Chapter 77


    The Dream


    As soon as Missandra was gone, Cassandra couldn’t help but cry again. Dahlia tried to get some


    herbal tea prepared for her, but she didn’t touch it and only sobbed in the War God’s arms for a long


    time. It was the first time Cassandra had felt so powerless and defeated. She could stand being injured


    herself, but seeing her loved ones being injured was the worst thing possible for her. Moreover, she


    had to wait for her sister toe back after her punishment. She wouldn’t be able to do anything for


    her until then. .


    Kairen didn’t say anything. He wasn’t good atforting her, aside from holding her in his arms, and


    caressing her hair. His physical contact was the only thing seemingly able tofort Cassandra a bit,


    as she stayed curled up in his arms for a long time. Even Krai had arrived in the garden, growling so


    softly it was almost a whistle, putting his head next to Cassandra, looking sorry for her. (2)


    Kareen couldn’t seem to sit still. The imperial Concubine paced around, ordering the servants to do


    useless things. She kept going in and out of the garden, fidgety. Kareen was a proud woman and hated


    being powerless. The young sisters had grown on her, even the belligerent Missandra. She felt partially


    responsible for her punishment too. If she hadn’t pushed for her toe with them… No, it wouldn’t


    have changed anything anyway. Vrehan had gotten what he really wanted… To harm Cassandra


    indirectly, the only person he could openly attack in Kairen’s entourage. She felt even madder thinking


    about that brat. They needed to be ready in case something else happened, or even better, give him a


    payback… He probably had it, though. Though he had been careful not to show it, Phetra was his


    closest sister, her downfall was probably somehow painful to him as well. Compared to that, the


    punishment befallen on Missandra felt too light, even.


    “I can’t sit still,” suddenly dered Cassandra.


    The young concubine stood up, surprising everyone around.


    “Lady Cassandra, we should wait for Lady Missandra…” said Dahlia, worried for her.


    “No. I’m counting mentally, again and again, if I keep imagining it without doing anything I’ll go crazy. I


    need to do something. I want to prepare the medicine for when she gets back. I want to go to my


    garden.”


    “You are not leaving my apartments!” Roared Kareen, wary like a lioness. “Cassandra, you should stay


    here for now!”


    However, Kairen stood next to Cassandra and took her hand,


    “I will go with her,” he dered.


    Despite his apparent calm, Kareen knew her son was probably has frustrated as she was. He hadn’t


    said anything but seeing Cassandra so sad and miserable probably affected him as well. Krai stood up


    too, looking curious about the change of situation.


    The Imperial Concubine sighed.


    “Fine! But you twoe back here as soon as that ointment is gone! Shareen will bring her back here


    anyway…”


    Cassandra nodded, and left, followed closely by the Prince. Kareen sighed and sat in the deckchair she


    had just left. Krai, who couldn’t follow them, growled too and put his head on the Imperial Concubine’s


    She scratched his snout.


    “Those children…” she sighed.


    Meanwhile, Cassandra was hurrying back to the prince’s apartments. She was aiming right for her


    herbal garden, still holding Kairen’s hand. She had nothing else in mind but her sister. She wasn’t


    scared at the moment, just focused.


    As soon as she got there, she let go of his hand and started gathering everything she needed in a


    hurry. In a few minutes, she had gathered enough herbs and water and started working on it at her little


    table, a determined expression on. Her eyes were still red, but she didn’t care at the moment.


    Kairen let her do whatever she wanted. He understood she needed to keep herself busy to forget about


    all her sadness and frustration. Something else actually caught his attention. One spot of the grass was


    still humid and muddy, where the girls had fought with Phetra just a couple of hours earlier… He circled


    the area, and suddenly spotted Phetra’s dagger, still lying at the bottom of one of the fountains. With a


    frown, he took it out, observing it. It was a good weapon, but it hadn’t been taken care of properly…


    For a while, the garden was rtively silent. Cassandra was focused on making the best ointment


    possible, crushing her herbs into a mortar, adding water and preparing some kind of green medicinal


    paste. She then moved on to a second medicine, a pain-killer decoction. In the same time, Kairen was


    sitting near her, and had begun sanding and sharpening the dagger. He scraped off all the unnecessary


    decorations that added to its weight, letting the little diamonds and rubies fall on the grass without a


    care. (2


    After several minutes, Cassandra assembled everything she had prepared in front of her, shaking her


    head.


    “I don’t know if this will be enough…” She said, looking defeated.


    The Prince stood up, and looked at the table. She had made a pitcher full off ointment, and arge


    ss of medicine, too. It would probably be enough, even for two people. ?


    “Let’s go back,” he dered.”


    “Maybe I can make more,” she said. “I can find something else to ease the pain, or make it less biter, or


    make more of it…”


    “Cassandra, it’s enough, Let’s go back.”


    “But…”


    “Enough.”


    She bit her lip, and Kairen grabbed her chin to have her finally look at him instead of the medicine. His


    deep ck eyes almost took her by surprise.


