“Don’t you give me orders, either! You know what? Actually, this gives me an opportunity. I could have your head for acting up and thinking you can order an Imperial Princess around!”
“I am his Highness’ The War God’s concubine,” retorted Cassandra in the coldest voice she could. “Don’t think your threats can intimidate me any longer, Princess Phetra. The Emperor…”
“Oh? You want to go and cry to my father now?” said Phetra.
She took the diadem she had on her head and threw it to Cassandra’s feet with a smirk.
“See? I have dozens of those. Do you think you’re special because my father gifted you one? Don’t you realize? concubines like you are replaceable. Do you think wearing a pink dress makes you even remotely close to an Imperial Princess? You’re wrong. You’re a low-born, good for nothing.”
“Good for nothing?” repeated Cassandra. “I think you keep misunderstanding something. I am an Imperial Physician. I contribute to this Empire’s well-being. One of those pots you just knocked over contained a plant to heal the First Prince’s cough. Shall I tell his Highness Prince Sephir that I can’t heal him now? Because Princess Phetra came over to act up in my herbal medicine garden?”
Phetra got red, staring at the mess at her feet, and glancing at Cassandra, unsure.
“You’re lying…”
“The first plant was blue limonea, a plant to improve blood flow,” suddenly said Missandra. “The second one was demonis helebora, a plant that whitens any fabric, and can be used as makeup. The third one is wild chloriane, its flowers produce a perfume that helps clear the lungs’ impurities. You’re a Princess and you don’t even know this much?”
While Phetra, in awe, looked down at her feet, Cassandra turned to her sister.
“Linue, stay out of this,” said Cassandra in their mother tongue.
“As if I’d stay put and watch this snake woman insult my sister!” replied Missandra, annoyed.
“How dare you talk to me, you low servant!” yelled Phetra, sounding very pissed off.
“This low servant is more educated than her Highness,” Missandra shouted back. “Next time you can think about that before you come and destroy someone else’s precious medicinal herbs on a whim!”
“I want that servant’s head!” yelled Phetra, furious. “I will kill you, now!”
She took out a little dagger, furious, and started walking towards them. Cassandra was totally panicked. She was no fighter, and anyway, none of them could injure a member of the Imperial Family without being punished or worse, executed. Krai couldn’t enter the garden, and Kairen was busy elsewhere. She pulled Missandra and Dahlia behind her, hoping Phetra wouldn’t dare attack her, a pregnant concubine.
As she kept stepping forward, Cassandra reacted by reflex. She took one of the buckets at her feet and threw its content to Phetra’s face. It was full of dirty water, one she had prepared with fertilizer for the plants.
As soon as the water hit her face, Phetra stopped and screamed horribly. She tried to wipe the dirt off of her face, and in this short time, Cassandra slapped her hand for her to let go of her dagger. The blade fell, and Missandra immediately took it away, dropping it in one of the fountains.
“You…” hissed Phetra, having managed to wipe some off her face.
She lifted her hand to slap Cassandra, but the young concubine wasn’t going to stand still. She was scary when she had a weapon, but without it, Phetra was nothing but a woman who was about Cassandra’s size, and certainly didn’t have any fighter’s reflexes or speed. In a hand movement, Cassandra pushed her hand away. It was still a bit painful as Phetra slapped the back of her hand, but it was better than taking a slap in the face and doing nothing.
As her move had been blocked by Cassandra, the Princess looked even angrier, pointing a finger at her.
“You’re dead! You’re as good as dead! You won’t get away with this!” she screamed as she stormed off.
A few seconds after she was gone, Cassandra let out a long sigh of relief and fell down on her knees. Both Dahlia and Missandra jumped to her side, worried.
“Hinue!”
“My Lady, are you unwell!”
“It’s fine… I just got a bit too agitated. I didn’t think she’d go away.”
“Lady Cassandra… we will be in trouble. Lady Missandra, you shouldn’t have gotten involved! What if Lady Cassandra is in danger because of you!”
“In danger? That crazy Princess was here to stir trouble anyway! I wasn’t going to stay still and watch her insult my sister calmly! Do you think it gets better if you let them mistreat you? It just gives them an excuse to be worse the next time!”
“Enough, you two,” sighed Cassandra. “Help me go to Lady Kareen’s apartments. It will be safer there until his Highness comes back.”
All the way to Kareen’s apartments, Cassandra couldn’t shake off those worried feelings inside her heart. What if she had pushed it too far? What if Phetra took her revenge on Missandra, or even Dahlia? The girls were bickering non-stop behind her, but she just headed right to Lady Kareen’s apartments, trying to get there as fast as she could.
