“Don’t worry, Cessi isn’t kidding either,” chuckled Tessa. “Trust me, she’ll be fine. You might as well try to stop a dragon...”

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Chapter 7

Nupia led Cessilia through the castle, the others following behind her in silence. As they approached the King’s apartments, things became strangely silent. Not just in their group, but the atmosphere in that area of the castle was noticeably different. It seemed as if all the people working or living there were deliberately avoiding those corridors and, thus, abnormally quiet. It was also one of the highest floors, and as it became more of a large tower, the windows were showing both the sea and the archipelago, and the rest of the Kingdom on the other side.

Finally, they arrived in front of a single door. There were no guards and absolutely no sign that a king was sleeping behind that door... It felt almost as if they had been taken to some dungeon instead. Cessilia glanced at Nupia, but the servant’s expression was completely neutral. Still, it was surprising that she had taken Cessilia there without hesitation. It felt as if she had received orders beforehand... In fact, she turned around, addressing the others before Cessilia could walk in.

“Only the Princess is allowed to see His Highness.”

“Says who?” groaned Tessa, glaring back.

“His Majesty.”

“T-Tessa, it’s alright.”

Tessandra still wasn’t fond of the idea, and stared at Cessilia, even more confused. She had known her cousin would be unstoppable once she had decided to go and see the King herself, but she hadn’t expected she would not be able to accompany her. She hesitated for a while, conflicted between the trust she had in Cessi, and how much she didn’t trust that capricious King at all.

“...Are you sure?”

Cessilia gave her a little nod, but the faint and confident smile on her cousin’s lips was what put Tessa at ease. She didn’t need to know everything. Although she was curious to know why they had come here and what Cessilia wasn’t telling her, she knew her cousin wasn’t acting unreasonably. She trusted Cessilia, even if her cousin didn’t trust her enough to share her secret, it was fine. She had resolved long ago that their bond would go far beyond that of the blood they shared. They were best friends, but they were still each entitled to their own secrets.

While Cessilia walked in alone, Nupia stepping aside, Tessandra sighed and leaned against the opposite wall, crossing her arms with a sullen look. Despite her position, she was ready to barge into that room anytime. Nana looked even more nervous next to her, fidgeting with her skirt and pacing in front of the door.

“Will she be alright...?” she mumbled. “His Majesty can be very scary...”

“I don’t think he would harm the Princess,” said Yamino, although he didn’t seem very convinced himself.

“Aren’t you worried?” Nana asked Tessa. “Do you know why Lady Cessilia was so confident earlier? I don’t understand...”

“I don’t understand either, but Cessi isn’t reckless. You saw it, she probably has something going on with the King that lets her go in there, and not us.”

“And you really don’t know? ...Aren’t you curious at all?!” exclaimed Nana.

“Trust me, when you grow up in a powerful family like Cessi’s, you learn that it’s best not to ask too many questions...”

Defeated, Nana could only give up and wait. She stopped pacing, and instead, kept her eyes riveted on the door, her hands joined as if she was praying...

Meanwhile, inside the room, Cessilia had stepped in without a sound. The door closed behind her, a bit too loudly. This place was bigger than she had thought, but it was still pretty bare and dark. There were only two windows on each side. In fact, it didn’t seem like a place to live in at all, more of an office.

A large table was in the middle of the room, dozens of papers spread on it. As she walked closer, Cessilia realized most were maps. They were complex, but not for an Imperial Princess. She could easily decipher the military language and various little crosses and dots on it. It was a very simple version of the Kingdom’s map, cleared up to show the Royal Army’s lines of attacks, and the places still belonging to the enemy, mostly mercenaries, if she aligned this with Naptunie’s previous explanation. Just as she had said, the King was still deeply involved with “cleaning” those areas of the robbers and criminals controlling them...

“I told you to let me rest.”

