Cadell sighed as he stared at his only living son. "You care too much about what people think. Their opinions do not matter and they will never matter. Not to me and not to Cassandra."

Penry was about to answer him when the two heard someone knocking on the door. Soon the door was open and Cassandra walked inside, with not a hint of emotion on her face.

"You wanted to see me?" Her eyes were straight toward the old man, not even glancing at the sofa where Penry was sitting.

"Two years… and you haven\'t changed," Ignoring her attitude, Penry sneered at her. "You arrived yesterday and you didn\'t even ask your grandfather for a welcome party."

A fake smile appeared on her face. Who the hell cares about parties? "Uncle Penry… I didn\'t see you there.." She didn\'t hide the disdain in her voice. She never liked his uncle. Even after her parents died, she never grew close to the his father\'s only brother.

Penry snorted in response. "I came here to invite you to a tea party. It was your aunt\'s idea. She would have personally brought the invitation if she wasn\'t ill."

"A tea party."

"You know how women love to talk about gifts. The royal birthday is coming and people wanted to talk about who had the best gift. The tea party will be in my estate. Your aunt just bought a tree that she could trim. It\'s from the outside world. She was pretty proud of it."

A tree? Isn\'t that just Bonsai Tree? Funny how people here always thought that everything outside of Zealandia were special. "She will hold a party tomorrow?" she asked.

Sitting on the chair opposite her grandfather\'s, Cassandra smirked. "Holding a tea party while she is sick is not good. Isn\'t she afraid to spread her… illness?"

"You —"

"As much as I would like to see everyone else in Zealandia who wants to gossip about me, I value my life more than seeing their faces." She faked a smile "Because of that… I won\'t be attending this party."

"Did you just hear that, Father? An unmarried woman dared to talk to her uncle without any respect. Not only did her parents not raise her well, but you also spoiled her rotten!"

Cassandra rolled her eyes inwardly. "Is this why you wanted me to come, Grandfather? I think this is just a waste of my time. I would rather sit in my bed and think about nothing."

"I called you to inform you that Carmichael will be coming back in a few days. He will be attending the banquet."

Cassandra\'s eyelids fluttered before she nodded and avoided the man\'s gaze. "I understand."

"He will be escorting Prince Hunter back to the palace."

"Prince Hunter? I didn\'t know we have another prince?"

"He grew up in the outskirts of Zealandia guarding the gates against the dark ones," Penry snorted in disgust.

Cassandra wondered if the disdain in the man\'s face was natural. So far, he had never seen this guy with a happy smile. Its either he was disgusted or angry. Or both.

"Rumor has it that he can never use elemental magic again. It was something about an injury. A general that couldn\'t use magic was a useless general." Mockery clouded Penry\'s gaze as he placed his tea cup on the coffee table next to the sofa.

"I didn\'t know that the Crown Prince has a brother."

"Different mother," her grandfather said. "He was two years younger. I believe he is about twenty-six now. He already married twice, both of his wives died of mysterious cases. The rumors about his enemies killing his wives were pretty popular when his second wife died."

Cassandra\'s brows knitted together but she said nothing. "I grew up near the gates too. How come I never heard of him before?"

"Because he didn\'t originally grow up there. He grew up in the palace. But his mother was accused of poisoning the queen. She was beheaded while he was sent to the outskirts just as you and Carmichael arrived here. At that time, the king didn\'t want anyone talking about Prince Hunter and his mother. The king loved Prince Hunter\'s mother but the queen… is obviously more powerful and her family is — "

"Penry, these stories are the reason why the king didn\'t want anyone to talk about it. You are only adding fuel to the flame. Stop creating stories about the past. This doesn\'t concern us at all."

Penry snorted and opened the two buttons of his shirt as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

"The four guardian families have been silent for too long. This is why the Royals actually thought they are more powerful than us. We all know the reason why Zealandia exists is because of us. But the Royals are the ones being praised."

"Penry…."

"I know father… I know! I have no right to complain, considering I am useless myself. Which is why… I am leaving!" He stood up. "Don\'t forget about the tea party tomorrow. There will be a few widowers attending the party."

Cassandra only stared at Penry as he walked out of the room. "I will not attend the party," she said, her eyes were still on the now-closed door. "There will be a fire tomorrow in his house."

"You — "

"I saw it," Cassandra said. "An accident. It is best not to go." If her guess was right, the fire was premeditated. She only saw the fire in a vacant room just as a woman wearing a servant\'s uniform walked out of the room.

Someone would set the room on fire. Sadly, she didn\'t see the woman\'s face.

"Don\'t do anything about it."

"But —"

"You already know what happened to Selene. We know there will be consequences." She shifted her eyes back to the wrinkled man who raised her and his brother since their parents died on her thirteenth birthday.

She thought about what she saw the other day, about her grandfather\'s death. It would be the second time that she would stop his death and change his destiny.

She knew that there would be consequences. She knew that the people who would try to attack that day would try again.

However, losing her grandfather would have dire consequences to the La Roche Family and its future.

The heir of the La Roche Family, her brother, Carmichael wasn\'t ready for the responsibility yet. Her grandfather\'s death would mean that the family would fall into Penry\'s hands and that was something that she needed to avoid.

Knowing Penry and his greedy personality, everything inside the La Roche Family would change the moment he became the patriarch. "I need to go and see the young ones," Cassandra said after a few seconds of awkward silence. She needed armies. She needed people that would follow her.

And she would start by going to the La Roche training camp for the young and talented Fire Wielders of the La Roche Family.