Chapter 70


    The Wedding n


    Cassandra fell into a deep slumber, exhausted by the whole day. She had a dreamless night, a


    peaceful one, surrounded by the right warmth and soft scents of verbena. Several pots of that nt had


    been put in their room to help her sleep better.


    Kairen, too, made sure to position his arms in the mostfortable position for her before getting to


    sleep himself. He was even more cautious than usual, as his Concubine recently struggled to get a


    good night’s sleep, and often woke up to her nausea.


    That next morning, Cassandra slept as much as she needed. No one dared to bother her, and, when


    she woke up by herself, felt refreshed after a good night’s sleep. Her body was a bit sore, but nothing


    unbearable. She stretched a bit, sitting up to confirm she was alone. The Prince’s side of the bed was


    cold… How long had she slept? She could hear the music outside, the festivities still going on. The


    sunlight made her feel like it was quitete in the morning, too.


    She grabbed her robe and walked to the window, ncing down. Indeed, she could see theke and


    the garden around, flooded with people again. Did some not sleep at all? She was too far and too high


    to recognize anyone, though.


    “Lady Cassandra! Did you sleep well?”


    Dahlia had just walked in, carrying a new dress for her. Two other servants girls entered right behind


    her, with hot water and oils. They started preparing her a bath, immediately surrounding the room with


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    a refreshing citrus smell.


    “I did, thank you. I sleptte, didn’t I?”


    “His Highness insisted we let you sleep, my Lady. It’s almost midday now! But Imperial Concubine


    Kareen said she wants to havete breakfast with you.”


    “She’s been waiting for me!” Realized Cassandra, a bit embarrassed.


    “She knows you were sleeping, mydy, she said she was fine with waiting as long as you got a good


    rest. His Highness the third prince agreed to it too, and insisted we wait for you to wake up.”


    “My Lord is with his mother?” Asked Cassandra, while undressing to get into her bath quickly. –


    “Yes, my Lady, Princess Shareen, and Lady Missandra as well.”


    Cassandra felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of everyone waiting for her. Moreover, they weren’t


    even attending the Celebrations but having breakfast at Lady Kareen’s apartments? She wondered if


    Shareen was still implicitly banned from there, or Kareen was the one who refused to go again. Both


    Mother and Daughter definitely shared the same fiery blood…


    As she didn’t want to keep anyone waiting much longer, Cassandra asked the servants to help her


    hurry to get ready, after a quick bath. She let Dahlia pick the jewelry for her, put on her tiara and walked


    out quickly. Only Dahlia followed her, as the two young servants stayed behind to clean up the room.


    For once, Cassandra was grateful to be spared of her usual nausea. She hurried to Kareen’s


    apartments, not running but still unwilling to walk slowly. She got there a few minutester, and walked


    in, as she knew Kareen didn’t for her to be announced.


    It was arge room, with the panels on one side open on arge garden for them to admire and the


    sunshine toe in. However, unlike the warm sunlight, the atmosphere was icy inside. She walked up


    to therge table, were Kareen, Shareen, Kairen, and Missandra were all seating and strangely quiet.


    To her surprise, the young Prince Anour was seating with them too, those he had obviously just arrived,


    his te and cup empty clean.


    They all raised their heads when she came in, but Cassandra noticed both Missandra and Kairen were


    unhappy, and Kareen ignoring them, drinking her tea. Shareen rolled her eyes.


    “Finally!”


    “Good Morning!” Said Anoud, apparently the only one not sulking or pissed.


    “Sorry, I’mte…” muttered Cassandra, confused about what was going on.


    Kareen stood up to walk to her, gently smiling and taking her hand.


    “It’s fine, my dear, every pregnant woman needs a good night’s sleep. I’m d you rested, you look


    better thanst night. Now,e. You must be hungry.”


    Indeed, she was. Her baby and his dragon stomach were already starving, and therge disy of


    food on the table made it worse. She sat next to the Imperial Concubine, greeting everyone while she


    was served some of her favorite lemon tea.


    “What is going on…?” She finally dared to ask.


