“W... What are you doing here... That... This area is forbidden.”
“Sorry, I was coming to see my brother,” Opheus lied. “Who is that food for?”
The maid went even paler, stepping back as he was stepping closer.
“Ah... No... no one, Sir...”
“No one? This is a large detour for someone going to the main area. You’re carrying a lot of food too.”
Opheus was stepping closer and closer to the old maid, but she kept stepping back, visibly terrified. She had the face of someone who didn’t want to get caught, and from the direction of her feet, was probably considering running away. Yet, before she could take another step, the Fourth Prince suddenly grabbed her, and the tray of food fell loudly.
“Who was that food for?” he insisted.
“I...I’m sorry, Your Highness, I can’t tell,” whimpered the old woman.
“Is it for my father?” he asked.
“N-no...”
Opheus asked her again, insisting, but Cassandra had her eyes on the food she had left on the ground. This didn’t look like a meal that would have been given to a sick old man... but to a pregnant woman. She recognized some of the food Kareen had been insistent on having her eat while she was pregnant with Kassian, at the Diamond Palace.
“P-please let me go,” said the old woman. “If Her Highness k-knows...”
“Her Highness? Who?”
Either she had talked too much or not enough, the old woman was now bitterly regretting it. Moreover, Opheus was tightening his grip on her wrist and threatening her with a glare. Just like the rest of his family, the Imperial Prince was well aware of his power, and he kept going until the old woman got teary and talked.
“L-Lady... Madeen...”
Cassandra frowned. She knew that name, it was the name of Vrehan’s Favorite, the mother of his first son. If there was someone else that they should fear crossing paths with in that place, while Vrehan and Phetra were gone, it had to be that woman.
Opheus wasn’t done interrogating the maid, however.
“Who was that food for, then? Madeen isn’t pregnant!”
This time, the old maid stayed resolutely mute. However, her eyes slipped to one of the doors for a second, and Missandra caught that. She ran to the said door, trying to open it, but it wouldn’t.
“She must have a key!” said Missandra.
“Ah, no!” screamed the old woman.
Before she could yell anymore, Opheus grabbed her chin, and brutally flipped her head around, killing her immediately. Cassandra let out a shocked cry, while Missandra frowned.
“Did you really have to kill that poor old lady?”
“She would have been killed by Madeen anyway,” retorted Opheus, crouching down to search her. “If you want to cry, find a corner, darling, but do it later.”
Missandra sighed, but he probably wasn’t wrong. He suddenly found a key and walked up to her with a sigh.
“Why are we doing this, anyway?” he said.
“Because whatever that sicko wants to hide is good for us to know,” retorted Missandra, opening the door.
The door gave in with a creaking, despite Missandra’s attempt to open it quietly. Inside, it was awfully dark. There was no window, and the only light came from behind them, the corridor they were standing in already rather dark itself. Cassandra frowned, and stepped forward, past her sister to venture inside, while Opheus stayed behind them with a frown.
Though they could barely see anything, she could feel a presence. She waited a few seconds for her eyes to get used to the dark and looked for the source of the faint breathing she could hear. This was a room with nothing but a bed. On the bed, was a young woman, curled up against the wall, staring at her with a frightened expression. She had long black hair, black eyes, tanned skin, and was heavily pregnant.
Cassandra was rendered speechless. What was that young woman doing locked up here? She had a chain around her ankle, too. She looked absolutely terrorized. Her eyes were opened wide while staring at Cassandra, and she was curling up the furthest away from her she could get, shivering like an injured animal.
