“Well, it probably won’t live much longer,” Kareen said, still busy cleaning and combing her hair. “That brat looks quite big already for one that lost its owner.”

“...I feel sorry for him,” Cessilia muttered. “I wish I didn’t have to... make it so he was alone again.”

“Was the woman good to that dragon?”

“I’m not sure. She wasn’t a good person, but... in my heart, I know she wasn’t completely bad either.”

She felt that dread in her heart, as if she couldn’t find real closure about this. In fact, she was almost grateful that Jisel’s body was gone. She was almost sure that the woman was dead, but... she wasn’t mad about thinking there was a very, very slim possibility she had survived too.

“No one is either completely good or bad, Cessilia. Humans are too complex for that. Even the kindest soul can feel resentment, and even the worst can feel remorse.”

“That woman went through a lot. Things that made her... make terrible choices. I can’t help but think...”

“Her circumstances made her the evil woman she became?” her grandmother guessed.

Cessilia nodded slightly.

A few seconds passed, and her eyes went back to the Red Dragon stuck in ice. Jinn’s eyes were on the seashore, as if they were looking for something, or someone. She could almost read the dragon’s heartache, the questions in those big, sad eyes. Kareen began cutting her hair, carefully using her blade to even it out.

“To each person their own choices, Cessilia,” she said. “If the woman refused to be saved or changed, that was her own decision. Long before you were born, the Imperial Palace was cut-throat, the most dangerous place in the Empire, yet many people still lived there. They chose power over security, and often paid for it with their lives. I had to make choices too, some I might regret at the end of my days. However, I won’t blame it on anybody else, they are my own. Your father chose to go to war and killed many soldiers. Those deaths aren’t his responsibility, though. They were foolish to partake in a war they were bound to lose. If you carry other people’s burdens on top of your own, a day will come when you won’t be able to step forward anymore, my darling.”

She put the blade aside, gently combing the freshly cut hair, done and satisfied. Kareen moved to help her granddaughter stand up again. Now facing each other, they held hands. Cessilia found incredible comfort in simply facing her grandmother like this. Kareen had always been one of the women she looked up to the most, and even now that she had caught up to her height, she still felt as small as she was as a child when facing her. The older woman smiled, and caressed her granddaughter’s cheek.

“You have your mother’s gentle nature,” she said. “That’s why you still have way too much empathy for others. Did you offer the woman a chance to redeem herself?”

“...I believe I did.”

“Then her demise was her choice and her fate,” nodded Kareen. “You cannot save everyone, Cessilia. If you offer someone a choice, and they take the wrong one, no matter how sorry you feel for them, you have to let go. Their burden won’t get any lighter because you chose to carry it too. There is no point.”

Cessilia slowly nodded. She understood her grandmother’s words, but in her heart, she knew there would still be a bit of that guilt she would carry for a little while longer. Still, Kareen smiling at her made her feel as if everything would be alright. She nodded, and as her grandmother opened her arms, she happily indulged in hugging her.

“Oh well, I’ve done what I could with your hair, but you could use a proper bath!”

“I will,” Cessilia chuckled, stepping back.

As they separated, her eyes fell on Jinn once again. This time, the Red Dragon was staring at the rowdy duo playing not far from the ice rock it was still trapped in. When Cece inadvertently ran too close, Jinn suddenly growled, but Krai immediately growled back, even louder, scaring the Red Dragon into submission.

“...What should we do with him?” Cessilia asked her grandmother. “I feel bad, we can’t just leave him in the ice until he dies...”

Kareen sighed and crossed her arms. She walked up to the Red Dragon, now circled by Cece and Krai who seemed to be ganging up and growling back at it. For a while, it was a concert of dragon growls until the two women walked into the midst of it.

“Enough!”

One word from Kareen, and all three of them stopped. Krai tilted its head, while Cece’s snout shyly nudged Lady Kareen’s elbow. The older lady gently caressed the silver scales, but her dark eyes were riveted on Jinn. Funny enough, the Red Dragon seemed even more intimidated by that woman than it was by the other two dragons. Its eyes kept trying to look away, as if pretending to ignore her intense stare.

“...I suppose I could take this brat with me,” she finally said. “It’s not the first time I’d raise a dragon that isn’t of my own blood...”

Cessilia nodded, happy with this resolution. Indeed, Lady Kareen was incredibly good at taming dragons, for someone that didn’t have her own... Cessilia had seen her with her uncles’ dragons, and all of them were as good as obedient puppies in front of her.

“Krai, baby, free this one for me,” she said, “and you.”

She suddenly pointed her long index finger at Jinn, the Red Dragon immediately freezing up.

“You better behave,” she simply said.

Then, she just turned around and walked away very calmly. Cessilia exchanged a glance with Cece.

“I know,” she chuckled. “Grandmother is the best, isn’t she?”

“Ashen?”

Cessilia gently woke him up. The King groaned, opening one eye slowly. Upon recognizing his lover leaning over him, he smiled and extended his arms, grabbing and pulling Cessilia onto the bed with him before she could resist. She let out a little gasp of surprise, but fell over him with an amused chuckle.

“Good morning,” he smiled, kissing her cheek.

“G-good morning,” Cessilia answered, blushing. “Ashen, you shouldn’t...”

Her resistance was an adorable tease. He kept hugging her, amused, keeping his eyes closed and imagining her embarrassed self, although he wasn’t quite sure why she seemed so shy that morning. He kissed her forehead, but Cessilia put her hands on his torso, and sat on the bed.

“Ashen,” she muttered.

“Hm?”

He opened his eyes, and finally spotted the third person’s tall figure, standing at the end of their bed.

Ashen jumped, sitting straight up in the bed, completely panicked. He had sat up so fast, he felt the injuries both in his back and on his torso painfully stirring in protest. Still, he wouldn’t have dared to lie back down. Lady Kareen was standing right there, in person, facing him with her arms crossed and a haughty expression on. Her dark eyes went down, and Ashen followed her gaze, immediately realizing he was naked. He quickly pulled the blanket over his lower half.

“...Morning, Lady Kareen.”

“Happy to see you too, young man.”

Ashen grimaced, and glanced toward Cessilia, who had a sorry expression on.

“I tried to tell you,” she muttered.

He could easily guess she hadn’t been given much choice. Lady Kareen was a woman who did not take refusals well... Embarrassed, he tried to comb his hair out of his face, and gather as much dignity as he could. Next to him, Cessilia was seated on the bed too, an amused smile on her lips.

“As much as I appreciate the view, you should get dressed, young man. I’ll take brunch outside.”

She then walked to the balcony of the suite, and simply sat on one of the chairs there as if the whole place was hers. Ashen let out a long sigh, and fell back on the bed, rubbing his eyes.

“Really sorry...”

“I forgot how unpredictable that woman could be,” he whispered back. “Anyways... I’ll get dressed.”

“I’ll go try and find us something to eat,” chuckled Cessilia.

Luckily, the triplets had left some food in the Cerulean Suite beforehand. Mostly fresh and dried fruits, biscuits, some tea, and Cessilia managed to find some jam too. Ashen also left quickly to go and find some pants, and most surprisingly, came back with some bread, eggs and dried meat.