The Feud
Several people couldnât help but laugh at that sentence, though they were smart enough to hide it.
Some others were more terrified, avoiding Kairenâs direction at all costs and their faces white as a
sheet. Meanwhile, from his throne, the Emperor sighed.
âMake sure your dragons behave, will you? How can the party go on if there are no more guests!â
âDragons tend to be wilful, father,â said Shareen with a sneer. âWho knows, if they get hungry they
might come again looking for snacks.â
âDonât make us laugh, Shareen,â suddenly growled the Second Prince. âAs if he didnât control the Black
Dragon perfectlyâ¦â
Shareen didnât appreciate the prince talking out against her. She immediately glared at him back.
âHow about you teach us about controlling Dragons, brother? Call yours out now, let us all see how
much of a Dragon-tamer you are!â
Right as she finished saying that, a loud growl echoed from somewhere in the Palace. It was further
away, though. No matter where he was, the red Dragon was echoing his masterâs anger. Cassandra
couldnât help but be a bit worried. What if he really called him all the way there? Wouldnât he get in a
fight with Krai, or injure people? Every time she had seen the red Dragon, he was securely caged, but
what if he was actually freed? The animosity between the brothers would definitely have him target
Kairen. She trusted Krai would respond immediately, butâ¦
Just as she was lost in her thoughts and worrying, Kairen gently put his hand on hers. He wasnât
looking at her, still glaring in Varhenâs way, but his thumb was gently caressing her skin, helping her
calm down a bit.
Varhen took a few seconds but then, to her surprise, a reptilian smile appeared on his face as he was
still glaring at Shareen.
âWhy would you need me to teach you anything about Dragons, Shareen? Women donât need to know
about dragon-taming.â
The insult was clear, and even Cassandra felt outraged. He was clearly looking down on the
Princesses, because unlike their brothers, they had no Dragons of their own. Shareen became red in
anger, but just as she was about to say something, the loudest growls were heard.
Though she wasnât surprised to see Krai come back, though he had to half-stand on one of the roofs,
Cassandra had not expected to see the Golden Dragon make an appearance too. However, Glahad
was growling even more furiously, clearly glaring at Varhen with his ruby eyes. The arrival of the two
biggest Imperial Dragons was enough to scare a lot of guests, who, for some reason, apparently
thought the wisest place to hide at would be inside the buildings. Cassandra disagreed, as the walls
looked about to collapse under the beastsâ weightâ¦
Even Missandra and Dahlia had run back towards her, both of them hiding behind her seat, afraid. She
couldnât blame them. She probably would have been just as terrified if the War God hadnât been
holding her hand all this time. The Dragonsâ angry growls were deafening, proportionally to their anger.
Shareen, who had paid no attention to the Dragons all this time, suddenly stood up and took out her
sword, too, furious.
âI dare you to say such words again, Varhen.â
âEnough!â
The Emperor was standing up too, and glaring at the both of them.
âEnough of your feuds! This is the New Year Celebrations. I want no fight in front of our guests, not
tonight, not tomorrow or for the next days! Varhen, Shareen, enough of you too! Both of you go back to
your apartments for tonight!â
Shareen was about to protest, but her mother clicked her tongue. The two of them exchanged glances
for a while, almost as if they were having a silent conversation until Shareen cried out in frustration.
She violently swang her sword through the air in frustration, put it back and turned to leave without a
word.
Cassandra felt bad for her, and couldnât help but glare in Varhenâs way. The Prince was watching
Shareen go, but hadnât moved himself. He was also about to say something, but the War God opened
his mouth first.
âFather told you to leave, Varhen.â
The ice and hatred in his voice was so intense, the whole area became as cold as the Onyx Castle for
a few seconds. Cassandra wondered if the second brother would argue or fight Kairenâ¦
However, after a long glare, he stood up silently and walked away in a strange silence. The air was
tense, so much that absolutely no guest dared to say a word for a few minutes after the Prince was
gone. Cassandra, who had been holding her breath unknowingly, took a long sigh. She felt sorry for
Shareen, but couldnât help but be grateful that Varhen was gone, at least for that night.
Just as the moment became awkward, the Emperor sat back, looking tired. Glahad and Krai, who
obviously were faster to calm down, seemed unwilling to leave. Both Dragons were overlooking the
area with curious eyes, their front paws in the roofs of the building. They looked like they were
wondering if they would fit in the area if they climbed over. The answer was no. Even with the area
cleared, there were still many food stalls and tables everywhere, ready to be crushed.
