“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.”
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.
“Aren’t those too fragile for everyday use?” she asked, looking at another one of the pots. “I know the cheapest ones are made of glass or clay, and they are definitely not as pretty, but I would be worried about breaking it...”
“They are mostly meant for decorative purposes,” nodded Bastat, “although our craftsmen have been working on making new ones for more pragmatic uses.”
“Th-there are materials here I have never seen b-before,” declared Cessilia, “and I am s-sure th-there are some we have in th-the Empire th-that are not c-common here. Our craftsmen c-could work t-together to bring even b-better and p-prettier results.”
“It is my belief, as well,” Bastat said with her toneless voice. “I am glad Princess Cessilia thinks like us. Despite your presence, I was worried you would be reluctant to trade with our Kingdom. ...I am sorry you weren’t properly welcomed here. Last night’s banquet was truly unsightly.”
Naptunie pouted her lips, putting down the pot she had in her hands.
“That’s for sure! I can’t believe those girls’ attitudes! Isn’t the Yekara Clan overdoing it? Those girls just kept attacking Lady Cessilia any chance they got!”
“They are afraid,” said Bastat.
“Afraid?” repeated Cessilia, surprised.
The young woman nodded. Today, again, she was wearing a very unusual dress, made of several layers and a motley mix of patterns and colors. Her hairstyle was also just as unique as it was during the banquet, meaning it was probably her personal preference rather than a once-in-a-while kind of appearance. In fact, she was somewhat even more eye-catching today, with layers of colored necklaces around her neck and large rings on her fingers.
“Although their candidates are trying to act otherwise, the Yekara Clan isn’t fond of the White King,” Bastat slowly nodded. “Actually, they were probably happier in times of war, when they could be paid to work as mercenaries or raid cities to take what they wanted. They would pretend to get rid of the criminals, but they also robbed the thieves and demanded compensation for it.”
“That’s why they are not very popular,” added Nana. “All that was just a few years ago, so many of them still behave as if they can do what they want and go unpunished. They got very rich from the years of civil war, but now they are afraid they will go back to just being one of many tribes.”
“Their candidates are probably set on becoming Queen no matter what. This way, they will be free to do as they want again, under the pretense of working for the White King. However, no other clan will support that. Since the White King got rid of the Kunu Tribe they were allied with, they have to be careful.”
The women moved on to the next shop, one that displayed a lot of jewelry this time. Naptunie immediately jumped on the stall, excited. She had no issues chatting and finding questions to ask the older lady that sold them, happy to chatter and fawn over the little wooden pieces that came in many colors. Cessilia and Bastat stayed a bit behind, neither of them really interested in that stall, only eyeing Nana’s movement from a few steps away. The seriousness of their conversation wasn’t one they could pursue inside such a little space, so they stood side by side in the little alley.
“...D-do you th-think th-they are b-behind Vena’s murder?” asked Cessilia.
“I can’t say for sure. However, the Pangoja Clan is most likely their biggest threat and main rival. Or so they would both want to believe. In fact, those two probably never consider the other tribes as a real threat. Our Kingdom was so fractured that each tribe kept to its own specialty and focused on its own survival for a long time. We all had to become the best in what we did and become essential to the other tribes to survive.”
“The K-Kunu were k-killed for opposing the K-King?”
“Indeed. Just like the Yekara, they weren’t fond of times of peace. They were amongst those who waged war against the Dragon Empire too. Their leader publicly defamed the King several times for backing off from the war; they somehow believed it could have been won if we attacked the Empire again. Foolish.”
“R-really?” muttered Cessilia, shocked.
“We might be separated by a border, but we knew of the previous Emperor’s death. The Kunu Tribe believed an empress with no dragon would have been easier to defeat.”
Cessilia chuckled. The Kunu Tribe couldn’t have been more wrong. She could easily imagine her aunt jumping headfirst into the battle despite her advisor’s pleas. She would have loved proving the Eastern Kingdom completely wrong about their defenses. Although it wasn’t technically her dragon but her late father’s, Empress Shareen was the new master of the Golden Dragon, which was still very much alive. The Eastern Kingdom obviously didn’t know dragons could outlive their owners.
