Chapter 107


    #107 The Bad News


    After onest nce around to make sure they hadn’t been followed, both sisters were pulled inside,


    and the door tightly closed behind them. Kian, who apparently had enough of being carried by


    Missandra, let out one of his little high-pitched chirps and jumped out of the shawl she had been trying


    to keep him wrapped in. Hended on the ground, more in a little tumble than gracefully, but quickly got


    back on his feet to start sniffing and looking around.


    Meanwhile, the exhausted sisters finally let out a long sigh of relief. Cassandra turned to Yasora,


    confused.


    “You were expecting us? Howe?”


    She knew that, next to her, Missandra already had her hand on her little dagger, just in case this turned


    out to be a trap of some sort. However, it was very unlikely. Officially, there was nothing tying


    Cassandra to this residence, Kairen had just gotten rid of its owner and freed all the ves, but in the


    facts, probably no one had stopped to take care of the paperwork.


    The middle-aged servantdy looked better than thest time Cassandra had seen her, except for her


    tired eyes. Yasora took her hand, nodding.


    “We were so worried! Two days ago, a man showed up at the door out of the blue, saying he hade


    under the orders of Imperial Concubine Kareen! He told us you would likely arrive here soon, with your


    younger sister and a newborn, and to be ready to help you! He said we had to do anything we can to


    help you here as soon as you arrived, and make sure no one found you. Oh, he gave us plenty of


    money and food to fill our storage, too! Oh, and we have a letter that came for you, carried by a


    messenger bird, from an Imperial Servant named Evin.”


    “Evin!” Eximed Cassandra, surprised to hear about him now.


    “Someone you know, Hinue?” Asked Missandra, confused.


    “My Lord appointed him as my… attendant back when we were in the North Camp. He apanied


    me all day back then, he’s a good man.”


    Just then, Kassian started getting agitated in his mother’s arms. A bit unhappy, the baby started moving


    his closed fists and cry a bit, upset.


    “Oh,e in! Let’s take care of you first, you must be exhausted! Don’t worry, we have everything


    ready!”


    Yasora guided them inside the residence.


    The


    Cassandra had lived several years in this ce, and she could tell the changes since thest time she


    hade here. First, the roof that Krai had torn had been repaired, though the ce seemed to have


    been renovated as some storage ce. Moreover, theck of actual master in the house, leaving all


    the servants in charge, made the house look livelier than ever before. nts were happily growing in


    the gardens, with some cats ying around, and a lot of doors were left open, the young servants


    rushing from one ce to another without worry.


    However, as Yasora had promised, everyone had been waiting for them. As soon as they came in,


    Cassandra was immediately surrounded by many familiar faces. The young servants and former ves


    she had worked with years prior surrounded her, greeting her and being amazed by her baby. However,


    Kassian wasn’t in the mood for introductions. The young little prince kept crying and fussing until


    Yasora yelled for the young ones to clear the area and get to work. She was apparently naturally


    appointed as the head of the house until Cassandra returned.


    First, both girls got to take a bath in one of therge indoor bathtubs of the residence. As if they were


    some valued guests, the two sisters and Kassian were given every little attention by the servants. After


    about a week of leaving in the wild, Cassandra and Missandra enjoyed being able to properly rx in


    some hot water with fancy soaps. They washed off the ck ink from their hair too, and let Kassian


    y in the water a bit. Just like Kian, they had already noticed that the baby liked water a lot. As soon


    as he would be in, he’d naturally try to paddle a bit with his feet, and wiggle around. Kian was


    swimming around in the bathtub until they got out, too. His wings were still not fully developed, but he


    could make short little flights and jump out of the water before diving again.


    Once they were done bathing, the sisters were given some big bathrobes, and someone had even


    gone to buy new diapers for the baby. Kian was a bit harder to take out of the bath, though. Despite


    Cassandra’s many attempts to call him, he ignored both sisters, and Missandra had to struggle against


    a mischievous baby dragon that had fun making her chase him around until she finally grabbed hiin by


    the tail.


    “Come, while you were bathing we got some dinner ready for you,” said Yasora. “I feel like you have a


    lot to tell


    us!”


