The Generous Fourth Princess
The emperor's face went dark. "You imbecile!" he barked at Drake. "You're a prince, and you can't even look after your own family. You just resort to violence. You are a disgrace to this family!"
He motioned to the guards. "Strip him of his rank and take him to the clan court."
The emperor's voice was cold steel. "When this whole business with the Marquis of Stonehaven is over and your name is cleared, *then* you can crawl your way out. But if I find out you were involved, I swear I'll have your hide."
Even Drake, dense as he could be, knew what this was really about. His father must have seen the list. Cassidy's crying was just a convenient excuse to punish him, warn any officials thinking of picking a side, and send a clear message to the other princes not to pull any stunts.
He knew better than to argue, so he just followed the attendants to the clan court in silence.
Regret hit him hard. He never should have provoked Cassidy today. If he hadn't, none of his backroom deals would have come to light.
But wait a minute. He hadn't even provoked her, had he? All he did was glance in her direction, and suddenly he was the bad guy.
Drake suddenly felt like the unluckiest man alive.
When Dawn heard her brother had been locked away, she rushed to comfort Cassidy.
"It's okay now," she said soothingly. "The emperor punished Drake, so you don't have to be afraid anymore. If he ever dares to bully you again, you come find me. I promise I won't let him get away with it."
Cassidy had looked so pitiful, so Dawn pulled a thick wad of bills, a thousand dollars, from her sleeve and pressed it into her hand.
"Here, this should help you feel better," Dawn said. "I'll take you out for a bit. A little shopping trip for some new jewelry will cheer you right up."
Cassidy's eyes lit up at the sight of the cash. She nodded eagerly. "Dawn, you're the best!"
With money in hand, she completely forgot about Drake, happily leaving the palace with Dawn to go shopping.
The sight of the money suddenly reminded Prince Ashworth why he'd really come to the palace.
He promptly stuck his hand out to the emperor.
"Leo, your son bullied my daughter and scared her half to death. A father has to answer for his son's mistakes. So, pay up. I need to buy her some ginseng to get her strength back."
The emperor's hands clenched into fists, fighting the urge to deck him.
Seeing those clenched fists, Prince Ashworth immediately turned and started walking toward the Serenity Wing. "Fine. I'm going to tell the empress mother that your son bullied my daughter."
"Get back here!" the emperor roared.
Ashworth just stopped and held his hand out again. The message was clear: pay up, or he was going straight to their mother to complain.
The emperor gritted his teeth, absolutely furious at his brother's shamelessness. "Steward Payne, go to my study and bring me my red sandalwood box. Take three thousand dollars and give it to him."
Steward Payne hurried off to do as he was told. He returned a moment later with the box, carefully counted out the bills, and handed them to Prince Ashworth.
Cash in hand, Ashworth's mood improved instantly. He tossed a few quick compliments at the emperor before cheerfully heading out of the palace.
The emperor stared at the now-thinner stack of bills in the box, a sharp pain twisting in his chest.
He whirled on Steward Payne. "Since that fool Drake caused all this trouble, why should *I* be the one paying for it? Go to Noble Consort Shen right now and get ten thousand dollars from her. Tell her that since she failed to raise her son properly, this money can serve as a painful reminder."
Steward Payne almost dropped the box. Had the emperor gotten so angry he'd lost his mind? But one look at his face told him he was dead serious, so the steward just nodded and scurried off to take care of it.
Meanwhile, Cassidy and Dawn, having already left the palace, headed straight for a jewelry store.
Cassidy was about to step into The Gilded Jewel, the most glamorous shop in all of Argent, but before she could cross the threshold, Dawn grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward a much more understated shop next door.
Cassidy stumbled, looking back at the grand storefront with a pout. "Dawn, what are you doing? I thought you were buying me jewelry! The Gilded Jewel is the best shop in Argent. I want to pick from the best."
Dawn didn't let go, pulling Cassidy firmly into the modest shop.
"Just trust me on this one," she said, her voice a little smug.
"This is my uncle's shop. The quality is top-notch, none of that watered-down stuff. It's way more reliable than those big, flashy stores. Pick whatever you want. Seriously, I'll just let my uncle know later."
The moment Cassidy heard the word "uncle," her eyes lit up, and all her complaints vanished.
She shook Dawn's arm, her voice brimming with pride. "Our uncle is amazing! Opening a jewelry shop in Argent is a huge deal."
"He's *my* uncle," Dawn corrected her sharply. "What do you mean, 'our uncle'?"
But Cassidy had already let go and was skipping into the shop, her eyes sparkling as she took in the dazzling array of jewelry. She clicked her tongue in amazement.
"Our uncle really does have good taste," she declared. "You can tell just by looking that the materials are amazing and the designs are incredible. Not like that tacky place next door. See? Family-owned shops are just more trustworthy."
Dawn just glared at her. "That's not what you were saying a minute ago."
Cassidy, who was now holding a phoenix hairpin in one hand while wearing a beautiful emerald bracelet on the other, just tilted her head in front of a diamond-patterned mirror. "That was then, this is now. I've grown up. I'm not fooled by flashy appearances anymore."
Seeing how happy she was, Dawn didn't bother arguing. She just lifted her chin proudly. "This is just one of my uncle's shops. I'll take you to his others some other time."
"What do you mean, 'some other time'?" Cassidy's eyes were practically sparkling. "How about today?"
Dawn watched Cassidy staring at her, eyes overflowing with admiration, and straightened her posture.
Finally. She'd finally won a round when it came to wealth.
In the past, Cassidy would always dismiss money as some tacky, materialistic thing, always hinting that she looked down on business.
It had almost made Dawn feel bad for being rich.
She lifted her chin smugly. "Shopkeeper," she called out, her voice full of confidence. "Wrap up all the jewelry Cassidy just touched. Every single piece. Put it on my uncle's tab; I'll talk to him later."
She was like a proud peacock showing off its feathers, looking at Cassidy, practically begging for a compliment.
Cassidy's mouth fell open. Back when she used to read billionaire romance novels, she always thought the hero throwing money around was cringey and could never understand how the heroine found it romantic.
But now, watching the shopkeeper wrap up all that gold and silver jewelry for her...
It turns out she only thought it was cringey because the money wasn't being spent on *her*.
Cassidy threw her arms around Dawn and snuggled up to her. "Dawn, you're a goddess! You're my hero! If anyone ever bullies you, you just come to me. Is there anyone you hate? Just say the word, and I'll go punch them for you right now."
Dawn's face turned beet-red. Being hugged and kissed on the cheek right in the middle of the store was too much. She quickly pushed the clingy Cassidy away. "Cassidy, you... you're so shameless!"