I Reincarnated As The Villains Husband

CHAPTER ONE

The Poisoned Emperor

"Your Majesty, the first toast is yours."

Cassian looked down at the goblet in his hand, then at the man seated at the head of the banquet table. Black hair fell past the emperor's shoulders, framing a face that belonged on the cover of an expensive fantasy novel. His crimson eyes rested on Cassian with an expression of mild impatience.

Lucien Veyr. The emperor of the Veyrian Empire, the most powerful man on the continent, and the man who would eventually have Cassian executed.

Oh, this was bad.

Cassian's fingers tightened around the goblet as he took in his surroundings. He was standing in an imperial banquet hall surrounded by nobles, military officers and members of the royal court. Elaborately dressed servants moved between the tables, musicians played near the enormous windows, and the guests waited for the emperor's birthday toast.

He knew this place. More importantly, he knew what was supposed to happen next.

He had been reading a fantasy novel before falling asleep, and somehow, he had woken up inside it. Not as the hero or some insignificant background character, but as Cassian Vale, the emperor's treacherous husband. The original Cassian had been involved in an assassination plot, and this banquet was where he was supposed to deliver the poisoned drink that would begin Lucien's downfall.

The emperor was still waiting,looking at Cassian with cold eyes.

"Consort?" Lucien prompted, his voice carrying just enough impatience to remind Cassian that everyone was watching.

Cassian had seconds to make a decision. He brought the goblet forward, but before Lucien could take it, he struck it from his own hand. The goblet hit the marble floor and shattered, sending wine splashing across the emperor's boots.

The music stopped. Conversations died, and every face turned towards him.

Cassian stared at the broken glass. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. It seems my hand slipped."

Lucien slowly lowered his hand, his crimson eyes moving from the shattered goblet to Cassian's face. "Did it?"

Before Cassian could attempt an explanation, he noticed a servant approaching the emperor's chair. Something about the man's movements was wrong. His hand was hidden beneath his uniform, and his attention was fixed entirely on Lucien.

"Your Majesty, move!"

The servant pulled a narrow blade and lunged.

Lucien didn't even rise from his chair. A dark pressure swept through the banquet hall, stopping the attacker mid-motion. His body jerked violently before an invisible force slammed him against the marble floor. The knife slipped from his fingers, clattering several feet away.

Dominion.

Cassian had read about the emperor's bloodline ability, but seeing it in person was considerably more terrifying. The man moved with an incredible speed,yet Lucien had stopped him without leaving his seat.

"Seize him," the emperor ordered.

Imperial guards rushed forward and dragged the attacker away. Others secured the entrances while the guests retreated from the centre of the hall. Lucien finally stood, brushing a speck of dust from his sleeve before looking at Cassian again.

"Close the doors. Nobody leaves until I give permission."

The order sent another wave of whispers through the room. Cassian barely heard them. His attention was fixed on the emperor, who was now approaching him with an expression that made it clear he could die any minute.

"What did you put in my drink?" Lucien asked.

"Nothing, your majesty,I would never."

"Then why did you destroy it?" He asked his hands twitching by his sides.

"It slipped my Lord nothing more."Cassian's voice was barely a whisper,evident fear dripping from him.

Lucien glanced at the broken goblet before returning his attention to him. "From your hand?"

"Yes Sire."

"How convenient."Lucian Said, clicking the roof of his mouth with his tongue.

Cassian pressed his lips together. He needed to stop answering questions like an idiot, but explaining that he had woken up in someone else's body and knew the future was hardly a better option.

A palace physician arrived with two guards. Lucien gestured towards the remaining wine in the ceremonial jug and instructed him to examine it. The physician performed a magical assessment, then repeated the process with a more complicated spell. His expression changed almost immediately.

"Your Majesty, there is poison in the wine."

The announcement sent a fresh wave of shock through the banquet hall. Several nobles stepped away from the table, while others stared openly at Cassian. He could hardly blame them. The emperor's husband had presented the drink, knocked it away and somehow prevented an assassination.

Lucien, however, seemed more interested in him than in the poison.

"How did you know?" Anger evident in his voice

"It's just intuition, your majesty,I wasn't certain."