    Indeed, arge table had been prepared with food, making them immediately hungry despite their


    current fatigue. Missandra almost jumped to get some steamed bun. Meanwhile, Cassandra carefully


    lied Kassian down between in a little basket with a nket that Mira, the young servant girl, had


    prepared for him. As soon as he got on his back, the baby yawned, and Kian jumped next to him to curl


    up for a nap, too. 5


    “So?” Said Yasora. “I’m very confused, Cassandra. Last time we saw you was at the ve market, and


    after that, we barely heard anything…”


    “I’m sorry, things got… hectic.”


    Cassandra went on to exin everything that had happened to her since thest time she hade


    here to free the ves, and Kairen had killed her previous master. It was a lot from when she had left


    the Pce, and Missandra helped her fill some nks as well. Both sisters were also trying to eat while


    talking, as the sight of cooked food was making their stomachs beg for more. With all the stress,


    Cassandra hadn’t realized how tired and hungry she really was.


    Once she was done, both for exnations and eating, she turned to Yasora, worried.


    “What about the letter?”


    “Oh, right. Give me a minute…”


    She left and came back, handing to Cassandra the letter she had mentioned earlier.


    “This arrived a couple of days ago, though I didn’t open that letter, as it was destined for you. Just like I


    said, that letter arrived the next morning after the unknown man that had a lot of gold and food to give


    us hade by, delivered by another man. He warned us we’d better… Wee you properly and


    make sure you were safe.”


    Missandra and Cassandra exchanged a nce.


    “Definitely one of Lady Kareen’s spies,” said Missandra.


    “Probably,” agreed her older sister, opening the letter right away.


    Cassandra read the lines so fast that she had to go over a second time before handing them to


    Missandra.


    In this letter, Evin was true to himself, wishing Cassandra was alright as well as giving her a detailed


    report of the situation in the North Army Camp, how he had persuaded Shareen to bring him back with


    her to the Diamond Castle, and the situation until he had sent this letter in a hurry. She let out a sigh of


    relief, though she wished it contained some better news.


    “So, Lady Shareen is at least back to the Diamond Pce, with Prince Anour,” sighed Missandra.


    “However, they still had no news of my Lord when that letter was sent… What is going on…”


    Cassandra couldn’t hide how worried she was for Kairen.


    She was happy about Shareen’s return to the Diamond Pce, as now, Lady Kareen had an extra ally


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    by her side. The mother-daughter duo was that strong that it had actually chased the second prince.


    She didn’t care much about Phetra’s fate for now, but Cassandra was worried to know where that


    treacherous brother of hers had gone. Did he follow the fake leads into the north? They hadn’t heard


    anything about the Second Prince’s army on the way there, but this could have been because moving


    his army was slower. Maybe he was only a couple of days behind…


    Missandra gently put a hand on her older sister’s leg, feeling her worry. She then turned to Yasora.


    “How is the situation here? We heard some bad rumors about the Emperor on our way here…”


    The middle-aged woman sighed and nodded, grabbing oneyer of her brown attire with a sour


    expression.


    “I fear it was all true… The piece of news has been all over the streets for a couple of days, now. The


    Old Emperor suddenly fell very sick. We don’t know what is really going in the pce, the security was


    increased all of a sudden, there was a big ruckus. They tried to prevent people froming in, or


    executed publicly, people are terrified!” 1


    Cassandra went livid. Howe so much had happened in just a week? Just because Sephir had


    died? Now, the Emperor was in such a dire situation, too? People being executed… That sounded like


    someone was purging. Her heart sank. What if Kairen didn’te back in time to stop his brother? She


    exchanged a nce with Missandra. Her younger sister didn’t look worried, but angry.


    “That rat face probably put his n in motion as soon as your man was sent to war,” she said. “What a


    snake…”


    “So no one was able to enter the Pce since then?” Asked Cassandra. “What about the fourth and


    fifth Princes?”


    “I haven’t heard anything about those two.”


    Cassandra bit her lower lip. That meant the fifth prince Lephys and fourth prince Opheus were probably


    still inside the Imperial Pce. The problem was, she had no idea if they would side with their second


    brother or Kairen. Cassandra had only met the two of them very briefly. Lephys didn’t give her a good


    impression at all, and she couldn’t even remember seeing Opheus aside from his presence during the


    Red Moon Festival. He was known to be very secretive and avoided his father’s banquets almost as


    much as Kairen and Shareen. Could he be a potential ally? She couldn’t approach any of them without


    being sure…


    “What about the battlefront?” She asked, her throat a bit tight. “Tell me you have news?”


