Help Drake Sterling Wants to Beat Me
The thought of those people shoving her into a latrine until she drowned sent a shiver down Cassidy's spine.
"Uncle, you have to help me," she pleaded. "You have to figure out who wants me dead. I'm not brave! What if they sneak into Ashworth Manor in the middle of the night to kill me? I'll be dead for nothing!"
The Emperor's gaze swept over the list of names on the paper.
When his eyes landed on the Third Prince's name, they turned to ice.
He'd always thought of his third son as an impulsive, simple-minded kid.
Drake had even volunteered to deal with the bandits outside the city, which made him seem like a decent young man willing to put in the work.
He never expected to be so wrong about him.
Every single name on that paper belonged to the son of a high-ranking official in his court.
Just perfect.
Seeing the Emperor's dark expression and his pointed silence, Cassidy started to get annoyed.
"Uncle, did you even hear me? These people were in a room plotting my murder. I'm an only child! You can't just sit back and let me die."
The Emperor's gaze shifted from the list back to her. "Why would your brother Drake want to kill you?"
"Who knows?" Cassidy shot back, the logic perfectly sound in her own mind.
"He's obviously in on it with that assassin. Since I caught his guy and ruined his plan, now he's trying to find another way to get rid of me. Uncle, the person who framed the Marquis of Stonehaven for treason has to be on this list.
Let's just arrest all of them and lock them up in the Ministry of Justice."
The Emperor was speechless. He was starting to suspect that if Prince Ashworth and his daughter kept investigating the marquis's case, he'd be the only one left in his entire court.
"Solana, do you have any idea whose sons these are?"
Cassidy glanced at the names and shook her head. "No. Why? Are you planning to arrest their families, too? That doesn't seem right. You can't punish a whole family for one person's crimes. If you execute their entire clans, a lot of people will die."
A vein throbbed in the Emperor's temple. This kid wasn't just content with taking down his officials; now she was coming for their families.
"Leave the list with me," he said, his voice strained. "I'll handle this. And don't worry, Drake won't dare to kill you."
"Why wouldn't he? He tried to hit me just now! I was lucky I ran fast, or he would've beaten me to death. If he's willing to hit me today, he'll be breaking into Ashworth Manor to kill my father tomorrow. And the day after that, he'll be storming the palace to kill you!"
Cassidy was very, *very* concerned for her own safety.
Looking at the fiery little troublemaker, the Emperor felt a headache coming on.
"Then how do you want to handle them? Arresting people requires hard evidence, Solana. This isn't a game. If we start arresting people just because they give you a dirty look, the whole court would be thrown into chaos."
"Hah! 'Chaos'? It's pretty clear they want me dead," she snapped. "You're just being biased. The proof is right here, but you don't want to deal with Drake and his precious friends."
Cassidy snatched the list from his hand and stormed out of the Imperial Study in a huff.
*Evidence? Fine. Just you wait. Once I investigate everyone on this list, I'll have all the evidence I need.*
As the door slammed shut behind her, the Emperor's eyelid twitched. He turned to the steward standing beside him. "Payne, go get me the lists of successful candidates from the imperial examinations of the last few years."
This father-daughter duo was stirring up a hornet's nest, and he knew a full-blown purge was coming, sooner or later.
He might as well get ahead of it. He'd look through the old exam records and find anyone with real talent and a good character to fill the vacancies.
At least that way, his court wouldn't be run by a pack of useless sycophants.
After leaving the study, Cassidy nearly collided with the Third Prince, who was rushing toward the doors. She shot him a glare and immediately turned to go back and complain again.
Seeing the list in her hand and her turning back toward the study, Drake assumed she'd just arrived and hadn't seen their father yet. He lunged, reaching to snatch the paper from her.
The moment he moved, Cassidy yelped and jumped back, pointing at him warily. "I'm warning you, this is the Imperial Palace! If you dare touch me, I'll tell Grandmother!"
She couldn't count on her uncle anymore. It was time to bring out the big guns.
Drake, who had only been trying to grab the list, froze. After Cassidy's shout, all the nearby palace servants were staring at him with suspicion. His eyes went bloodshot with fury. "What are you talking about? When have I ever hit you?"
Seeing the murderous look in his eyes and remembering that her uncle was already on his side, a fresh wave of panic hit Cassidy.
She scrambled up a large, nearby tree, not stopping until she was hugging a thick branch high off the ground.
Her legs kicked in the air as she started wailing at the top of her lungs.
"You stay away from me! I'm an only child, the light of my family's life! If you hit me, my father will never let you get away with it!"
Drake stood there, rage burning in his chest.
He hadn't done a single thing, hadn't even taken a step, and she had already put on a full performance, crying, climbing a tree, and yelling threats like he was holding a knife to her throat.
Fury and impatience swirled in his eyes.
His body tensed, and with a light push from his toes, he launched himself into the air.
He refused to believe that he, a prince, couldn't handle one little princess.
But just as he soared upward and his fingertips brushed the branch Cassidy was clinging to, a girl's angry voice exploded from below.
"Drake, what do you think you're doing?"
The Fourth Princess, Dawn, stood under the tree with her hands on her hips, her almond-shaped eyes wide and round.
She might have been small, but her voice was sharp and loud.
"You're going to attack someone right outside the Imperial Study in broad daylight? You've got some nerve!"
Drake froze mid-air. Cassidy alone was already giving him a headache; now another loudmouth had shown up. He was stuck, just about to snatch the list, his face thunderous.
Seeing Dawn, Cassidy felt like she'd been saved. She hugged the branch tighter and looked down pitifully. "Dawn, help! Drake is trying to beat me to death!"
When Dawn heard her name, she looked up and saw Cassidy huddled on the branch, pale-faced and wide-eyed, staring at her with the total trust of a lost chick waiting for its mother. A fierce wave of protectiveness washed over her.
With an angry shout, she pushed off her toes and shot into the air. Her fingers wrapped precisely around Drake's ankle, and she hung right off of it, her full weight pulling him down.
"Get down, Drake! Get down right now! If you dare move one inch closer to her, I'll run straight to the study and tell Father! Then I'll go tell Grandmother! Let's see if they don't skin you alive!"