When Maisie called him out for his trick, Cas dropped his gaze to his lap, shuffling his feet beneath the table. He liked hearing her call Iris’s ex-boyfriend a scumbag, but he hadn’t wanted her to catch on to his feelings for her. It was his own fault though, he supposed. He’d never been a very good liar. It was hard for him to control his facial expressions, especially when a subject came up that he was passionate about. Unfortunately, Iris was one of those subjects. He’d decided in his head that nothing could happen between them now that he knew she was part of the rebellion, but his heart hadn’t gotten the memo yet. Because of that, his expressions and even the timbre of his voice betrayed him by giving away the lingering desire he had to be with her.

[color=#b97703]“I had no idea it was like this,”[/color] he confessed with an incredulous shake of his head when Maisie spoke about her home district. [color=#b97703]“I’m still trying to figure out how it’s been kept a secret from everyone in the capital. I think—”[/color] he faltered, catching himself before he finished the sentence. He had been about to say that he thought his father had something to do with the cover up, but he couldn’t point fingers at the king in front of someone else. Not only was it high treason, but he didn’t want to start a rumor about his own father when he didn’t know if it was true. Until he had more information, he was going to investigate the mystery quietly on his own. [color=#b97703]“I’m sorry things have gotten so bad out here,”[/color] he said in a murmur instead.

When Maisie asked if Iris had hurt him, Cas nodded wordlessly. He didn’t really feel like going into the details. The memory was still fresh in his head, and he was still working through it to decide where he stood with her. He picked up the beer can again and downed another swig as she confirmed out loud that she knew he had feelings for her friend. He couldn’t deny it even though he wanted to. The heart wasn’t easily tamed, and although it didn’t make any sense, his heart wanted Iris. He just wished it would make smarter decisions as he continued to hammer into himself that a relationship between them wasn’t going to happen.

[color=#b97703]“I won’t,”[/color] he promised, turning back to Maisie with a solemn expression. [color=#b97703]“At least, not intentionally. I can’t help it if she has feelings for me, but I’m not going to act on them. I’m a high born and a prince. It doesn’t matter that I’m attracted to her because I can’t be with someone so far removed from my station. If I let something happen between us, it would be like taking advantage of her, because we’re going to have to part ways for good when I get back to the capital.”[/color] Absently, he thumbed the edge of his drink, stung by his own words even though he knew them to be the truth. [color=#b97703]“So, you don’t have to worry. I care about her too much to put her through that.”[/color]

He sipped his drink again while Maisie got up to check on the baking pie. When the oven door was opened, he could feel his mouth water compulsively, and his stomach growled at the sweet aroma. He hadn’t had anything to eat yet either that day, so he was looking forward to having a freshly made meal. At her question, however, he fidgeted uncomfortably. [color=#b97703]“Um, it was good,”[/color] he replied vaguely, hesitant to admit that Iris hadn’t said anything about it because she hadn’t even had a taste. Hoping to keep her from asking any more questions about it, he changed the subject. [color=#b97703]“Do you live alone or are there other people who stay here with you?”[/color]