Inviting the Fourth Princess to Spring Breeze Tower
Cassidy's eyes lit up. "I totally forgot about that. I've never been to the Grand Floral Banquet before. It must be a huge party."
She'd already been mapping out her path to stardom, and this was the perfect stage. She was ready to blow everyone away.
Auspicious felt a pang of sadness. The princess had lost her memory. She used to go to the banquet all the time, but now she didn't remember a thing.
"I heard that for this year's banquet, the Empress Dowager had a new kind of peony shipped all the way from Ardoria," Auspicious said softly. "You used to love them."
Cassidy blinked. "Peonies were my favorite?"
Auspicious nodded, then quickly shook her head. "Well, not exactly. The Empress Dowager gave the third princess, Scarlett, a pot of peonies once. You felt like she was playing favorites, so you threw a huge fit, insisting that peonies were your favorite flower all along."
"And then what happened?" Cassidy asked, completely hooked.
"Then... well, you got punished," Auspicious said, her expression turning awkward.
Cassidy scoffed. "But everyone says the Empress Dowager and the Emperor spoil me. Why would they punish me instead of just giving me the stupid flowers? Are they trying to screw me over?"
"No, it wasn't like that," Auspicious rushed to explain. "There was only one pot of those peonies in the entire kingdom. The Empress Dowager had already given it to Scarlett and couldn't just take it back. She promised she'd have another one brought from Ardoria for you next time."
As she spoke, Auspicious's voice filled with indignation.
"The Empress Dowager had already calmed you down, but then Scarlett waited until no one was looking and started rubbing it in your face. She said the Empress Dowager didn't really like you, that you were just some poor kid without a mom. You got so mad you smashed her peonies."
Cassidy was so shocked she sat bolt upright. "So, Scarlett did it on purpose? She was just trying to get a rise out of me."
"Exactly!" Auspicious said angrily. "And then Scarlett played the victim, going on and on about how it wasn't your fault, how she should have just given in to you.
When the cabinet members' wives heard that, they all ganged up on you, accusing you of being a spoiled brat who thought she was above the law.
That just made you even angrier, so you ran over and tried to hit her.
The Empress Dowager got so furious she had you grounded."
Cassidy sighed, mentally adding Scarlett's name to her list. Sooner or later, she was getting her payback.
She was starting to realize the Imperial Palace was a total snake pit.
Everyone was out to get her, the poor, helpless thing.
Compared to all that, the fourth princess, Dawn, who argued with her constantly, suddenly seemed kind of adorable.
At least Dawn would slip her some cash whenever she called her "sis."
Thinking about it, Cassidy actually felt a pang of guilt.
"Auspicious, send an invitation to the palace. Ask the fourth princess to meet me. Tell her I want to pay her back."
Now that she'd won back her family's fortune, she had to settle her debts. Borrow, repay, and you can borrow again. Simple as that.
Auspicious stared, stunned. This was probably the first time she'd ever seen the princess send a formal invitation. Usually, when Cassidy wanted to see someone, she'd just storm their palace.
"Princess, are we going to the palace?"
Cassidy snorted. "If His Majesty doesn't want me there, then fine. I don't want to go, anyway."
"So... are you still going to the Empress Dowager's Grand Floral Banquet in a few days?"
"Of course I'm going!"
It was the perfect chance to show off and extend her lifespan, how could she possibly miss it? The flowers growing in her pocket garden were one-of-a-kind. A few clippings would be considered priceless treasures in this world, more than enough to blow everyone's minds.
Besides, the flowers from her pocket dimension weren't just stunning.
Their scent could clear your head, and smelling them long enough had restorative properties that could subtly heal your body.
It's how she'd survived for so long during the apocalypse, right up until she got bitten by a zombie, blown to bits trying to cozy up to the Zombie King, and reincarnated in this hellhole.
She was stuck with a useless System, a life on a timer, and not a single cheat code to her name.
