“Indeed,” sighed Lephys. “None of my concubines could sing half as well as that, not even the best ones! I’m a bit disappointed. I thought our older brother’s tastes were odd, but now I realize he might actually have a good eye for women.”
Cassandra didn’t like the way he spoke or how he was talking about his concubines. The ladies behind him were all strikingly beautiful, and visibly desperate to win his attention, wearing splendid red outfits and lots of jewelry and makeup. However, no matter how rude she found him, Lephys was the Fifth Imperial Prince, and so she couldn’t afford to offend him.
She bowed politely.
“Thank you for the compliments, Your Highnesses, I am glad you both enjoyed it.”
“Isn’t this your first New Year Celebration at the Palace, Lady Cassandra?” asked Anour. “I need to show you the dragon burning flames! Wait here for a second!”
The young Prince ran off to get something, followed by two servants who were struggling to keep up with his energetic pace. Meanwhile, Lephys smirked as his eyes pervertedly swept over Cassandra’s body.
“Actually, now that I can look at you up close, you are quite fine, aren’t you? I’ll revise what I said earlier, my older brother has an eye for women. After all, sometimes it’s not all about the outer appearance!”
“Thanks…” Cassandra said indignantly.
Lephys winked at her, making her feel even more uneasy. She could feel Missandra’s disapproving glare from behind her but hoped her younger sister could stay quiet just a few more minutes before causing a scene.
“You know, I’m amazed that such a feeble-looking woman like you was able to seduce my older brother. Your voice probably isn’t your only skill though, is it? Do you have other secret talents my brother enjoys? Come on, feel free to tell me, I’m curious! I realize women have many secrets I have yet to...”
“Women do have secrets, your Highness, and sometimes it’s best to respect that,” replied Cassandra coldly.
She’d had enough of his attitude. Treating his concubines like toys, and implying that she was some cunning whore who only acted innocent to seduce Kairen into sleeping with her was more than she would tolerate. No matter how patriarchal and sexist the Dragon Empire was towards women, there were limits. The Emperor himself treated his concubines better than that.
Lephys, however, didn’t seem to take the hint. Whether she was too subtle or he was too sure of himself, he was oblivious to Cassandra’s anger.
“There’s something about foreigners. Maybe I should try more foreign women? I’m getting awfully bored, always seeing the same faces. I can always… Ouch!”
He suddenly doubled over, grabbing his foot and making a horribly theatrical scene, wailing about being stung. Cassandra knew exactly where to look, but Missandra was playing innocent, pretending to be absorbed in the non-existent details of her dress.
“It hurts! You! Aren’t you a doctor? Do something!” he yelled, still gripping his foot.
“Sorry, Your Highness, I’m afraid a woman like me is not skilled enough to treat you,” replied Cassandra.
Meanwhile, his concubines crowded around him, asking how they could help and showing pity for him. They were mostly useless and noisy, but in a matter of seconds, the wall of women between Cassandra and the Prince was deep enough for her to walk away without being impolite.
Missandra was laughing behind her, unable to hold back any longer.
“What did you do?” asked Dahlia, at a loss.
“She dropped some stinging nettles onto his foot,” chuckled Cassandra. “I didn’t see you do it but I recognized the leaves on the ground. They definitely weren’t in this garden before.”
“I always have some with me, just in case. You have no idea how many men I have needed to use them on… Actually, that guy should consider himself lucky, I don’t usually use it on their feet.”
Dahlia gasped in shock, while the sisters laughed together.
After that, Cassandra made sure to keep her distance from the Fifth Prince, who continued to complain for the next hour before an Imperial Physician was called to treat him. Anour, however, finally came back to show her the interesting little candles he had gone to retrieve that were shaped like dragons and would burn blue when lit.
Though Anour was twelve years younger than the War God, he still had an air of youthful innocence, despite having been raised by Kareen. Or, she wondered if the Princes had such different personalities because they had actually been born from different mothers.
Cassandra chatted with him for a little while longer, happy that no one dared to interrupt them. The Sixth Prince was still a bit too young to be of much interest to the single ladies. Instead, they all focused their attention on his older brothers.
Although she had seen it before, Cassandra still couldn’t believe how desperate some women were to enter the Imperial Harems. Some girls younger than her were making eyes at the Emperor or shamelessly throwing themselves at the Princes’ present. The only two who were free to walk without being harassed were the War God and Anour.
Cassandra exchanged a quick glance with the War God from where he was standing and chatting with some ministers and scholars. She had seen him frowning and glaring a lot during her brief exchange with Lephys, but Missandra had solved the problem before he had needed to intervene.
No matter where she stood, Cassandra could feel his warmth shadowing her. The War God was protecting her from a distance. It was the best and made her feel so safe, though she liked it better when he stood where she could actually feel him.
After another round, Cassandra couldn’t stand the distance anymore and headed back to her Prince. He was still not done talking with the ministers but welcomed her silently, putting an arm around her and kissing her temple causing her cheeks to flush a shy pink. The men present acted accordingly, nodding politely to the young concubine.
