Cassius pov.

What a great day to start! She was having her leisure time there and I would babysit here on her orders! Did she not know that women don't go to their parental house for more than a day!

I shook my head as I walked towards Killian chamber, the boy was sitting there lazily.

"Killian why are you sitting there, come let's take run together"

He looked at me with lonesome eyes and then nodded. Was he missing Marianne?!

"Since your mother is not here, you will have all the meals with me, now push a bit, you are too slow today" i offered in case he was feeling alone, they used to spend a lot of time together after all.

"Now run fast, son" I shouted as his running speed had decreased.

"Father I am running from the past two hours, I am tired, '' he said as he put his hands on his knees and started taking shallow and fast breaths.

"Alright, then come here lets have a sparring match."

He looked at me with a distraught face as he dragged his tired body in the training area.

"Father, can we take a break?"

"Why, we have just started. You need further training Killian. You have become weak ``I needed to train too. I was sure when I would go to bring Marianne back, swords would be the only thing that would welcome me.

"Father, sir, James was too fast. I could not even see how and when he and his sword moved. Can you train me to be like him"

'Traitor!'

"Of course, he is a trained army man. That much was expected from him as the safety of empire is in his hands"

"But father, he is good at chess too. He even won against you and the way he was sparring with mother. Now I know from where mother have learnt the skill of sword wielding. His whole persona is great, he is like a real life hero. Aww, it hurts father" he complained as my sword touched his skin though I had made sure he did not get any injury with it.

"Who has asked you to not pay attention. I am trying to teach you even when i have so much work to do and here you are not at all paying attention" i commented as he was still lost in the shine of that brute.

So what he was good at close combat skills, did he know law, or filing or taxation or politics. These were the things that run an empire not the force of a sword!

"But father, I want to be like him, '' he said in a cheerful voice which flared me further.

"You have always said that you want to be like me in the past, Killian"

"Then i want to be like both of you, father" he replied in a low voice that indicated that he was telling a lie

"Your highness, lady Isabella is here. She is asking for an audience with lord Killian"

"Oh, please send her in" before I could deny Killian invented her and took a sigh of relief and here I thought he was affected by the wordings of James and mine.

"Good morning your highness,"

"Good morning, lord Killian"

She chirped so happily, I was sure she knew that Marianne was not here.

"Oh, if you are not busy, would you like to have breakfast with me Killian? I was late so i did not get time to eat anything"

"Your highness, Lord Philip is waiting for you in your office" I looked at the servant and then at Killian, torn. The only request Marianne had made before going was to not leave Killian alone with Isabella.

"Killian, why don't you come with me to the office, then we can have breakfast together after I am done."

He furrowed his brows as he looked at me, "what would i do there father? You would be busy with your work, you go ahead and i would wait for you here"

"But.. fine, i would be back soon" i sighed as i walked towards the office.

Philip better have work or else I would serve him breakfast.

As I walked into the office he was already sitting there. There were a bunch of parchments in his hands and I was sure that it would take an eternity to solve his problems.

"Ah, Cassius you are here. I almost thought that you would take a leave today" he said with a sigh of relief.

"Is there something important?"

"Yes, i have gone to town yesterday, and there i saw that the price charged by local vendors for our goods is not according to the price list we have issued"

"That's highly impossible, our traders are....." the discussion continued and I had to check all his files but the matter remained unresolved.

"Let's do one thing, we would go to the town together in the morning. Then we would check all the details there, alright?"

"That would be a good way to resolve it, then I would see you in the morning." With that he stood up and left silently. That surprised me, as he always requested to have meals together.

When I saw the time it was already two hours passed.

I cursed him once again though he was just doing his work, he had taken so much time.

I walked back to Killian's chamber only to see them drawing them together.

I took a sigh of relief as I was getting worried without any reason.

"Father you are finally here."

"Oh, i apologise for taking so much time. Have you done your breakfast"

"No, your highness, we were waiting for you. So I asked Killian to practice painting with me for the meantime."

I nodded my head in approval and looked at the knight I had left behind and he shook his head too.

"That's great, then shall we go?"

They nodded and we walked to the dining area and had a peaceful breakfast. Surprisingly the girl did not say a word as if she turned into a new leaf.