Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 124 : Breakfast and Unspoken Wars

Chapter 124: Chapter 124 : Breakfast and Unspoken Wars

Cassian strode into the dining hall with an unreadable expression, his posture stiff yet composed. His movements were calm, but his insides churned with frustration and residual embarrassment.

He had taken great care to conceal the shameful mark, dabbing just enough rouge over it to blend with his skin. His collar was adjusted meticulously—not too tight to seem unnatural, but high enough to keep the evidence hidden.

He had no intention of letting anyone—especially a certain insufferable bastard—see even a flicker of what had transpired earlier.

Yet the moment he entered, his mood soured further.

The City Lord was there.

Cassian’s steps faltered for a fraction of a second before he forced himself to keep walking. He clenched his jaw.

Why? Why was he here?

The City Lord rarely graced the breakfast table with his presence. In recent days, he had been absent altogether. But today—of all days—he decided to show up?

Cassian’s expression did not change, but his fingers curled at his sides. He could ignore this. He could pretend he was nothing more than an empty chair, a useless decoration. Yes, that was exactly what he would do.

But another problem presented itself almost immediately.

The only available seat was directly across from him.

Cassian’s brows twitched. He scanned the room again, as if hoping to find some hidden alternative, but the fact remained. Every other seat was occupied, except for the main seat—the one reserved for the master of the household.

He could not sit there. It was not his place.

Which meant...

Cassian’s eye twitched.

Did Dorian deliberately take his seat just to force this situation? That bastard should be sitting at the head of the table, yet he chose to sit there, right in front of Cassian’s usual spot.

Was this intentional? Was he trying to get on his nerves?

Cassian exhaled sharply through his nose.

Fine. Whatever.

He did not give a damn about this bastard’s mind games.

He would simply treat him like air, like a meaningless speck of dust that had no presence.

Cassian walked forward and pulled out his chair with a firm drag, the sound cutting through the quiet murmur of the hall.

And then—everyone’s eyes snapped towards him at the same time, making Cassian feel conscious.

Cassian stiffened.

He hated it. He loathed it.

The weight of their gazes made his skin prickle. His nerves tightened, and an uncomfortable sense of paranoia crept up his spine. Were they looking at him? Did they know? Could they somehow see through his carefully composed exterior?

His patience snapped.

"What?" His voice rang across the hall, sharp and irritated. His eyes glared daggers at the offenders. "Don’t you have anything better to do than stare? Eat your damn food!"

The entire dining hall fell into stunned silence.

Orion, who had just taken a sip of water, choked violently. Several others averted their gazes in alarm. A few nervously picked at their food, pretending they had never looked in the first place.

Cassian ignored their reactions and sat down, still simmering with irritation.

Across from him, Dorian remained infuriatingly nonchalant. His expression was calm, unreadable, as if Cassian’s outburst was nothing of concern. He did not so much as lift his gaze, acting as though they were nothing but strangers sharing a table.

Cassian’s hands clenched under the table.

This bastard was really good at pretending, huh?

Meanwhile, Orion wiped his mouth and glanced between Cassian and Dorian. His mind raced with thoughts he absolutely did not want to have.

Why is Leader Hayes so angry?

His eyes flickered to the City Lord.

Is it because I interrupted them?

His stomach dropped at the mere possibility.

But then—his thoughts took a darker turn.

What if—what if Leader Hayes was not satisfied last night?

Orion broke out in a cold sweat.

Oh. Oh.

That would explain the foul mood.

That would explain why Leader Hayes was acting like he was about to throw hands with the entire table.

Orion’s mind spiraled into dangerous territory.

And then—he realized something.

...Had he just said that aloud?

His blood ran cold.

Because beside him, Sir Alistair was staring.

"...Who is not satisfied?" Alistair asked, his voice calm yet tinged with suspicion.

Orion’s soul nearly left his body.

Shit.

He had definitely said it aloud.

Under the pressure of Alistair’s piercing gaze, Orion panicked.

"I—I—he—" Orion stammered, before blurting out, "I am not satisfied!"

A heavy silence fell over the table.

Alistair’s brow rose. His eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing him.

Orion immediately wanted to hurl himself out of the nearest window.

Realizing how terribly wrong that sounded, he scrambled to correct himself.

"With—uh—with food!" Orion blurted out, his hands gesturing wildly. "I am not satisfied with my food! Yes! That’s what I meant! The food!"

Alistair stared for a long, excruciating moment before finally looking away with an unimpressed expression.

Orion nearly collapsed from sheer relief.

Meanwhile, Cassian paid no mind to the absurd exchange. He was too busy forcing himself to eat, chewing aggressively just to keep himself from throwing his spoon at someone’s head.

And across from him, Dorian finally lifted his eyes.

Black irises with a glint of red gleamed with amusement.

He watched Cassian with a slow, knowing smirk, as if he had already won a battle Cassian did not even know he was fighting.

Cassian gritted his teeth.

This bastard. Now why was he staring? No. No. Don’t. He had to pretend to be a celestial man. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Cassian continued to curse him in his mind. However, he begged the heavens to make this man stare somewhere else. But no. The man was staring at him like he would soon dig a hole into his face.

What if someone noticed his unusual stare and misunderstood something?

No... No, they would not. He had nothing to do with him. He would not give anyone a chance to misunderstand or say anything. Hmph!

"Leader Hayes..."

A velvety voice rang inside the dining hall, but before he could even complete the sentence, he found a flying knife hurling toward him.

"Shut up!!"

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