20 Crown Prince

That had come out of nowhere.

Cassandra decided to just get used to the fact that she would act weird around this man. She blamed it on the fact that she had seen him kill her.

"What are you— "

"That necklace is cursed, isn't it?" she asked. "Your highness, using my death to cause chaos between the crown prince and my family is a very smart thing to do. However, I believe I am the wrong woman for your sinister plans."

His smirk was replaced by a frown.

"You can, of course, kill me now to silence me but I doubt my brother and grandfather would allow you to leave our estate unscathed. You saw Carmichael earlier; his elemental ability could torch you in seconds. Added to that are my guards, Sir Steve and Grandfather, who is already a high magician. You, my dearest prince, would never leave this place alive."

The change in his demeanor was expected. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "That is only if they can catch me." His eyes were squinted towards her. "Now, why don't you tell me when you learned of my plan? Before… one of my daggers would accidentally slit your throat?"

"You said it yourself." She gave him a cunning smile. Cassandra didn't bother to get into a defensive stance. She maintained their two-foot distance, confident that he wouldn't hurt her. "I am smarter than you originally thought."

"What are— "

"Carmichael is watching us… we should start walking." Cassandra said. She then hooked her arm around his. "Killing me wouldn't benefit you in any way."

"How did you—"He tried to shake her hand off him. Then he let out a hiss when Cassandra's hand turned hot. The smell of his burnt clothes permeated the air.

"Keep your smile." Cassandra pointed at the tent nearby. It was one of those tents that the youths used to rest when it got too hot during summer. The simple makeshift tent was made of some random fabric that was sewn together and attached to a pole. The other side was attached to an ash tree nearby.

The tent would actually shield them from Carmichael's gaze.

The moment they arrived in the tent, Prince Hunter suddenly pushed her away from him. A dagger appeared in his hand. Without a hint of hesitation in his eyes, he pressed the sharp blade against her throat.

Her instincts kicking in, Cassandra tried to avoid the blade as she stepped back until her back hit the tree. Contrary to Hunter's expectations, a smile was plastered on Cassandra's face.

"Your highness… you are losing your composure. Makes me wonder if this is the first time someone found out about your plans?" She didn't hide the mockery in her voice.

The reason why she had come back to Zealandia was to protect her family. However, this man had come out of nowhere and wanted to use her and her family against the empire. She would never allow him to do that.

Seeing his gaze turn darker, Cassandra added, "I am not your enemy."

"Who told you about the necklace?"

"No one." She was just smart. "I dreamed about it. I saw myself dying while wearing that necklace."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care. That's the truth." This man was actually a future enemy, someone who would want the Sybill dead. She decided to tread carefully. "If I was lying, do you think I would use such a lame excuse? I could easily use this opportunity to make you doubt the people whom you trust."

Cassandra continued, "When I was asleep, I saw some things that I believe are going to happen soon," she lied. She hadn't seen this in her visions. But right now, this was the only way out that she could think of.

But revealing this dream might also reveal that she was the Sybill, right?

Not necessarily. Sybills didn't really dream about the future overnight. They saw it in the form of visions that would fill their heads while they were awake. "I know that you want me dead. I know that you want to frame the crown prince for my death." This time, she was just blindly talking about the things that she had understood from her vision.

To avoid her gruesome death, she needed to keep him close.

Cassandra would do anything to survive. She wouldn't hesitate to marry the future leader of the dark ones just to keep herself alive. As the future leader, this man was bound to become powerful and ruthless. If she stayed close and gained his trust, then… she might just have a fifty percent chance of survival, right?

She stared at his squinted eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. She knew he was angry, his brown eyes slowly turning scarlet. Seeing them up close, Cassandra couldn't help but shiver inwardly.

How was he able to stay sane?

Dark ones were known for their lack of reason and emotions. They could become killing machines without any way to feel any guilt or anger. They were monsters.

"I also saw you die," she added. "Your end is coming."

Before he could say anything, she quickly added, "But I can help you. I can save you."

Prince Hunter only stared at her, without any signs of withdrawing the dagger from her throat. His now dark red eyes never left her blue eyes, his expression that of an indifferent killer that was about to kill its prey. But she wasn't planning on backing down.

Cassandra knew that he wouldn't believe her. But what was more important was her survival. Sadly, she couldn't actually control her ability to predict what was about to happen a few hours from now. It would have been helpful to know what was going to happen a few days from now and prove to the prince that she had actually dreamed about the future.

However, she wasn't planning on giving up. When Cassandra heard the soft sound of a twig breaking under someone's boots her eyes immediately lit up. Her lips lifted into a mischievous smirk as she swiftly grabbed Hunter's collar and pulled him harshly towards herself. He let go of the knife pressed against the neck, startled, as he stumbled towards her. Just as their lips met, Carmichael's voice boomed.

"What the hell are you doing to my sister?"