Not impressed at all, Kareen turned around and looked at the man. The knife he had held in his hand had fallen at her feet. She picked it up, observed it, then swung it around.
“Who sent you?”
The man stayed silent. The Imperial Concubine exchanged a glance with her daughter and Shareen smirked before tightening the whip. The man’s face started turning blue as he began to suffocate.
“Talk. I won’t have any guilt killing you slowly and very painfully, and whoever paid you knew that.”
“I…I don’t…”
Kareen sighed as the man struggled to talk.
“I…don’t…kn...know…”
“How useless. Who was your target, then?”
The man tried to stay silent once more, struggling to breathe, but his eyes betrayed him. In a split second, he had glanced at Cassandra, but immediately avoided her returning stare.
She stepped back, shocked. She had only been there for a couple of hours! How could an assassin already have come to kill her?
“What shall we do with him, Mother?” asked Shareen.
“Whatever you want. Let’s go back before another one comes out though.”
Kareen turned back towards the Palace and started walking. Cassandra, still in shock, had her eyes riveted on the man. However, Kairen stepped between them, gently pushing her to follow in his mother’s tracks. After a few steps, she heard a whip slashing through the air and people screaming. Kairen kept her from looking back though, blocking her view and holding her by her waist so that they continued forward.
Back at the Castle, it was as if nothing had happened, but Cassandra couldn’t stop worrying.
“How do they already know?” she asked. “Why would they attack so soon?”
“Those people have rats everywhere, especially where their rivals are concerned. They know this is my city and since I took the egg, they knew Kairen would come, and you with him.”
Cassandra felt a chill run through her. To think people were already hunting her down… hunting her unborn child! She knew the rivalry between the Imperial Family was terrible, but experiencing it firsthand was something else.
In fact, the reason the Emperor had so many more daughters than sons was because the boys were hunted from birth. The six Princes that were alive today had all been through a lot to make it to adulthood, as had their mothers. The Emperor had many concubines, but no Empress, so in the race to the Golden Throne, all six brothers were almost equal. However, having heirs definitely gave them an advantage.
And she was carrying one of the Emperor’s grandsons. It wouldn’t just be during her pregnancy, Cassandra would be targeted for the rest of her life for being a Prince’s Concubine. No wonder it was such a dangerous position.
She had been replaying these thoughts in her head until they had got back to the Diamond Castle and Kareen insisted on her taking a nap.
“Just go and rest in my son’s room. A mother-to-be shouldn’t experience too many emotions in a day, and with this afternoon’s fight, you must be tired. I’ll have a bath drawn for you before dinner.”
Cassandra silently nodded, and Kairen escorted her back to his room.
She sat on his bed, still frowning, worried and confused. To her surprise, her Prince kneeled down in front of her.
“My Lord, don’t kneel!”
“We’re alone,” he said, ignoring her plea. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Cassandra only hesitated a second before giving in.
“That man… He wanted to hurt our baby.”
“Yes.”
“How many more will come to try and hurt him?”
“Aren’t you afraid for yourself?”
