The Emperor's Unfavored Empress

Chapter 9 Cassiopeia: Outcast

Lin and Hera were given back to me, as a result of which he threw me out of his palace and sent me to a deserted residence on the west side of the empire.

“Are you absolutely certain that we can actually live here, your highness?” Hera gasped in disbelief as she looked around the dilapidated and haunting mansion that loomed in front of us. The creaking of the decrepit roof with every gust of wind sent shivers down my spine, making me question whether creating a war with Magnus was a wise decision or not.

For a building that is supposed to be abandoned, this place was in dreadful shape. The paint on the walls had faded and some of the window frames were broken. I wonder when people last lived here and if anyone's been since? Cameron led me into the house. I looked at the vast lawn and the high walls of this residence that separated it from the rest of the residences of this Empire.

“This is much better than the street,” I sighed.

"You should have taken the good side of the prince," Lin whispered in a low, concerned voice. "Stop pissing him off, Cassiopeia. Don't forget that his power and influence can be used for both good and bad - it is wise to stay on his good side."

I started to climb the stairs to the front door, but stopped when a gust of wind blew. Then I heard nothing "I'm alone," I uttered. I climbed up the stairs and I could hear a shuddering sound as I opened the big door to the residence. The door swung open as the black linen covering lay across the vast living area in front of me. The inside of the house was even more decrepit than what could be seen from the exterior, with cobwebs hanging on ceilings, artifacts lying around trying their best to prove the place is haunted. The stairwell had a broken window at one end, and moving along the staircase was a strange noise that only got louder as I continued to move up the stairs. The hallway had three doors on either side; two of them were locked, with the third door on the left slightly opened.

We looked through the space quickly and found some areas the had not been cleaned in a long time but it doesn't look like they are used often. There are traces of moss on the wall and stains on the ceiling.

"Wow, Cameron. This is a dump!" I exclaimed. He bowed his head in silence,

"We've left this place abandoned for a while now." Cameron avoids looking at me, but I understand why. He is still following the orders of the 4th prince.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. He did not answer, "and when will you send the servants so they can start cleaning?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but the prince said not to give you any more servants." My jaw dropped and before I could say a word, Cameron had taken a few steps towards the door. "I shall take my leave now, your highness," Cameron said goodbye to me, and left me inside this dilapidated and haunting looking building.

I approached and slowly pulled one of the covers, revealing a piano. I cautiously looked over it and tried to press a key, but it made an incredibly loud clanging sound that startled me. Birds suddenly flew in panic out of nowhere. I followed them and saw the space on the other side of the building with traces of broken glass.

As Lin and Hera started to clean I went upstairs and searched through the rooms until I found a suitable space. It is large and has a wide bed, while one of its doors connects to the other room. The east side and the west side have a porch overlooking the Empire. I went to the room and looked at the west porch. I realized that this residence was at the very back of the Empire. From where I was standing, I could see the vast forest on the right and the distant Dark sea of ​​Aurelian on the left. In the far distance, I could see the kingdom of Sinclair, one of the kingdoms ruled by the Empire.

After scratching my neck, I realized I had dust on my hands that must have come from holding the door earlier. I looked around the room and realized that we won’t be able to clean the entire house by myself, so I came up with a plan. I will ask the Fourth Prince for help.

I reached into the closet and pulled out the black linen cloth covering it. As soon as I did, a cloud of dust fell from the folds and I felt my fingers brush against something. The fabric was old, but I pushed away the dust and dug through the clothes there until I found a simple outfit to wear. After getting dressed, I hurried to the fourth prince's residence. Ignoring the unpleasant looks from those I met, I shrugged my shoulder and said to myself "It's not like I have done anything wrong." as I walked.

"Where is the fourth prince's residence?" I asked the man I had just met. He stopped in his tracks and seemed to hesitate before answering with a vague answer. "I'm not sure," he said.

"Answer me," I said authoritatively.

"At the east side-" he started. I did not let him finish. I gave him no reaction or response, simply fleeing in the opposite direction to avoid any trouble. Three homes lie in that area: the second prince's, third prince's and fourth prince's homes. However, when I arrived at the east side, I saw a large wall that was covered with vines. It seemed to be very shady, and there was also no light coming out of it. Without hesitation, I went to the entrance. There were two guards next to it and they blocked me from going in; but not in an unfriendly way.

"Where is the fourth prince?" I asked them. They both looked at me in silence for a moment before one of them said, "I'm sorry, your highness, but the fourth prince is not accepting any visitors--" The knight stopped as I raised my hand.

“I am not a visitor, now call your prince,” they look at each other before the other one gestures to him to tell the prince.

"Please follow me, your highness," he said. I followed him and we walked through doors until we came to a stop.

"Here we are, your highness."

"Thank you," I said, "you may leave."

"I’m afraid, I can’t, your highness." he said and then stood in front of the door.

“Ah, you still need to escort me out,” I whispered.

“One moment, please, your highness.” The guard said before he knock. A voice came from the inside.

“Who’s there?” It’s the fourth prince.

"It's me, your highness." The guard said as if the prince already know who he was by his voice.

"What do you want?" The prince's tone was still cold.

“Her highness is here to—” “I already told you not to let anyone in!”

"I'm sorry, your highness. We’ll go now." The guard said before he turned around and face me. The door opened only a moment later and the prince walked out.

"So you're really here?" He asked irritatedly looking at me dead in the eyes.

"I thought you weren’t accepting anyone?" I sarcastically say. The prince looked at me suspiciously as if I was a servant who didn't know how to properly talk to his master. He then walked towards me without saying anything and stopped right in front of me.

"You're not a servant, are you?" He asked directly as he looked down at me from head to toe. I just smile calmly and shook my head.

"I'm your wife, dear prince." I said as I fake a smile. I saw the corner of his eyes twitch. “I shall take my leave, my prince, your highness,” the guard politely said.

We stared at each other in silence as we listen to the guard’s footsteps.

“What do you want, my dear wife?” he sarcastically ask. with a smirk on his face.

"Well, dear prince, I need you to send me servants to clean that old, dilapidated place you've graciously and thoughtfully given me." I raised an eyebrow as I let my hands rest on my waist. His eyes pierced through me as if he was examining me.

“No.” He said shortly then turn his back on me and went back in. I immediately block the door before it closes.

“You wouldn’t want me telling the Emperor about this, right?” I say as I raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you tell the Emperor?" He asked. "You know why!" I answered. "I need to make him see that he's wrong about you and this marriage!"

"I don't think anything is going to change his mind." I heard him say and then shrug me off the handle.

"How do you know?" I asked skeptically.

He smiled slightly and said, "I'm always right." I could tell by the smirk on his face that he wasn't being serious. As I went to grab for the door handle, it suddenly slipped out of my hand as he slammed it shut and walked away.

I let out a huff before I stomped back down the hallway and left in the other direction. What was he always right about? Upon leaving the fourth prince’s mansion, I come across the third prince who was tending to his garden. Once he cut off a stem, he put down his scissors and greeted me.

“Good morning, Princess Cassiopeia,” Prince Lysander greeted me with a smile and handed me tullips. "What brought you here?" he asked curiously.

"I went to see the fourth Prince." I explained. He looked up and as I followed his sight I saw Magnus looking at us. From one of the windows.

“Is he not feeling well?” Prince Lysander asked with concern.

“He seems to be,” I said in a soft voice as I rolled my eyes, so as not to attract Magnus’ attention. “Anyway, I have a place to clean and deal with, Prince Lysander if—” he cut me off.

“Lysander, please call me Lysander,” He said smiling.