“This is so good,” said Tessa, although she kept blowing out to get rid of the heat.

“Right? This is the best shop for grilled fruit skewers! She even has some that she flames with alcohol!”

“Why didn’t you give us that?!” protested Tessa.

“She can’t sell them in the morning, it’s way too early!” laughed Nana. “Alcohol selling and consumption is strictly regulated within the Capital, you can only have some during certain hours. Everything is much stricter here, but it’s to ensure people’s safety. A few years back, you could see so many drunkards here at any time of the day...”

“Is it the K-King’s orders?” asked Cessilia.

“Yes,” nodded Nana as they resumed their stroll in the streets. “He put a lot of new laws in place here to make the Capital safer. At first, some people protested that it was too strict, but to be honest, it was needed. Most of our cities had turned into lairs for thieves and criminals, but once the King used the army to repress them, the people felt a lot safer, and the crime rate dropped too... When I was young, my parents never would have let me go in the streets like this, without at least my older brother or my dad. That’s also why my brother decided to become a soldier.”

“Why would people be against it?” frowned Tessa. “If it chased away criminals? I mean, our aunt is pretty strict too, but there’s no one who’s against rules keeping thieves and criminals at bay...”

As she said that, Nana glanced sideways as if she was a bit scared of people around listening. In fact, Cessilia and Tessa were both attracting a lot of attention with what they wore. She sighed, and gently pushed them toward another, emptier street. Once she was sure no one could listen, she still spoke in a soft voice.

“A lot of people felt the King’s rules were a bit too... strict,” she whispered. “For a while, even the smallest crimes resulted in the death penalty, and dozens of people were executed every day.”

“Well, I don’t like thieves, but...” said Tessa, frowning.

On the other side, Cessilia was the one who understood.

“P-people were s-starving,” she whispered. “Those th-thieves p-probably didn’t choose to b-be... thieves.”

“Exactly,” nodded Nana. “To be honest, it was hard for everyone after the war. The Capital now is the best I’ve seen since I was born, but when I was a child, most families struggled to survive. I remember our family sometimes struggling to have enough food, and when we could, we shared with our friends so no one would starve or have to steal. Our clan isn’t the wealthiest, but unlike some, we know how to share with others. While people starved, some rich people kept their homes closed, and killed trespassers or beggars.”

“So much for generosity...” grimaced Tessa.

“That’s why a lot of the clans are still not getting along, and they don’t like the King, either. He taxes the rich people to pay the military, offers free food to the most needy, and finances the White Houses.”

“The... White Houses?” repeated Tessa, lifting an eyebrow.

“Oh, that’s a great thing he did!” exclaimed Nana. “They offer free health checks and healing for the poor. Basically, people can come in and get a consultation from a doctor anytime. It’s completely free, but the medicine has to be paid for. The doctors and their apprentices are all paid by the Kingdom, so no one has to pay. The rich people have their own doctors anyway, so it’s mostly the poor who... What is it?”

Tessa was making a shocked expression, but she turned to Cessilia instead.

“Isn’t that exactly the same system your mother created in the Dragon Empire?!” she exclaimed.

“Maybe he g-got inspiration f-from us...” smiled Cessilia.

Tessa kept frowning at her cousin’s mysterious smile but didn’t ask anymore. Between them, Nana, a bit lost, scratched her head and just shrugged.

“You have that too? That was a very nice change he put in place... In fact, that’s also one of the reasons the Hashat Family became so renowned; more than half the people working in the White Houses are from that tribe. Of course, a lot of the other clans are a bit pissed that the King basically gives their money to that clan, but they are the most useful to him, so it can’t be helped.”

“I do feel like your King pisses off a lot of people...”

Nana chuckled a bit nervously, not denying it.

They had just arrived at the seaport, where activity was buzzing. The strong smell of fish hit their senses, but it wasn’t so surprising, considering the dozens of stalls lined up with all the merchandise there. Most were, in fact, still alive, swimming in small boxes filled with water. Cessilia was amazed by all the varieties of fish. Because her brothers hunted so much, she was more accustomed to eating meat than fish, and she mostly had a vegetarian diet like her mother. This was her first time at a real Fish Market, and it was a completely new experience. Tessa even seemed a bit scared as they walked by enormous ones, with their large, globulous eyes following their trio.

