CASSANDRA: The Unfavored Princess-Chapter 76: Difficulties

The Empress was sitting on the chair deep in thoughts.

"Mother, are you still thinking about the first Princess?"

The Crown Prince asked as he looked at the Empress with innocent eyes.

"What first Princess, she is your sister." The Empress said displeased with her son’s words. "Won’t you say it with respect?"

"What respect?" Cedric chuckled as his eyes narrowed with a dangerous grin. "She wanted to replace me and take over the throne for herself. Don’t think I don’t know what you both talk about."

The Empress’s eyes widened in shock as she swallowed hard. "That .."

"Mother, you have always helped me. You have removed all the thorns who had been in my way to becoming the Emperor and now my own sister is becoming a big obstacle for it. And for what? A man who doesn’t even keep her in his mind?"

Cedric sneered as he said in a sarcastic tone. "And my mother wants me to show her the respect?"

"She is not a person you should think about right now. You know Valeria is willful at times. She does not think before she acts so we have to be more careful in dealing with her."

"Not we mother, you have to be more careful dealing with her." The Crown Prince’s face was filled with frost. "I have more things to care about. Anyway, Valeria has offended someone who should not have been affected. And now she is suffering."

The Empress looked down. She was about to say something but her words were swallowed. By guilt.

"Someone told the Emperor." The Empress murmured silently. But her words were still heard by her son.

"Who else could it be? It was Duke Salvador himself who said it. Wasn’t it obvious?"

The Empress could not find her words for a few seconds. "How could it be? I never thought that the Black eagle could be so unreliable that they would complain such a minor thing to the Duke."

"Small matter? Do you really think so? No wonder Valeria has been like you. And some rumors could not be stopped as well. Even if the Black Eagle did not say anything, the voices of the people could not be under our control, after all your Princess Valeria was very high profile when she decided to teach her to guard a lesson."

The Crown Prince’s words were like a knife to the Empress’s heart. She knew that Valeria had done something stupid. Even though she herself had punished her daughter, the Empress had also been blamed by the Emperor for not teaching her properly.

"Why were you here?" The Empress asked in a small tone to distract her son’s mind from the current topic. She knew if they continued to discuss it further, the result would not be any better.

"Ohh .." Cedric closed his eyes as he tried to control his angry heart. He was struggling a little when he talked about Princess Valeria. Even though he was not concerned about him, she was his own biological sister.

"The Vivere Kingdom’s crown Princess will arrive tomorrow. The Duke had a meeting with regards to that and it was decided that Duke Salvador and Duke Bentham would accompany their Crown Prince while Duke Crawford and Duke Garfield would look after their Princess."

"Will the Princess stay here?" The Empress asked as she raised her eyebrows. As an Empress, it was her responsibility to look after the Palace’s affair. Keeping a Princess from their enemy Kingdom here would be a difficult task on its own. "Won’t the Princess accompany her brother?"

"No, they have sent an informant that their Princess wishes to stay in the Palace with our Princess’s. They said she wanted to experience the life the Princess has here."

"It is a short notice." The Empress said in a whisper. Arranging a room and making other preparations was a task in itself and now with the time restrained it was difficult as well.

"Yes, but the Emperor said he believed that the Empress could do it well," Cedric said with a smile on his face.

The Emperor’s words were a confirmation of sorts. Given such responsibility was proof that the Emperor had not left the hope within them.

The Empress nodded as her eyes became focused again. "I will make her comfortable."

Cedric smiled before he added. "And the Emperor had also said that the Vivere Kingdom’s Princess should not interact with Princess Valeria."

"What?" The Empress’s eyes grew wide. Even though she knew that the Emperor had only given Valeria permission to enter the ball, she never thought that her husband would stick to this punishment.

’Valeria is the most powerful Princess there is in the Empire.’

’If she is not presented then who would represent the Princesses’

Won’t everyone think that the Princesses in our Empire are useless?’

"Are you sure the Emperor said that?" The Empress asked in a displeased tone.

Cedric laughed at the Empress’s words. "Why is it so hard to believe?" He raised his eyebrows before he got up. "Not only did the Emperor say it, but he also instructed the mother to be more mindful of how she will treat the other Princesses in the palace."

The Empress swallowed as she saw her son leave without looking back. She was sure that Cedric had come here to say the last words alone.

’The Emperor had always closed his eyes on the matter of the palace.’

’Why would he concern himself with the other Princess’s condition.’

’It is unlike him.’

The Empress was in deep thoughts unaware that the last words that she emphasized were not from the Emperor but from her own son.

Cedric had thought hard about what Duke Salvador had said to him. Even though he knew how his mother and sister harassed the other Princesses he never knew that it was to this extent.

Cedric left the Empress’s palace as he walked through the path slowly. His mind was still thinking back at what he had heard.

If the rumors are to be believed then Duke Salvador did not want his friend Lord Bentham to marry the fifth Princess. He was unsatisfied with her.

’So if Aiden is unsatisfied with the fifth Princess then who does he want Lord Bentham to marry?’

’Who is the Princess who had left such a good impression of herself in the eyes of the Duke?’

Cedric had wondered this for a long time but he could not find the answer. He was getting frustrated.

’Why can’t I find that Princess?’

’It cannot be the fifth Princess if Duke Salvador is dissatisfied with her.’

’What if I help Duke Salvador in breaking the fifth Princess and Lord Bentham?’

’Lord Bentham could not fall in love with the fifth Princess so soon. He had just met her a few times.’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

’If I am successful then I may be able to keep Duke Salvador at my side.’

The Crown Prince smirked as he thought so and moved towards the Emperor’s study.

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The carriage was moving at a steady pace as a girl with long platinum hair looked out.

The air was playing with her knots as her locks fluttered with the wind. Her eyes were sharp, giving her a sense of maturity. Her smile played on her pink lips as she looked at the distance.

"Princess?" A man came, riding on the horse as he walked parallel to the carriage.

"Call my brother." The Princess said as she put her locks behind her ears slowly. Her hands were white like snow.

The man nodded as he increased his speed to move further towards the start of the soldiers.

"Prince." The man bowed his head before the man who was riding the horse with confidence. He wore the armor of their Kingdom with pride as his deep eyes looked at soldiers who had come.

The soldier continued, "The Princess wanted to talk with you."

The Prince nodded as he slowed down his horse’s pace and turned him around. His speed was not rushed as he came near the carriage.

"You called for me?" The Prince asked as he looked at his sister who was smiling at him like some silly girl.

"Yes, I did call for you brother. We are about to reach the capital soon." The Princess said in a slow voice as she giggled looking at the children playing around and looking at them in amazement.

"Yes, so?" The Prince asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"Will I get along with them?" The Princess said in a dull voice as she looked down. Her eyelashes fluttered at times.

"You don’t need to get along with others. You just need to get along with one person." The Prince said in a low tone. Only the siblings were able to hear the conversation that was taking place between them.

"I know." The Princess’s eyes were soon filled with excitement but soon her gaze looked distressed. "But it should be the most difficult one."

The Prince smiled as he gave his encouraging words to his sister. "But you like difficulties."

The Princess giggled at her brother’s words. "Yes, I do."