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the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 279: v3 - 40: a new beginning I · Oct 27, 2026

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Chapter List (304)

Page number / 7

251 Chapter 251: v3 - 12: training grounds I 2026-10-27
252 Chapter 252: v3 - 13: training grounds II 2026-10-27
253 Chapter 253: v3 - 14: training grounds III 2026-10-27
254 Chapter 254: v4 - 15: Training grounds IV 2026-10-27
255 Chapter 255: v3 - 16: the first duel I 2026-10-27
256 Chapter 256: v3- - 17: the first duel II 2026-10-27
257 Chapter 257: v3 - 18: the first duel III 2026-10-27
258 Chapter 258: v3 - 19: the first duel IV 2026-10-27
259 Chapter 259: v3 - 20: the first duel V 2026-10-27
260 Chapter 260: v3 - 21: the first duel VI 2026-10-27
261 Chapter 261: v3 - 22:First duel’s aftermath 2026-10-27
262 Chapter 262: v3 - 23: changing seasons 2026-10-27
263 Chapter 263: v3 - 24: unexpected guests I 2026-10-27
264 Chapter 264: v3 - 25: unexpected guests II 2026-10-27
265 Chapter 265: v3 - 26: challenged 2026-10-27
266 Chapter 266: v3 - 27: the challengers I 2026-10-27
267 Chapter 267: v3 - 28: the challengers II 2026-10-27
268 Chapter 268: v3 - 29: the challengers III 2026-10-27
269 Chapter 269: v3 - 30: the challengers IV 2026-10-27
270 Chapter 270: v3 - 31: the challengers V 2026-10-27
271 Chapter 271: v3 - 32: the challengers VI 2026-10-27
272 Chapter 272: v3 - 33: the challengers VII 2026-10-27
273 Chapter 273: v3 - 34: a gamble I 2026-10-27
274 Chapter 274: v3 - 35: a gamble II 2026-10-27
275 Chapter 275: v3 - 36: the first recruit 2026-10-27
276 Chapter 276: v3 - 37: a way forward I 2026-10-27
277 Chapter 277: v3 - 38: a way forward II 2026-10-27
278 Chapter 278: v3 - 39: a way forward III 2026-10-27
279 Chapter 279: v3 - 40: a new beginning I 2026-10-27
280 Chapter 280: v3 - 41: a new beginning II 2026-10-27
281 Chapter 281: v3 - 42: a new beginning III 2026-10-27
282 Chapter 282: v3 - 43: a new beginning IV 2026-10-27
283 Chapter 283: v3 - 44: a new beginning V 2026-10-27
284 Chapter 284: v3 - 45: a new beginning VI 2026-10-27
285 Chapter 285: v3 - 46: Count Carlo of Almery I 2026-10-27
286 Chapter 286: v3 - 47: count carlo of almery II 2026-10-27
287 Chapter 287: v3 - 48: count carlo of almery III 2026-10-27
288 Chapter 288: v3 - 49: His first appearance I 2026-10-27
289 Chapter 289: v3 - 50: His first appearance II 2026-10-27
290 Chapter 290: v3 - 51: years in passing 2026-10-27
291 Chapter 291: v3 - 52: the final six months 2026-10-27
292 Chapter 292: v3 - 53: securing the crown 2026-10-27
293 Chapter 293: v3 - 54: the rewards of victory I 2026-10-27
294 Chapter 294: v3 - 55: the rewards of victory II 2026-10-27
295 Chapter 295: v3 - 56: the truth I 2026-10-27
296 Chapter 296: v3 - 57: the truth II 2026-10-27
297 Chapter 297: v3 - 58: the truth III 2026-10-27
298 Chapter 298: v3 - 59: the road home I 2026-10-27
299 Chapter 299: v3 - 60: the road home II 2026-10-27
300 Chapter 300: v4- - 1: the life she had chosen I 2026-10-27

Chapter 279: v3 Chapter 40: a new beginning I

Cassian rose from his knee.

For a moment, neither man spoke.

Then Lorenz’s expression returned to its usual calm.

Marcus understanding the matter settled spoke of the logistics.

”You have an hour.”

Cassian looked at him.

”An hour?”

”To collect your belongings and prepare yourself. We will settle the remaining arrangements with the Arena. The paperwork should be completed within the hour.”

Cassian nodded.

”I understand.”

”Good.”

Lorenz looked at him again.

”We will bring you with us once everything is settled.”

Cassian bowed his head.

”Yes, your Highness.”

He turned to leave.

Cassian left.

The door closed behind him.

Silence settled over the room.

Lorenz was the first to speak.

”What do you think?”

Marcus considered the question.

”His identity remains a mystery.”

Lorenz nodded.

”We have found nothing more.”

Lorenz walked back toward the desk.

”And his behavior?”

Marcus thought for a moment.

”I believe he meant what he said.”

”About his loyalty?”

”Yes.”

Marcus’s expression remained thoughtful.

”His actions are consistent with it. He knew the danger of revealing his Imperial technique, yet he did so because he wanted to prove his worth to us.”

He paused.

”And when given the opportunity to pledge himself, he did not hesitate.”

