Chapter 111


    #111 The Minstrel in Gold


    Both sisters almost stopped breathing. A drop of cold sweat ran down Cassandra’s spine. She had


    been hoping to find the Emperor and his Gold Dragon, but this was definitely not had. Where was


    this white oneing from! The sisters hadn’t even heard anything until then. Missandra didn’t dare


    move either, but she sent a nce . towards her sister. No words were exchanged, but her expression


    was clear. Which Dragon was that?


    Cassandra tried hard to remember. She couldn’t remember if the white Dragon was the fourth or the


    fifth Prince’s, she had only seen it once! She couldn’t even see its size, as only a little portion of his


    head was stuck against the window. The only thing that was a little bit reassuring was that he didn’t


    seem to be unhappy at all. The white creature wasn’t growling, and his eye just seemed… curious.


    Was he simply observing them? Either way, if he was there, his master definitely knew where they


    were. She didn’t want to wait to see which Prince was about to show up!


    “Let’s go back,” she whispered.


    Missandra nodded slightly, but neither of them could take their eyes off the gigantic beast staring at


    them. Both sisters started stepping back, very carefully. The big blue eye was following thier every


    move. They hesitated. They definitely couldn’t go back the way they came in, not with that one climbing


    on the tower as well. It would put them one arm away from the Dragon, and his maw was definitely


    longer than that. Moreover, they had already struggled toe in, Cassandra wasn’t sure she would


    have the strength to go back the same way without making a mistake this time..


    The main entrance, then? It didn’t solve the problem of the guards on the other side. The Dragon or the


    Prince could warn them at any time. Cassandra was trying to gauge their options quickly, but no good


    idea came to mind, and Missandra was terribly quiet too.


    “What the hell are you doing here, you two idiots!”


    Cassandra sighed internally. It was toote…


    Both sisters turned around, to find the fourth Prince standing there.


    Opheus was very much like his brothers. Tall, with long ck hair and fine muscture under his open


    shirt. His only marking trait was his strikingly blue eyes, both delicately circled by a trait of ck ink. He


    was probably the most handsome of all the Imperial brothers, but he was making a sour face at the


    moment, his arms crossed. The long gold earring at his left ear kept dangling as he shook his head.


    “Sorry, Your Highness,” said Cassandra, bowing instinctively. “We will leave and…”


    “Oh, don’t you dare act like that! I recognized you, white witch!” Retorted Opheus.


    Cassandra went white under her makeup. She had the feeble hope that he wouldn’t recognize her, as


    she couldn’t recognize him either, until two seconds ago. It seemed impossible to pretend to be two


    clueless maids now…


    The Prince let out a dramatic sigh.


    “You are all driving me nuts here! Darling, I have a good memory for faces, and even if you were as


    skinny and bleached as a skeleton back then, I still vividly remember the unfashionable ve girl


    Kairen went nuts about! Lephys may have hundred of his little whores, I don’t care. But the onedy


    that proved my older brother wasn’t just a monk with a sword, despite his questionable tastes, that one


    I remember!”


    Cassandra was utterly speechless. She hadn’t expected the Prince to have such a… colorful


    personality. Until then, he had only been described as someone with azy and easily bored


    personality. It was apparently more about his attitude. At least, it didn’t seem like he had given any alert


    yet.


    Unsure of what to say, Cassandra nced Missandra’s way. However, to her surprise, Missandra was


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    nervously chuckling, looking like she was focused on the fourth Prince’s face. He noticed it, too, and


    clicked his tongue, pouting his lips.


    “You can stop staring like that, darling, we are not ying on the same level.”


    “I know you,” suddenly said Missandra with a snicker. “You’re the Minstrel in Gold!”


    “Oh,” said Opheus, raising an eyebrow.


    Cassandra waspletely lost. What was her younger sister talking about? The Prince himself didn’t


    seem very surprised, but his expression hadpletely changed after Missandra had said that.


    Cassandra turned to her, trying to understand what the hell she was talking about.


    “Linue?” She called her.


    “This Prince was a regr in the Red District!” Eximed Missandra. “He was only known as the


    Minstrel in Gold, because his name was unknown and he always came dressed with lots of gold


    jewelry, and would always write stupid poems to his lovers.”


    “Stupid poems? Watch your mouth, you little bitch! I’m a lyricist, and everyone always said I have a lot


    of talent!”


    “Yeah, let me guess your Highness, the same people to whom you generously gave your gold


    whenever they said that?” Retorted Missandra with a snicker.


    “Wait, ” said Cassandra. “You know him from the Red District?”


    “Well, not all the workers are female,” exined Missandra with a shrug.


    “Oh…”


    Cassandra hadn’t thought of that. It did make sense though… The fourth Prince probably wasn’t given


    the kind of entertainment he wanted in the Imperial Pce. She clearly remembered his siblings talking


    about hisck of interest for his concubines, despite his mother’s desperate attempts to have him give


    birth to heir… Well, now that exined a lot.


    Cassandra gave a little nce, but the Dragon outside was still there, patiently watching. So they


    weren’t in danger with him, so far? Opheus flipped his hair over his shoulder.


    “I was wondering what my darling had found here, but it turns out it’s just you two. You are quite stupid


    foring back there, though. Do you have any idea of what Vrehan wants to do to you? That psycho


    seriously went crazy this time.”


    “What about you?” Asked Missandra. “You don’t look like you’re about to report us.”


    “Oh, please, do you think I care about my brothers’ stupid game?”


    “This isn’t just a game,” retorted Cassandra, almost shocked. “They are killing each other! Prince


    Sephir died!”


    Opheus rolled his eyes over.


    “He was unfortunate to have been born first, yes. But me? I’m the one no one gives two cents about,


    and honestly, I’m quite content with that.”


