[Emperor Cassius's Pov]
I leaned back in my chair with a sigh, letting the weight of my position settle over me like a heavy cloak. Regis sat across from me, his eyes fixed on me with that all-too-familiar intensity. He couldn't hide it; I knew exactly what he was after.
"Stop staring and speak up," I growled, my voice dripping with the kind of authority only an emperor could muster.
Regis leaned forward, an eager glint in his eyes, as if he was about to ask something of great importance. "Did you think about it?"
There it was, the ridiculous notion that had been swirling in his mind for days, slowly poisoning everything around him. The idea that he thought might be somehow acceptable. And yet, I allowed the silence to stretch, playing the game, letting him believe I was unaware of his thoughts.
"What?" I asked, a single word laced with mock innocence.
Regis's smile was far too wide, far too eager. "About our kids… getting engaged to each other."
