After reflecting on her mistake, she went back to listening to what was going on. As expected, only the Imperial Family spoke while the concubines whispered amongst themselves, but none seemed very happy to be there.
“Kairen, my son. Can I never keep you entertained enough that you would share a bit of your time with your father?” asked the Emperor.
“Our brother would rather spend his time with his slave,” snickered the Second Prince.
A loud growl suddenly resonated throughout the hall, and Cassandra finally understood why the servants and concubines didn’t feel at ease. Next to the Second Prince’s throne, what she had mistaken for a statue was actually a very alive Red Dragon. She took a quick look around; aside from the red one, two other dragons were sitting next to their masters. While one of those was caged, the other two were merely muzzled and chained, but they were still at the Imperial Family’s level, and close enough to scare anyone around.
It took all of Cassandra’s willpower to not stare at the dragons, to keep looking down and wait behind Kairen. They were like his majestic Black Dragon, but smaller ones and differently colored. She remembered the slaughter they had inflicted just hours earlier in the arena and shivered. They weren’t calm. Even while standing right next to their masters, one could tell that only the chains were really holding them. They were agitated, glaring at the people around them, and pulling on their restraints. The purple one in the cage kept growling for no reason, frightening the Fifth Prince’s concubines each time.
“That’s right, Kairen. I heard you were enchanted by a slave from today’s games?”
Cassandra jumped. She had almost forgotten the “slave” in question was herself! What would the Emperor say? She didn’t dare move from her spot, waiting to see how Kairen would respond. But instead, the Second Prince clicked his tongue.
“To think, after presenting him with countless concubines, our brother’s interest would be a slave…You really do have odd tastes, Kairen.”
“Brother, is that true?” A young, feminine voice suddenly asked, “A slave?”
Cassandra hadn’t realized Princesses, other than Shareen, were there too. From what she recalled, there were six Princes and at least twice as many Princesses, but she only counted five women present, each with their own golden seat like Shareen’s. The one who had spoken appeared to be among the youngest. Kairen ignored her, but another Princess, this time in a seat closer to him, raised her voice.
“This is inappropriate. How can we allow lowly, filthy slaves in our presence? Brother, you are far too lenient. That kind of dirt belongs to the lower classes. You should have proper concubines and proper servants.”
From where she sat, Cassandra could see the Princess’s black hair and as she turned her head, Cassandra looked down just in time. She hadn’t been caught staring, but nevertheless, she felt the cold glare of the Princess.
“As high and mighty as ever, Phetra…” sneered Shareen, while taking a seat close to the Emperor.
“You and Kairen should be ashamed of yourselves. Meddling with lowly servants and, worse, slaves!”
But Shareen snickered at her angry sister.
“Someone needs to stop talking out of her ass…” she muttered.
She had said it just loud enough for most people to hear. A few concubines and servants chuckled. But what happened next silenced them all.
In a sudden and swift movement, Phetra took out a whip and lashed it in the direction of one of the servants. She caught a man by the throat and his laugh died right away, leaving only an expression of pure terror on his face. Phetra snapped her whip and threw him right into the cage of one of the colored dragons. The Purple dragon inside jumped on the man, instantly ripping his body in half. All the concubines nearby were splattered with blood.
An ice-cold silence befell the room, apart from the dragon’s loud chewing. Cassandra was frozen in complete shock. She only dared a glance towards Kairen and Shareen. While her master hadn’t moved an inch, both he and his sister were glaring at Phetra.
But the Princess looked satisfied with herself as she pulled back her whip. The Emperor sighed.
“Phetra, not while we’re eating.”
“Sorry, Father.”
She didn’t look apologetic at all though, only giving her siblings a prideful smirk. Meanwhile, Cassandra was still terrified. This family was far too scary. They killed without a shred of remorse or restraint, and for such ridiculous reasons too. Moreover, she felt like Phetra had only done this to infuriate Shareen, whom she couldn’t confront directly.
Princess Shareen was glaring at Phetra, not hiding her annoyance very well. Cassandra had a feeling that the hatred between all the siblings had deeper roots than a mere confrontation about servants and slaves. She observed them more carefully now. Phetra had a lot of common traits with the Second Prince. Just like Kairen and Shareen, could those two be siblings from the same mother?
“Enough killing already, all of you. Let’s see the next dancers. And Phetra, do not kill your siblings’ servants. I’m fed up with your little squabbles.”
“Yeah, how about you just kill your own servants instead!” protested the Fifth Prince, clearly annoyed.
Cassandra looked around. Despite staying silent, the other Princesses seemed either shocked or annoyed at Phetra’s display. It wasn’t just Shareen. It didn’t seem like that Princess was particularly popular amongst her siblings at all.
“Mine know their place, Brother. But Kairen seems to need help teaching his,” stated Phetra, before turning to Kairen. “Do you need help, Brother?”
Cassandra immediately felt the Princess’s venomous glare and wicked intent. Even if she was only a disposable slave, that woman’s bloodlust was definitely not normal! But Kairen just glared back.
“Mind your own business, Phetra.”
