Profiteering in the Imperial Palace
Watching the two rascals egging each other on from his desk, the Emperor felt a headache coming on. He was starting to worry that if a kid like Miles spent a few days at Ashworth Manor, he'd come back to the palace a full-blown terror himself.
"Your shop is in a terrible location," the Emperor said, trying to shut this down. "How much money could it possibly make? Tell you what, when you open your next shop, I'll grant you a plaque for that one."
Cassidy Sterling just shook her head. "Nope. We can talk about the future later. My shop is open *now*. If you're not going to give me a plaque, Uncle, then I'll just have to go to the Hall of Kings and have a little chat with my grandfather's spirit.
I'll tell the late Emperor all about how you've got a big, important job now but refuse to help your own family with one tiny thing."
Verity, the Fourth Princess, hadn't seen that move coming, but she immediately nodded along. "Exactly, Father! If you don't give us a plaque, I'll go complain to Grandfather's spirit, too. I'll tell him you're playing favorites and won't even give *me* one."
Annoyed, the Emperor rubbed the bridge of his nose and fixed his gaze on the main troublemaker. "Fine, you can have your plaque," he relented, "but you have to tell me: where did you get that pot of flowers you gave the Empress Dowager?"
He suspected the girl's mother had come back to see her.
He just couldn't figure out why, after all these years, she hadn't gone to see Prince Ashworth.
The thought soured his mood. Even though Cassidy's mother had saved the Empress Dowager's life, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful.
She'd just vanished for years without a word.
He'd thought something had happened to her, or maybe, like in one of those cheap plays, she'd come down with some fatal disease and couldn't bear to show her face.
The lie came easily to Cassidy. "It was passed down from my ancestors."
The Emperor frowned. "Which ancestors?" He was starting to wonder if this kid had been digging up graves in the Hall of Kings.
Having heard this "passed down from my ancestors" line before, the princess's lips twitched. She knew Cassidy was full of it.
Meeting the Emperor's suspicious gaze, Cassidy's head finally cleared. Right. She and the Emperor shared the exact same ancestors. She immediately changed her story.
"It was passed down from my Founding Master," she said, figuring that since the man was from a past generation, calling him an ancestor wasn't technically a lie.
This time, it was Verity's turn to be surprised. "When did you get a Founding Master?" she whispered. How had she not heard about this?
The Emperor was staring at her, too. What fresh nonsense was this?
In the entire Imperial Study, only Miles Sterling actually believed her.
Cassidy cleared her throat. Drawing on the strange, unshakable confidence she'd had ever since getting kicked in the head by that donkey, she spoke slowly and deliberately.
"There's something I've been hiding from everyone. I am the thirty-ninth-generation disciple of Superman. My Founding Master came to me in a dream a while ago and said he wanted me to carry on his legacy. He also told me to make a lot of money to honor his name,
and that all the property he left behind would one day be mine."
The name sounded completely foreign, nothing from the Aethelian Empire, and the Emperor didn't believe a word of it.
But Cassidy delivered the story with such a straight face that a tiny part of him started to wonder if this "Founding Master" was real.
Why had he, the Emperor, never heard of him? Was it some kind of secret society?
Beside her, Verity almost gave Cassidy a thumbs-up. The girl's talent for spinning a tale was on another level; she'd almost believed it herself. But since they were currently united in their goal, getting that plaque, the princess not only kept quiet but chimed in with support.
"Father, please just give us the plaque now."
The Emperor had the distinct feeling he was an old man being ganged up on.
"Fine," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "Since your Spring Breeze Tower is a theater now, I suppose it can be considered a proper business. I'll have the plaque delivered later." He suspected that if he didn't agree today, these two rascals really would run to the Hall of Kings and throw a tantrum.
Cassidy was delighted. Thinking of the flowers in her pocket garden, she added, "Uncle, next time my Founding Master finds me in a dream, I'll have him give me another pot of flowers to present to you, as a sign of my respect."
