Farce at the Entrance of the Restaurant
Cassidy didn't feel a shred of shame. In fact, she looked like she wanted to pull the princess into her arms and plant a few kisses on her cheeks.
Princess Dawn saw that predatory glint in her eyes and jumped back.
"Hey! Didn't you want to see my uncle's other shops? Are we going or not?"
That was all it took for Cassidy to switch gears, instantly buttering her up. "Of course we are! Dawn, you're the best. So, what other shops does he have?"
Dawn breathed a quiet sigh of relief now that Cassidy was no longer clinging to her. "My uncle also owns a restaurant. You want to go? I heard they got a fresh shipment of seasonal dishes from Ardoria today. It's supposed to be incredible."
Before she could even finish, Cassidy was already dragging her toward the door. "Where is it?"
Watching Cassidy refuse the carriage, insisting instead on riding her donkey, Maserati, the princess asked with genuine curiosity, "Do you really have to be like this?"
"Like what?" Cassidy asked.
"Picking that donkey over a perfectly good carriage," Dawn said, gesturing to the comfortable vehicle.
Cassidy straightened her back, her face a mask of pride. "What kind of hero have you ever seen riding in a carriage?"
The princess was speechless for a second. "I've never seen one ride a donkey, either."
"Well, you're looking at one now," Cassidy said, smugly tapping The Cloudpiercer Bow on her back. "And one day, I'm going to run the entire martial underworld."
Dawn couldn't help but remember the scene outside the Imperial Study, when Cassidy had been so terrified of the third prince that she'd scrambled up a tree and started wailing. She felt her lips twitch. *Her?* With that thimbleful of courage, she was going to take over the martial underworld?
The bickering didn't stop for the entire trip. One would call the other delicate and prissy, and the other would shoot back with a comment about her being shameless. When things got heated, they'd even start pulling at each other's dresses or messing up each other's hair.
Their maids were used to it. Ten minutes of getting along was actually a new record for them; usually, they'd have started fighting by now.
Seeing the argument escalate, the maids worried they were about to start a full-on brawl in the middle of the street and quickly told the driver to pick up the pace.
Soon, the princess's carriage and Cassidy's donkey were racing each other down the street, finally skidding to a halt in front of a restaurant called The Food Cauldron.
Dawn had barely stepped out of the carriage and found her footing when a heartbreaking wail cut through the air, coming from the entrance.
"You godless, black-hearted crooks! You killed my brother!"
Anxious, Dawn hiked up her dress, ready to rush over.
Cassidy grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Is that your uncle's restaurant?"
Dawn didn't have time for this. "Let go of me! I'll buy you dinner another time. Someone's causing trouble at my uncle's restaurant, and I need to see what's going on."
"Are you an idiot? You're just going to charge in there without knowing what's happening?" Cassidy held her fast, then yelled for her attendant. "As-Desired! Go to the Capital Inspection Bureau and get backup. Now!"
Stuck in Cassidy's grip, Dawn was practically vibrating with anxiety.
Cassidy just dragged her over to the carriage and hopped onto the roof. "Sit down. Let's see what's going on first. If you rush in there blind, you won't even be able to make your case."
Dawn had to admit that made sense. She climbed up and sat cross-legged beside Cassidy, her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding at the entrance of The Food Cauldron.
A burly man in tattered clothes stood in front of the main doors, pounding his chest and stamping his feet, crying so hard that tears and snot streamed down his face. A stiff body, covered by a straw mat, lay on the ground before him, with only a pair of feet in worn straw sandals sticking out.
The man held half of a duck pie high in the air, his voice booming across the street and instantly grabbing everyone's attention.
"Friends and neighbors, you be the judge! This afternoon, my brother ate one of the duck pies from this place, The Food Cauldron. Right after he ate it, he started vomiting and had terrible diarrhea. Before I knew it, he was gone! This pie is poisonous!
The Food Cauldron doesn't give a damn about human life!"
A buzz rippled through the surrounding crowd as people started pointing and whispering. The Food Cauldron was known for being both affordable and delicious; it was a local favorite with a stellar reputation. Seeing someone bring a dead body to its doorstep was a huge scandal.
The restaurant's manager had already run out, sweat pouring down his face.
The smile he tried to muster looked more like a pained grimace.
"My good man, you can't just say things like that. We run an honest business here at The Food Cauldron. We have no reason to hate you, so why would we try to harm your brother? Besides, we're in the capital city of Argent. We wouldn't dare use poison, even if we were ten times as bold.
Is it possible your brother ate something else?"
Hearing this, the man slammed the pie onto the ground.
"The proof is right here! My brother bought this duck pie from your restaurant this afternoon and took it home. The second he finished it, he started throwing up, rolling on the ground in agony. He wasn't even alive half an hour later!"
he roared. "You rotten crooks, poisoning your food! Give me back my brother!"
On the roof of the carriage, Dawn's face went pale. She clutched her handkerchief, her knuckles white. "He's making it all up. My uncle runs an honest business. He would never poison anyone!"
Cassidy just scratched her head, her gaze fixed on the chaos. "You think your uncle might have made an enemy?"
Just as Dawn was wracking her brain for any possible enemies her uncle might have, a rush of hurried footsteps approached.
"The Magistrate's Court is on the scene! Everyone, step aside!"
Seven or eight bailiffs in official uniforms moved in, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords. They fanned out with practiced efficiency, controlling the scene as the crowd immediately parted, the whispers dying down to a respectful silence.
Seeing the bailiffs, the man looked like he'd been saved. He scrambled forward and dropped to his knees. "Sir, you have to get justice for me! The Food Cauldron killed my brother. I'm begging you to make things right for him!"
The lead bailiff's face was unreadable. He glanced at the body on the ground, then at the pale-faced manager, and said in a heavy voice, "The accusation is that The Food Cauldron served poisoned food, resulting in a death. A man's life has been lost. Manager,
I'm afraid you'll have to come with us to the government office."
He waved a hand. "Put him in chains and take him away!"
"Sir, you've got it all wrong!" the manager argued, his voice choked with panic. "My restaurant is an honest business! Why would we use poison? That would destroy our own reputation!"
But the bailiffs weren't listening. They grabbed his arms, and with a sharp clatter, cold iron chains were locked around his wrists.
Dawn couldn't take it anymore and was about to jump off the carriage, but Cassidy was faster.
Seeing the backup she'd called for had finally arrived, Cassidy hopped onto her donkey and trotted forward, blocking the bailiffs just as they were about to lead the manager away.
Then, she casually untied a badge from her waist.
"The Capital Inspection Bureau is taking over this case."
Behind her, the inspectors who had been summoned by As-Desired surged forward, surrounding the bailiffs.
The lead bailiff was startled for a moment, but then he seemed to remember who he was dealing with and quickly composed himself.
He looked up at Cassidy, who sat calmly on her donkey. "Princess, with all due respect, this is a murder case. Imperial law states that it falls under the jurisdiction of the Magistrate's Court."