Chapter 65


    The First Prince


    Despite looking so thin and delicate, the precious piece of jewelry felt quite heavy on her head.


    Cassandra stood up, and the Emperor looked satisfied.


    “Perfect, perfect! I knew this one would be perfect for you, my precious White Lily! Now, go and enjoy


    the festivities! This stubborn son of mine will be mad at me if I keep you with me for too long. He and


    his sister never learned how to share!”


    Cassandra chuckled a bit before thanking him once again and walking away. Sure enough, she felt


    many, many stares following her as she made her way back to her Prince, who was indeed waiting. He


    held out his arm but was staring at the item on her head.


    “That old man…” He said.


    “You don’t like it?”


    “I don’t like you wearing another man’s present.”


    His jealousy was really something else… Cassandra smiled gently, though, and gave him a quick kiss


    to appease him. It worked, as he helped her sit back with their little group. She heard her younger


    sister step closer.


    “Hmpf. I guess that old man is notpletely rotten to the core after all…”


    “Are you admitting His Highness might not be a bad man?”


    “…I’m still thinking,” said Missandra.


    Cassandra knew how stubborn she was, and that having her revise her judgment, even just a bit, was


    quite an achievement after only one day in the Pce. She smiled at her younger sister, who blushed


    under her hood.


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    “Oh… So the wild kitty can be tamed I guess,” said Shareen, who had watched the whole scene.


    Missandra frowned and turned her head away, ignoring Shareen. Meanwhile, everyone had resumed


    their chatting and drinking, and the first performers had arrived, ying songs and singing to some


    hymn to the glory of the Dragon Empire.


    “Whatnguage was that, with your younger sister?” Asked Kareen, whispering to her side.


    “Our nativenguage, from the southern tribes. All tribes spoke the samenguage, though each had


    their own changes to it…”


    “It’s impressive you two remember things you learned so young,” admitted the Imperial Concubine.


    “I used to sing,” suddenly said Missandra. “I remembered our mother’s prayers and sang it over and


    over again, to remember it…”


    “I did the same,” whispered Cassandra, surprised her younger sister had the same reflex that she had.


    In their tribe, children learned a lot of thenguage through songs and prayers. It was a big part of their


    culture, as respect to the Nature Gods Cassandra still firmly believed in. On the scene, the songs the


    musician performed were only about men. About the Glory of the past warriors, emperors, and savants


    of the Dragon Empire.


    Cassandra hadn’t sung out loud in years… Her previous master had heard her sing once and beat her


    half to death for it. She used Cassandra of cursing her in that savage’snguage, as she had no


    idea what her song was about.


    Cassandra was looking at the performers, and something silent and painful was blooming in her heart.


    She missed her homnd… Meeting Missandra, so changed after all those years, had brought back


    memories she had buried deep in her mind. The familiar sounds of the water, the smell of the seaweed


    and soaked wood were still engraved in her. She loved the rivers surrounding her vige, the wild


    streams, the fresh winds, and little waterfalls.


    ying barefoot in the mud, diving with her sister and swimming with the fishes, learning from her


    mother about everything treasure their Nature Goddess had to offer…


    “Are you okay?”


    Kairen had put his hand on hers, scrutinizing her with a concerned frown. Cassandra nodded, smiling


    back to him.


    “I was lost in my memories,” she admitted,


    She was about to add something but, not far from them, the first prince started coughing loudly again,


    so much that people were distracted to the performance to watch him. The closest woman to him,


    patting his back, looked genuinely worried.


    Cassandra, too, frowned. This was a bad cough… She turned to Kairen.


    “Do you mind if I…?”


    “No, I’lle with you.”


    Kareen frowned, but she didn’t say anything to stop them. They both stood up and walked over to the


    first Prince, who had trouble catching up his breathing. Cassandra politely bowed to him.


    “Are you alright, your Highness? Do you need any help?”


    “Ah… Lady Cassandra… If… if you don’t mind…”


    “He’s been coughing more than usual,” exined the Lady in pink next to him. “He had a bit of a fever,


    too…”


    Indeed, he looked extremely pale. Kairen pulled a chair to help his older brother seat a bit, as the first


    prince’s concubines were gathering around. Kairen’s re kept them at bay, though, leaving only the


    first concubine next to them.


    “His Highness was born with weak lungs,” she exined. “Usually, he only gets sick once in a while,


    but…”


    Cassandra was careful, but she had to check him out. She put her fingers on his forehead, confirming


    his fever, and put a hand on his back and chest as he was coughing again, closing her eyes.


    “What are you doing?” Asked the concubine, confused.


    “I’m trying to sense how are his lungs reacting to his coughing… The sound resonates through his


    thoracic


    cage…”


    As the Prince’s cough subsided, Cassandra’s expression was getting gloomier. She knew that kind of


    chronic disease. It wasn’t so rare, but unfortunately, it had to do with his weak respiratory system, and


    she knew no definitive treatment.


    She stood up, looking around.