Luckily, she'd always been capable on her own, and her personal storage space had come with her.
The System, having been chewed out again for its uselessness, knew better than to make a peep.
Auspicious, meanwhile, had no idea what her princess was muttering about. "So, Princess, are we inviting the fourth princess to our manor?"
"Let's meet at Spring Breeze Tower," Cassidy declared. "I'm going to show her what the future richest woman in the world looks like."
Auspicious swallowed hard, worrying that if Consort Shu found out the princess had invited her daughter to a brothel, she might storm Ashworth Manor herself.
It was hard to say if Consort Shu would show, but the moment Dawn received Cassidy's invitation, she couldn't get to Spring Breeze Tower fast enough.
She had always wanted to see what a brothel looked like, but it just wasn't something a princess could do.
But now, not only did she have an opportunity, but her own cousin had gone and opened one.
When Dawn arrived, Cassidy was already kicking back on a chaise lounge by a second-floor window, sipping tea. Seeing her, Cassidy patted the wooden box beside her.
"See? Told you I wasn't lying. I said I'd pay you back as soon as I hit it big."
When Dawn had lent her the money, she'd never actually expected to see it again. Now, looking at the stacks of banknotes in the box, she saw Cassidy in a whole new light. She carefully tucked the money away.
"Cassidy, tell me," she said, her curiosity piqued. "How did you beat the Duke of Crestfall?" She remembered her uncle saying the Duke's fighting cocks were strange; no normal person could ever win against them. Only Prince Ashworth had been crazy enough to keep challenging him.
Cassidy crossed her legs, the picture of casual confidence. "I won it fair and square, all on my own."
Dawn immediately sat down beside her, leaning in. "How did you win it 'fair and square'?"
Cassidy waved a dismissive hand. "It's an ancient family secret. Can't be taught to outsiders."
Dawn just stared at her, completely confused. "But... aren't we family? We have the same ancestors."
Cassidy was momentarily speechless. "Maybe it's just because I'm so exceptional. The ancestors saw my potential and begged me to carry on the tradition."
"Ugh!" Dawn rolled her eyes at how smug she looked. "Whatever, keep bragging. If you don't want to tell me, fine. It's not like I care to learn, anyway."
She stood up and started looking around Spring Breeze Tower. When she saw the young women bustling around on the floor below, her eyes lit up. "Wow, you have so many women here! It's almost as many as in my father's concubine quarters."
"Jealous?" Cassidy asked.
"Totally," Dawn admitted.
"Want to see them every day?" Cassidy pressed.
Dawn nodded eagerly, her head bobbing.
Cassidy paused for a moment. Looking at how innocent and sweet she was, it almost felt cruel not to rope her into this. "My place is looking for a second owner. Interested?"
Dawn immediately snapped out of her daze, shaking her head frantically. "No way. If my mother finds out I'm helping run a brothel, she'll kill me."
"Who said anything about a brothel?"
Dawn looked confused. "But... isn't it?"
"Of course not," Cassidy said, sitting up straight. "I'm turning Spring Breeze Tower into a theater."
Seeing Dawn's blank look, she elaborated.
"Do you know what a theater is? I'm going to find some great plays and have the women here perform them. In the future, anyone who wants to come inside will have to buy a ticket. I've already looked into it. Nobody in the capital is doing this right now. If we get in on the ground floor,
we'll make a fortune."
Dawn was skeptical. "Isn't that just like a traveling theater troupe? Besides, if it's such a gold mine, why would you be nice enough to let me be the second owner?"
Cassidy hadn't expected the sweet, innocent girl to be this sharp.
"If you hadn't lent me that money and helped me out, do you really think I'd be offering you a partnership?" she said, her tone serious. "I always pay back my debts. I don't like owing anyone."
As soon as she said that, Dawn bought it completely.
"So," she asked, a grin spreading across her face, "when does our Spring Breeze Tower open for business?"