The Opening of Spring Breeze Tower
With that settled, Cassidy Sterling headed back to Ashworth Manor, her little nephew, Miles, in tow.
Princess Solana, the fourth princess, had been hoping to tag along for a free meal, but a messenger from her mother arrived to summon her back to the palace, reminding her how late it was getting.
As she left, Solana couldn't help but feel another pang of jealousy.
Cassidy got to live outside the palace, free and clear.
Sooner or later, she decided, she would convince her father, the Emperor, to grant her a manor of her own so she could finally move out, too.
Back at Ashworth Manor, Cassidy walked in to find her father, Prince Ashworth, drunkenly cuddling a speckled hen and slurring on and on about what a magnificent bird it was.
Cassidy turned to the steward, Clifford, who was standing beside her with a pained expression. "Where did he get the money for this?"
"To answer your question, Your Highness," Clifford replied quickly, "the Prince paid a visit to His Majesty a few days ago."
Cassidy sighed. A mooch. It really did run in the family.
Still, her father *had* been surprisingly helpful lately, pulling strings to find her actors, assemble a theater troupe, and check on the renovations for the Spring Breeze Tower. Feeling a rare flicker of generosity, she pulled three thousand dollars from her purse.
"Uncle Clifford, give this to my father when he sobers up."
Clifford took the money with tears welling in his eyes, looking so moved it was almost comical. It wasn't clear if he was touched by Cassidy's sudden show of filial piety or just relieved the two of them had finally stopped fighting.
Seeing him get so emotional, Cassidy felt her lip twitch. The man was getting more dramatic by the day. To head off whatever sappy comment was about to come out of his mouth, she quickly pulled Miles out from behind her.
"Could you please find a room for him? And don't worry about his attendants, the Empress has already taken care of that."
Clifford's jaw dropped. The little imperial grandson was staying at Ashworth Manor? And the Empress herself had arranged it? He was completely baffled. What on earth was she thinking? Wasn't she worried the two notoriously unreliable masters of this house would sell the poor boy for spare parts?
Despite his confusion, Clifford hurried off to prepare a room. This was one order he couldn't afford to screw up.
With that sorted, Cassidy started toward her own rooms, ready to collapse. She glanced down to find Miles still clutching the hem of her sleeve.
She gritted her teeth. "Let go, or I'll *make* you let go."
Fearing she might actually follow through on that threat, her attendants, Auspicious and As-Desired, rushed forward and gently pried the boy's fingers from the fabric.
"Your Imperial Highness, it's getting late," Auspicious said softly. "The Princess has had a long day and needs her rest. If you want to play with her, how about waiting until tomorrow? You'll both feel better after a good night's sleep."
Miles looked up at his aunt's exhausted face and immediately let go. The two attendants breathed a quiet sigh of relief and quickly led him away.
After a solid night's sleep, Cassidy finished an early breakfast and headed for the Spring Breeze Tower.
She'd assumed she'd be the first to arrive, but it turned out Solana and Ryder Sinclair were even more eager than she was.
They were both giving her accusatory looks, clearly unimpressed that the person in charge had shown up last.
Cassidy, however, didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. "What are you two just standing around for?"
"Waiting for you, boss, to finally open this place," Ryder said dryly.
Solana lifted her chin. "Look at that crowd. I heard they're all here for 'Young Lord, Your Little Darling Has Fled Again.' I had no idea Landon Vance and Percival Dawes were so popular in Argent."
Cassidy clapped her on the shoulder. "Well, you can thank yourself for their popularity."
A proud look crossed Solana's face. "Of course. I've seen the error of my ways, and I am truly sorry for what I put them through. I won't let anyone ruin their love story now. I've had people keeping an eye on the Vance family. They threw Percival out a few days ago, so I kindly sent him right back.
As long as I'm around, the Vances can forget about splitting them up."
