“What talent?” retorted her mother. “It’s just like how your brother is so good at taming his dragon. It has nothing to do with talent.”
“Do you mean it’s also about their characters?” asked Cassandra.
She had slowly started to understand the bond between a Prince and his Dragon. The more true they were to themselves, the more their own dragons were tamed. Compared to Kairen, who never hid his emotions and acted as he wished, someone like Vrehan was unable to tame his dragon. His cunning nature and how he always hid his real thoughts were what kept his dragon wild. Had the Red Dragon been able to roam freely, it would have probably gone straight to kill its enemies in a rage.
Krai, however, was free to act. The dragon could kill, growl, and attack who Kairen hated, except for the Imperial Family. It was free to express its love for Cassandra, too, making it easier to tame than any of its peers. Cassandra wondered if the red dragon had no one to show love to.
“Shareen is more gifted than any of her sisters. Only a handful of Princesses can do the dragon’s breath, or have the dragon skin.”
“I thought it was mostly about blood?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” said Kareen. “The Princes are born separately from their dragons. The Emperor’s daughters, however, are half-dragons themselves. There is a theory that they are too weak for an actual dragon to be born, so instead.”
“It... grows in them?”
Cassandra was astonished. Didn’t that mean the Princesses’ potential was almost unlimited? They may not have dragons, but judging from Shareen’s skills, they may not even need to have one! Moreover, her injury was healing even faster than Kairen’s. What else was the Princess able to do?
“Doesn’t that mean Phetra will be healed soon?” she asked, suddenly remembering about the other matter.
“That… I’m waiting to see,” said Kareen with an enigmatic smile.
Cassandra wondered what Kareen had in mind about Phetra. Somehow, she felt like something bigger was at stake.
The siblings resumed their sparring, but Shareen and Kairen were obviously of equal strength. It could take a while, and even Glahad eventually left the skies above them, flying away. Cassandra sighed and caressed Krai’s warm scales. The dragon had gone back to its nap as soon as the older dragon was gone.
As they kept dining, some Imperial Servants came twice to invite Kareen and the siblings to the Celebrations, but the Imperial Concubine stubbornly ignored them. When another servant showed up, she frowned.
“Didn’t I say no twice already! How many times do I need to get mad for that old dragon to give up!”
“My apologies, Imperial Concubine,” said the poor servant. “I am only here to deliver a letter to the Third Prince’s Concubine.”
Cassandra got up to receive the letter, surprised. It came from the outside, and she suddenly understood. It was the intel Missandra had tried to gather about the abortion potion! She quickly sent the servant away, and opened it to read it quickly. A friend of Missandra from the Red District had apparently asked around, and it turned out, the order was made from the Imperial Palace indeed.
“It says someone from the Red Wind Pavilion made the order,” read Cassandra, confused.
Kareen sneered.
“That’s Vrehan’s dead mother’s pavilion. With this, the person who ordered the potion is obvious. It was probably Phetra. She is the one in charge of that place.”
“Phetra? Why would Princess Phetra order an abortion potion? If it wasn’t to be used against me then who?”
“Maybe that bitch was dumb enough to get pregnant,” muttered Shareen.
The siblings walked back to join the dinner, ending their duel after over an hour.
“I don’t think that bitch Princess was pregnant…”
They all turned around, surprised to see Missandra. The young woman was standing, looking a bit tired. Cassandra jumped on her feet, almost falling over Krai’s large head.
“Missandra! Why aren’t you in bed?! I thought you would be sleeping.”
“Their fever medicine is crappy. I needed some fresh air, too.”
With Dahlia and Cassandra’s help, Missandra sat next to them, grimacing with each movement she had to make using her back. Cassandra helped her drink some fresh water, but surprisingly, she seemed fine.
“Ah… The fresh air feels so good.”
“Eat, child, you need to regain your strength,” said Kareen, putting one of the plates before Missandra. “How would you know if Phetra is pregnant or not?”
