The guests around had no idea and gasped. Some may have remembered the unusual incident that had taken place during the dragon’s offering at the Red Moon Festival, and were able to make the link between the frail slave back then, and the beautiful young lady now standing before the Emperor. Due to her Prince’s care and her pregnancy, Cassandra had regained a few pounds, and she was nowhere near the dirty and scrawny girl they had remembered from before.
“Exactly. This young Lady was a slave in the house of the previous Minister, the exact same spot you acquired six months ago.”
Cassandra was surprised. So her former Master had been replaced by this young man. He was as shocked as her, and bowed, a bit ashamed.
“I had no idea, Your Highness.”
“My White Lily, how much did you earn back then?”
“N...Nothing, Your Highness.”
“Not a coin?”
Cassandra shook her head, a bit embarrassed by the memory of those days. Not only did she not get any money for herself, but she also had to beg for scraps from the kitchen, and considered herself extremely lucky on the days she could have a hot meal, or fill her stomach.
“Do you think this young Lady is a war prisoner, Minister?”
“I… I would think it’s unlikely, Your Highness,” admitted the man.
Indeed. Any scholar present knew who the enemies of the Empire were, and none would include white-skinned people. Aside from that, a young woman like Cassandra would have nothing to do with war prisoners who were enemy soldiers, usually captured on the battlefield. She was proof that the slavery system was unfair, and put innocents in shackles for the sake of the wealthy.
“See,” said the Emperor, “a young woman was made a slave. Not because her country lost a war, but because some greedy scum captured young innocents for profit. Then, she was sold to the house of one of my subjects, and made to scrounge for years to survive. No wages, only whips and work.”
Cassandra was blushing. She was standing next to the Emperor, the old man holding her hand firmly but gently, hearing him tell her story, with all eyes on her.
On the side, the First Prince coughed a few times, breaking the heavy silence after the Emperor’s words before he resumed.
“And yet, did you know that this woman is a doctor? A precious, knowledgeable healer, with new techniques our own doctors are struggling to understand. Instead of resenting this Empire, who treated her worse than livestock and brought her to the very brink of death, she worked along with my Third Son. Despite being a young woman, she willingly went to our Army Camp to heal our soldiers. Our people, Minister! Not just a handful, but hundreds of them were sent back to their units! I still receive her praises, day after day, from men on the front, from our own Generals. Now tell me once again, Minister, I dare you to tell me just how much your slaves are paid!”
Despite the shock, the young Minister seemed reasonable enough to acknowledge his wrongs. He bowed lowly, not only to the Emperor, but to Cassandra as well.
“Not enough, Your Highness. I thank Your Highness and the young Lady for opening my eyes to such unfairness. I promise to pay closer attention to my household’s slaves from today on, and will give Your Imperial Majesty my full support on the changes to be made within the slavery system of our beloved Dragon Empire.”
Cassandra was surprised. Most people would have been terrified by the Emperor’s anger, but despite his obvious fear, that man was also truly acknowledging his mistake. Not only because the Emperor had been angry, but because he seemed shocked by Cassandra’s story as well.
Behind him, some other people bowed, stating they would do the same, and bring more support to the Emperor for his reform.
Meanwhile, the young Minister stood and bowed again, clearly to Cassandra alone this time.
“My Lady, please accept the apologies of this blind man for underestimating these issues. I am grateful for this lesson, and hope you haven’t been hurt by my ignorant words earlier.”
“It…it is all right,” said Cassandra, unsure of what she was supposed to say in this situation.
“The Third Prince is truly wise, for picking such a precious jewel,” said the Minister.
Behind him, many more people praised Kairen too, and Cassandra realized this was a political move on their part. They wanted to make sure the Third Prince knew he had their full support early on after the Emperor had pointed him out.
“All right, all right!” declared the Emperor. “Please, all of you now enjoy the celebrations. No more politics, we will have plenty of time to discuss those topics later! Enjoy yourselves!”
A wave of applause and praises rose before all the guests went on to chat, drink, and eat. The Emperor, however, still held Cassandra’s hand, not letting her go, so she turned to him.
“Are you having fun, White Lily?” he asked her.
“Your Imperial Majesty, thank you for your generosity. That matter is truly important to me,” Cassandra replied, trying to hold back her tears of gratitude.
“I know, my dear White Lily. It is for me too. Now, tell me, how is my grandson growing?”
“Just fine, Your Highness,” she said with a smile, rubbing her little bump.
