The Father and Daughter Duo Who Cant Sleep
Prince Ashworth was stunned. He stood there for a second, processing, and then it hit him. All the frustration he'd been holding back twisted into pure, uncut anger.
"You're right," he seethed. "I don't have to go, but they can't just *not invite* us!"
The thought made him so mad he started pacing. A respected prince like him, pushed around for years by a bunch of nobodies in his own backyard. It was insulting.
The steward standing nearby let out a quiet sigh of relief. The manor had been blacklisted by every powerful official in Argent, and he'd been tossing and turning every night, worried sick that his two masters would crack under the pressure.
He should have known better. He'd been overthinking it. Far from being crushed by the snub, his masters didn't seem to care one bit. In fact, they looked almost smug about it.
Cassidy tapped the list on the table. "Who on here is having a party soon?" she asked the steward.
The steward took the list, glanced at it, and pointed to a name. "This Jennings fellow is getting married in five days. He's marrying Grand Princess Corrine's daughter. It's going to be a huge wedding banquet."
Cassidy peered at the name. "Did we get an invitation?" she asked, a little too innocently.
The steward shook his head.
Cassidy's jaw dropped. "Isn't Grand Princess Corrine my great-aunt? Her daughter's getting married, and she didn't send us an invitation? Does family mean nothing to her?"
Hearing this, the steward glanced nervously at Prince Ashworth before clearing his throat. "Well, Princess," he began carefully, "since the Prince has always been on... bad terms with Grand Princess Corrine, I suppose that's why we were overlooked."
Cassidy whipped her head around to stare at her father. "Why are you on bad terms with *everyone*?"
Prince Ashworth looked a little embarrassed but quickly puffed out his chest. "I didn't start it," he said defensively.
The steward added quietly, "The Prince just... beat up her husband."
Cassidy was speechless.
Her father huffed. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Corrine kept running to the Empress Dowager to complain about me. I don't hit women, so I had to take it out on her husband. I beat him up to teach that clueless woman a lesson."
Cassidy's mouth hung open. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, she could say to that.
"Dad, it's a miracle you're still alive." She was already imagining going to that wedding with him, only to get dragged into one of his brawls and thrown out on the spot.
Sighing, she turned back to the list. "Besides Jennings, who else is having a party soon?"
The steward thought for a moment. "There's the Donovan family. The old man is celebrating his sixtieth birthday. They're planning something massive, and the party is two weeks from now. Most of the noble families in Argent already have their invitations."
"The Donovan family?" Cassidy asked. "Reid Donovan's family?"
The steward nodded.
Cassidy rubbed her chin, a slow grin spreading across her face. "Dad, the man is turning sixty and throwing a huge party, but he didn't invite us. Isn't that a little rude?"
Prince Ashworth nodded emphatically. "He may be rude, but we won't be. In a couple of weeks, we'll go over there and wish him a happy birthday in person."
Cassidy wasn't about to wait that long. "There's no time like the present, Dad. Why don't we go tonight?"
Her father looked at her, confused. What was his daughter on about now? "His birthday isn't for another two weeks. If we go now, we'd just be crashing."
Cassidy stood up and lifted her chin. "We're going to his house tonight and making that old man write us an invitation. If everyone else has one, we need one, too. How embarrassing would it be if we were the only ones who showed up without one? We can't let Ashworth Manor lose face."
Prince Ashworth paused. That... actually made perfect sense.
Suddenly on the same page, the father-daughter duo threw their arms around each other's shoulders and marched out of the study, not even bothering to call for servants. Right in front of the horrified steward, they leaped into the air and zipped off toward the Donovan estate.
The steward panicked. This was a disaster. He never should have let them learn that ridiculous leaping skill. If he hadn't, they wouldn't be using it to sneak out every single night instead of sleeping.
He scrambled to find Reid and Jed, ordering them to get to the Donovan estate immediately. If his two masters lost their minds and started a scene, he was afraid old man Donovan wouldn't live to see his sixtieth birthday.
Meanwhile, soaring out of Ashworth Manor, the father and daughter were heading straight for the Donovan estate. But as they passed Crestfall Manor, they happened to see the Duke of Crestfall himself about to leave in his carriage.
What a coincidence.
They immediately ditched their plan and, without a second thought, dropped down and climbed right into the Duke's carriage.
Seeing the shameless pair squeeze in and flank him on either side, the Duke of Crestfall felt his world go dark. The two troublemakers from Ashworth Manor were like ghosts he just couldn't shake.
Cassidy stared at him like a hawk. "Planning on running away, Duke?"
Prince Ashworth crossed his arms, looking like a detective who'd just cornered his prime suspect. "A dark and stormy night... perfect for a little crime. Were you on your way to my manor to silence someone?"
The Duke's expression soured. "I just got word that Leo's lover is hiding out in a residence outside the city," he gritted out. "She's planning to skip town tonight. I'm in a hurry to catch her, so I don't have time for you two."
Prince Ashworth lifted the curtain, looked at the coachman, and barked, "What are you waiting for? Drive! Get to that residence. If you're slow, I'll beat your master to a pulp."
The coachman froze, terrified.
Prince Ashworth then turned back to the pale-faced Duke, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You're pretty resourceful, Duke. You got this important tip and didn't tell me right away. Don't tell me you were planning to sneak over there and silence her before she could talk."
A knot of pure frustration tightened in the Duke's chest. "I was just about to send a messenger to Ashworth Manor." Who could have guessed they'd literally drop in on their own?
Cassidy snorted. "Good thing we caught you. Otherwise, that lover of his would've been silenced for good."
The Duke of Crestfall closed his eyes, completely defeated.
He realized that every time he talked to these two, he somehow ended up being accused of a new crime.
He just went silent. Let them say whatever they wanted.
In the stories they were probably spinning, his entire family line had already died a hundred different deaths.
Seeing him go quiet only seemed to fuel Cassidy and her father. The two of them proceeded to gossip about everyone and everything at Crestfall Manor, from the highest lord to the chickens in the yard.
They didn't stop until their mouths were dry, and by then, the carriage had arrived at the lover's hideout.
The Duke of Crestfall finally let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. If he'd had to stay in that carriage with them for one more minute, he was sure he'd have lost years off his life.
They went straight to the house and, sure enough, found a woman with a bag packed, clearly ready to make a run for it.
Thinking fast, the Duke immediately ordered his guards to grab her.
He'd taken the blame for so long, and now he finally had a real lead.
As long as he could get this woman to talk and tell him who was pulling Leo's strings, he could clear his name, get these two lunatics from Ashworth Manor off his back, and finally get a good night's sleep.
The thought made him practically giddy with excitement.