Verity hurried to show her loyalty, too. "Father, once I make some money, I'll buy you a huge mansion!"
The Emperor's lips twitched. Were they trying to sweet-talk him now?
Still, seeing their enthusiasm, he actually found himself looking forward to this Spring Breeze Tower of theirs.
At least it was a legitimate project, which was a lot better than the two of them fighting over Heir Vance all day.
He comforted himself with that thought, and his mood immediately improved.
Having successfully convinced the Emperor, the two of them walked happily out of the Imperial Study, with the little pendant, Miles, still clinging to Cassidy's sleeve.
She tried to pry him off a few times but failed, so she finally gave up.
She'd just let him hold on; it wasn't like her arm was going to fall off.
Besides, thanks to this kid, she'd scored a chest of jewelry and a gilded plaque.
Cassidy decided to strike while the iron was hot. She glanced at Verity, and the two shared a look. It was amazing how in sync they were when there was a profit to be made.
"Come on," Cassidy said. "Let's go pay our respects to Grandmother."
When the three of them appeared at the Serenity Wing, the Empress Dowager couldn't have looked happier.
At her age, all she really wanted was for her grandchildren to get along.
And now, here were Verity and Cassidy, who used to bicker the second they saw each other, walking arm-in-arm, looking as close as could be.
Even her great-grandson, who'd hated being touched since he was little, was finally starting to act like a normal kid.
Cassidy and Verity exchanged a glance before moving in, one massaging the Empress Dowager's back while the other kneaded her shoulders.
Seeing Miles standing there looking lost, Cassidy shot him a glare. He was so bad at reading the room.
Confused but compliant, Miles followed their lead. Mimicking his two aunts, he clenched his small fists and began to gently pat the Empress Dowager's legs.
She was beaming from all the attention. "Well, what brings you all here together today?"
Cassidy smiled sweetly. "Grandmother, I missed you."
Verity smiled, too. "Grandmother, I missed you, too."
After they spoke, they both looked expectantly at Miles.
He was silent.
Under the threatening glares of his two aunts, he forced a smile that looked more like he was about to cry.
The Empress Dowager was already glowing from her granddaughters' affection. But seeing her little great-grandson, who so rarely showed any emotion, actually smiling at her, her eyes welled with tears, her heart full and warm.
"Good, good. You are all such good children."
Once the Empress Dowager was thoroughly charmed, Cassidy spoke up cheerfully. "Grandmother, I have some good news for you. I heard you've always loved watching plays, so I opened a dinner theater. The grand opening is tomorrow. Would you like to come see it?"
Verity leaned against the Empress Dowager's arm playfully. "Yes, Grandmother! The plays at our theater are amazing. I guarantee they're better than anything you've ever seen."
Hearing their sweet words, the smile on the Empress Dowager's face grew even gentler.
"Oh? You two actually opened a theater? That's something new. I appreciate the thought, my dears, but I'm an old woman now. I don't go out into all that hustle and bustle. Tell you what, for your opening tomorrow, I'll send over some brocades, emeralds, and silver as a gift."
"We can't have that!" Cassidy took her grandmother's arm. "Grandmother, you're our good luck charm. I won't feel confident if you're not there in person. Please come! Just think of it as a little outing. Isn't it boring staying cooped up in the palace all day?"
"Yes, yes, Grandmother, just come sit for a little while," Verity chimed in, taking her other arm. "Have a cup of tea, listen to a play, and support us. We promise we won't let you get tired."
Seeing his two aunts looking at him, Miles copied Cassidy, tugging at the Empress Dowager's sleeve with a hopeful look on his face.
Worn down by the trio, the Empress Dowager sighed lovingly. "Fine, fine. Tomorrow, I will make an exception. I'll leave the palace to sit in your theater and see what you two have cooked up this time."
With the Empress Dowager officially set to attend, Cassidy and Verity felt more confident than ever about the grand opening of the Spring Breeze Tower.