Chapter 61
The ve & The Prostitute
As they arrived back to the Imperial Pce, the doors opened wide thanks to Shareen’s purple outfit
and Cassandra’s pink dress, but her younger sister couldn’t stop frowning or be wary of everyone they
crossed paths with. She stuck right behind Cassandra, checking everything around them as if she was
ready to hide, fight or run away anytime.
Shareen walked ahead, as usual, to head back to her apartments, next to her brother’s. She was still
pissed about getting drugged in the middle of the street, enough that she didn’t even want to mention
that incident.
Cassandra, however, had other worries in mind. For some reason, she wasn’t feeling too good about
her sister being into the Pce. Missandra would be an easy target for anyone who wanted to harm
her, and she clearly remembered Phetra’s evil ways. The cruel Princess couldn’t attack Cassandra as
long as she wore an Imperial title and the symbolic pink dress, but Missandra, on the other hand, was a
meremoner she could kill without blinking.
Moreover, as soon as she and Shareen hade back, an Imperial servant had informed them that
the War God was still in a session with the Emperor. Hence, instead of going back to her Prince’s
apartments, Cassandra decided to go to the one ce she thought would be safer.
Her apartments in the Pce had nothing to do with her own Diamond Pce, but Kareen was still
ruling over the ce like a Goddess over her temple. The servants, used to see Cassandra go in and
out on a daily basis, didn’t even question her. Funny enough, the War God’s concubine had less trouble
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meeting with the Imperial Concubine than the Emperor himself…
“Where are we going?” Asked Missandra in a whisper.
“Don’t worry, little sister, everything is fine.”
Behind them, Dahlia was following the sisters closely, still very confused to hear them speak another
she had never heard about the southern tribes or their culture… It was a very unexpected reminder of
the Lady’s unique background.
“Cassandra, dearest! What are you doing here?” Said Kareen, surprised to see the young woman
Cassandra bowed politely.
“Sorry, Lady Kareen, I hoped I could stay here with my sister until his Highness was back?”
The Imperial Concubine nced at Missandra after her sentence, not hiding her surprise to see
Cassandra’s sibling there. She had heard Cassandra mention a younger sister a couple of times, but
she had no idea she had been searching for her since she was back in the Capital.
Seeing Cassandra’s worried expression, and her younger sister terrified behind her, the Imperial
Concubine understood quickly what was going on. She gestured for a servant to approach.
“You two must have quite a lot to catch up. Feel free to use the tea room.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Just like that, the servant led Cassandra and Missandra into a different room. Kareen watched the
women go, well aware of why her grandson’s mother had chosen toe here. She immediately gave
instructions for Missandra, too, to be monitored closely, and for Kairen to be informed.
Meanwhile, Cassandra and Missandra were finally alone in another room.
The younger sister couldn’t rx, however. She grabbed Cassandra’s hand.
“Big sister, howe you’re here? Who was this woman, and how… how did you be a
concubine, of all things…?”
Cassandra took a deep breath. She understood Missandra’s concerns, but it was time she exined
everything. From the first time she was bought and sent to work for her first master, up until her
meeting with the Prince, and everything that had happened afterward, Cassandra told her sister
everything.
A servant had brought them two cups of tea, but neither of the sisters touched it. They were too
absorbed in their conversation, trying to patch together the pieces of their past together. When
Cassandra finally arrived to the present, Missandra was crying.
“I… I can’t believe you’ve been through all of this… A ve… I… I thought you might have been freed,
like me… You’re so much smarter, and… educated… I hoped you’d found a good man and married
early…”
As she talked, she kept ncing over all of the scars on Cassandra’s body, her lips trembling. The
concubine was so used to seeing all those scars, she didn’t care much for them anymore. They had
healed long ago, and even her Prince never reminded her about her damaged body.
However, for Missandra, this was the brutal vision of her sister’s hardships. She felt almost ashamed of
her own body, spotless and well-nourished.
“Missandra, what happened for you? I told you what we heard, but… I need to know…”
The younger sister nodded, trying to wipe her tears away.
