“I’m happy because you see me for me,” she whispered in his ear. “Like I’m the only woman you can see…the only one you want.”
He was a Prince. He could have any woman, slave or noble, from anywhere in the world; even the most beautiful ones. Yet, he only had eyes for her. Cassandra the Slave, with her scar-blemished skin, malnourished body, and pale complexion. She was among the least beautiful women in the Palace, in her opinion, but he never seemed to see that.
Kairen agreed that indeed, his eyes only admired Cassandra, but was more stunned that Cassandra hadn’t realized this already. Truth was, he had barely ever looked at other women, except to satisfy his sexual desires. He knew what beauty in a woman was, of course, but Cassandra had come and destroyed every standard he had long ago. Ever since he had set his eyes on her, this inexplicable and unmeasurable attraction he had towards her eclipsed everything else. She was the only woman that appealed to him after that, and the more he learned about her, the greater his attraction grew. The numerous scars and her undernourished body that left her feeling so self-conscious were, for him, merely the infuriating reminders of what his woman had gone through. He hadn’t even realized how other women no longer appealed to him until she had pointed it out. What he had become aware of, however, was the devouring desire to keep her all to himself, and the bloodthirst for any man who dared to touch or even look at her.
He nodded and stood up, holding her in his arms gently.
“I want to see you in a gold dress.”
“A gold dress?” Cassandra asked.
She had never heard about golden dresses before.
“The dress used for Imperial weddings.”
She was rendered speechless. So brides in Imperial weddings wore dresses in gold? How fancy! She had assumed they married in purple. Or maybe orange or yellow, like the commoners. She tried to imagine a dress of gold, but it only came through her mind as some strange sculpture.
However, she knew what he had meant by that statement.
“Can we ask your mother’s permission first?” she asked.
“My mother? Why?”
“I am not so sure that would be a good idea. I want Lady Kareen’s opinion.”
“My mother loves you.”
“I know, but she is also a very reasonable and smart woman. If I hear her opinion, I will make up my mind faster. Please?”
The Prince frowned. He didn’t like the idea of Cassandra needing anyone else’s opinion to become his wife. He wanted her to be sure, to say yes here and now, then get married right away. The fact she would want to include anyone else in the matter annoyed him.
However, the Imperial Concubine liked Cassandra a lot. The Prince was certain she would approve and so eventually nodded.
“Thanks,” said Cassandra, giving him another quick kiss.
Chapter12
Cassandra didn’t know much about the New Year Celebration in the Imperial Palace. In most modest families, a little dinner was prepared, prayers of thanks were uttered to the Dragon Gods, and families spent the night in their garden or the streets looking at the stars. Street fairs would appear everywhere around the Capital, for people to go out and enjoy the festivities. There were plenty of tents around full of hot food, prayer candles, incense, and decorations. In the rich or noble families, the festivities came to them. They would have their garden set out for a great reception, where they would invite friends and family to watch entertainers and spend the night together. They definitely wouldn’t mix with the commoners, though.
Cassandra was pretty sure most of the same festivities would take place within the walls of the Imperial Palace as well. So she wasn’t surprised when the Prince took her to a large garden surrounding a beautiful lake. With the night slowly falling, the colors reflecting off the water under the moonlight were absolutely gorgeous. It was a very flowery garden, and the servants had hung hundreds of decorations, paper lamps, and dragon puppets.
All the ladies wore their prettiest gowns. The women lounging around wore thick makeup and flaunted every piece of gold jewelry they owned. Their dresses appeared brand new and extra fancy. A lot of people turned their heads when Cassandra and Kairen walked by. Everyone except the Imperial Family had to bow, and that’s when Cassandra realized there weren’t many outsiders invited. She recognized a handful of generals, some ministers, and the Emperor’s Counselors. Aside from those people and their families, the whole Imperial Family was present. Around a hundred people were there in total, including all the Princesses and concubines.
The servants were working hard, constantly bringing food and drinks to the tables, while serving the whims of everyone and being careful of each guest. For once, there were no dragons in sight, but truthfully, there wouldn’t have been much space for anyone to sit if they had attended. The whole garden was filled with people and tables surrounding the large shimmering lake.
Cassandra was stunned by the beautiful scene in front of her. She stayed close to her Prince, holding on to his arm while he guided her towards his mother. Kareen and Shareen were already there, and no one dared to approach the duo. The Emperor’s favorite Imperial Concubine had picked a simple dark magenta dress and some gold jewelry for her hair, but that was it. Cassandra knew she didn’t want to look like she had put too much effort in for the Imperial Emperor.
Shareen had simply put on one of her purple dresses, and her military belt to keep her sword by her side.
“You two took your sweet time. Did you get lost?” she growled when they arrived.
Cassandra bowed respectfully as she was required, and Kareen gestured for her to come closer and sit next to her. The Imperial Concubine had her own table big enough to seat eight or nine people, but everyone knew that all those seats wouldn’t be used. She had probably been given a large table and seated so close to the Emperor out of respect, as she was his favorite and the mother of a favored Prince.
The Emperor hadn’t arrived yet, so the four of them were able to drink and chat freely. The conversation was mostly led by Shareen and her mother. Instead of sitting with them, Kairen stood behind Cassandra with his arms crossed, not engaging in the conversation before him.
“What are the usual celebrations for the Imperial New Year like?” asked Cassandra.
“Oh, that old man will give a speech about it. Afterwards, we will get to enjoy a few shows, some of the concubines might sing or dance, then we can eat and drink the rest of the night away, until we are too tired.”
