The War God’s Favorite novel Chapter 67

The First Prince
The area was indeed crowded, people gathering in little groups to chat. Cassandra soon noticed most of the groups were concubines gathered around their man, or men talking between themselves.
A lot of them actually interrupted their conversations to greet het, much to Cassandra’s surprise. Whether it was her relationship to Kairen, the Emperor’s speech earlier or her song, something had definitely changed in the way people looked at Cassandra. The women actively tried to befriend her, while the men were a bit… corny. She didn’t like either and did her best to avoid the groups. All the young concubine wanted was to have a little stroll, but she hadn’t thought it would be so complicated.
Missandra played her part as her servant, carrying a little tray of food for her, and giving her excuses to avoid people who were acting too pushy. Compared to her, Dahlia was quite quiet and a bit awkward. Cassandra had realized the young woman had gotten a lot shyer since Missandra had appeared, but couldn’t figure out why.
As she was talking with both of them, a duo she hadn’t expected to meet came up in front of her, followed by a crowd of concubines. The fifth and sixth princes.
“Lady Cassandra! That song was terrific!” Said Anour, as nice and smiling as usual. “I had no idea you could sing so well!”
“Indeed,” sighed Lephys. “None of my concubines could sing as well as that, even the best ones! I’m a bit disappointed. I thought our older brother’s tastes were odd, but no I realize he might have a good eye for women.”
Cassandra didn’t like the way he said that or how he was talking about his concubines. The ladies behind him were all strikingly beautiful and visibly desperate to get his attention, wearing splendid red outfits and lots of jewelry and makeup. However, no matter how rude she found him, Lephys was the fifth Imperial Prince, she couldn’t say anything impolite to him.
She bowed politely.
“Thank you for the compliments, your Highnesses, I am glad you enjoyed it.”
“Isn’t this your first New Year Celebration at the Palace, Lady Cassandra?” Asked Anour. “I need to show you the Dragon burning flames! Wait for a second!”
The young Prince ran off to get something, followed by two servants who were struggling to keep up with his energy. Meanwhile, Lephys smiled, his eyes checking Cassandra from head to toe with a smirk.
“Actually, now that I look at you from up close, you are quite fine, aren’t you? I’ll revise what I said earlier, my older brother has an eye for women. After all, sometimes it’s not all about the outer appearance!”
“Thanks…”
Lephys winked at her, making her even more uneasy. She could feel Missandra’s disapproving glare in her back but hoped her younger sister could stay quiet just a few more minutes before causing an incident.
“You know, I’m always amazed how a weak-looking woman like you was able to seduce my older brother. Your voice probably isn’t your only skill, is it? Do you have other secrets my brother can enjoy? Come on, feel free to tell me, I’m curious! I realize women have many secrets I have yet to…”
“Women do have secrets, your Highness, and sometimes it’s better to respect them,” coldly replied Cassandra.
She had taken enough of his attitude. Treating his concubines like toys and making remarks about her as if she was a cunning hoe that acted innocent only to seduce Kairen into sleeping with her was more than she could bear. No matter how patriarchal and unbalanced the Dragon Empire was towards women, there were limits. Even the Emperor himself acknowledged and treated his concubines better than that.
Lephys, however, didn’t take the hint. Whether she was too subtle or he was too sure of himself, he hadn’t even noticed Cassandra was mad.
“There’s something about foreigners. Maybe I should try more foreign women! I’m getting awfully bored, always seeing the same face, anyway. I can always… Aouch!”
He crouched down and suddenly wailed about some bee sting, holding his foot and yelling around. Cassandra knew exactly where to look, but Missandra was playing innocent next to her, pretending to be absorbed in the details of her dress, which didn’t have any.
“It hurts! You! Aren’t you a doctor! Do something!” He yelled, still holding his foot.
“Sorry your Highness, I’m afraid a lowly woman like me is not skilled enough to treat you,” replied Cassandra.
Meanwhile, his concubines quickly surrounded him, asking how they could help and showing pity for him. They were mostly unuseful and noisy, but in a matter of seconds, the wall of women between Cassandra and the Prince was enough for her to walk away without being impolite.
Missandra was laughing behind her, unable to hold back any longer.
“What did you do?” Asked Dahlia, at a loss.
“She dropped some stinging nettles on his feet,” chuckled Cassandra. “I didn’t see you do it but I recognized the leaves on the ground… They definitely weren’t in this garden before.”
“I always have some with me, just in case. You have no idea how many men I have needed to use them on… Actually, that guy should call himself lucky, I don’t always use it on their feet.” (3)
Dahlia gasped, shocked, while the sisters laughed together.
