“I d-didn’t need your help.”

“I know. But I figured you wouldn’t want to let the others know about what had really happened earlier. Am I wrong?”

Cessilia remained silent, refusing to give in to her questions. Jisel chuckled.

“So stubborn, Princess. That must come from your father, the War God. If your mother is like most of the long-lost Rain Tribe, she is probably more... flexible.”

Cessilia and Tessandra exchanged a look. Although they had suspected it all this time, it was quite odd to hear Jisel mention the Rain Tribe. The redhead noticed and tilted her head.

“Oh, please. You must have realized, right? You and I are probably distant relatives or something...”

“Our mothers had told us most of the Rain Tribe was gone.”

“Gone... or captured,” said Jisel. “After all, your mothers were made slaves, weren’t they? A concubine and a prostitute...”

Tessandra’s eyes opened wide, and her hand went to her sword. Cessilia reacted fast, grabbing her wrist before she pulled it out. Tessandra’s hand froze, but she still glared at the mistress.

“How much do you know about my mother?” she hissed.

“Just a little,” Jisel shrugged. “When the news spread that the War God’s woman was white-skinned, it got some attention even on this side of the border. The few who had survived the onslaught on the Rain Tribe tried to find out more, naturally. The women who had been made slaves... like my own mother. I guess not everyone could have a beautiful ending, though. She lived and died a slave, like most of those who had been captured. A handful lived long enough to be free again or bear the bastard children of their masters. The Hashat Family has a few of those, as well, you must have heard.”

She sighed and glanced toward the little group behind Ishira. Curiously, among all the people present there, they were those who seemed to be glancing their way the most. Even more surprising, they didn’t seem nearly ready to approach, some of them glaring at Jisel.

“...They don’t seem fond of you,” noted Tessandra.

“No. But not many people are, I would say. It’s one of the privileges of being the King’s mistress... Most people want you dead, or in their bed.”

She turned to the Hashat Family and smiled at them suddenly, which made those people uncomfortable, and they all stopped staring. Jisel scoffed.

“...Cowards, most of them.”

“How in the hell did you get in the King’s bed, then...” muttered Tessandra.

“I was lucky… Someone left that spot empty.”

Cessilia drew out Tessandra’s sword with one movement. The blade flew in the air, so quickly and swiftly, no one but Tessa realized at first. She stopped it one inch away from Jisel’s neck, her green eyes glaring at the young woman with murderous intent. Even worse, Jisel smiled and tilted her head.

“You could, you know. I’m sure no one would cry... Absolutely no one, I promise.”

She seemed to almost be offering her neck, but that only made Cessilia more reluctant to kill that woman. Still, her fingers were shaking on the blade. It might have been even more visible if they weren’t covered in scales.

“C-Cessi...” Nana whispered, a bit worried.

Eventually, Tessa raised her hand, and slowly took the sword from Cessilia’s hands while the two women were still glaring at each other. Around them, many eyes caught sight of the Princess almost killing the King’s mistress, and they were all curious as to what was going on. One of the women seemed amused, the other furious.

Jisel shrugged.

“I told you, I am not your enemy.”

“Don’t count on us braiding each other’s hair either,” retorted Tessandra.

“Oh, I know. However, I don’t have anything against you... unlike some of the ladies here. Perhaps you should think twice before making me your enemy.”

Outside of the room, Krai suddenly growled, making everyone jump, quickly reminded of the dragon’s presence. Its ruthless climbing on the building made strange sounds on the stone, and its growls were heard once again.

“...A dragon d-doesn’t share,” said Cessilia.

“Maybe he could learn to.”

“No.”

This time, the Princess turned around, walking toward the main doors and away from the women. She was fed up with all this, and not in a mood to entertain her rival, or any of the others, anymore.

“Come on, Nana,” said Tessandra, gently pulling her to follow.

“But–”

“We’re done here. Let’s just go back before another bitch decides to annoy the heck out of us...”

Nana nodded and quickly followed behind Cessilia and Tessa. While the three women were about to head out, Cessilia in front, the doors opened before them again. The King was back.

Cessilia briefly raised her eyes, spotting the blood on his hands, and his furious expression. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she stepped aside, making a visible detour to avoid him. Ashen stopped and watched her leave, even staring at her back until it disappeared in the corridors. Then, his eyes went back in front, spotting his mistress, alone in the center of the room. She crossed her arms again with a little smirk, and turned around, walking toward the broken window. While the storm had quieted down, the dragon outside was still agitated, growling and making a ruckus. Jisel smiled, staring at the black scales through the hole.

“The War Dragon, huh...”

Another growl sounded, and Krai moved again, its red eye appearing at the window. Many people screamed in fear and stepped farther away, except for Jisel. Her smile disappeared.

“Oh, you can tell, can’t you? ...You’re not the only monster here.”

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 10

“It’s b-beautiful,” Cessilia muttered.

She turned the vase in her hands, admiring the beautiful nacre mosaic on it, and how it shined superbly at each fragment of light. She could feel all of the craftsman’s hard work and passion in that object, the long hours spent perfecting it. The vase wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was beautiful that way. The little stains of the paint that were immortalized made it look like it had just been made. Next to her, Bastat nodded.

“You have a good eye, Princess. This one was made by one of our best potters. We attach an importance to objects that go far beyond their monetary value. Sadly, it also means we need to undersell our work.”

“...My mother would love th-these,” said Cessilia. “D-do you have a few samples I c-could send home? I’m sure we c-could work t-together on establishing new tr-trades b-between the Eastern K-Kingdom and the D-Dragon Empire. My g-grandmother is a well-known p-patron of the arts. I’m s-sure she would love one of th-these.”

“It would be our honor to send our best creations for the Imperial Family to see.”

Cessilia and Bastat both smiled, and their eyes went back to the amazing display.

After the events of the banquet, the King had ended the reception, but the investigation was still ongoing. All the candidates had been proven innocent, since they were attending the banquet at the time of the murder, so now they were free to do as they liked while the Royal Guards tried to find the culprit, if they could. The rain had continued all the next day, so they had remained in the castle and spent most of the day mending the rest of their ripped dresses and chatting with Nana. In the late afternoon, an invitation came from Bastat, who invited all three of them to visit the Arts Market, mostly composed of people from the Sehsan Tribe.

Getting out of the castle felt good, after what had happened. Cessilia hadn’t seen Ashen since, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Bastat’s invitation had come at the right time. Moreover, Tessandra had decided to go and train with the Royal Soldiers again, inviting herself to their training grounds, probably for another duel with Nana’s brother. Naptunie had decided to keep following Cessilia, as she was also curious about the Arts Market she was unfamiliar with. She had a thousand questions for Bastat, who was incredibly patient in answering all of them.