Cassidy was momentarily speechless. She gave Solana a thumbs-up. "You're really something else. With you as a co-owner, Spring Breeze Tower is going to be a huge success."
A wide smile spread across Solana's face. "You're not so bad yourself. With you in charge, we're going to make a fortune."
"You're right," Cassidy agreed. "With two amazing people like us running the show, how could we possibly fail?"
They stood there beaming, patting each other on the back.
Watching them, Ryder gritted his teeth. "Could you two maybe pay a little attention to *me*? I've been writing scripts and supervising rehearsals for days. I haven't slept, and my eyes are completely bloodshot!"
He was fuming. These two hands-off bosses were living the high life while he did all the work, and now they had the nerve to stand here complimenting each other? Didn't they feel any shame?
The self-congratulatory mood evaporated.
Seeing the dark circles under Ryder's eyes, which practically reached his chin, Cassidy felt a pang of guilt.
She patted his shoulder sincerely. "You've been working hard. From now on, you're the third owner of Spring Breeze Tower. I've got high hopes for you."
Ryder just glared at them. "It's almost nine o'clock. Are we opening this place or not?"
Cassidy and Solana immediately straightened up. "Open! Yes! We're opening right now!"
At the perfect moment, gongs and drums roared to life in front of the theater as red silk banners fluttered in the breeze.
The crowd of onlookers was packed so tightly you couldn't push through.
Just as the noise reached a crescendo, the sharp clatter of hooves echoed from the end of the street, followed by an official's booming cry: "Make way! An Imperial Decree has arrived for the Spring Breeze Tower!"
The crowd fell silent, bowing and parting to clear a path.
Four guards appeared, carrying a gilded plaque draped in yellow silk.
Escorted by two officials, the procession was a grand sight.
The lead official, Steward Payne, unrolled a scroll and announced, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Spring Breeze Tower, created by Princess Verity and Princess Solana, is a delight for all, possessing a true and natural artistic flair. Today,
I bestow upon it the title 'Beacon of the Stage.' So it is decreed!"
The silk was pulled away, and the midday sun caught the plaque, making the gilded letters gleam. The words, *Beacon of the Stage*, were written in a bold, powerful script, personally penned by the Emperor himself.
The onlookers erupted in cheers, bowing and praising the Emperor's generosity.
Seeing their father's grand gesture of support, Cassidy and Solana couldn't hold back their smiles. When it came to making a statement, you had to hand it to the man. They quickly offered their formal thanks and ordered the plaque to be hung above the entrance.
And with that, the Spring Breeze Tower was officially open for business.
With a plaque personally gifted by the Emperor, a constant stream of carriages soon filled the cobblestone street. Noble ladies, young women, scholars, and artists from all over Argent, drawn by the theater's newfound fame, flocked to its doors.
At this point, who even remembered that the building used to be a brothel?
Everyone wanted to get inside and see the play about Heir Vance and the scholar.
The title alone, 'Young Lord, Your Little Darling Has Fled Again', was enough to pique their curiosity.
The theater troupes in Argent usually performed the same tired old stories of brilliant scholars and beautiful maidens, or loyal officials and righteous heroes.
People were bored. The Vance family drama, on the other hand, was the talk of the town, and now there was a play about it.
Before, nobles had worried about damaging their reputations, or worse, offending the Vance family, by attending.
But things were different now. His Majesty himself had endorsed the theater.
How could anyone call it a brothel? And as for the Vances, well, everyone was simply following the Emperor's lead and appreciating a fine work of art.
As the bright red doors slowly swung open, golden bells on the eaves chimed softly in the wind, sounding like the opening notes of a performance.
Cassidy, Solana, and Ryder, the three owners of Spring Breeze Tower, stood at the entrance, beaming with pride as they greeted the massive crowd.
"Welcome to the Spring Breeze Tower!" Cassidy announced, her voice ringing out. "We're so grateful for your support. Please, come inside and enjoy the show!"