A Background Character’s Path to Power

"What do we do now?" Cassandra asked as they arrived near the Luthaire House gate.

They noticed a group of armored people stationed at the gate, checking the already small line of passing people. They obviously weren't the gate guards. They had a distinct sigil - a sword embedded into a black heart on their robes and armor.

They were from the Viremont House.

So it was really her, Cassandra thought while waiting for Lumin's opinion.

"Laddy Cassie," Lumin called out in a hushed voice.

"Hm?" Cassandra stared at him.

"I... have an idea," Lumin whispered in a slightly awkward tone. "But I wonder whether you will agree."

"...Let's hear it out first." Cassandra narrowed her eyes, studying Lumin.

"Alright, it's like this..." Lumin started explaining his plan and possible scenarios, and how to handle them.

The more Cassandra listened to Lumin, the more complicated her expression became. She didn't know what to think of it. The plan, the situation, and the roles they would have to play.

"...You want us to become a couple?" She managed to squeeze out the words.

Although the plan was logical and would likely succeed, she still found it somehow embarrassing and inappropriate.

She met him only twice, briefly at lunch and just a while ago when he'd whisked her away from that girl's goons. She knew almost nothing about him, yet her instincts, honed over years of dealing with countless individuals, told her that he was trustworthy.

He was also pragmatic like her. He didn't demand anything other than her consent and cooperation, and his awkward honesty felt genuine.

"Yes, but not a real one, of course. Only temporarily. You don't even have to say anything." Lumin clarified quickly. "If you disagree, we can think of something else too."

"..." Cassandra stayed silent.

"Wait, maybe we should pretend to be siblings?" Lumin raised his voice a bit. "Although it's not as effective as-"

"Alright, let's go with your plan." Cassandra cut him off.

"Oh, alright, but let me rearrange the plan to suit-"

"No, the other one." Cassandra intercepted him again.

"Ah, you mean the couple?" Lumin looked at her, surprisedly. "...Are you sure?" He added as if sensing her reluctance.

"...Yes," Cassandra nodded after a pause. "It's the most efficient that way. And we can't waste any more time."

"Well, alright then." Lumin nodded in understanding. He adjusted his posture to appear more mature and calm. Then spoke in the deeper voice he used in the auction. "Follow me."

Cassandra also got into her role. She quickly switched her veil to a new one, thicker and pitch black, so that only her eyes remained visible. She resembled a common married woman from the Lutharie Barony now.

"Are you ready?" Lumin asked before standing on her right.

"...Hmm." Cassandra hummed gently, her head lowered.

"Let's go then."

_____ ___ _

Cassandra kept her eyes downcast as they approached the checkpoint, maintaining exactly one step behind Lumin in the proper wifely posture of the Luthaire custom.

But she could still perceive what was happening thanks to her skills.

The Viremont guards were being particularly thorough - too thorough. They stopped every woman in line, demanding that they lift their veils or remove hoods; some of the guards even seemed to take perverse pleasure in their inspections.

One guard leered at a young woman, making her flinch as he forced her to reveal her face.

...Urgh. How dare they treat them like that!

Cassandra's fingers twitched at her sides, her nails digging into her palm. The urge to reveal her real self and put these dogs in their place burned in her veins.

It would be easy - one flick of her fingers, a few words, and they'll be kneeling in the dirt where they belonged. She wouldn't spare the person behind this mess either. She, too, would pay the price.

Hmm?

Cassandra sensed something and glanced at Lumin.

!

His expression had turned into ice. The previous gentle and friendly half-elf was gone, replaced by someone cold and dangerous. The set of his jaw, the coldness in his eyes, his calm expression - they sent a chill down her spine.

He wasn't acting anymore, not at all. He was furious, his emotions hidden behind that calm but cold facade.

The realization made her pause for a moment.

He genuinely found their behaviour as repulsive as she did, perhaps even more so.

And that... that made her look at him in a new light, a strange feeling rising from her chest.

Before she could examine the feeling further, a Viremont guard stepped into their path, his grubby hand already in the air, his intention clear.

Cassandra clenched her fists, her aura ready to flare.

"You need to—ARRGH!"

The guard's painful scream sliced through the night air, sharp and sudden. Every head at the checkpoint snapped toward them. The crowd froze mid-step, Viremont soldiers instinctively reached for their weapons, and even the official gate guards turned in alarm.

Lumin had the man's wrist in an iron grip, fingers locked around the pressure points with surgical precision.

The guard's fist was bent backward at an unnatural angle, his face twisted in pain as he dropped to one knee, gasping.

"What," Lumin said, his voice quiet but carrying like a blade unsheathed in the silence, "do you think you're doing?"

The air thickened with tension.

In an instant, the Viremont guards encircled them, weapons pointed at him.

The lead guard, a broad-shouldered man with a small scar across his nose, stepped forward.

"Release him," he ordered, voice tight. "Right now."

Lumin merely glanced at him and the others but didn't move.

Instead, he tightened his grip, just enough to make the kneeling guard whimper.

"Answer the question."

The kneeling guard trembled but wasn't able to speak clearly. "I-i...ugh..let..."

"...We are under orders to inspect everyone passing through the gates. That includes you and her too." It was the scarred lead guard who answered.

Lumin calmly turned toward the man and spoke.

"My wife isn't someone you can even think of touching. The same goes for the others. You have no right to harass innocent people simply because you are 'under orders'."

A pause.

"Your orders don't extend to violating common decency or the laws of the kingdom. Unless you wish to face consequences for your actions, I suggest you rethink your methods."

"..."

"Or... Is your master someone who can break the rules as they wish?"