Moreover, the bravest guests were slowly coming back since the Dragons had stop growling like angry
beasts. Cassandra, who had just been delivered a humongous portion of meat, grabbed one big chunk
by the bone, and stood up, walking to Krai.
âHinue! What are you doingâ¦?â Asked Missandra, still following behind her, worried.
She kept sending glances back to Kairen, as if she was hoping heâd stop Cassandra or his Dragon, but
Kairen wasnât even looking their way. Meanwhile, his concubine was walking towards the building
which Krai was on top of, his snout sniffing the piece of fuming meat with deep interest.
He growled softly, lowering his head as much as he could without climbing over, and Cassandra threw
the meat at him. He caught it, happily eating his little snack with a satisfied expression. When he was
done, including his lip licking, she smiled and extended her arm, making Missandra squeak.
âHinue, are you crazy! This is a wild creature! He can eat you!â
âHe wonât,â said Cassandra with a confident smile.
Indeed, Krai only touched her head with his snout, his eyes wide open, curious to what his favorite
human was playing at. Cassandra scratched his scales a bit before stepping back and grabbing
Missandra with her other hand.
âOh, no, no, no,â said Missandra, âI am not going to like thisâ¦â
âItâs okay, heâs a good boy.â
Missandra did not believe a Dragon several times her size could be anything near a good boy!
However, she only struggled a bit, while Cassandra confidently, pushed her in front, talking to the
Dragon.
âThis is my younger sister. Can you try not to eat her? Please?â
Krai was staring at the both of them, busy sniffing, curious. Of course, there was no way to know he
understood. He tilted his head to the side and growled a bit, making a curious impression, as if he was
chatting with her. His claw was scratching against the roof, though, so maybe he was just getting a bit
impatient.
Cassandra smiled, but it was time for him to go before the building really collapse. She wasnât sure the
Imperial Palace was fully dragon-proof.
âSee you tomorrow,â she said to the Dragon, before walking away, still holding Missandraâs hands.
Krai didnât understand, as he was still on the roof, growling a bit and trying to get her attention.
Cassandra ignored him and walked back to her seat, where she couldnât see him. She washed her
hand full of meat juice and whatever dirt Krai had on his scales while releasing Missandra with her
other hand,
As soon as she let go, the younger sisterâs legs went numb, and she fell on her knees with a sound of
despair. Dahlia crouched down next to her.
âAre you okayâ¦?â She asked.
âI am not! Those were the most terrifying minutes of my lifeâ¦â
The young servant girl chuckled. It was the first time for Missandra to lose her fierce and feisty upfront
like that. Cassandra laughed too and gave her a few minutes to regain her composure. Missandra kept
pouting after that though, stating that her older sister had almost risked her life with the crazy idea to
befriend a dragonâ¦
After the previous events, the guests were slowly coming back under the Emperorâs impulse and tried
to resume the party as if nothing happened, and two enormous Dragons heads werenât hovering over
them. Glahad and Krai soon got bored, though, and after a while longer, both of them left flying. It was
a magnificent sight to watch the Golden Dragon actually spread his wings and fly, though. He was
shining brightly in the night, while Krai was like a black shadow, hard to follow and drawing shapes in
the dark blue sky.
The New Year Celebrations were supposed to last for a full week, all day and night long, but of course,
people had to take breaks in between. At the Emperorâs party, most people tried their best to stay the
longest possible, as not to offend the Host. The Emperor seemed to have incredible stamina despite
his age, not showing any signs of fatigue.
Kareen, however, soon got bored and decided to leave. She was obviously upset after Shareen got
kicked out, and no one managed to keep her any longer once she had made up her mind to go back to
her apartments, much to the Emperorâs disappointment.
Other people would do their best to stay the longest and enjoy themselves, but everyone was bound to
show fatigue at some point.
It was especially true for Cassandra, with her pregnancy taking a toll on her. Several hours after dark,
despite her best attempts to stay entertained and eat and drink at a slow pace, she kept dozing off until
Kairen didnât let her argue anymore and decided to leave. She didnât argue, as she was too tired. The
Prince gently helped her up and took her back to his room, no one commenting on their departure.
Cassandra felt bad for being among the earliest to leave the party, but it couldnât be helped, she truly
was too tired. She was falling half-asleep already just from being carried in his arms.
Kairen dismissed Dahlia and Missandra when they reached their room and landed her gently on the
bed. Cassandra was too tired, she didnât even feel him undress her and remover her jewelry. She was
just relieved to be finally laying in a bed. She hadnât realized her back pains were getting so terrible
until then.
Finally, the War God laid next to her, wrapping her up in his embrace, and, once she felt her skin
against hers, she let go and fell asleep for good.