    “It’s been over an hour,” he said, gently but firmly. “Let’s go. Your sister will be back soon.”


    “I…”


    Forced to confront his eyes, Cassandra suddenly felt like crying again. She shook her head, but the


    tears came anyway. She covered her eyes.


    “I… I had promised our mother I would protect her… I can’t believe… I’m such a bad sister… I


    shouldn’t have brought her here…”


    The Prince sighed, and gently, had her let go of her tools. He took her into his strong embrace to try


    and calm her down. It had been a while since she had cried so much.


    Cassandra had only really cried three times since he had met her. The first time was out of fear for him,


    when he was locked up by his father. The second time, it was out of anger, for the ves, when the


    ve trades showed nopassion. Now, she was crying for her younger sister. It seemed like that


    girl always cried more for others than herself when she was the one who had been going through so


    much…


    Her own scars from being whipped so many times ounted to much more than a hundred or two.


    There wasn’t a spot on her skin that didn’t have one of those white, thin lines he hated. Given that


    Cassandra’s skin was among the whitest possible, the scars were sometimes harder to see, and


    sometimes very visible, like little silver threads, but Kairen felt it under his fingers anytime he caressed


    her. That precious, frail body he adored had been mistreated until it got like this. Her legs, her arms,


    her back, her chest… There wasn’t an area that had been


    spared. She even had some on the back of her hands, and on her neck, though the spot where she


    formerly had a cor had been protected by the metal. His blood would boil just thinking about all the


    pain she had been inflicted.


    “What if she dies? Kairen, if something happens to my sister, I.


    “Cassandra, look at me.”


    She lifted her head. Her eyes full of tears were the most dangerous weapon against him. He put his


    head around her neck, his fingers in her hair, and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.3


    “Your sister will be fine. As soon as shees out of there, and can travel, I will send her to the


    Diamond Pce with my mother. I will get her out of there, and as soon as those damn Celebrations


    are over, we will, too. It’s my promise to you.”


    Cassandra nodded weakly, but her heart wasn’t at peace. She felt like she was going to crumble at any


    moment.


    “…Can I be honest for a minute?” She said.


    “What is it?”


    “…I don’t want you to be an Emperor.”


    Kairen wasn’t exactly surprised by her words, but it was certainly the first time she said something like


    that. He frowned, a bit confused.


    “I thought you said…”


    “I know what I said,” sighed Cassandra, pushing him a bit. “I… There’s a part of me, a selfish part of


    me, that wish we could leave, just the two of us, and our family, far from all the Politics, the murders,


    the plots, and everyone who wants to harm us. I want… If I could leave in a dream, it would be


    anywhere but this Empire. I… don’t want to give birth to children and worry about which ones will be


    killed. I don’t want the jewels, the dresses, the fancy banquets… I just want you, our people, and our


    baby, living in peace. I want to bear your children, and get old with you. I could hop on Krai’s back and


    let your dragon take us anywhere. But…”


    She took a deep breath, calming herself down, closing her eyes.


    “There is also a part of me, that wants you to change this Empire. I hate… I hate this Dragon Empire,


    Kairen. Everything wrong with it. I hate how you and your brothers can kill people without remorse.


    How ves and servants are treated like disposable livestock. How women are seen as merchandise,


    even Princesses. How you see the destruction of my people as nothing more than some unfortunate


    event from the past. I… I was raised with the idea that life and death are sacred, and must be honored.


    Your people don’t care about life, and they don’t even respect the dead.”


    “Cassandra…”


    She shook her head, asking him to let her speak a bit longer.


    “That day, in the arena… I was ready to die. I didn’t care about the Imperial Games. I wasn’t scared, I


    had no more expectations for life. However, of all people, you chose me. The moment when Krai took


    me at your feet, and you put that little piece of your coat on my shoulders, something in me changed a


    little. Since we met, every day, I have been seeing what a wonderful, loving man you are. You don’t


    care about gender when you interact with people. You respect your siblings based on their skills, not


    their gender. You kill when you have to, not when you want. You protect those you love… and punish


    those who shall be punished. You are not perfect, but… You are the kind of man that could change this


    Empire into a country I can love.”


    The Prince was very still, listening to every word. Cassandra’s voice was hoarse because of all of her


    earlier crying, softer and huskier than usual. She was almost whispering.


    “If a man like Vrehan bes Emperor, this will go on. People will die unfairly, women like Missandra


    will be


    treated poorly. Truth is, if I believed any of your brothers could do this better than you, I would root for


    them to take the golden throne. But… I have seen what they can do, and it isn’t what you can do. They


    can’t take an abused, damaged woman, forget her appearance to see her value and turn her into an


    N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Imperial Physician. They can’t respect their sisters like their equals. They can’t have empathy for


    ves, servants, for their people. They live in golden pces, while you’re fine with eating and


    sleeping in a camp. You are not like them, my love. This is exactly why you only made me fall for you,


    and why I believe you should be the next Emperor, even if it breaks my heart.”