“It’s fine.”
As long as Krai was with her, its Master would know and be at ease. That was all Cassandra needed. Kairen had let her leave, but he probably had to stay behind to discuss official matters with his Father. As inexperienced as she was in politics, she understood that much. She also appreciated spending time alone with another woman her age. She missed Nebora a bit, and maybe because of their similar black hair, Dahlia reminded Cassandra of her friend somehow.
“How long have you been working here?” asked Cassandra.
“My whole life or so, I think… One of the Palace’s cooks found me on his doorstep and adopted me when I was just a baby. So, I became a servant as soon as I was old enough to be.”
Cassandra nodded. Dahlia was among the lucky ones. Most orphans were captured and made slaves. No wonder she knew the Palace so well, despite its size.
“Lady Cassandra, did you go to the Onyx Castle?” suddenly asked Dahlia, blushing slightly, but curious.
Cassandra smiled, and just like that, both women started talking. On one side, Dahlia was loving stories from outside the Palace, while Cassandra was keen to know any detail of this place that Dahlia could tell her.
Having grown up here, Dahlia had seen many, many concubines. That’s why she had felt Cassandra was different from the start. She didn’t have that mighty attitude of a noble’s daughter, or felt entitled in any way. She even spoke to her like an equal.
“Do you want to explore the world, Dahlia?”
The young woman seemed to hesitate for a while, blushing slightly.
“Yes, but…there is also someone I want to stay close to here. So…as long as that person is here, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave.”
“A lover?” asked Cassandra, judging from her reaction.
Dahlia sighed.
“I wish, but…I doubt they even know I exist, so…”
Cassandra felt a bit sorry for Dahlia. She seemed like such a gentle woman, but to fall in love in the Palace was… a sad twist of fate. With so many pretty concubines everywhere, it was probably hard to be noticed by anyone around here.
Cassandra knew how lucky she was that Kairen didn’t actually care about such things. If it wasn’t for Krai, she would have been nothing but dust by now. Thinking about this, she kept caressing the sleek scales for a while, chatting with Dahlia, actually feeling calmer than she had been in a while.
Much later in the night, the young woman was called back to work, and Cassandra was left alone in the garden. She didn’t feel like going back, unsure if the banquet would be over by then, and so she decided to stay a bit longer.
The quiet garden was actually nice. At night, the temperature was much better for Cassandra to endure, with a fresh wind and the warm dragon scales on her back. She rested, watching the stars, until she heard someone step closer.
The Prince slowly walked to her side, putting one knee down.
“So, this is where you were.”
Cassandra smiled.
“His Highness, your Father, didn’t...”
“He was unhappy you left.”
The concubine felt a bit happy about that. It meant he approved of her action, in a way. If he had been against her leaving, she couldn’t even have taken one step out of the Banquet Hall. If the Emperor was unhappy, it probably wasn’t directed at her, but at the one who had caused her to leave.
Cassandra felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She wasn’t used to being so bold, and every action made her insecure. She could still be killed at any moment, even if she was now wearing a pink dress. Kairen’s presence helped her forget about her worries too.
“I like this garden,” she said softly.
“You want to stay here?”
Since Cassandra hesitated for a while, he decided to sit next to her, letting her lay against his chest. Surrounded by the Black Dragon, they knew no one would dare to bother them. Resting her head on his shoulder, Cassandra kept staring at the stars, feeling his warm hand caressing her.
“My mom used to tell me about the stars every night. She’d teach me how to read them, their names and their past.”
“Their past?”
