“But…”
Cassandra still vividly remembered some scenes the Princess was involved in that she would rather forget. She even blushed just thinking about it. Shareen smirked.
“Oh Cassandra, I may be a virgin, but it doesn’t mean I can’t play, right?”
This sentence would stay for a long time in the young concubine’s mind before she put together what it meant, rearranging her whole outlook on Shareen.
She shook her head trying to forget about it for now and turned to Dahlia, pointing at the little potion still in the servant’s hands.
“Do you think she only came here for this?”
“I would believe so…no Princess would want to be seen here buying an abortion potion. Father would be furious!”
Cassandra nodded, taking the potion from her. She considered holding on to this until they found the culprit. Maybe she could even find a clue.
“All right,” said Shareen. “I’ve had enough, let’s go grab your feisty sister before I really lose my patience.”
The three women agreed to go check the next brothel, but once again, Cassandra was left disheartened. Missandra had come and gone from this place as well. This time, however, things appeared to be a bit different, as the young eunuch explained.
“Mie tricked some local thugs into losing a lot of money, and they didn’t appreciate that. They came often to harass this brothel, so the owner decided to kick her out. She didn’t realize until after that Mie had stolen her money too. I don’t know where she is now though, this came to light about eight or nine months ago. She could be anywhere, but I’d be willing to bet she didn’t stay in the Red District. Too many people were unhappy with her, and I know there’s a group of thugs still actively looking for her. To be honest with you, I wouldn’t even be surprised if she left the Capital, Your Highness.”
Cassandra repressed the urge to cry. How could her younger sister get into so much trouble? She should only be sixteen by now! Did Missandra grow to be such a mischievous girl from her upbringing in the Red District? The worst part for Cassandra was to think that after all this time, the two women had been in the same city. Though the Capital was extremely vast, they could have crossed paths if Cassandra had ventured closer to this area, or if Missandra had been near one of her old master’s properties.
“Well,” said Shareen. “I guess that’s all for today. At least we know this troublemaker sister of yours was still alive and well a few months ago. She could be literally anywhere now, though.”
“I can still ask around…there are a few places Missandra could have tried to go.”
Cassandra was already thinking about where to search for her next. After everything she had discovered today, she couldn’t give up. She felt closer to Missandra than she had been in years.
“Tomorrow, pretty face,” said the Princess with a frown. “The sun is close to setting, and my brother will make a fuss if I don’t bring you back before night falls. Especially considering where we spent our day.”
Cassandra blushed. Indeed, a lot more establishments were open now, as the brothels and their tenants were preparing to work. More customers were filling the streets too, though they kept a careful distance from the three women. They probably wondered what this odd trio was doing here.
“Come on, let’s go.”
As they started walking back, Cassandra couldn’t help but glance sideways, just in case she might spot Missandra. It was a bit desperate, but she just couldn’t stop scanning the people around them. Even though Shareen noticed her slower pace, she didn’t bother mentioning it, and continued to walk her back to the entrance.
“You!”
An angry voice came from behind them, but for the first few seconds, neither Shareen or Cassandra realized his shouts were directed at them. When they noticed the people eyeing them however, they turned around.
Charging their way was a large man with a shaved head, and too many tattoos on his face to actually distinguish his traits from other men. He was quite horrendous to look at, but Cassandra had a good guess who the man was anyway. In the Capital, criminals were marked, their wrongdoings tattooed in visible places for others to see. Most people would want to avoid those markings, so they weren’t outcast by society. However, local thugs, like this man, displayed them proudly, as if it was proof of their strength. And he surely had a lot!
“You little bitch! Do you think you can hide from us? And use this kind of disguise, too? You’ll see!”
Shareen and Cassandra exchanged looks, completely unsure about what was going on. It was Dahlia who understood first and stepped in between the man and the young concubine.
“I think you are mistaken, Sir! My Lady is not the one you seek!”
“Are you kidding me? This bitch is the one I’ve been looking for! You’d better give me my money back or you’ll take a good beating for stealing from me, you bitch!”
Cassandra was speechless. Was that man mistaking her for her sister? Were they really so alike that someone would actually confuse them? A group of men were now gathering behind him, only a few had less tattoos than the first, but all had quite the same horrible faces.
Shareen sighed, swinging her swords hesitantly.
“Cassie, do you mind if I play a bit? I need the exercise and I have some frustration to release.”
While Cassandra had a generous soul, she really didn’t care much for criminals. That man’s crimes were visible all over his skin. She was well aware that this sort of person would demonstrate horrible behaviors towards women like her. Keeping that in mind, she nodded and crossed her arms.
