My Dad Seems a Bit Dead
Cassidy's heart hammered against her ribs.
As the jailers and Vaughn's men rushed over, she pointed at the bodies littering the ground. "Get them up," she ordered, her voice shaking. "Carry them to the Imperial Palace. Now."
The Emperor, deep in sleep, snapped his eyes open at the sound of what he thought was Solana wailing. He threw on a robe and stalked outside, his face a grim mask in the moonlight. He found his niece at the door, filthy and howling as she clutched a stunned Steward Payne.
"It's the middle of the night," the Emperor said, startled. "Why are you crying like that?"
Hearing his voice, Cassidy felt a wave of relief wash over her. She spun around, scrambled over, and hugged his thigh like her life depended on it. Then she pointed a trembling finger at the row of people laid out at the entrance to his chambers and let out a heart-wrenching wail.
"Uncle, I think... I think my dad's dead."
The Emperor followed her gaze. When he saw the neat row of bodies, with his own brother and son lying at the very front, his vision swam with black spots. Gasping for breath, he staggered back, clutching his chest as Cassidy lunged to grab his leg, terrified he was about to collapse.
Vaughn decided he'd better speak up before the princess had another body to cry over.
"Your Majesty," he said quickly, "Prince Ashworth and the Second Prince are still alive."
Still clutching his chest, the Emperor slowly looked back at the line of people on the ground, and a fresh wave of fury rolled through him.
"If they aren't dead," he snarled, "then why did you lay them out like they're ready for the morgue?"
The guards exchanged confused glances. They were used to carrying corpses, and this was exactly how they always lined them up. It was their first time arranging living people, and frankly, they had no idea how else to do it.
The Emperor took a ragged breath, fighting for control. Seeing his brother and son unconscious on the ground had left him reeling. "What is going on?" he boomed. "Get the Imperial Physicians in here!"
Several physicians came running with their medical bags, nearly dropping them in fright when they heard the Emperor's roar. His Majesty was furious again. They hurried forward, but just as they were about to kneel, the Emperor waved them off.
"Just see what's wrong with them!"
At his command, the physicians turned to the row of 'bodies' on the ground, and their hearts skipped a beat. *Are they all dead? Are we going to make it out of here alive tonight?*
Physician Miller rushed to Prince Ashworth's side and shakily checked for a breath. When he felt the faint puff of air against his hand, he let out a huge, silent sigh of relief. That was close. He'd almost gotten his entire family wiped out.
Seeing this, Cassidy let go of the Emperor's leg and scrambled over to Physician Miller, her face tight with anxiety.
"How is he? How much longer does he have?"
Physician Miller shot her a strange look. What kind of kid talks like that about her own father?
But seeing the doctor's grim, silent expression, Cassidy started to panic for real. "What's wrong with him? Oh, my poor dad!" she cried.
Physician Miller pulled his hand back and thoughtfully stroked his beard. "Fortunately, the Princess got him here when she did."
A cold dread washed over Cassidy. "What would have happened if I was late?" she whispered. Had the poison already reached his vital organs? She fumbled at her waist, ready to shove the Ninefold Soul-Return Elixir into her dad's mouth.
"A moment later," Physician Miller said gravely, "and the Prince would have woken up on his own."
Just as he finished speaking, Cassidy saw her father's eyelids flutter. He opened his eyes, looking dazed, and his gaze landed on his daughter, her face streaked with grime and sand still trickling from her hair.
"Sweetheart," he mumbled, "were you playing in the sand?"
Seeing her father was really okay, Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she pointed dramatically at the man in prisoner's clothes lying nearby and launched into a truly pathetic complaint.
"Dad! Uncle!" she wailed. "Look at my face! And my clothes, and my hair! He did this! If I hadn't been fast, he would've crushed me with one hit! He chased me for a dozen streets and threw sand all over me!"
Prince Ashworth forgot all about his dizziness and shot up from the ground. "You dare bully my daughter? I'll skin you alive!" he roared, staggering over to the unconscious man in the prison uniform and kicking him while cursing a blue streak.
The Emperor's heart ached as he listened to Cassidy's tearful story and took in her messy hair and torn dress. His gaze fell on the man in the prison uniform, and his eyes turned to ice. "What exactly happened? How did you get into this state?"
Cassidy immediately started taking all the credit. "Uncle, if Dad and I hadn't been so smart tonight, the Marquis of Stonehaven would be a dead man."
She started talking a mile a minute, explaining how she and her father, in their infinite brilliance, had been so worried that the Second Prince and the Duke of Crestfall were plotting to kill the Marquis of Stonehaven that they couldn't sleep.
So, naturally, they'd taken Jed for a late-night 'investigation' of the Ministry of Justice, where they'd stumbled upon the assassination attempt.
In the middle of her heroic tale, she didn't forget to complain that none of the Emperor's officials were any good at their jobs.
The Emperor was speechless. So, the two of them couldn't sleep, got to gossiping about court officials, and decided to just casually 'investigate' the Ministry of Justice?
And in doing so, they just *happened* to stop an assassination?
And what in the world was the Ministry of Justice doing?
He'd just warned them yesterday to tighten security.
Did his words just go in one ear and out the other?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. "If you were going to investigate the Ministry of Justice, why didn't you bring the estate guards? Solana, didn't I give you more than a hundred elite soldiers?"
"If I brought that many people, it wouldn't exactly be a 'night investigation,' would it?" Cassidy shot back.
Then she remembered the porcelain bottle she'd stuffed into her dress. She quickly pulled it out and handed it to Physician Miller.
"What's this?"
Physician Miller took the bottle, carefully removed the stopper, and leaned in for a sniff. His expression changed instantly, and his hands began to shake.
"This... this is Soul-Severing Powder," he stammered, his voice hushed with dread. "One of the deadliest poisons in the martial underworld. The moment this hits the ground, it turns into a thick cloud of black smoke. Anyone who breathes it in dies instantly!"
The Emperor's blood ran cold. He stared at Cassidy. "Where did you get this? Why are you carrying something so dangerous?"
Cassidy hadn't realized the stuff was *that* deadly. Her mouth went dry. "I, uh... I saw the killer trying to smash it on the ground. I was curious, so when he threw it... I caught it."
"You *what*?" The Emperor felt a cold sweat break out on his back. If she hadn't caught that bottle, he would be planning a funeral for his brother and his niece right now.
The thought sent a fresh jolt of rage through him, hotter than before.
"Vaughn!" he roared.
Vaughn stepped forward. "Your Majesty!"
"Take this man and interrogate him!" the Emperor commanded, his eyes dark and menacing.
"Torture him if you have to. I don't care what you have to do, but you will find out who sent him! Someone dared to pull a stunt like this right under my nose, murdering princes and princesses without a second thought."
Who in the hell gave him the nerve?