Chapter 55


    The Present


    Krai probably could easily sense where his master was because he flew right back to the Pce


    without Cassandra saying a thing. She was still a bit afraid of flying, but she was also seeing how nice


    it was. One thing she’d never get tired of, the view of the Capital from above… She still hoped they’d


    go back to the North soon, though. She missed the quiet Onyx Castle, her friends, and the Capital was


    too hot and humid.


    The Dragonnded with a loud growl on one of the big courts of the Pce, some square-shaped area


    made of stone only. Kairen was waiting there, his eyes set on the young concubine as they arrived. He


    held out his arms, and Cassandra slid easily on the Dragon’s scales until he grabbed her. She smiled


    and kissed him softly.


    Kairen took a step back, still carrying her, to have her off his Dragon. He seemed a bit concerned.


    “Did you find anything?” He asked.


    “A bit, yes, but we still haven’t found her,” Cassandra sighed.


    “…You look tired.”


    She chuckled, putting her arms around his neck.


    “My Lord, you keep saying that those days.”


    “You really look tired.”


    “Fine… I’m hungry, actually. We didn’t even eat.”


    Kairen stayed quiet for a little while, and his eyes on her had Cassandra a bit confused. What was her


    prince thinking about now? After a while, he seemed to decide on something and nodded.


    “I have something for you. A present.”


    “A present?” She repeated, surprised.


    Kairen had already given lots of dresses and jewelry… Well, more like his father or mother had, but


    still. What else could she be needing, now? Something for their baby, perhaps? But Cassandra wasn’t


    nning on raising the child here…


    He turned around and carried her for a while through the Pce. Even if she had no idea where they


    were going, Cassandra was patient enough not to ask. She enjoyed the little ride, caressing her


    Prince’s hairline and telling him about everything she and Shareen had learned. He didn’t react or say


    much, even to the part where they had encountered his half-sister, but Cassandra didn’t expect him to


    anyway.


    After a bit more walking, he finally let her down in front of arge door she had never seen before, but


    by the looks of it, it was a brand new one. The redwood stood out in the stone walls, and there weren’t


    many windows nearby. However, they definitely were near Kairen’s apartments, making her think it was


    within his private area of the Pce.


    “This is yours, from now on,” he said.


    He was handing her a key, with aplex shape and a unique redwood handle. Cassandra took it with


    a shy smile, intrigued. She then turned to slowly open the door, her heart beating a bit faster.


    She didn’t expect what was behind and remained speechless on the doorstep.


    Green, green everywhere. Green leaves, herbs, and nts everywhere her eye could go. Cassandra


    took a few steps in, unable to close her mouth. There were four long, long tables with hundreds of


    different herbs on it, in pots. Under her feet was grass, fresh grass, and several patches of herbs or


    flowers were growing here and there, in delimited areas. For a second, she had thought it was a


    greenhouse, but it didn’t exactly have a roof. Instead, above her head was arge perg, with ivy and


    other climbing or trailing nts covering most of the framework.


    The sun could still pass through, but the whole ce was much fresher than what Cassandra usually


    experimented in the castle. The main reason was the little fountains and rivers artificially nted that


    ran from one side to another and refreshed the whole area. Actually, those fountains even had some


    flowers on them.”


    “Waterlilies…” she whispered with a smile.


    “Do you like it?”


    She turned to her prince, baffled.


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    “You’re giving me a garden?”


    Kairen nodded.


    “Since you don’t care for gold, dresses or jewelry.”


    So, he had thought about something that would make her happy and gifted her a whole herbal garden


    instead? Cassandra was amazed. She had never thought Kairen would be able to put up such a thing


    and in such a short time! She was all teary just from thinking about it.


    She turned around and walked back to him, throwing herself into his arms.


    “I love it… I love you. Thank you!”


    For the first time in a while, a slim smile appeared on Kairen’s lips, and he hugged her back, kissing her


    skin. Cassandra chuckled and found his lips to kiss him, a long, sweet and grateful kiss. He was


    relieved to see her happier, after her sour day and how she had been sick earlier…


    Cassandra kept her lips going, enjoying the proximity between them, but Kairen pulled away with an


    annoyed


    groan.


    “What is it?” She asked, a bit surprised.


    He sighed.


    “If we keep going, I’ll want to have sex with you. Here and now.”


    Cassandra blushed to her ears, looking down. Oh, indeed, it was better if they stopped now. She might


    have been teasing him a bit too much without knowing… Sheughed at the Prince’s sour expression


    and stepped back innocently, turning around to explore her new herbal garden.


    She truly loved this ce. It was green and cold enough to have her forget the Pce’s climate she


    couldn’t get ustomed to. Moreover, everywhere she looked, she found new or familiar herbs,


    dozens of them. Almost every medicinal herb or nt know in this Empire was gathered for her to y


    with. She hadn’t noticed it right away, but at the very end of that garden was actually a wide desk with


    parchments about medicine, ink and nk paper for her personal use. Whoever had prepared it had


    also put a lot of pots and a dozen of pitchers, mortars and pestles, scales and weights, jars and show


    globes. Cassandra could spend hours studying with everything here!


    While she was still observing everything in awe, Kairen came from behind, gently hugging her with his


    hands on her tummy, and kissed her temple.


    “So you like it,” he simply said.


    “I love it, really. Were you trying to cheer me up?”


    She hadn’t been happy since they had gotten to the Pce, and they both knew about it. For the


    usually aloof man to actually go out of his way and prepare all this for her melted her heart.