“You tease me about dragons, but this Princess can’t handle fish?” chuckled Nana.

“Is that thing even a fish?” protested Tessa. “It’s as big as a cow! ...And I’m not a princess!”

The young woman laughed, but walked a bit further up the stalls, greeting a lot more people on her way. It looked like she hadn’t lied about her tribe being deeply involved in the fishing market; Nana was on a first-name basis with absolutely everyone there, calling some uncle, auntie, or cousin. In fact, it was rather easy to recognize the people of her tribe; for some reason, they were all large people with plump cheeks, large smiles, and that upturned nose. The women also wore similar white nacre jewelry, probably very common around here.

“This Fish Market is the best and largest in all the Kingdom,” Nana proudly announced. “Most of the people working here are part of our tribe, so we are doing pretty well on our own!”

“It looks like you have a lot of your people here indeed...” said Tessa.

“Well, our tribe was always located on the seashore, so we have been fishermen for generations! Due to many of the lands being burned during the wars, there isn’t enough land anymore to cultivate crops, have pastures, and raise enough livestock to feed everyone, so now a lot of the Eastern people buy fish and seafood instead! It is quite nice, to be honest. For a long time, our tribe was among the poorest because we have so many people and we share our wealth, but now, we’re doing pretty well.”

“Your p-people are good p-people,” said Cessilia with a gentle smile.

“Thank you,” replied Nana, blushing a bit. “I really love our tribe, you know. I don’t see myself marrying anyone other than a fisherman! I just haven’t met the right one yet! I’m sure I’ll find a perfect match to get married to. All my sisters are married or engaged already, but because I chose to focus on my studies, it’s a bit harder for me. Dorosef boys like girls who can cook well, and I don’t really... but I asked my aunties to find me a good husband, so I just need to be patient!”

“You should find a man who likes a woman with brains!” retorted Tessa, scoffing. “The man can cook too!”

“T-Tessa’s dad is a g-good family man,” nodded Cessilia. “He likes t-to c-cook for his d-daughters and my aunt.”

“Mom didn’t leave him much of a choice,” chuckled Tessa.

“How about you?” asked Nana. “Do you have a boyfriend, Lady Tessa? A fiancé?”

“Oh, I do have a few past ones, but I don’t like clingy guys. I’m waiting for a guy with brains, muscles, and who can be a good husband, or I won’t have any!”

“That’s a lot!” exclaimed Nana.

“M-maybe you’ll find one here,” chuckled Cessilia.

“I doubt it”, sighed Tessa, looking around at the fishermen.

While Nana tried to convince Tessa about the goodness of the Dorosef men, the girls kept walking around, often stopped by one of Nana’s relatives who greeted them. The Dorosef people did look very nice and humble. Unlike before, most of them didn’t even seem to notice her golden jewelry and were too focused on their merchandise instead. The customers were already lined up to buy the freshest goods, just as Nana had predicted.

“Nana!” called a younger woman on the side, who was carrying two large baskets full of fresh fish.

“Cousin Beli!” smiled Nana. “We came to buy your sister’s fish beignets! Could you give us some?”

“Nana, have you heard?” asked her cousin, running up to them. “Uncle Jupitan came back from his rounds around the cultures this morning, he said he spotted a dragon flying in the area! Uncle Saturu and Auntie Vena said the same! Can you believe that?! A dragon, here! They are sending our hunters to see if we can hunt it or chase it away from the cattle, everyone is panicking in the lands!”

Cessilia and Tessa immediately exchanged a glance.

“Uh-oh...” grimaced Tessa. “We probably should have told the big boy to keep a low profile...”

“I asked him t-to stay in the area,” muttered Cessilia. “I f-forgot about his meals...”

Having heard them, Nana turned to the two cousins.

“You two really came with a real dr-... dragon?!” she exclaimed.