“Good, good! I can’t wait to meet him. Be sure to rest often and bring him to me as soon as he’s born! You make sure to give my son a daughter or two, after that! I want a granddaughter as cute as her mother!”
Cassandra chuckled. Did the Emperor want granddaughters to dote upon instead of Shareen or Kareen? He smiled back at her.
“I have a present for you, my White Lily! Wait just a moment...”
He gestured for a servant to approach, who was carrying a little chest.
“Look at this!”
Looking very proud of himself, the Emperor opened the chest. It contained…a golden tiara.
Cassandra was speechless. The design was thin and intricate. It was beautifully made. Despite the little tiara being so thin, she could tell it was a valuable item. Aside from the gold there were little lilies made of white jade with pink diamonds in their center, making her realize why he had gifted that item for her.
“Your Highness…”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful…”
“Isn’t it!? I had one of our best Imperial Artisans craft it especially for you. Now, you must wear it, let’s see how it looks!”
She was a bit overwhelmed. Was it alright for her to wear a tiara? That kind of item was usually reserved for the Imperial Family only! Regardless of her uneasy thoughts, she couldn’t refuse the Emperor. She lowered herself down to allow him to place the precious tiara upon her head.
Despite looking so thin and delicate, the precious piece of jewelry felt quite heavy on her head. Cassandra stood up, and the Emperor looked proud.
“Perfect, perfect! I knew this one would be perfect for you, my precious White Lily! Now go, enjoy the festivities! That stubborn son of mine will get angry at me if I monopolize too much of your time here. He and his sister never learned how to share!”
Cassandra chuckled politely before thanking him once more and walking away. Sure enough, she felt many, many eyes following her as she made her way back to her Prince, who was indeed waiting. He held out his hand for her but was staring at the item on her head.
“That old man,” he sighed.
“You don’t like it?”
“I don’t like you wearing another man’s present.”
His jealousy was really something else. Cassandra smiled gently though, and gave him a quick kiss to appease him. It worked, as he helped her sit back with their little group. She heard her younger sister step closer.
“Hmpf. I guess that old man is not completely rotten to the core after all…”
“Are you admitting His Highness might not be a villain?”
“I’m still deciding,” replied Missandra.
Cassandra knew just how stubborn her sister could be, so having her revise her judgment, even just a little, was quite an achievement after only one day in the Palace. She smiled at her younger sister, who blushed under her hood.
“Oh…so the wild kitty can be tamed, I guess,” joked Shareen, who had watched the whole scene.
Missandra frowned and turned away from Shareen, ignoring her. Meanwhile, everyone had resumed their socializing and drinking.The first performers had arrived, playing songs and singing hymns to the glory of the Dragon Empire.
“What language was that, with your younger sister?” asked Kareen, whispering to her side.
“Our native language, from the southern tribes. All tribes spoke the same language, though each had their own slightly different dialects.”
“It’s very impressive that you both remember the way of your people after you lost them at such young ages,” admitted the Imperial Concubine.
“I used to sing,” Missandra suddenly said. “I remembered our mother’s prayers and sang them over and over again, so I’d never forget.”
“I did the same,” whispered Cassandra, surprised her younger sister had the same sentiment that she had.