After that, Cassandra made sure to stay away from the fifth brother, who complained for one more hour before an Imperial Physician was called to treat him. Anour, however, came back to show her some interesting little candles, shaped like Dragons, that would burn with blue flames. She wondered if the Princes had grown with so different personalities because they had been born from different mothers… Though Anour had also been raised by Kareen, he was still twelve years younger than the War God, and still quite innocent.
Cassandra chatted with him for a while longer, happy no one dared to distract them. The sixth Prince was still a bit too young to be of much interest to the single ladies, and they all focused on his older brothers.
Though she had seen it before, Cassandra still couldn’t believe how desperate some women were to enter the Imperial Harems. Some girls younger than her were ogling the Emperor or kept bugging the Princes present. The only ones who were free to walk without being harassed were the War God and Anour, for obvious reasons.
Cassandra exchanged quick glances with the War God, from where he was standing and chatting with the ministers and scholars. She had seen him frown and glare a lot during her brief exchange with his brothers, but Missandra had solved the problem before he had to come.
No matter where she stood, Cassandra could feel his warm shadow over her. The War God was protecting her from a distance. That feeling was the best and made her feel safe. Though, she liked it better when he stood where she could reach him.
When she couldn’t take it anymore, after another stroll, she headed back to her Prince, her cheeks blushing with a shy pink. He was still not done talking with the ministers, but welcomed her silently, putting an arm around her waist and kissing her temple. No words were needed, and even the men present acted normally, only nodding to greet the young Concubine.
They were talking about war and the matters of the North. Cassandra knew exactly what was being discussed, and listened to it carefully. Most of those men probably thought she was only standing there, unable to understand what was going on, but they would have been completely wrong. Her few weeks spent in the camp had taught her
anything she needed to know. She didn’t say anything, however, as she didn’t care what those men thought, and couldn’t bother to step in.
Strangely, those days were among the best she had in her entire life. She couldn’t help but blush a bit more, remembering the snowstorm and the long, long hours with Kairen in his tent… Their child had likely been conceived during that storm, too. Cassandra couldn’t repress her soft smile while thinking about it.
She didn’t realize her expression at that time got the men’s attention. The young Concubine was truly too charming at that moment, with her skin as pink as her beautiful dress.
Unfortunately for the ministers present, the War God had seen it too. He dismissed them with a glare, and turned to Cassandra, putting his hands on her hips.
“Don’t do that in front of other men.”
“Do what?” She asked, confused.
He frowned, but whatever it was, he couldn’t express it. Eventually, the War God sighed, holding her closer.
Cassandra chuckled and gave him a quick peck on the lips, brushing his growing beard with her fingers. She didn’t care for the curious crowd around them anymore. Actually, she wished they’d be alone, as they had barely got any time together all day… She sent a glance back, and Dahlia understood her completely. She grabbed Missandra’s hand and pulled her back to Kareen’s side, ignoring the younger sister’s complaints. Meanwhile, Cassandra turned to her Prince again, giving him a shy smile.
“Is it alright if we… step out for a little while?”
The Prince took a few seconds to understand her request. He was flustered, but Cassandra’s pink cheeks and eyes confirmed what he thought she meant. It wasn’t like her at all to be this… demanding. Was it because of the pregnancy? Or her sister’s influence? In any case, there was no way he wouldn’t agree.
Guiding her out of the wide garden, Kairen walked to the closest corridor and found an isolated and desert area, a little salon where no one was likely to come by. As soon as he closed the door, both lovers turned to each other and kissed. Cassandra was rarely this bold, but she had missed him too much. For some reason, her whole body was craving this. Her thoughts got blurry, as she couldn’t do anything but focus on his lips on hers, the touch of his hands exploring her body, lifting her dress’ skirt to caress her legs. She caressed his spiky cheeks, his neck, every inch of his hot skin. The simple contact of him under her hands was spreading an incredible warmth through her whole body. The little flame that had ignited earlier was growing into a big wildfire, something she couldn’t stop, didn’t want to stop and was consuming her flesh into the intense burns of desire.
Kairen wasn’t able to hold back either. He gently pushed her all the way to the luxurious couch waiting on the side, unable to stop touching her. He wanted her, to get drunk in her perfume and lost in that soft skin.
That woman was a mystery, yet he knew her far better than he had known any other woman. Mermaid or woman, Cassandra would open up her arms for him. He didn’t care much how many more secrets she had. He liked her, the mysteries she held close and anything she still had to reveal after.
As they sat facing each other, he pulled her onto his lap, one of her favorite position, and took off her dress’ straps, letting it slide down to her waist and revealing her perfect breasts. It was a bit rounder and bigger since she was with a child, and he didn’t hate that. He started kissing her, making her moan with his tongue. Every sound she made was like music to his ears. He hadn’t forgotten her song from earlier, but the one voice he liked more was the one she had when she was excited by his touch. No one knew that one but him…