“Please, Master, can’t I at least walk by myself? Please...”
“Last time I left you alone, you ran away.”
Cassandra was taken aback. He was still angry about that? It wasn’t even her choice to leave his chambers! She shook her head.
“No, Master, I swear I did not mean to. Please! I promise, I won’t go anywhere. Please...”
Kairen clicked his tongue, but after a few more steps he finally stopped to let her down. Cassandra seized the occasion to swiftly put the fur cloak back onto his shoulders, getting it away from her before anyone else saw her with it.
The Third Prince gave her a skeptical look, but she made sure to stand right behind him, as close as she could without touching him. Shareen, watching the little scene unfold between the two, chuckled.
“Look, Kairen, your new pet isn’t going anywhere, and you can always have Krai chase her down if she tries anyway.”
He took a long moment before taking his eyes off Cassandra and walking with his sister again. Cassandra let out a deep sigh right after, feeling a bit relieved, and started walking behind him with her head low until someone next to her gently tapped her elbow.
One of Shareen’s ladies-in-waiting had subtly taken a few extra steps behind her mistress to be right next to Cassandra and gave her a gentle smile.
“No need to bow so low. Just do it like me,” she whispered with a smile.
Cassandra realized she was indeed bowing too low. She had naturally taken her slave posture, but it wasn’t appropriate with what she was wearing now. Was it alright to mimic the ladies-in-waiting? She still had her collar on, so her current status was probably closer to a servant than anything else.
But the young lady gave her an encouraging smile, making her feel a little more at ease, so Cassandra did as she suggested. This way, she wouldn’t stand out as much, and she was already hoping people would ignore her.
They finally reached a large door. Even without the gold adorning the redwood, Cassandra would have concluded it was their final destination by the loud growls coming from behind it - dragon growls.
“Emperor, this lowly servant has successfully come back with Their Highnesses Prince Kairen and Princess Shareen.”
The large doors had opened and Cassandra, without lifting her head, felt a breeze, hinting that they were heading into an open area - a very, very large one. She followed Kairen while hearing a lot of people present around them. As she stole peeks to her left and right, she realized several members of the Imperial Family were there, all accompanied by their respective courts. From the myriad of voices and sounds, she could tell at least fifty people were present.
“Finally! Kairen, what do I have to do for you to stay at my banquets? Are they too boring for you, my Son?”
Cassandra couldn’t believe she was hearing the Emperor’s voice! She was surprised; he sounded more like a doting father than an all-mighty ruler too!
“What about me, Father? Do I not get a proper welcome just because my dear little brother is here?” asked Shareen with a sulk.
“What are you talking about? You know you are the most precious gem in my eyes, Shareen! Come here, my daughter!”
The group suddenly split, with Shareen and her attendants going straight to the golden throne, while Kairen took a left. He walked to a large seat and took his place, spreading his fur coat on it. Cassandra, observing how the other servants were positioned, took a small spot a few feet behind him and knelt on the floor.
She was now partially in the shadow of his seat and had the freedom to observe the room. It was an immense, circular hall with several golden chairs, each sitting atop several steps. Like this, the Royal Family could clearly see the center of the room, where dancers were currently performing a piece no one seemed to care about. Behind each seat, servants were busy attending to their masters, handing them cups of wine or plates of food. Only the concubines were sitting down on the stairs in front of them, with a good view of the show, but no seat of their own.
“You, take this.”
A male servant handed Cassandra a glass of wine and a large plate with fruits and meat. She quickly realized she was the only one there to attend to Kairen. She took it, ignoring the pain in her wrist. Her fingers were trembling under the extra weight on her injury, but she took a couple of steps forward and handed the cup to Kairen while he ignored the food.
When she descended back to her position, the male servant was looking at her with furious eyes.
“You idiot, slave! You were supposed to try the wine before your Master! What if there is poison in the cup?”
Cassandra had no idea. She looked at the man, speechless, and went back to Kairen wondering if she could take the cup back. Thankfully, he hadn’t drunk from it yet, but as she was about to ask, he put the cup down and showed no interest in it. She swiftly grabbed it, took a quick sip, and put it back where it was before returning again. The male servant sighed.
“Useless slave…”
“I am very sorry,” she whispered.
“Save your apology for your Master! What if he died because of an idiot slave like you? Tsk…”
While cursing her, he stepped away. Cassandra sighed. How could she possibly have known? She had never had any training on attending to the Imperial Family.