“It’s mostly as you heard. I was… sold right after you, to a brothel. Until I was thirteen, they simply
trained us, groomed us to be beautiful and seduce men… I had my first customer when I was thirteen,
but, I wasn’t tamed. I didn’t want toy and be a toy for them to y with… So whenever I could, I
would rebel, cause a ruckus and make sure I was locked away from the customers for a while. I stole
as much money as I could to, without being noticed. I had intended on buying myself out of very, but
I didn’t think someone would pay my debt for me.”
“Was that… The husband they mentioned?”
Missandra nodded.
“A good man, actually… He was a schr’s son. We got along because he was smart, my favorite
customer. With the money he borrowed from his family, he convinced myst workce to sell me to
him, and he bought my freedom. Marrying him was part of the deal, but I didn’t mind.”
“…What happened, then?”
“His father got mad when he learned what I… that I was a former ve and prostitute. He chased both
of us… I wanted us to just go and buy a house, but he kept wanting to go back and convince his family.
He went there four times and… thest time, he didn’te back. I thought he had abandoned me, but
then I learned one of his father’s concubine’s son had killed him. So I never appeared in front of his
family again.”
“So that’s when you decided to open your shop?”
“Exactly. Truth is, I thought many times about leaving the Capital, but… I’ve been here since I was
seven. I wouldn’t even know where to go…”
Cassandra left out a long sigh, disheartened. She was d Missandra hadn’t suffered too many
hardships, but it didn’t take anything from her pain as an older sister to hear that she had been made a
sex ve…
“I am so d we are together, now,” she said.
“I still do not trust those people,” replied Missandra with a frown. “They are murderers, big sister! They
won’t hesitate to murder their own blood!”
“Missandra, I promise he’s different.”
Her younger sister shook her head in disbelief.
“They take as many concubines as they want, they toy with them and they throw them away like trash!
Do you know how many times I’ve seen this, at the Red District? Some women are dying to be made
concubines, and then a few monthster, we find their bodies outside of the gates!”
“I am his only concubine.”
“He probably killed the previous ones.”
Cassandra stayed silent. Sadly, that was the truth… She had been aware of it since long ago, from her
first time at the Onyx Castle. Kairen hated the women thrown at him by his brothers or father and had
killed them without thinking twice.
However, she still knew she was different.
“We can leave, Cassandra,” insisted her sister. “We can leave and have a normal life, just the two of
us… Asmoners, away from the Capital!”
Cassandra was about to reply something, but rushing steps came from the outside. Dahlia, who had
been waiting outside, walked in and opened the door wide for the War God toe in.
Immediately, both sisters stood up, each with a different expression on. Cassandra walked up to him,
and Kairen naturally put his arm around her waist, while staring at Missandra. The younger sister had a
ferocious look into her eyes, and her hand on her dagger’s handle, ready to take it out.
“…your sister?” He asked in a cold voice..
“Yes. This is Missandra.”
The two of them didn’t say anything, staring at each other with a burning animosity between them.
Cassandra wasn’t toofortable about this situation, either. Her heartfelt ufortable, and she
turned to her Prince, trying to repress it.
“Can she stay with us for now?”
Big sister, I don’t want to stay here! You should leave and leave that man!”
“Missandra, I promise you will be fine. But I am not leaving him.”
Kairen was surprised to hear the younger sister use anothernguage, and even more surprised to
hear Cassandra talk it back, just like Shareen had been. He looked down at Cassandra. (5
“What is it?”
“Let my sister go!” Suddenly said Missandra, not hiding her anger.
Kairen replied with a re, and his arm holding Cassandra a bit closer to him. He was judging that
younger sister, so young but so fierce. Missandra was obviously terrified, but seeing Cassandra close
to that man, she refused to back down.
“I don’t trust you to protect her, people like you made her a ve!”
“Missandra, my Lord is the one who freed me!”
“…I won’t hurt her,” said Kairen, still ring at Missandra.
Cassandra couldn’t tell if he was unhappy about her sister’s tone, or her thinking he would harm her,
but his murderous re was not lessening one bit while saying those words. She was terrified he would
kill her if he ran out of patience, and put a hand on his torso, hoping to have him calm down.
“I’ll exin to her… Missandra, I promise, you can trust him.”
“Trust him?” Whispered her sister in disbelief. “Trust him? Thest man I ever saw you with dragged
you by your hair across our vige to sell you! I am never entrusting my sister to any man again!”