Chapter 282: v3 - 43: a new beginning IV

Chapter 282: v3 Chapter 43: a new beginning IV

By the time Cassian finished, the afternoon had begun to fade.

He washed away the remaining traces of hair and dried himself before dressing in the clothes that had been provided.

They fit surprisingly well.

Cassian stood before the mirror once more.

The transformation was almost unsettling.

Without the beard and tangled hair, the man in the reflection looked considerably younger.

Not unchanged.

The Arena had left its mark in other ways.

His eyes were deeper set now, his features leaner, and there was a quiet hardness to his expression that had not been there before.

But his face itself remained untouched.

He still looked like himself.

And, despite everything, he remained strikingly handsome.

Perhaps not the same polished beauty he had once possessed.

Twenty-one months had taken some of that softness away.

But enough remained.

Cassian was still looking at himself when there was a knock at the door..

"Carlo?"

Cassian recognized Robert’s voice. He turned, walked to the door and opened it.

Robert stood on the other side.

He looked at the man before him.

Then at the room.

Then back at the man.

"Ah."

He gave a polite nod.

"Sorry. I think I have the wrong room."

And before Cassian could say anything, Robert stepped away.

He walked several paces down the corridor.

Cassian remained standing in the doorway, watching him go.

Robert continued walking.

Then he stopped.

He frowned.

He looked back.

The door.

His room.

He looked at the man still standing there.

His expression slowly changed.

"Wait."

He turned around and walked back.

He stopped outside the door.

He looked at Cassian.

Then at the room number.

Then at Cassian again.

He knocked.

Cassian stared at him.

Robert frowned.

"I think you’re staying in the wrong room."

Cassian blinked.

"Robert."

"Yes?"

"It is me."

Robert froze.

"What?"

Cassian’s expression remained perfectly calm.

"It’s me, Carlo."

Silence.

Robert stared at him.

His eyes moved slowly over Cassian’s face.

Then he raised both hands.

"Wait."

He stepped closer.

"The eyes."

Cassian sighed.

Robert squinted.

"I know those eyes."

A beat.

"Carlo?"

"Yes."

Robert’s mouth fell open.

"No."

Cassian raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"You’re Carlo?"

"Yes."

Robert stared at him again.

Then he looked toward the washroom.

Then back at Cassian.

"Where did your face come from?"

Cassian’s expression flattened.

"I shaved."

"I can see that."

Robert pointed at him.

"But you had a face under all that hair?"

Cassian closed his eyes briefly.

Robert burst out laughing.

"I thought I’d opened the wrong room!"

"You did walk away."

"I know!"

Robert laughed harder.

"Then I realized—wait, that’s my room!"

He shook his head in disbelief.

"And you’re standing in it looking like that."

Cassian sighed.

Robert looked at him again.

"Good heavens, Carlo."

He lowered his hands.

"You’ve been hiding this face all along?"

Cassian gave him a look.

"Yes."

Robert stared.

Then, very seriously,

"I understand why now."

Cassian’s eyebrow lifted.

Robert gestured at him.

"If I looked like that, I’d hide too."

Cassian almost smiled.

"Thank you."

Robert grinned.

"You’re welcome."

He looked at him once more.

"Still, you could have warned me."

"I wasn’t aware I needed to."

Robert laughed.

"Well, now I know."

He stepped into the room.

"Come on. The others are waiting."

Cassian followed him.

Robert was still shaking his head.

"I really thought I’d walked into the wrong room."

Cassian looked at him.

"You did."

Robert stopped.

"What?"

"You walked into the wrong room."

Robert stared at him.

Cassian’s mouth curved slightly.

"The wrong room would have been somewhere else."

Robert groaned.

"Good heavens. You’re already making jokes."

Cassian gave a quiet laugh.

It surprised him.

The sound came so easily.

He could not remember the last time he had laughed without forcing himself to.

Perhaps it was because, for the first time in nearly two years, the road ahead no longer looked like a wall.

It was still uncertain.

Still dangerous.

But there was a road.

And for now, that was enough.

Robert shook his head, still grinning.

"Come on. The others are waiting."

Cassian followed him out.

For once, he did not feel as though he were walking toward another day of simply trying to survive.

--

Robert led Cassian farther down the corridor.

Alex and Gary were waiting near the courtyard.

They looked up when they saw Robert approaching.

Then they looked past him.

"Where’s Carlo?"

Robert stopped.

"He’s here."

Alex looked around.

"Where?"

Robert pointed.

"Here."

Both men turned toward Cassian.

There was a moment of silence.

Gary blinked.

Then he rubbed his eyes.

"Wait."

He looked again.

"Is that really you?"

Cassian gave a small chuckle.

"Yes."

Gary stared at him.

"I didn’t recognize you."

"It’s all right."

Alex looked him over, still visibly surprised.

"I wouldn’t have known."

Robert gave a knowing shake of his head.

"I didn’t either."

Cassian glanced at him.

Robert laughed.

"Not at first."

Cassian decided not to prolong the subject.

"So," he said, "how are you settling in?"

The question immediately shifted the conversation.

"Quite well, actually," Alex said.

"The quarters are better than anything we’ve had in the Arena," Gary added.

Robert nodded enthusiastically.

"And the food."

He shook his head.

"You haven’t even tried dinner yet."

Cassian smiled faintly.

"I suppose I’ll find out soon enough."

They continued talking for a few moments.

It was strangely easy.

There was no Arena waiting behind the next door.

No opponent.

No blood.

No uncertainty about whether they would survive the next day.

For the first time, they could simply stand together and talk.

Then footsteps sounded behind them.

Cassian turned.

Marcus who was approaching stopped. His expression changed.

For the briefest moment, genuine surprise crossed his face.

From behind, Carlo’s build was unmistakable. But now standing before him, he was almost unrecognizable.

He had not expected the man beneath the beard and tangled hair to look like this.

But the reaction disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

His expression settled back into its usual composure.

He gave no comment on the transformation.

Only a small nod.

"I see you made good use of the time."

Cassian inclined his head.

"Yes."

Marcus glanced at the others.

"Come. His Highness is waiting."

The men straightened.

Then they followed Marcus across the palace grounds toward the Crown Prince’s residence.

--

Tbc