Lorenz nodded slowly.

”I saw that.”

”He understands loyalty.”

Lorenz glanced at him.

”You believe he will be loyal to our cause?”

”Based on what I have seen, yes.”

Marcus hesitated.

”I believe he will serve well.”

Lorenz’s gaze drifted toward the closed door.

”So do I.”

There was something about the man that continued to interest him.

The swordsmanship was one thing.

His composure was another.

But it was the small things that Lorenz found most curious.

The way he had spoke the Imperial language.

The way he had assessed the room.

The way he had knelt without hesitation.

That gesture in particular had stayed with him.

It had not been the awkward imitation of a commoner trying to impress a nobleman.

He had known exactly what he was doing.

Lorenz had seen enough men bow and kneel to recognize the difference.

What sort of life had Carlo lived before the Arena?

The question lingered.

But Lorenz let it go.

There would be time to learn.

For now, the important thing was that the man may prove himself useful.

And, for reasons Lorenz could not quite explain, he rather liked him.

Marcus gathered the documents.

”We should leave.”

Lorenz nodded.

”Yes.”

Cassian returned to his quarters with little to gather.

Twenty-one months in the Arena had taught him not to accumulate possessions.

A few changes of clothing.

A handful of personal things.

The small amount of money he had managed to save.

That was nearly everything.

He packed them into a worn bag given by the arena at some point.

Then he stopped.

He looked around the room.

He had spent nearly two years here.

It was not a pleasant place.

Nothing about it made him want to linger.

He had no fond memories of the walls, the fights, or the countless days spent wondering whether he would survive the next match.

And yet, he could not deny that the Arena had taught him something.

It had taught him how to survive without a name.

How to endure without hope.

How to observe before acting, and how to recognize what a man was capable of before he showed it.

Most importantly, it had taught him patience.

For twenty-one months, he had waited.

And somehow, that patience had finally brought him to this moment.

He tightened the strap of his bag.

Less than an hour later, he was ready.

The carriage waiting outside the Arena was unmarked.

No crest.

No royal colors.

Nothing that would draw attention.

Cassian climbed inside after Marcus.

Marcus took one side of the carriage.

Cassian sat beside him.

Lorenz was seated opposite them.

After everything that had just been agreed upon, Cassian had no intention of forgetting the difference in their positions.

The carriage began moving.

For a while, no one spoke.

Cassian looked through the window.

The Arena slowly disappeared behind them.

He watched it until the walls were no longer visible.

Twenty-one months.

He had spent twenty-one months behind those walls.

And now he was leaving.

Not as a free man.

Not entirely.

But no longer as Three Hundred and Nineteen either.

Lorenz broke the silence.

”You can relax.”

Cassian glanced toward him.

”You are no longer in the Arena.”

Cassian gave a small nod.

”Yes, Your Highness.”

Lorenz smiled faintly.

”You don’t have to call me that every time you speak.”

Cassian’s expression remained polite.

”I would rather not become careless.”

Marcus glanced at him.

There was the faintest trace of approval in his eyes.

Lorenz, however, only smiled.

”Very well.”

He leaned back.

”Then at least tell me this.”

Cassian waited.

”Carlo.”

”Yes?”

”Is that actually your name?”

Cassian was silent for a moment.

Then he answered,

”It is the name I have used here.”

Lorenz studied him.

”And the one you wish us to use?”

”Yes.”

”Very well.”

There was no pressure in Lorenz’s voice.

”Carlo it is.”

Cassian inclined his head.

”Thank you.”

The carriage continued through the city.

Lorenz’s gaze wandered over him again.

This time, Cassian noticed.

He can tell what the man was looking at.

His hair was still an unruly mess.

The beard that covered much of his jaw had grown long.

His face was weathered from months of hardship.

He looked nothing like the man he had once been.

But that had been deliberate.

From the moment he entered the Arena, Cassian had avoided anything that might make him recognizable.

He had never trimmed his beard properly.

Never bothered with his hair.

Never given anyone a reason to look twice.

It had been safer that way.

Then, Lorenz spoke.

”When we arrive, I want you to clean yourself up.”

Cassian looked at him.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then the thought occurred to him.

He could.

He no longer needed to hide so carefully.

He had spent nearly two years dead to the Empire.

No one here knew his face.

No one here was looking for Cassian Ashford.

And now he would be under the direct protection of the Crown Prince.

If he walked beside Lorenz, no one would question why he was there.

There was little reason to continue looking like a man who had deliberately disappeared from the world.

Cassian’s fingers brushed against his beard.

It was long.

Far too long.

And irritating.

He had grown accustomed to the itch, but that did not mean he had ever liked it.

Neither did he miss the tangled hair constantly falling into his eyes.

For the first time in a very long while, he could actually do something about it.

A proper bath.

Clean clothes.

A barber.

The thought was unexpectedly appealing.

Cassian nodded.

”Yes, Your Highness.”

Lorenz’s mouth curved faintly.

”Good.”

Cassian turned his attention back toward the window.

He found himself looking forward to it more than he cared to admit.

After twenty-one months in the Arena, even the simple privilege of feeling clean again seemed like a luxury.

Tbc

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