The Fourth Princess and Ryder Sinclair
Just then, a whole crowd of Donovan family guards swarmed out of the house, brandishing clubs and shouting threats.
"Hey, stop right there! Who are you people? How dare you trespass on Donovan property and cause trouble?"
"Get them! Don't let those two thieves get away!"
*Thieves?* Cassidy thought. *Isn't that a job for the Capital Inspection Bureau?*
She was itching for a fight and was just about to flash her Inspector's badge when she looked up, her eyes locking onto the two people sprinting at the very front of the pack.
Cassidy froze.
*Wait a second. Is that Dawn and Ryder?*
Why on earth were they being chased like a couple of criminals? Were their families really that broke? No, there was no way.
Just as they spotted her, Dawn and Ryder veered, now running straight for her.
Cassidy just stood there, dumbfounded. *Is it too late to pretend I don't know them and run?*
They reached her in a flash, and without a single word, each grabbed an arm and yanked her into their frantic escape.
*Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'm not part of this!* she thought, stumbling to keep up.
Cassidy ended up leading their escape for nearly half a mile before they finally ducked into an alley and skidded to a halt. She bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for air. "Okay, what was that?" she demanded. "Are you two playing cat burglars in the middle of the night?"
Dawn clutched her chest, her heart hammering. She tugged on Cassidy's sleeve, panting so hard she could barely get the words out. "Cassidy, you're here! You're not going to believe this... old Donovan's son is taking a second wife!"
Cassidy stared at her, confused. "So? Some guy is getting another wife. What does that have to do with you two?"
Ryder looked like he was about to have a stroke. "Does the princess not remember that we own the Spring Breeze Tower? The plays we put on are all based on the latest gossip from the noble families in Argent."
It clicked. "Oh," Cassidy said, straightening up. "So you two were sneaking around their house digging up material for your next script."
Dawn's eyes lit up. "You bet! The Donovans are always acting so high and mighty, pretending to be this respectable family of scholars. The old man is constantly lecturing everyone else on propriety and rules." She leaned in conspiratorially. "But now his own son is taking a second wife!"
Her voice was electric with excitement. "This is a bombshell! The hypocrisy is unbelievable! If we turn this into a play for the Spring Breeze Tower, it'll draw crowds from all over Argent!"
Ryder chimed in eagerly. "Exactly! Material this good is a gift from the heavens. We obviously had to go investigate."
"You're a princess and you're the son of the Grand Tutor," Cassidy pointed out. "Why didn't you just walk in through the front door? Why were you getting chased out like a pair of thieves?"
Dawn scoffed. "If old Donovan knew we were planning to write a play about his family, he'd never have let us in the first place."
Ryder waved a piece of paper in his hand, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Luckily, I'm a genius. I knew his son was taking a second wife tonight, so I snuck over the wall and gathered all the intel. This paper right here has every exclusive, explosive detail."
He puffed out his chest. "When I get back, I'm going to work my magic and write a script that will have the entire city talking for days. We'll sell out every single night."
Cassidy's curiosity got the better of her. She plucked the paper from his hand and started to read. The more she scanned, the wider her eyes got.
"Wait a minute," she said. "The first wife of Donovan's eldest son is the Marquis of Stonehaven's sister?"
Dawn's expression soured. "That's right. The second they heard the marquis was imprisoned and his family put under house arrest, the Donovans stripped his sister of her authority in the household and locked her away in a back courtyard. And now, to add insult to injury,
they're promoting his mistress to second wife."
Cassidy kept reading, her own anger starting to simmer. "And this guy, the son, he's the Minister of Personnel? Do they not care about character at all when they appoint officials? Or do they just go out of their way to pick guys who kick people when they're down?"
Ryder crossed his arms, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, you don't even know the half of it. The story goes that to marry the marquis's sister in the first place, this Donovan son swore to her family that he would never take a mistress. The moment the Marquis of Stonehaven ran into trouble, he broke his promise and made his mistress a wife."
He sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, I was just getting to the juicy part when his guards found me and chased me out."
Cassidy couldn't help but glance at Reid, who had been standing by quietly. "Are all of you Donovans this awful?"
Reid flinched at the disgusted look from the princess and quickly took a step back. "Your Highness, I'm from a minor branch of the family. The main family's business has very little to do with me."
Cassidy frowned. "What does it matter if you're from a minor branch? You're still family, aren't you?" The thought of a wedding happening without an invitation made her own anger flare. "So the old man's son is taking a second wife, and he doesn't even invite you? Hmph. So much for family loyalty."
Ryder's mouth twitched. "To be fair," he pointed out, "taking a second wife isn't exactly something to brag about. They wouldn't make a big deal out of it. It's probably just a small family dinner. They wouldn't invite the minor branches, and they definitely wouldn't announce it to the public."
Cassidy stroked her chin, her gaze flickering from their dark, stealthy clothes to the carriage parked in the distance. A slow, mischievous smile spread across her face.
"You two, go get changed. I'm taking you to the party."
Dawn and Ryder stared at her, bewildered. "What party?"
Now fully invested, Cassidy huffed. "It was bad enough that old man Donovan didn't invite me to his sixtieth birthday. But now his son is getting married and I *still* don't get an invitation? He's clearly looking down on Ashworth Manor."
The System in her head chimed in, just as eager for the drama. *Exactly! The Donovan family has gone too far! You're a respected princess! How dare they not invite you to the wedding! Host, get the sniper rifle. Take him out!*
*Get lost,* Cassidy snapped back mentally.
Dawn and Ryder were still stunned by her bizarre logic, but then Dawn saw the gleam in Cassidy's eye, the unmistakable glint of someone hungry for gossip, and she was instantly on board.
"You're right! A wedding is a huge deal! Not inviting me, a princess of the realm, is a direct insult to the royal family. Let's go! We're going to find that old man and set him straight!"
Ryder was completely lost. Seeing both of them staring at him expectantly, he forced out a few awkward words. "Right. I'll... go offer my congratulations, too."
With that settled, Dawn and Ryder bolted for their carriage to change. A few moments later, they reemerged, having transformed from a pair of cat burglars back into the Fourth Princess and the Grand Tutor's son.
When Cassidy led them back to the Donovan estate, however, she found her own father already there, chewing out the servants.
Prince Ashworth stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression dark as he glared at the guards blocking the entrance. His voice was as cold and sharp as ice.
"I was simply passing by and decided to pay a visit. Yet every single one of you is barring my way. Are you telling me that I, a prince, am not worthy of setting foot inside Donovan House?"