“Alright... Let’s move to your new room,” said Yassim, understanding he wouldn’t get an answer now. “I am a humble ex-counselor, but I am sure Counselor Yamino will help me arrange something decent for the Princess and Lady Tessa. You two are technically of higher standing than any of the candidates, after all...”
“It won’t be necessary,” suddenly said Counselor Yamino’s voice.
The man had just appeared, looking a bit out of breath too. He took a second to catch his breath, as he was much more massive than old Yassim. In fact, Yamino was so large his belly almost touched both sides of the corridor. He did look like a good, nice man, though, with his head as round as his belly, and his little, white, curly goatee.
“Counselor Yamino!” exclaimed Yassim, visibly happy to see his friend again.
“You sure still run fast, Yassim,” sighed Yamino. “You’re one crazy old man, to come back after making His Highness so furious... and from the Dragon Empire too.”
“You know me,” replied Yassim with a little smile. “I will never give up on our dear homeland.”
“Ha... If only our young King could still find mercy for old antiques like us. Anyways! The Princess and her...”
“Cousin,” said Tessa. “I’m Tessa, by the way.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Lady Tessa. And of course, Lady Cessilia, as well. I am Yamino, the oldest Counselor, and the last one mad enough to still be friends with Yassim... or perhaps, lucky enough, seeing he’s still got his head on his shoulders... I came to tell you the ladies are welcome in the Cerulean Suite.”
“The Cerulean Suite?” repeated Yassim, surprised. “But... it’s the best room in the castle! No one has been allowed to use it since the previous King’s favorite! How did you manage to–”
“Oh, I didn’t do anything! It’s an order from the King himself. He ordered the servants to prepare and give that room to the Princess... to Princess Cessilia.”
Chapter 4
The two Counselors kept exchanging intrigued glances, even as they were leading the way to the Cerulean Suite. There was definitely something going on between the King and the Princess. Was he simply trying to act polite to a foreign princess by giving her the best room in the castle? Was it an attempt to show that they could still rival the Dragon Empire’s luxury? No, it couldn’t be. Perhaps, if it had been anyone but their King, they would have seriously considered such a theory, but... this was King Ashen they were both thinking about. The cold-blooded, heartless King with no consideration for anyone. He didn’t even treat any of his vassals with that much consideration, not even his oldest servants! Why would he suddenly give the best room to Princess Cessilia...?
Neither of them had even been allowed to see that room. The rumor was that it was the most beautiful place in the whole castle, prepared by the previous kings to welcome their favorite wives or mistresses. Yet, rather than that devious, red-haired woman, the King was giving this to a young woman he had supposedly seen for the first time today...? Yassim kept frowning and trying to think, but he was still thinking this had to do with his initial theory about his King and the truth about his death. Unfortunately, it was still way too soon to confirm any of it...
Two young servants were waiting when they arrived in front of the blue gates. In fact, those blue gates were already very eye-catching, painted in a magnetic cerulean blue, with gorgeous arabesques of a shiny, white surface that Cessilia first thought to be some polished marble, but it was shinier than what she knew.
“Welcome, Princess,” saluted the two servants, who appeared to be identical twins. “We were sent to serve you.”
They were both wearing white outfits, and a bob haircut with bangs, but their eyes couldn’t be seen while they continued bowing.
“By whom?” immediately asked Tessa, defiant.
“By His Majesty,” answered one of the twins. “The three of us will be at your service from now on.”
“Th-three?” repeated Cessilia, confused.
“Yes, Your Highness, our sister is already inside,” said one of them, stepping forward. “We shall open the gates to the Cerulean Suite for the Princess now. The Counselors aren’t allowed to enter unless the Princess requires them to.”
Cessilia and Tessa exchanged a glance, surprised. They were the ones to say if Yassim and Yamino could enter? They were the guests here, and those two old men were obviously Royal Counselors, how could they be the ones to decide whether they could enter or not?!
“Ah, please don’t be surprised, my ladies,” said Yassim, noticing their confusion. “In our Kingdom, no man can enter a woman’s apartment unless she agrees to it first, regardless of his position. The only one allowed to do so is the King, to whom no door shall remain closed.”
Tessa made a grimace. That was one distorted way to say things, but she understood the general idea. Basically, just like in the previous ways of the Dragon Empire, any man of noble or Imperial title could take any woman as a concubine. However, the Empress had abolished that rule, and put new ones in place to protect young women against rapists.
“The C-Counselors are allowed in for n-now,” said Cessilia.
“Understood,” nodded the two servants.
Then, they each pulled one of the doors’ golden handles, opening it wide for Cessilia.
She was stunned by the vision inside. This room felt like a completely different world from the rest of the castle. In fact, it reminded her of those magical places described in her books. The floor was suddenly so well polished that all of the round pieces of rock were completely even and smooth under her feet. She shyly walked in, her heart beating a little bit faster. The room was in the shape of a comma, with a large round area, and a little corner on the left, with a large canopy bed with cerulean blue sheets and light wood. There was another door a bit further on the wall, blue too, but for now, she was too busy processing everything else she could see. The tall columns were supporting a stunning vaulted ceiling, with an incredible mosaic of iridescent, dark little pieces that Cessilia couldn’t identify, just like the white one on the door earlier. Moreover, everything was shining incredibly, with all the colors her eyes could catch, reflecting the little movements of the water around her. Similar to what they had seen in the corridors, there were little streams of water crossing the room, all leading to the side opposite the door. And in fact, there was no wall opposite to them. Instead, there were more of those columns, in wide arches with a breathtaking view of the sea beyond them.
Cessilia lost her breath as she walked closer to see. There was a little balustrade made of sculpted redwood to keep her from falling, but as she stood there, it was clear that half of this room was a balcony, with an amazing view of the sea, in which the water streams were falling several feet below her. She could smell the gentle, salty breeze of the sea, caressing her cheeks and freshening up the whole suite. She could hear the waves crashing against the foundations of the castle and going back gently into the large river stream. Her eyes could even spot a colored fish at times, before it quickly swam away. This room showed her the edge of the Eastern Kingdom, beyond the island they were on, the vast sea with no known end.
“T-This is... inc-credible,” she muttered, amazed.
“By Glahad’s butt...” whispered Tessa, somewhere behind her. “You weren’t kidding, this place is gorgeous.”
Cessilia chuckled and turned around. Just like her, the two old Counselors looked a bit lost and amazed, gazing all around as well. All the furniture showed great taste and was made in light wood, with pieces of cerulean fabric here and there. In the morning, she could just imagine the amazing sunrise they would witness that would light up the whole room...
The three servants, obviously triplets, advanced forward to bow to her again.
“I’m Nupia,” said one of them. “I am the oldest of the triplets. The second is my brother Rupio, and the youngest of us is Lupia.”
“Nice t-to meet you,” smiled Cessilia.
“Nice to meet you guys,” added Tessa, putting her hands on her hips. “We’ll have tea, dried fruits, and meat buns for breakfast, thanks!”
“T-Tessa!” protested Cessilia.
“What? I’m starving! Isn’t it their job...?”
“We will bring it right away!” said Nupia with a smile.
