The Imperial Banquet
After that episode, no other concubine dared to bother Cassandra for the next few days. It was made
known within a few hours how scary the gentle-looking woman could be. She had kept all three women
alone with her, making them cry, beg, and tremble in fear of being devoured at any given moment, for
over an hour. Cassandra had only insisted they told the same stories over and over, but all three
concubines didnât dare disobey and anger her or the beast. It could have seemed like a short time, but
anyone who had ever been in the presence of one of the Imperial Dragons knew it wasnât.
Truth was, Cassandra had only intended to scare them a bit, and only caressed or scratched Krai
during that time, but it had worked beyond wonders. It so happened that the Black Dragon still had
fresh blood on its maw, and the concubines saw those ruby eyes shine their way in a scary manner for
longer than they could endure. Even if she would never give the order to bite or injure, unless she was
in a death-threat situation, that sight was engraved in those womenâs minds. They had cried for hours
after that to anyone who would listen, about how merciless the War Godâs concubine was, threatening
to have the Dragon eat their poor defenseless selves.
After that, even if most concubines still held some doubt about how things really went, the fact that she
was often followed by the Black Dragon was enough of a warning, and when Krai wasnât in sight, most
feared the beast wasnât too far away.
It was actually a bit of a funny sight.
Krai kept following her like a dog, growling to get her attention, glaring at anyone who came close, and
growled even more when she walked inside a building its large body couldnât follow her into. It actually
caused a bit of worry to the servants that the Palaceâs architecture wouldnât be able to withstand the
beastâs reckless climbing on the roofs to follow her scent.
Cassandra was doing her best to get used to the Imperial Palace, though it was difficult.
Firstly, that place was way too big for her to get used to. She got lost many, many times and would only
realize once she asked someone how far she had drifted away from her initial destination.
Secondly, she wasnât with Kairen as often as she had hoped to be. The Emperor called for his son
almost every day at dawn, and she helplessly spent breakfast and lunch alone, with the Imperial
Concubine Mother, or in the Concubineâs gardens, only to be reunited with him right before dinner with
all of the Imperial Family.
Lastly, this daily buffet was a torture for her. She hated being confined in a room full of people who
glared at each other, no matter how vast that room was. Since she had demonstrated she had the
backing of an Imperial Dragon, and when Kairen was in the room, no one dared to defy her too much,
but she still hated that atmosphere. The only good part of it was that they would listen together to
minister reports and news about what was going on in the country, and after a few days, Cassandra
realized those dinners were also a way for the Emperor to test his sons.
While the youngest brothers were usually fooling around with their concubines, enjoying the shows,
and were annoyed by those topics, the three oldest Princes were deeply involved.
The oldest Prince, Sephir, was an obvious bookworm and knew every topic by heart. At first, to
Cassandra, he seemed to be the smartest of them all. However, after a while, she realized his decision-
making was mostly based on past occurrences, and if no similar situations had happened in the past,
he was usually at a loss.
The only one who truly rivaled Kairen was the Second Prince, Vrehan. Cassandra didnât like him. He
had a face like a rat, tiny eyes, and a mean expression. More importantly, he glared at Kairen anytime
he would say anything and seemed like he was about to explode if their father agreed with him. Plus,
his sister Phetra supported anything he said unconditionally. Since their last meeting, Cassandra had
managed to avoid that woman, but Phetra made sure to glare her way any chance she could over
dinner.
âWhat do you think, White Lily?â
Cassandra was surprised to hear the Emperor suddenly ask her opinion. This nickname he had given
her had become sort of a title for her, whenever he addressed her, like she was some precious
treasure.
It was the first time he openly asked for her opinion on a matter. Until then, Cassandra had listened and
whispered some of her ideas a couple of times to Kairen, but she had never dared to interact with the
Imperial Family Members while they had their talks. Also, it didnât seem like any other concubine was
ever involved in those talks, as only the Princes and, more seldomly, the Princesses answered. She
couldnât hide her surprise, but Kairen soon caressed her back, spreading his warmth to her and making
her feel a bit more confident. This topic was about some medical issue she knew about, an epidemic
that had risen in the South.
âI support the confinement idea, Your Highness. Until the real cause is found, nothing should leave or
enter that village.â
âShouldnât we simply kill all the infected?â hissed Phetra, annoyed that Cassandra was even asked
after she had given her own solution.
âNothing in the reports proves this disease is transmitted by the sick,â calmly replied Cassandra. âIt
could be the food, the water, even the animals. Sending a doctor with medical knowledge, enough
drugs to heal those in need, and guarding the area closely, may be enough to prevent the disease from
spreading, especially in such a remote place.â
The Emperor nodded, looking satisfied.
âAs expected of the Imperial Physician! Letâs do this! Did you record all that she said?â
While he was checking in with his secretary, Cassandra turned to Kairen, who gently kissed her temple.
