Page 204 of The War God’s Favorite

Everyone agreed and, quickly, they walked back to the Diamond Palace. No one had been expecting that rain. The streets were quickly cleared, as the merchants were closing up their stalls and putting their merchandise into a safe place.

The Palace wasn’t far, but by the time they got there, everyone was soaked. The servants ran to hand them some towels to wipe themselves with, but the young Imperial Concubine was a bit upset at her disheveled hair and messy clothes.

“What a mess.”

Like the locals had said, it wasn’t just a downpour. Above them, the wind picked up, and the claps of thunder and lightning flashes cloaked the sky in no time. This was truly a thunderstorm, not just rain. In the Diamond Palace, so many rooms had open roofs, Cassandra could hear the rain all around them. Of course, the servants had quickly moved the furniture where it needed to be, being used to the rain, but so many rooms were now unusable.

“Well, someone wanted rain,” sighed Shareen.

“Should we wait until it calms down, Cassandra dear?” asked Kareen.

The young concubine nodded, looking a bit sad.

“It can’t be helped. It would be too dangerous to go out in this weather.”

If it wasn’t for the wind and lightning, this rain would actually have been perfect for the Ceremony, but Cassandra had to admit, the current conditions weren’t good. The wind would have blown things away, and that lightning would be dangerous for anyone outside.

Feeling her disappointment, Kairen suddenly lifted her up.

“Kairen?” she asked, taken by surprise.

Without explaining a thing, the Prince slowly walked out of the room, leaving everyone else behind, and took Cassandra deeper inside the Diamond Palace. She couldn’t help but wonder where he was taking her. She could hear Krai climbing the walls around them and following their path from the outside, but those rooms around them were some she had never been to before, she couldn’t tell where they were. Kairen was obviously very familiar with the Diamond Palace. He was navigating easily, avoiding the rooms being flooded or taking corridors where they could avoid the downpour from the open roofs.

Finally, he put her down in front of a large door and pushed it open. Cassandra took a minute to understand. It was obviously a bathroom and a very large one at that. Actually, the large basin was overflowing with water. This room didn’t have a fully open roof per se, but some openings in the walls were letting the heavy rain through, and it was slowly adding up. However, the most interesting part of that room was that instead of being surrounded by four or six walls like most rooms, this one had only five. One part of the wall had been left open, giving her an incredible view of the city, and access for Krai to sneak its head in. The large basin was actually going all the way to that open part, and the excess water was being poured down below, overflowing the border of the basin.

She was amazed. This was such a strange room, and the tub was almost working as a large natural fountain, being filled by rainwater and flowing on the lower levels. She wanted to get in and go see the full view, but with this windy weather, it was obvious she should stay in the covered part.

To her surprise, Kairen walked in first, taking off his clothes and going into the water. Behind him, Krai growled, and without warning, spat fire.

Cassandra was afraid, seeing Krai do that for the first time, but the dragon wasn’t doing it in her direction. Actually, it was burning the water next to Kairen, and shortly after, some vapor was visible. Cassandra chuckled and put her feet in the water. It was warm!

Krai’s fire had heated the water, turning this place into a hot pool. She chuckled and took the hand Kairen was offering her to walk in.

Cassandra took his hand, blushing slightly, but followed him into the water. She had only taken off her shoes and newly-bought flower crown. Her dress was already wet after all, and she was a bit too shy to venture in a half-open bath completely naked. Even if her Prince had taken off all of his clothes, he didn’t say anything about her not doing the same, and gently pulled her in.

Kairen was carrying Cassandra on his lap, making her chuckle. She had no idea how deep this bath really was, but she could tell her Prince was navigating around easily. He took her as far as he could in this pool before the curtain of rain. She was amazed. Not only was the view of the Diamond City absolutely breathtaking, but the majesty of this infinity pool was truly beautiful. Cassandra felt that if her Prince were to swim a bit too far, they would fall out. She couldn’t see the edge, as the rain was actually blurring the real limit of the water and confusing her perception, making it both exciting and scary. They stayed back far enough though, remaining under the roofed part.

The Black Dragon, standing outside but sticking its head in, didn’t seem to mind the downpour much. The rain was rolling down the black scales, while its red eyes were focused on the couple. Cassandra, her arms locked around her Prince, couldn’t stop smiling. Her whole body was floating in this warm water. It wasn’t nearly as hot as the hot springs from the North, but the difference in temperature with the cold rain still made a thin layer of mist float around. It was such a unique scene. Even the room itself was somewhere between eerie and ancient, as if before them, no one had come here in years. Cassandra absolutely loved it.

“This is amazing,” she whispered.

“You like it?”

She nodded and turned to her Prince, brushing his hair gently.

“Why did you think to bring me here?”

“You enjoyed the hot springs... and you seemed sad we couldn’t hold the Ceremony yet.”

Cassandra’s heart melted once again. How could this man always surprise her with this extreme gentleness and consideration he was hiding under his armor? She nodded, and gently kissed him.

She loved any form of bath and he knew it. She loved when they took baths together; the simple sensation of her body immersed in water was one of the most comforting feelings in this world to her. Of course, it was even better when her Prince was by her side like this. They kept kissing for a while, tenderly, though their bodies were obviously really close to one another. The layers of her dress were floating around her in the water, while she curled her legs around Kairen’s, holding on to him.

A low growl distracted them a bit. They both turned their heads as Krai was putting the lower part of its maw in the water, staring at them. Cassandra couldn’t see it as its body was outside, but she was sure the black dragon was wagging its tail. She had learned to recognize that playful look in the ruby eyes.

The dragon couldn’t fit more than its shoulders inside, but it was still plenty enough. Cassandra smiled, and detached herself from her Prince to go play with the dragon. Krai growled happily, seeing her approach. She gently rubbed its snout, and to play with the dragon a little she dived underneath the surface. She felt the dragon’s snout, looking for her in the water, but Krai wasn’t a water creature. When she emerged a few feet away, the dragon turned its head, surprised, making her laugh. Krai growled and put its snout in the water, suddenly throwing a whole wave at her. Cassandra laughed and dived in again.

This little game between them lasted quite a while. However, after a few minutes, while she was in the water, Cassandra felt some human hands grab her.

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