"Yet you stopped me from drinking it. Didn't you want me dead Consort?."

"I changed my mind."

The emperor's eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe that you suddenly developed a conscience?"

"No," Cassian replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "I expect you to believe that I don't want you dead."

For a moment, Lucien said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on Cassian as though he were searching for the lie hidden somewhere in that answer.

"Take him to my private chambers," he ordered.

Two guards immediately approached. Cassian looked between them and the emperor, uncertain whether to protest or cooperate. "Am I being arrested?"

"You are being kept somewhere I can watch you."

"That sounds suspiciously like an arrest."he muttered.

"Then consider yourself fortunate that I haven't ordered your execution."

Cassian decided it was best to stop talking.

The guards escorted him from the banquet hall while the remaining guests watched. He could already imagine the rumours spreading through the palace. By morning, everyone would know that the emperor's husband had interrupted an assassination attempt, and nobody would believe it was an accident.

He had barely survived his first few minutes in this world.

--- Lucien entered his private chambers later that evening. Cassian was seated on a sofa, examining the expensive embroidery on his sleeve. He had already discovered that the original Cassian's body came with a considerable wardrobe, an uncomfortable amount of inherited memories and more enemies than he could count.

The emperor removed his gloves and handed them to a waiting servant. "Leave us."

Once the doors closed, Lucien turned towards him. Cassian rose, straightening his clothes as he prepared to face another interrogation.

"Your Majesty—"

"You were not given the permission to stand Consort."

Cassian lowered himself onto the sofa again. Lucien remained standing, looking down at him with the same cold expression he had worn throughout the banquet.

"Three months ago, you attempted to arrange my death. Six weeks ago, military intelligence reached enemy hands through an intermediary connected to your family. Tonight, someone attempted to poison me using a goblet you personally presented."

Cassian's stomach tightened. Those were the original Cassian's crimes, and judging by the emperor's tone, Lucien had enough evidence to make his life extremely difficult.

"Why did you stop me?" Lucien asked.

Cassian hesitated. He couldn't tell the emperor that he wasn't the man who had committed those crimes. He couldn't explain the novel, the transmigration or the fact that he knew Lucien was supposed to die in the original story. None of it would sound believable.

"Perhaps I'm tired of being your enemy."

Lucien studied him for several seconds and smiled mockingly. "How sentimental."

"I was hoping for a little appreciation."

"You will receive none."

"Not even a thank you? I did just save your life."

"You interrupted an assassination attempt that you were expected to participate in. I would hardly call that a reason for gratitude."

Cassian sighed. "You really are difficult to live with."

Lucien's expression hardened, and Cassian immediately regretted the remark.

"Do not mistake my decision to keep you alive for forgiveness. Until I understand what happened tonight, you will remain under my supervision. You will not leave these chambers without my permission, and every person you contact will be investigated."

"How long?"

"Until I decide otherwise."

The emperor turned towards the door, but Cassian spoke before he could leave.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have let you drink."

Lucien stopped and looked back at him. For the first time that evening, something in his expression shifted. It wasn't trust, and it certainly wasn't gratitude, but Cassian had finally said something that caught his attention.

"That," Lucien replied, his voice low and controlled, "is precisely what concerns me."

He left without another word.

Cassian stared at the closed door, then slowly sank back against the sofa. He had saved the emperor's life, but he was still a prisoner in his husband's chambers, surrounded by people who believed him guilty of treason.

And if the original story was anything to go by, the worst was yet to come.

CHAPTER TWO

The Man I Was Supposed to Kill

The emperor had been gone for less than five minutes when Cassian heard the lock turn.

He looked towards the door, half expecting Lucien to return with another list of accusations. Instead, a palace guard entered carrying a tray. There was a covered dish, a glass of water and a small bowl of fruit arranged with the sort of care usually reserved for important guests.

Cassian stared at it.

"Is this a reward for saving His Majesty's life, or am I being fed before my execution?"

The guard's expression remained stiff. "His Majesty ordered that you be given whatever you require, Consort."

"How generous of him."

The man placed the tray on the table and stepped back. Cassian watched him leave before approaching the food. His stomach had been complaining for some time, but he had no intention of eating anything delivered by p