Those few days, she had been spending a lot of time with some of the other Imperial Physicians
present in the Palace, but for now, they had been learning more from her than she had learned from
them. Some of Cassandraâs knowledge of herbal medicine was revolutionary to them, and despite their
annoyance at a female being acknowledged as a doctor at the beginning, the Imperial Physicians had
started opening up to her, one by one, teaching her their ways and discussing their knowledge.
Hence, the Emperor knew she was doing well in that aspect and considered Cassandraâs opinion.
âAlso, make sure to check around, see if it hasnât spread. Now, to the militaryâ¦â
But before the Emperor ended his sentence, the First Prince suddenly started coughing loudly, unable
to stop. His concubines tried to help him, but he needed a few more minutes to catch his breath.
This wasnât the first time. Cassandra had seen Prince Sephir with this kind of issue several times
before. Though she had considered a poison, from his pale look and thin figure, she guessed the First
Prince had never been healthy to begin with. Probably weak lungs or some respiratory disease.
Unfortunately, she couldnât approach another Prince and had to leave it to the Imperial Physician
appointed for him. However, as the days went on, she couldnât help but fear for the eldest brother. This
man wouldnât live long.
Once Sephir caught his breath and reassured everyone, the Emperor threw the remaining topics away,
along with his secretary, and called for more wine. Cassandra, however, was concerned. How would
the death of one of the brothers change things?
They only had two days left until the New Yearâs first celebrations. Once the week-long festivities were
over, her Prince had promised to bring her back to the Onyx Castle, at least for the later stages of her
pregnancy. Cassandra didnât want to stay in the Imperial Palace longer than necessary. She loathed
this place.
âAre you tired?â he whispered in her ear.
âIâm fineâ¦â
âEat more.â
She nodded and took some of the grapefruit he was handing her. She had been craving those lately
and emptied
almost all the plates of grapefruit at each banquet by herself. Was it because of her baby? Cassandra
found herself with some new crazy craving each day. Tonight, it was white fish.The cooks had worked
hard to make some more ready for her, and she was enjoying it slowly.
Cassandra wasnât the only pregnant concubine, as two of the Fifth Princeâs women and one of the
Second Princeâs concubines were showing off their round bellies, but she was the only one to be
shown so much care. She didnât know if Kairen or the Emperor had given special orders, but the
servants seemed particularly careful while serving her and, more surprising, her food was tested before
she ate anything.
âFather, how grand will the new year celebrations be this year?â asked one of the Princesses.
âThe usual, the usual, Daughter of mine. We invited some neighboring countries, but not too many, and
we will reopen the Arena!â
While exclamations rose all around the room, Cassandra got a chill. The Arena.
Memories of a bloody slaughter came back to her mind. Despite her meeting with the Prince, she could
never forget that horrid scene, the dragons going after the humans and playing with their corpses. If it
wasnât for Krai, she probably wouldnât have survived it either.
Feeling her shiver a bit, Kairen caressed her back. Cassandra usually warmed up from his touch, but
this time, her expression was sad and his concubine was obviously lost in some dark thoughts. He
frowned.
âCassandra?â
She shook her head, unwilling to speak.
âFather, can we get fireworks?â asked one of the young Princesses.
âTigers! I want to see wildcats!â
âAnd more chariot races! And dancers!â
As the Imperial Princesses started making more and more demands, Shareen, who had been silent on
the seat next to Kairen, clicked her tongue.
âAre you going to pay for all this, Sisters? Did you suddenly start working and earning enough to cover
your childish, petty whims?â
Her voice had the effect of a whip on them. Cassandra had never noticed, but Shareen was one of the
oldest princesses around, and no one really dared to mess with her. Was it because of her being the
War Godâs sister? Or her mother?
However, none of the Princesses dared to talk back to her, all looking down like children caught
misbehaving. The Emperor laughed.
âWise as ever, my Daughter! Well, it is true we wonât spend too much this year; weâve had a dry year,
after all. Letâs learn to restrain ourselves a bit, shall we? Fireworks and wildcats are fine, but weâll forget
about chariot races. Itâs only good for spreading dust all around anyway and Iâm getting bored seeing
the same people every year. Forget it!â
âFather, what about the dragonsâ sacrifice?â
Everyone in the room immediately went silent and Cassandra frowned. Of course, Phetra had been the
one to suggest that, while looking at Cassandra, too. She knew exactly what she was doing, bringing
that back up. The Emperor frowned.
âPhetra, we donât make human sacrifices on the New Year!â
âI want to see it, Father. I missed the last show.â
Phetraâs voice was full of confidence and she was smiling like a snake. Cassandra stood up and, not
waiting for the Emperorâs answer, walked away. She couldnât speak against an Imperial Princess, but
she could show her disagreement. She left the Imperial Banquet without looking back, shivering and
angry.