    “Oh, well,” said Shareen, that dearest brother of mine is fighting with Mother and your just as stubborn


    sister. For the record, I’m on their side as well. It’s been like that for over an hour so I do hope you can


    talk some sense into him.”


    “A fight? About what?” Asked Anour, curious.


    “Their wedding.”


    Cassandra was speechless. Their wedding? He had talked about it to his family and Missandra? She


    suddenly remembered, she said she wanted his mother’s approval… Yet, she hadn’t really thought he


    would go ahead and ask her straight-out! It wasn’t exactly a breakfast topic… Anour too, had his mouth


    open, visibly shocked. He was about to say something, but Kareen gestured for him to be quiet and


    eat, like a child.


    Cassandra sighed, putting down her cup.


    “I guess you didn’t answer what my Lord wanted to hear?” She asked Kareen.


    “Of course not. But you don’t seem too surprised by that, dear. You already knew I’d be against it, didn’t


    you?”


    Cassandra sighed, ncing at the War God’s furious expression. He was quiet and still, but she could


    tell he wasn’t furious. He had his frown on, and his dark eyes were ring at anything nearby. This was


    going to be aplicated one…


    “If something happens to me,” Cassandra said, “my Lord won’t have any chance for another child.”


    “Finally, someone with some sense in here!” Said Shareen. “Kairen, let her lead your army next time,


    this one knows how to think!”


    Her words were met with another deathly re from her brother, but of course, she wasn’t one to be so


    easily scared by him, crossing her arms with a proud expression.


    “Kairen, stop being a child and listen to Cassie,” said Kareen.


    “I won’t marry another woman,” he growled.


    “We are not asking you too, you stubborn child! Just to wait until you two have several children. Do you


    need me to remind you what happened to Anour’s mother?”


    The sixth prince immediately nodded, looking resolute. Indeed, his mother had died in childbirth… If it


    wasn’t for Kareen, he probably wouldn’t even have reached his teenage years.


    “I’ll protect Cassandra.”


    Seeing his stubborn expression, she stood up and walked to him, taking his face into her hands, having


    him look at her. She knew he couldn’t resist her long. She gently brushed his beard with her fingers.


    “It’s not that I don’t trust you to protect me,” she said softly. “But anything can happen in the next four


    months. So many people are against me having this baby. Even if there weren’t any external threats,


    this is my first child. I could die in childbirth, faceplications. Those things happen, even with all my


    medicinal knowledge.”


    “Cassandra is only eighteen,” added Kareen. “She is still young, and not as resistant as us.” 3


    Talking about her possible death wasn’t anythingforting for Cassandra, but she needed him to


    understand. If something went wrong, during this pregnancy orter on, she didn’t want her Prince to


    lose his opportunity to be the Emperor because of her.


    “Still… I won’t want any other than you,” he growled.


    “You can’t think like that,” Cassandra replied. “You could make a great Emperor… If you have a son.”


    “I only want the children you’ll bear.”


    She sighed. He was truly too stubborn. Shareen let out a long sigh of exasperation.


    “Do you two have to be so cheesy and mushy for breakfast, seriously? We are still there!”


    “I’m against it, too!”


    Everyone turned to Missandra, surprised to hear her speak.


    “Can someone remind me who is she?” Asked Anour, confused. “She looks like Lady Cassandra…”


    “Her younger sister.”


    “You had a younger sister?” He exims, his eyes wide open in surprise. “Howe I didn’t know! It


    was you at the celebrations yesterday, right!”


    “Anour, it’s a secret,” said Kareen with her serious expression.


    “Yes, but…”


    “A secret.”


    He opened his mouth again, but seeing his adoptive mother’s re, he shut it close again, and


    nodded. Cassandra couldn’t help but chuckle at their little interaction. Kareen was obviously a good


    mother to her children, no matter how strict she could be.


    After a few seconds, Missandra crossed her arms.


    “I am still against it. And I don’t understand your weird ways, anyway. The Dragon people are strange.


