Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 28: I finally saw him, Princess..

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: I finally saw him, Princess..

Cassian ran down along the hallway like his life was dependent on it. After all, he had to find the princess, and that too fast.

But as he rounded the corner of a hallway, he nearly crashed headfirst into someone; his feet skidded to a halt just inches away from the person standing in front of him; his heart started beating in an abnormal way from all the running, and he kept taking long breaths.

"Ahhh!" Lora shrieked in a high-pitched tone that made Cassina cover his ears. Her eyes were wide with terror, as if she had just seen a ghost, and she said in a slightly angry tone. "Are you blind? Do you even see where you’re going? Or are your eyes just for decoration?"

Cassian offered her a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his head and said, "Really my bad, Lora. But I need to see the princess right away, so if you could just—"

Lora’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she gave him a side-eye. "And exactly what is so important that you need to see the princess? You better spill it to me, or there’s no way I’m letting you in without knowing it first."

Cassian mimed, zipping his lips at her and giving her a cheeky smile for good measure. "Can’t say. It is a top secret."

Lora’s face flushed with resentment. "Top secret? You dare keep secrets from me? The princess’s business is my business, you little—"

Before Cassian could blink, Lora snatched up a nearby antique vase with alarming determination. Her eyes blazed with the fury of a thousand storms. Cassian’s own eyes widened in panic.

"L-Lora! What are you doing? That vase is priceless! Put it down!"

But Lora had already started advancing toward him, swinging the vase like a club. "Oh, you think you can just brush me off? I’ll show you what happens when you cross me, Cassian!"

Cassian’s heart leapt into his throat. Forget his head—if that vase shattered alone, he was done for. His feet moved before his brain could catch up, and he took off down the hallway like a deer fleeing a hunter.

"Lora, please! Let’s talk this out like civilized people!" He shouted over his shoulder, his voice high with panic.

"How dare you call a girl uncivilized?" Lora screeched while gaining speed. "The princess says I’m the cutest thing in the palace, and I’ll show you just how cute I can be while smashing this over your head!"

Cassian dodged left, then right, his breath coming in short gasps. "Lora, I take it back! You’re adorable! The most adorable! Just—let’s not get hasty with the smashing, okay?"

But Lora was relentless like a ghost, her eyes locked on him like a predator on its prey. Cassian darted around furniture and ducked through doorways, but Lora was right on his heels, and with the vase still held high.

"Cassian, you can’t run forever! When I catch you, you’ll regret ever crossing me!"

Cassian’s lungs burned, and he knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer. But as he glanced back and saw Lora’s furious, red face and the glint of the vase in her hand, he realized one thing: He wasn’t just running from Lora. He was running from the wrath of the entire palace staff if that vase hit the ground.

And that, more than anything, kept him sprinting through the halls, praying for a miracle—or at least for Lora to run out of steam before he did.

Cassian’s heart was pounding in his chest, and his legs felt like jelly. He rounded another corner and finally caught sight of Princess Aurelia. She was lounging gracefully in the sitting area of her quarters and gently flipping through a book.

"Princess! Help!" Cassian shouted and dashed toward her like a man on a mission. His voice is mixed with panic and pleading.

Princess Aurelia looked up from her book, her eyebrows raised, and just as Cassian came barreling toward her. Behind him, Lora was in her hot pursuit, still clutching the antique vase like a weapon of mass destruction.

"Cassian, what in the world—" Princess Aurelia started, but before she could finish, Cassian threw himself behind her chair while using the princess as a human shield.

"Princess, save me! Lora has gone mad! She’s trying to hit my head in with a priceless vase!" Cassian started wailing while peeking over the back of the chair.

Lora skidded to a halt just in front of the princess. She was breathing heavily, her face flushed with a mixture of rage and exertion. "Princess, you have no idea what he said to me! I just wanted to teach him a lesson."

Princess Aurelia blinked, looking from Cassian, who was cowering behind her like a frightened child, to Lora, who was still clutching the vase as if it were a sword. She sighed while closing her book with a gentle thud.

"Lora, put the vase down before you do something you’ll regret," Aurelia said to Lora, her voice calm but firm.

"But Princess, he—" Lora started, but the princess held up a hand to silence her.

"Put It Down." Aurelia’s voice left no room for argument.

Lora hesitated for a moment. She glared at Cassian, who was peeking out from behind the chair. Finally, with a reluctant huff, she carefully set the vase back on the table and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Cassian breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t dare move from his spot. The princess turned in her chair to look at him one eyebrow quirked.

"Cassian, why exactly is Lora chasing you around the palace like a cat with a mouse?"

Cassian bit his lip, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. "Well... you see, Princess, I might have... accidentally... implied that Lora isn’t as cute as she thinks she is."

Lora let out an indignant gasp. "He said I was uncivilized! Can you believe that? Me? Uncivilized?"

Princess Aurelia sighed again while pinching the bridge of her nose. "Cassian, you really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut. And Lora, you need to stop trying to kill people every time they annoy you."

Lora pouted, but the princess’s stern gaze made her drop her eyes to the floor. Cassian gave a sheepish grin, still half-hiding behind the chair.

"Now," Aurelia continued, her tone softer, "both of you apologize to each other, and let’s try to act like adults, shall we?"

Cassian and Lora exchanged glances. Cassian cleared his throat, stepping out from behind the chair. "I’m sorry, Lora. You’re, um, very cute, and I didn’t mean to upset you."

Lora huffed but finally nodded. "And I’m sorry for trying to bash your head in. But next time, just tell me what I want to know, okay?"

Princess Aurelia shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "There. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?"

Cassian and Lora both nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. The princess chuckled, standing up from her chair.

"Now, Cassian, what was so urgent that you almost got yourself killed trying to tell me?"

Princess, I saw the crown prince of the Drakonia kingdom....

Princess Aurelia’s expression shifted from mild annoyance to concern as she heard Cassian mention the Crown Prince of Drakonia. Her face turned a shade paler, but she maintained her composure.

"What did you say?" Aurelia asked, her voice slightly strained.

Cassian, noticing the change in her demeanor, hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I finally saw him, Princess... The Crown Prince of Drakonia."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.