“Cassandra?”
“Don’t move.”
She slowly took the sword at his side, taking it out in silence. The Prince frowned and was about to turn around when Cassandra screamed.
“Kairen, no!”
Just as he moved, Cassandra aimed the blade down, piercing the mattress. A stain of red appeared on the sheets, a few inches away from his hand. She pulled the sheets back, revealing the snake, pinned down by the blade. The Prince took the sword from her hands, glaring furiously at the snake. Cassandra was about to grab the snake, but he got to it first.
“It’s not a venomous one,” she sighed in relief. “I couldn’t tell under the sheet.”
To her surprise, Kairen suddenly pulled her in for a kiss. She blushed, pushing him away.
“It is not the time to…!”
“You called me by my name.”
Cassandra blushed even more. Yes, she did, without thinking. In the panic of the moment, she had called his name, the one she had in her mind for days.
“We… Someone put a snake in our bed, and…”
“Cassandra.”
She turned to him, unable to look him in the eyes. Kairen was smiling, one of his signature minimalistic smiles. He kissed her again, but Cassandra took the dead reptile from his hand and eluded him, too embarrassed to focus.
“It’s a Crecca snake…” she whispered. “They are not venomous, but the bite can be painful…and...”
“And what?” asked Kairen.
“It can be dangerous for children or pregnant women.”
The War God’s eyes darkened as he glanced at the dead snake. This thing… Cassandra didn’t seem worried, now that it was dead in her hand.
“These types of snakes do not live in this area. It must have cost a fortune to bring it here. I don’t think the person who did this knows anything about snakes. You can find lethal ones or less dangerous ones in the Capital. They are cheaper, too.”
“They wanted to hurt you,” growled Kairen.
“I think they meant to scare me. Not a lot of people knew about my pregnancy until tonight. Those who did couldn’t have bought the snake so fast. Maybe they already had the snake, but it’s a peculiar species, so...”
“It doesn’t matter. They’ll pay.”
To his surprise, Cassandra nodded and turned to him.
“If we find out who did this… Can we do something about it? Even if it’s one of your siblings?”
“You think I’d let it go?”
“If it’s the Imperial Family?”
Kairen shook his head and grabbed her hand.
“Cassandra.”
She stared into his black eyes for a while, and after a few seconds, she understood. She came first. Their unborn child came first. Whoever did this… He wouldn’t let it go. He was the War God, after all. Not someone who’d stay still after such a vicious threat.
Cassandra nodded.
“I can find out who did this.”
