Adrian tilted his head slightly. "Then tell me, Master Cassius… is there someone you already have in mind?"
Cassius's fingers tapped idly against the arm of his chair, but he said nothing.
That silence was an answer itself.
Adrian's lashes lowered briefly as he considered it. "I think I understand now."
Cassius scoffed lightly. "You do?"
Adrian met his gaze, his expression still composed, still carefully neutral. But his next words carried a weight that made Cassius pause.
"I wasn't chosen for you, was I?" Adrian said quietly. "I was chosen to be compared to someone else. Or you already have someone and I'm being compared."
Cassius's fingers stilled, he had not expected Adrain to catch on this much.
Adrian smiled, this time with the smallest hint of amusement. "I suppose that means I've already lost, then."
Adrian's fingers stilled against the porcelain cup. A flicker of something—amusement, maybe—passed through his gaze, but it was gone just as quickly.