The deep, grumpy voice came from the opposite side of the room. Cessilia heard the bed creaking before he sat up. Even in the darkness, his white hair was glowing like a halo around him, as it was capturing every bit of light possible. The King sat up, his large hand rubbing his face, still unaware of who had come to see him. He was obviously asleep just a second ago and trying to move his stiff muscles around. Then, his eyes slowly rose from behind that hand, and he finally saw her.

A few seconds of heavy silence ensued, and Ashen stood up. Cessilia was tall, but the King was even taller. Anyone else standing there would have been naturally intimidated by his height and large build, but not the Princess. Fearlessly, Cessilia withstood his glare.

“Free C-Counselor Yassim,” she said.

“So that’s why you’re here?” he scoffed. “This isn’t your business, Cessilia. Leave.”

“You c-can’t k-keep him locked away. T-tell them to free him.”

“This is my Kingdom!” he suddenly roared. “I don’t take orders from you!”

His voice resonated in the room, loud as a storm, but Cessilia didn’t flinch. She didn’t avert her eyes, and instead, her green irises only went colder, like a wave of silent anger growing. However, the infuriated King wasn’t impressed either. He stepped forward out of the shadows and faced her from the other side of the table. Just like before, he was half-naked, his scarred chest going up and down with his heavy breathing.

“I decide who gets imprisoned or not,” he continued. “Did you think I’d obey you right away like a good boy? You thought wrong. I am the King and I am the only one who decides what happens to my subjects.”

“What d-did you imprison C-Counselor Yassim for? B-because he b-brought me here?” she retorted, not backing down.

“That is none of your business, I said.”

“D-didn’t you imprison the C-Counselor b-because of me? Why d-don’t you arrest me t-too, then?”

“Watch it, Cessilia,” he tilted his head. “Don’t push it. This isn’t your family’s Empire, this is my land, my Kingdom. ...Do you even know how many people already protested about your presence?”

“You’re th-the one who allowed me t-to stay, d-didn’t you?” she retorted.

The King silently clenched his fists. His actions had been contradictory from the start, and they both knew it. Cessilia was right, but it only made him even madder that the Princess could hold on to his weakness for her like this. She wasn’t afraid of him, and she was even disturbingly calm while confronting him. He would have rather had her fear him, hate him.

“Enough,” he said, averting his eyes from her.

“Ashen.”

He got goosebumps from hearing his name, from her lips. Again. He was about to glance her way but resisted. He didn’t want to see those large, green eyes and what they could do to him.

“I said enough. Go away.”

“No. Free C-Counselor Yassim.”

“I said I won’t!” he roared. “Why are you so obsessed with that old man? Why do you care what happens to him?! He’s my counselor, I will do what I want with him, and you have no say in my decisions! This isn’t your father’s castle, it’s mine!”

He realized he had said too much one second too late. He stepped back, pissed with himself.

“Is th-this about my d-dad? ...D-do you still resent my f-father?”

“Resent him? Cessilia, do you even realize what he did to me? ...Your father threw me away. He sent me back to my Kingdom, knowing exactly what I risked by coming back here. He refused to help me! Do you remember how young I was? Do you have any idea what I suffered to come back here, to take my throne back? It could have been all over if he had just helped me!”

“...He d-did help you,” muttered Cessilia.

This time, she was the one averting his furious gaze, her green eyes looking down. Her hands were trembling, and it was getting a bit harder to breathe. The golden choker felt too tight around her throat. She stepped back without realizing it, not in fear, but because she was uncomfortable. Ashen’s anger was too hard to watch.

“Helped me?” scoffed Ashen’s ice-cold voice. “Your father barely took pity on me. He did what he had to do not to be a monster, and then he threw me back into this horrid war, without looking back. Do you know what he told me that night? Never to come back into the Empire again. He didn’t care what was going to happen to me, he couldn’t bother with me anymore. He took pity on me as if I was a street dog, and sent me back to hell again. You think your father helped me? He gave me hope, the hope that I was finally going to have a real man I could count on. Someone who would really help me, help my Kingdom. But no. He just took that hope, and then he wrecked it all!”

“D-didn’t you succeed, th-though? You b-became the K-King, Ashen. J-just like you wanted...”