“I’ve always liked this scent. They grew in the south too, but it was probably a different species. The ones I remember were blue and purple, not white like those…I think the smell was stronger, too.”
“We can get more if you need them.”
Cassandra chuckled. She knew her Prince would gather all the verbena in the country for her if she asked him to. It would be a bit extreme though. She shook her head, getting out of the bath with his help.
“No need,” she said while giving him a peck on the lips.
The demonstrations of affection between them were now so natural and regular, Cassandra barely blushed anymore. Kairen always watched her every move, his presence had become something she was used to and she craved it when he wasn’t near.
Once again she repeated the usual process of picking out a dress and some jewelry. She even put some flowers in her hair, as she couldn’t stand the perfumes brought by the servants. She had never liked those overbearing, heavy scents from the Empire’s beauty products to begin with, but now with her pregnancy, her sense of smell was even more hypersensitive. It didn’t lessen her beauty at all, though. The white flowers she had picked from her garden suited her adorably, giving her an even purer appearance than usual.
Cassandra got a few whispers when she entered the Imperial Hall from giggling concubines who made fun of her hair decorations, whispering about how her Prince must be unwilling to spoil her. But Cassandra didn’t really mind. She probably would stop hearing such things once the news about her herbal garden spread.
Kairen was glaring around, making sure any concubine or Princess that dared to make eye contact would instantly be silenced. Compared to his gentle and innocent concubine, the War God was still as scary and impressive as ever for anyone else. They took their seats, once again, Cassandra on Kairen’s lap. No one seemed to react to that anymore, though some concubines were red-faced and green with envy. Shareen sat next to them, sinking comfortably back into her chair.
“So? How do you intend to find her?” she asked.
Cassandra smiled, taking a look around. After carefully observing the various concubines, she only had one suspect.
“The woman in red, the second one from the left, at the Second Prince’s feet.”
Shareen looked over, lost in thought, trying to remember.
“That’s…Vrehan’s newest concubine. She’s a soldier’s daughter, I think. I can’t remember her name… Why do you think it’s her? Are you sure?”
Cassandra slowly nodded, but remained silent because of the Emperor’s entrance. He took his place on the golden throne, looking a bit unhappy. Cassandra wondered if something had happened, but the Emperor simply sat and ordered for the usual festivities to begin. As she was quite hungry, Cassandra began eating while watching the dancers’ performance. She wasn’t paying attention to them, though. Truth was, her main focus was on the Second Prince’s Concubine. After a while, Shareen leaned closer to her.
“Cassie, spill it! How are you so sure?”
“Look at the dark circles under her eyes,” whispered Cassandra. “She hasn’t been sleeping well, or perhaps, not at all. After hearing what I said that day, anyone who had been in contact with the snake would have been too worried to sleep.”
“Because they would believe you?” Shareen questioned doubtfully.
“Even if they didn’t, all I needed was to plant a little seed of doubt. With my blue fingers, she probably couldn’t help but wonder endlessly if it was real or not; if she could actually die in her sleep. That seed of doubt would make it hard for her to sleep properly. Unable to rest properly, she would feel more and more tired. And in turn, make her wonder even more if the symptoms were all tied together.”
Shareen remained speechless. Cassandra’s plan was to have the culprit tire herself out and show signs of fatigue? The Princess couldn’t help but be a bit sceptical.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit light?”
“Look at her hands,” whispered Cassandra.
Indeed, something looked wrong with the young concubine’s hands. They couldn’t possibly have turned blue, that was obviously something Cassandra had made up. Actually...they looked red and dry.
“What did that little…”
“She’s washed them too much,” explained Cassandra. “She saw my blue-tinted hands and her natural reaction was to try and wash off as much as she could, thinking scrubbing would make whatever she had got on them disappear without the need for an antidote.”
Shareen was impressed. Just a few words from Cassandra had made such a mess in that woman’s mind. Not that their Second Brother’s Concubines were considered smart at all, but still.
“You had predicted all that?”
“I didn’t think she would ruin the skin on her hands, but I was hoping to see the lack of sleep after a couple of days.”
Nevertheless, it was impressive. Cassandra’s days of treating patients, and dealing with dumb and entitled concubines had left her with some unexpected skills.
A large part of it was due to the lack of acceptable education available to the people, particularly anything in terms of studying medicine. A strong and educated woman like Kareen was a rarity inside the Palace. The majority of concubines were chosen based on looks, and were not particularly smart to begin with. Cassandra had hoped it would also be the case of the culprit, who had obviously sent the snake in without really thinking of the consequences.
“One of Vrehan’s concubines, of course,” whispered Shareen.