    Cassandra understood that he was the one that no one could see as a threat, but that didn’t mean his


    brother’s crimes weren’t any less horrible! His own older brother had been murdered only a few days


    ago, he couldn’t be that insensitive as to not care at all!


    However, he did look like he didn’t care. Opheus put a hand on his hip, gauging the two of them.


    “I honestly don’t give a damn about reporting you, I don’t even care enough to yell,” he said. “However,


    I am curious about why the hell do I find Kairen’s favorite and her sister into my Father’s chambers.”


    “We hoped to save the Emperor,” exined Cassandra. “I know he is sick, I want to see him.”


    “We can heal him,” added her younger sister. “If you tell us where the old man is, we can…”


    Opheus scoffed, interrupting her, and pointed at Missandra with his long nail.


    “First, no offense darling but I wouldn’t even entrust you with a spoon.”


    Missandra looked offended by his words, but the Fourth Prince ignored her, turning to Cassandra


    instead.


    “Secondly, why do you two care about what happens to my father? Shouldn’t you be somewhere taking


    care of your brat you were pregnant with and waiting for your man to pop Vrehan’s dead off? Because


    honestly, I know I am.”


    Cassandra was a bit surprised to hear that.


    “You don’t like Vrehan…? You support Kairen?”


    Opheus dramatically rolled his eyes once again.


    “You may be a physician or whatever but you’re quite slow, darling, aren’t you? Vrehan is a freaking


    sicko, his sister Phetra is the Empress of bitches, and trust me, I know more than they all think I do.


    Compared to him, Kairen is at least not bouncing around about murdering our family members and


    bing Emperor.”


    “So you can help us?” Asked Cassandra, her hopes getting up again. “You can tell us where the


    Emperor actually is?”


    “Why would I? I told you, I’m fine as long as neither of them thinks I’m against them. Why would I give


    you two any help? I am already quite generous in not giving you little rats away to the guards, I hope


    you’re taking notes about that.”


    Cassandra’s hopes melted immediately. So he wasn’t going to help them at all? Were the sisters


    condemned already? There was no way they were going to be able to walk out of here, not while the


    two guards were still standing guard outside these apartments! Moreover, they couldn’t stay hidden


    here forever either!


    Next to her, Missandra took a deep breath and crossed her arms, looking surprisingly quite confident.


    “Well, it’s a bit toote for that, isn’t it? You’re already an aplice.”


    “What?”


    “You have seen us. As you said, you didn’t denounce us right away and you have no intention to. So,


    that means you’re on our side.”


    Opheus frowned, looking a bit confused.


    “Didn’t you listen to anything I just said, you little pest? I am not on anyone’s side! Unless I go walk


    around naked into the throne’s room, I won’t be considered a target by Vrehan either! I am the invisible


    Prince and I like that!”


    “Oh, but you have seen us already. So now, you’re technically hiding our existence to the Second


    Prince. If we get caught and say you had actually found us, it will be bad for you, isn’t it? You won’t be


    so invisible anymore…”


    Cassandra couldn’t understand. What was Missandra thinking by provoking him like that! Despite her


    doubts, she remained quiet to let her younger sister talk. After those few weeks together, Cassandra


    knew that Missandra was better than her for those kinds of things. Missandra was what they called


    smart-street, she was better at getting out of a situation when she was cornered.


    “What are you talking about!” Screeched the fourth Prince. “I am not helping you, I’m just keeping my


    mouth shut!”


    “Oh, I bet the second Prince will think the same when he learns that you had us right under his nose


    and did not let his soldiers know. He’ll probably overlook this and think you just didn’t care…”


    Opheus opened and closed his mouth twice,pletely taken aback. Finally, he scoffed, outraged by


    Missandra’s words and her confident smirk. Putting his fists on his hips, he was now ring at her.


    “Why shouldn’t I give you away right now, then, you little pests? I am extremely generous already to let


    you go without saying a word! Why the hell are you threatening me for right now!”


    “I am not threatening you,” replied Missandra with an innocent smile. “Of course, you’re very free to rat


    us out to the Psychopath’s men if you prefer. However, I cannot guarantee that the War God won’t be


    back first…”


    Once again, the fourth Prince was rendered speechless and blinked several times.


    “Kairen? He’sing back here? Seriously?”


    Missandra nodded. Whether she was truly convinced or lying through her teeth, her older sister


    couldn’t tell. However, they clearly weren’t sure that the War God was really on his way back, or even


    how far he was at the moment. That was a heavy bet her sister was putting up right now…


    “Yes. His Favorite Concubine is here, after all,” she said. “The War God will be back in the Capital at


    any time. I mean, you could give us up, but it would truly be a too bad timing it the Third Prince came


    back meanwhile. If the


    War God learns that you sold out his Favorite concubine… If my older sister dies just like that, I wonder


    who he will get mad at? I mean, obviously, the second prince is the first choice, but I wonder who he


    will get angry at then? It gets pretty bloody when the War God gets mad, you know.”


    Cassandra was once againpletely speechless. Her younger sister was truly shameless! She was


    putting the fourth Prince into a horrible ce, torn between the fear of the second or third brother’s


    wrath. It was toote for him to pretend he hadn’t seen them, not after everything Missandra had just


    said. The poor man looked like he was about to vomit, too,pletely stunned by the teenage girl.


    “You… You… By the great Dragon, you’re the worst little swine!” He yelled. “That was me being nice!”


    “Oh, it’s nice of you to not rat us out, but now we would like to know where the Emperor is. So now, you


    can pick a side. Because either you help us and we can get out of here without making any waves and


    with potentially a chance to save the old man, or my sister and I will get caught as soon as we try to get


    out of there by your sicko brother’s men, tortured and most likely die in horrible circumstances; Your


    choice, your Highness.”