    “This kind of environment will make his Highness’ disease worse… The air is too cold, and the smokes


    from the food and candles will make him sicker.”


    “What do you suggest, Lady Cassandra?”


    “Put him in a very clean room, with fresh sheets and not one speck of dust. I’ll write you a recipe for an


    herbal tea, make sure he drinks it with a bit of honey and at a warm temperature, not too hot or too


    cold. Let him rest and sleep, I’ll visit tomorrow morning.”


    “Yes, Lady Cassandra, thank you so much!”


    As soon as she was done writing the recipe down, the worried concubine escorted the first Prince out.


    Compared to the other youngdies who were reluctant to leave the party and follow them, Cassandra


    could tell that one was genuinely loving and worried for her Prince.


    A lot of people, who weren’t watching the first Prince’s exit, had their eyes on Cassandra, once again.


    The Concubines rarely cared for anyone but their own Prince, yet she had spent several minutes


    checking Sephir, and chatting with his favorite concubine, too.


    She walked back to Kareen and Shareen, trying to ignore all the stares. There were way too many


    people around…


    “Father!”


    All eyes turned to Phetra, and Cassandra frowned. Whatever that woman was about to say, she knew


    she wasn’t going to like it…


    “Isn’t it time for the young Ladies present to show off their skills? It would be boring to only have


    professionals do it, right? Fifth brother, didn’t you mention some of yourdies just yesterday?”


    It wasn’t like Phetra to praise anyone else… Shareen and Cassandra exchanged a look, unclear about


    what was to


    happen.


    “Let me guess… This one is as cunning as a snake?” Whispered Missandra.


    “Dieni. Stay away from her, Lihue.”


    Missandra nodded. She had already noticed how that woman was often ring their way. It was indeed


    a nest of venomous snakes…


    “Oh, I know!” Replied the fifth Prince, Lephys. “Where is the redhead! Show them!”


    Cassandra was disgusted. He didn’t even bother to remember his concubines’ names! No wonder,


    when he had over two hundreds of them… Actually, he had brought about forty of fifty of them along to


    the party, which made a huge feminine crowd around him.


    Cassandra sighed, ncing at Kairen.


    “What is it?” He asked.


    “Seeing your brother reminds me of how lucky I am,” she sighed.


    Kairen clicked his tongue. He could look over Cassandra touching Sephir for medical reasons, or


    getting close to Anour as he was younger, but he wouldn’t let his concubine near that pervert Lephys.


    He was notorious for hispleteck of restraint when it came to women. He had even forced down


    two of the Emperor’s concubines, who had been executed as soon as it was found out.


    The red-headed Concubine stepped forward and bowed lowly, but did not introduce herself or say


    anything. Cassandra immediately noted how short her red dress was, and she wasn’t wearing any


    jewelry. She looked very unsure and unwilling to be there. However, she took out two long red ribbons


    and started dancing. It was beautiful, and the musicians soon began ying to apany her.


    After some time, she realized the concubine’s two ribbons had started burning. She had to keep


    dancing, making the mes dance in the air, people having fun watching this. It was mesmerizing,


    watching to fire snakes dancing around, menacing to set fire to the grass under her feet or her red hair


    at any point.


    When she was done, she threw her ribbons into theke, the mes dying in the water. Everyone


    around apuded, and the youngdy bowed before going back to the fifth prince, her head down.


    Cassandra could tell she had not done this out of her own ord….


    “It was a bit boring, brother,” said Phetra with a sigh.


    Even though most people probably didn’t agree with that statement, no one dared to interrupt an


    Imperial Princess. Cassandra frowned. Phetra had her brother put one, two, three, to six other of his


    concubines to dance or sing, one after another, but no matter how talented they were, she acted


    unsatisfied.


    After the seventh one, Lephys was upset to see her still so unhappy.


    “Aren’t you too hard to please, Phetra? Why don’t you suggest a performer!”


    Her vicious smile appeared right away.


    “Should I? I mean, I would be curious to see our third Brother’s concubine perform. If she is so talented


    as everyone praises her, certainly she should have a talent to show us?” ?


    Cassandra frowned. So that was what Phetra had intended from the beginning… To have her y an


    act in front of the whole crowd, reminding her she was just a Concubine. Kairen, furious, immediately


    put a hand on his sword, but Cassandra stopped him.


    Next to them, Shareen clicked her tongue.


    “If you need a show, I’m good at throwing knives, sister. I would love to show you how skilled I am…”


    The threat was so obvious, no one dared to breathe too loud in the area. However, Cassandra stood.


    “If you want a performance, I’ll show you one,” she announced fiercely.


    “Cassandra,” said her Prince, holding her back. “You don’t have to…”


    “Don’t worry,” she said with a gentle smile. “I’ll be quick.”


    Cassandra didn’t care for Phetra’s childish ways, but it was high time that woman stopped


    underestimating her like some toy she could freely y around with. If she was hiding behind Kairen to


    ignore her again, Cassandra would forever be seen as a weak concubine who couldn’t stand for


    herself.


    It was time to get rid of that image, for good.