    Cassandra smiled and grabbed his face to kill him a bit more passionately, making him groan.


    “Cassandra, if you keep going…”


    “How far are we from your bedroom?”


    He simply snapped at her words.


    Everything that happened next was way too fast for her to realize. She was brought back to his


    bedroom not even a minuteter,id on the bed and her dress lifted above her waist, making her


    breathe louder.


    The Prince didn’t lose any time. Cassandra cried out when he got in, biting her lips and shivering. A hot


    chill spread through her skin, as he starting moving, fast and hard. She didn’t want to hold back and


    moaned just as loud as she needed, her heart thumping, holding on to him and letting him set the pace.


    Cassandra held on to his neck and closed her eyes, focusing on the sensations. His movements were


    so wild, he only focused on kissing her skin when it came close to his lips and kept moving, restlessly.


    The young concubine was running out of breath, and crying out louder, struggling to keep up with him.


    Kairen didn’t hold back long, however, his rut reaching its edge after a few more, and he released


    himself, panting. Cassandra curved her body, too, in a long sigh of pleasure.


    The young concubine was exhausted after that very short but intense session. She stayed her eyes


    closed a bit longer, as her breathing and heartbeat slowly calmed down. Kairen gently sprinkled light


    kisses all over her smooth skin, letting her time to recover. All the while, they were still hugging each


    other. Cassandra didn’t want to let go of him, not yet.


    “Rest here for a bit.”


    “I don’t want to… It’s still early,” she protested.


    “You’re tired.”


    “I’m fine…”


    He was about to say something, but all of a sudden, he froze. His reaction had Cassandra on the get-


    go, too. She sat up, nowpletely awake, looking for what had caught his attention. She heard it a


    few secondster. Someone yells outside. 4


    Kairen got on his feet and put his pants back on before leaving the room hurriedly. Cassandra followed


    right after him as soon as she could, worried.


    To their surprise, at one end of the corridor, Shareen was dragging one of the men from earlier. While


    she looked fine, her clothes were sullied in a terrifying amount of blood, and the man she was dragging


    too.


    “Ah, there you are!” She eximed. “Look, I kept one for you. Ask him.”


    Cassandra didn’t approach from too close, as the smell would definitely make her sick, and stayed a


    couple of steps behind Kairen.


    “Who is that?”


    “One of the men who tried to attack us,” said Shareen. “They mistook your woman for her sister.


    Apparently, she owes them money.”


    “You were attacked?” He growled, ring at the man and taking out his sword.


    His sister rolled her eyes.


    “I said they tried, brother. Krai took her away and I yed a bit. They weren’t much fun. They are the


    ones who died a painful death, except for this one. I kept the chief alive for Cassie to interrogate him.”


    Saying she kept him alive was a bit too much, in Cassandra’s eyes. It would have been more credible if


    the man didn’t have a scary trail of blood behind him, an eye missing and several of his fingers cut off.


    Even for Cassandra who was used to injuries, he was a horrible sight. She was a bit annoyed at


    Shareen and her “games”…


    “What do you know about my younger sister, Mie?” She still asked.


    “That bitch took my money! She… Gaaaah!”


    Cassandra looked away a second toote. A couple of fingers flew off, and the man screamed in pain


    while Shareen clicked her tongue.


    “What did I tell you? Watch yournguage, asshole. Next time I hear you use that word to designate


    any woman, I’m cutting off your eleventh finger, if you know what I mean.” ?


    It took a few seconds for the man to calm down, and Cassandra topose herself. She knew


    Shareen was not patient or forgiving, but still.


    “My sister,” she repeated.


    “She… That wo…woman stole our money. We gambled and she cheated us! She took thousands from


    us! We tried to have her give it back, but… but she was gone from that ce… We only heard from her


    being in the main street three months ago, but we can’t find her… So… we were looking in the red


    district… in case she’de back…”


    Cassandra sighed. At least she knew Mie was still around, in thest three months… If she hadn’t let


    before, she probably had found her way to stay without them finding her. How did she do it, though?


    The Capital was so wide, if she moved to another part of the City, it would have been hard for them to


    find her. Did she found a ce with the money she had collected? If it was Cassandra, she would have


    hidden from those thugs by going to one of the upper areas, where the nobles and riches lived…


    “What does she look like?” Asked Cassandra.


    “That woman is… a lot like you… But she is… prettier. With more curves.”


    Cassandra couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Those men’s criteria were really…


    “Did she have anything she mentioned? My sister?”


    “I don’t know! She… She was good with herbs, she always bought a lot. She made potions for the


    who… the prostitutes. Her… Her husband sold a lot too.”


    Cassandra froze, shocked.


    “What? Her husband?”


    “Yeah. She … she got marriedst year. A rich merchant’s son. He’s dead, though.”


    It didn’t make any sense. If Missandra was still working in the Red District then, how did she get


    married…? Cassandra was too confused.


    “What was his name?”


    “I don’t know! She said he died of sickness or whatever months ago!”


    Cassandra sighed. She wouldn’t learn any more from this man, she even doubted half of what he said


    was true. She shook her head when Kairen sent her a questioning gaze, meaning she was done with


    him.


    “Scram,” said Shareen.


    “W… What?”


    “I said scram before I put my sword up your butt! You’re lucky we have a pregnant woman here!”


    The man spat blood in Cassandra’s way.


    “Your wretched sister better pay me back my money, or I’ll find her and…”


    His head rolled before he finished his sentence. Cassandra looked away, disgusted, and even Shareen


    sighed.