    Yasora seemed to hesitate for a few seconds and nodded.


    “I do, but… they are not much better. Thest thing we heard came from some soldiers, yesterday.


    Ethen went to buy some groceries and heard them… Apparently, they said the War God was


    ambushed in thest City, and the fight isn’t doing too well. I don’t know if that’s true, but… the Eastern


    Empire had dragons.”


    Cassandra stayed speechless. Dragons? How could the Eastern Empire have Dragons? None of their


    people had dragon blood! Were those dragons captured? Or conveniently given to them, by another


    one of the Prince’s schemes? Cassandra tried to remember.


    “Vrehan has two sons, but he wouldn’t send his own sons’ dragons to war…” she muttered.


    “Maybe he took some of his brothers?” Said Missandra. “Didn’t the first prince had some too?”


    “Sephir had one son, and other than Vrehan’s sons, I think the fifth Prince Lephys had sons as well…


    Oh, God, the first Prince’s Concubines, and their children!”


    Cassandra had almostpletely forgotten about those two. What had happened to them after


    Sephir’s death? She clearly remembered the two concubines who had tried to befriend her, back at the


    Imperial Pce. Kareen had stated those women and their children would be in danger as soon as


    their Lord died. What had Vrehan done with them, and with the children? Would he use his nephew’s


    dragon?


    She remembered those women, Berissa and Chiara, when they hade to her. Cassandra hadn’t


    thought too much about it since then… She hoped they were fine. Did they manage to leave the


    Imperial Pce? Maybe they were fine for now, as the Old Emperor was still alive.


    “I hope they are doing alright… You said the man brought gold and food. Did he say anything else?”


    “No. He was very discreet, probably a spy.”


    It made sense. Cassandra wished Lady Kareen had left more information. At least she had found a


    way to provide them some assistance.


    “Lady Kareen probably didn’t want you to move from here until they arrive,” said Missandra. “Without


    the third Prince, you’re just a target for them. Especially with those two.”


    She was pointing at Kassian and Kian, both peacefully sleeping already. Cassandra sighed. Thest


    thing she wanted to do was put her baby and his dragon in any danger. This house was probably safe


    for now, but the word that she was hiding in the Capital would definitely spread around now that Kian


    had been spotted at the gate. Moreover, she couldn’t help but worry about everything going on. The


    concubines and their children, and the Old Emperor… The battlefront, as well. What was that story


    about dragons! This was supposed to be an easy victory, but now, her dear War God could really be in


    trouble…


    “Shareen will probably go to help him if she came back to the Diamond Pce,” said Cassandra.


    “However, I think this sounds too much like a giant trap.”


    “Definitely,” sighed her sister. “I told you since the beginning. What do we do though? We should stay


    still until they arrive, right?”


    Cassandra hesitated a bit. Could she stay put, though? The time was nning against them. If that


    letter had arrived two days ago through a bird. If everything Evin had said was right and Shareen had


    to go help her brother to the battlefront before they coulde back here, her Prince most likely


    wouldn’t be able to return to the Capital for at least a couple more days. That was only the most


    optimist estimate, too… 1


    Meanwhile, his father was dying in the Imperial Pce, only a few paces away from Cassandra. She


    bit her lip, making Missandra frown.


    “Oh, no, no, Hinue.”


    “This might be our only chance to save the Emperor,” she said.


    “Or our one mistake to get killed! Why would you go to the Imperial Pce when this is exactly the first


    ce we could get ourselves killed!”


    “The second Prince isn’t in the Capital at the moment, right?” Asked Cassandra, turning to Yasora.


    “No…”


    “See? Missandra, if the Emperor dies, we will be in much more trouble than now. We are losing time,


    the Old Emperor could die any minute from whatever they did to him!”


    “Yes, and maybe that old man is already dead and done for, Cassandra! In any case, I’m pretty sure


    Lady Kareen didn’t want you to go there expose yourself! They freaking closed the Imperial Pce for


    a reason, they don’t want you in!”


    “Maybe we can find a way around that…” whispered Cassandra,


    Missandra was about to retort something, but before she did, Yasora raised her hands, putting an end


    to their dispute.


    “Ladies, I think you are both very tired and in need of some decent sleep. So, even if you want toe


    up with a n, I suggest it waits until tomorrow.”