Cassandra looked down. The Concubine Mother seemed acutely aware of the struggle to survive that common people face. She was visibly irritated with her son and kept glaring at him, though Kairen didn’t seem affected.
“Anyway. Your concubine shall stay here from now on.”
“No.”
Cassandra was caught between a new exchange of glares between mother and son, and they were totally overwhelming her. The Concubine Mother wanted her to stay here? Why? And for how long? Realizing her son wasn’t going to give in, Kareen turned on him.
“You have grown up far too sheltered by your Father, Kairen. Do you know how hard it is to keep a child alive in this Empire? Your brothers will be after her like dogs after a bone! If she returns to the Palace, she will be killed within a day! If she stays at the Onyx Castle, I would give it a week before one of them sends an assassin after her. And the military camp? Even worse! They could bribe any one of your men to do the job for them!”
Cassandra felt her heart grow cold at the thought. The Imperial Concubine Mother was telling the truth. Sooner or later, this pregnancy would put her in grave danger; she turned her eyes to Kairen, who was looking at her too.
“I’ll protect her.”
“Kairen, I raised two children to adulthood, despite all your father’s other concubines. Do you think I don’t know what kind of world this is? I lost three of your siblings to those wenches!”
Three? Imperial Concubine Kareen had lost three children? The Concubine seemed to be a strong and powerful woman! But if she couldn’t even protect all of her offspring… Cassandra was even more worried.
Cassandra turned to her, trying to control her fear.
“Concubine Mother, please. I’m… I really want to protect this child. Someone has already tried to steal Krai’s egg, and…”
“Did they?” asked Kareen, looking at her daughter.
Shareen had a smirk.
“Of course they did. Vrehan was furious.”
“Then thank the Imperial Dragon, I got there before them.”
“How did you know, Mother?” asked Kairen.
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Do you think I was born yesterday, my son? I know you. You never showed interest in any of the previous concubines your father gave you. Now you pick a slave, of all people, out of the blue? I knew it wouldn’t be long until I had a grandchild on the way.”
For the first time, Kareen directed what could have been a little smile Cassandra’s way.
“Do not worry. I know the ways of the Palace, and those wenches won’t get near you or my grandson. You’ll be safe here, in the Diamond Palace.”
“She is not…”
“She will stay here, Kairen. For her safety, and the safety of your child.”
Cassandra was hesitant, but eventually she turned to the Concubine Mother.
“Concubine Mother, I am not sure. I still have many things I would like to do at the Onyx Castle and the military camp.”
“And what might those be?” asked Concubine Kareen, unhappy.
Cassandra took a deep breath and told her about the hospital in the mountain and the farming issues at the Onyx Castle. She spoke about everything she had done and everything she wanted to do in the next few months. It was a lot for even her to think she could do so much with her current situation, but Cassandra had taken things to heart.
The Concubine Mother remained silent, listening to her. Shareen was mindlessly eating in the background, but Kairen was listening to Cassandra too.
“I see. Well, you certainly aren’t a typical slave.”
Cassandra blushed a bit, wondering if this was meant to be a compliment. Kareen stayed silent for a while, looking at her with an enigmatic expression. Her dark eyes were harder to decipher than those of her children, Cassandra thought. After her silent contemplation, Kareen turned to Kairen.
“You picked well, Son. She has ambition, and the mind of an Empress.”
