered sheepishly. “I’m fine.”

“I don’t suspect you are,” Kane pressed.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I sighed, and that was that. He didn’t push the issue further but toyed with one of the pens on my desk.

“Listen, I’ve already heard all about what happened between Adalyn and Ca ssandra Keller in that mysterious laboratory,” he remarked as he fiddled with the gla*s instrument. “I got all of the details from various sources on my way here. I must say, brother, you sure are in quite a difficult situation. Oliver Moses is difficult in many ways, and I’m sure he’s not going to let this go until he gets what he wants. I’m willing to bet he threatened as much.”

I nodded. “Yes. He threatened to use the councilors against me.”

“I figured,” he said, and then he released a heavy sigh. “He’s always been conniving, but now that Adalyn’s involved, I’m sure it’ll only get worse. I don’t envy

you, Asher. This isn’t going to be easy to navigate.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate you saying so. I don’t know what to do, but I’ll figure it out eventually. For now, Ca ssandra has been confined to her chambers. I don’t want her anywhere near the Moses family, not until I can figure out how to make everyone happy.”

“Speaking of your healer,” Kane mused, and his eyebrow raised slightly. “I heard some interesting stories during my trip.

“What?” I asked and I leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”

When he didn’t answer, I frowned.

“Did you go to Wild Crawler?” I pressed. “I’d sent Lancel there to check out something.”

“By something, do you mean you sent him to investigate her?” Kane said in a teasing voice, and when I nodded sheepishly, he set the pen down and laughed lightly. “Well, you can’t always get all of the information you need through an official check, can you? Sometimes gossip can give you something more.”

“Continue,” I urged. I had no idea what my stepbrother was about to say next, but I knew that if he was dragging it out like this, it had to be an important detail.

Unfortunately, my stepbrother was known for his theatrics. He smiled and took a long deep breath before continuing.

“Well, I suppose if I must share with the cla*s,” he joked, and then he fixed his gaze on me. “I discovered in my travels that Finnick, Ca ssandra’s boy, isn’t Emmett Keller’s son.