Page 239 of The War God’s Favorite

“Lady Kareen. When Vrehan arrived in the Diamond Palace to kidnap me, she confronted him, and he couldn’t seem to answer. If the Emperor was in fact dead, he definitely wouldn’t have let her talk to him the way she did. So, Lady Kareen is still the Emperor’s favorite Concubine, and thus untouchable. The Second Prince hates her just as much, if not more, than he hates Kairen and Shareen.”

“Oh...”

Missandra realized Cassandra was right. It all made sense. But for how much longer would that still be valid? The rumors said that the Emperor was dying, not dead. Which meant that if they were right, this was now going to be a race against the clock.

“Have you heard anything about the war?” Cassandra inquired.

She shook her head.

“No. Which means it’s still going on,” sighed Missandra

Cassandra nodded with a somber expression. No matter how isolated the little towns were, news of a victory would travel the fastest, most notably because people would spot the Black Dragon in the sky. Plus, if Kairen was searching for her, he would have been to both the Diamond Palace and the Imperial Palace by now, which made Cassandra think something bad had happened. Shareen had hinted that this should be a quick win, but it seemed as if the Princess had been wrong.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s fine,” said Missandra. “Whatever the Eastern Army has going on, Kairen is the War God and the best fighter in the Empire.”

Cassandra smiled gently.

“Lady Kareen mentioned this war was probably not a coincidence either. With Prince Vrehan’s arrival at the Diamond Palace after Prince Sephir’s death, too.”

“That rat face is definitely pulling the strings,” Missandra interrupted. “I bet his whole plan was to get Kairen far enough away from the Imperial Palace for as long as he could. That way, he could eliminate the competition as quickly as possible, and make his moves quietly..”

“I don’t understand. Even if Sephir and the Emperor died, and Vrehan is named Emperor, Kairen could still return at any time,” whispered Cassandra. “What is he thinking?”

“Cassandra, your Prince is with the Imperial Army. No matter who the Emperor is, they’ll act as he says. Now, imagine you have an evil mind and crazy ambition for a second. I mean, if I were Vrehan, I would try to get rid of all my enemies at once; send the most threatening one to a far-away battlefront to be killed, or at least kept busy, so I could get rid of the other obstacles - my eldest brother, and the Emperor with a shiny dragon. That way, even if the War God isn’t killed in battle, I would now be the one who could give orders to have the Imperial Army kill him.”

Cassandra sighed.

“Sometimes you’re awfully devious, Mie.”

“Try growing up in a brothel,” scoffed her sister. “You have no idea how petty and wicked people can be in there.”

Cassandra tried to imagine other scenarios, but actually, her sister’s logic was pretty sound. The only thing that didn’t make sense was the timing - it all felt awfully rushed. She couldn’t see Vrehan as a man capable of putting such a risky plan into action. As she shared her doubts with Missandra, the younger sister thought out loud.

“Well, you know, there might have been a little detail that forced him to rush things.”

Without saying anything else, Missandra nodded towards Kassian.

Cassandra and her sister exchanged worried glances. For a while now, they had been among a massive crowd of people, looking at the long, long line that was waiting to enter the Capital. Dozens of people of all ages were waiting to get in, a lot of them annoyed by the draconian security checks. About ten guards were manning the front, checking all the men, women, and even the children.

The sisters, both hidden in the crowd, were strategizing how they were going to be able to get in, and how risky this could be. The soldiers were scrutinizing every person, not even letting a toddler get through without scanning them over. Cassandra and Missandra had covered themselves under newly bought shawls and were trying to avoid any suspicion. There were actually quite a few habitations and shops outside the walls, so the crowd wasn’t that surprising, and they could easily blend in like trees in a forest. Kassian was asleep, strapped to Cassandra’s back, but Kian kept popping its head out of Missandra’s bag, and thinking she was playing, the young dragon kept trying to bite her fingers each time she pushed it back in.

“They’re really checking everyone,” whispered Missandra. “This is definitely one of the stupid Prince’s moves to prevent you or the War God from getting in.”

Indeed, this much security at the wall wasn’t normal. Usually, people could come and go as they pleased and the guards at the doors only just inspected to verify they weren’t carrying weapons illegally, or to check the merchandise. Cassandra bit her lip. She hadn’t foreseen such a problem. With their white skin and green eyes, the sisters would be recognized immediately if they tried to go in like this. She couldn’t even sneak just Missandra in, as her sister fit most of the description Vrehan would have given out about her!

“Alright, plan B then I guess,” sighed Missandra, suddenly opening the little pocket where she kept their money.

“What plan B?” asked Cassandra, surprised.

Missandra counted how much money they had left and nodded.

“We need someone’s help to get us in, and I happen to know someone who can help with that, but not unless we give him lots of money, so...I really hope you still have that residence and people who can at least feed us afterward.”

Cassandra hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized what her sister was planning.

“Mie... You’re thinking about the men you owe money to?”

“Yeah. I mean, I owe them a lot, but if your Prince can pay up once this is over, and I tell them they can make even more money if they help us, then they might.”

---