    One man can marry as many women as he wants, but women can’t? And this whole wife/concubine


    statuses thing, too! This is just…”


    “Missandra, calm down,” said Cassandra.


    “Wait, I’m curious,” says Shareen. “You girls are from a different country, after all, tell us about it.”


    “It’s not a Country,” replied Missandra. “We don’t own thend or anything but ourselves. You people


    see a square ofnd and dere it’s yours. It’s ridiculous!” (5


    Cassandra was waiting for Shareen to get mad, but actually, she only looked genuinely surprised.


    Kareen, too, was rubbing her chin with her finger, looking interested. She grabbed her tea.


    “Tell us more, child. I’m curious, too. None of us ever heard of others… cultures or tribes beside the


    Eastern Republic and the Northern Barbarians…”


    Missandra seemed surprise to hear her being interested, and sat down, a bit perplexed. She nced at


    Cassandra, unsure, but seeing her older sister gives her a little nod, she proceeded to speak, blushing


    a bit. For once, she looked shyer than Cassandra, and her real age.


    “W… Well I was only seven, so I don’t remember many things… But I know we only lived in the


    swamps, and in our shacks…”


    “Shacks? Not real houses?”


    “The soil was too uneven for stones like here, it would get muddy and moldy in no time,” exined


    Cassandra, who remembered it better. “We used special types of woods, and grew creepers around it.


    “Us children yed all day in the rivers, catching fishes and swimming and diving,” said Missandra,


    smiling.


    “You were the best at catching fishes,” noted Cassandra with the same smile.


    “You were the best swimmer! My sister dived very deep and she could stay the longest underwater. So


    many kids were always following her around and trying to imitate her. I was the proudest since you


    were my sister…”


    Missandra blushed a bit after saying that, and Cassandra was touched. Indeed, she remembered the


    cheeky six or seven-year-old Missandra, always following right behind her, ying around and going


    on adventures in the swamps. She wasn’t afraid to get dirty or climb the mangroves.


    “You mentioned your mother taught you about herbs?” Said Kareen.


    “Everyone in our tribe knew about all the basic herbs… We cooked most of them, but we would use


    them for hygiene, medicine, cleaning… Most of our knowledge was based on what the elders


    transmitted to us. It was our main resource.”


    “Our Grandfather was the chief of the vige, as the eldest of the adults,” exined Missandra. “Mother


    was the best doctor. She taught my sister a lot, and the other children who were old enough, too.”


    “You kept making everyone eat tingling leaves once you discovered their effect,” chuckled Cassandra.


    “You even put it in Paba’s tea when he was nagging you…”


    The sistersughed at the memory, making everyone else chuckle too.


    “Paba?” Repeated Kareen. “I noticed you two can talk in that strangenguage. What is it?”


    “Our mother tongue,” exined Cassandra. it doesn’t really have a name. Paba means grandpa.”


    “You call each other Linue et Hinue too,” said Shareen.


    “It’s little sister and big sister. We can use to address other girls even if they are not from their family


    though, as long as we are close.


    “Interesting…”


    “How do you say, husband?” Asked Kairen.


    Everyone was surprised to hear him speak. Missandra immediately frowned.


    “We don’t say it,” she said. “And we don’t get married to men who take lots of concubines!”


    “Missandra,” sighed Cassandra.


    The little sister pouted, crossing her arms, visibly unhappy. Cassandra turned back to her prince.


    “We don’t really have a word for “Husband” since we don’t get married like you… We do have a union


    ceremony, though. Partners call each other Almien.”


    “Almien?”


    “It means who is mine,” sighed Missandra. “You can do that with only one person, though!”


    “It means who is mine,” sighed Missandra. “You can do that with only one person, though!”


    “So lovers do this?”


    “It’s not just lovers, but people who promise to unite their lives forever. You cannot change or take


    another one after!”


    “Missandra, I think they understood,” said Cassandra. “Anyway, it’s…”


    “Let’s do that.”


    She turned to Kairen, confused.


    “Do that?”


    “You and me, let’s do that thing from your tribe. Almien.”