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.