“What of the other c-clan that d-defied the K-King? I b-believe it was the Cheshi C-Clan?”
Bastat let out a long sigh, slowly crossing her arms.
“It is hard to tell where their loyalty lies. Unlike the Kunu, the Cheshi were entirely against the war. However, they were also against the former King, and now, they are against the White King too. Many believe our Eastern Kingdom won’t be able to really recover or avoid more civil wars until we get a monarch the Cheshi Clan approves of.”
“Th-that’s... surprising.”
“They might be against the King, but they are still waiting to see who he will pick as his Queen.”
Just as she had said that, Bastat’s eyes went to Cessilia, with a very serious expression on. She seemed more mature than her age, even though Cessilia now knew Bastat was the oldest of the candidates, and a year older than the King himself. In fact, she realized Bastat could have made a fine queen herself if she had come from the right background. She was very insightful, knowledgeable, and tactful. However, she wasn’t the right match, and they both knew it.
The way she looked at Cessilia meant she was well aware that the Princess was a better candidate than she was.
“My father allowed me to be the judge of the Princess’ character, so I will say this now. I believe our Kingdom needs someone powerful, someone who will genuinely care for each tribe, and someone who will try to heal our nation from the inside without ignoring any wound. Counselor Yassim isn’t called the Wise for nothing. The fact that he brought you, the daughter of a legendary healer and a godly warrior, means a lot to many people, Princess Cessilia.”
“...I und-derstand.” Cessilia simply nodded, her throat a bit tight.
Although she hadn’t expected so much hostility when coming here, she also hadn’t expected to see people sincerely rooting for her to become Queen.
“I have only gotten a small glimpse of you, so it might be too soon to entirely put my support behind you,” said Bastat, “but please know you will have nothing to fear from my clan. We will simply be watching.”
Cessilia understood Bastat’s words easily. She was still a foreigner and had merely been here for a few days. Even if she was aware of all the eyes on her, it was too soon for the tribes to really support her. Perhaps she had made an impression at the first banquet, but she would have to prove herself even more in the upcoming days. However, it was understandable that the smaller tribes with lower chances of seeing their candidate become Queen would naturally turn to someone who had the power but no tribe supporting her, rather than the candidates from hostile opponents. Cessilia had thought she would have nine rivals, but perhaps it didn’t need to be so. Aside from the girls of the Yekara and Pangoja Clans, no other candidates had been openly hostile to her. Perhaps the remaining candidates were also considering this competition very differently as well. Perhaps there were even more eyes watching her than she had realized...
“You m-mentioned the K-King wasn’t letting the Yekara C-Clan free the occupied c-cities anymore,” she said, frowning. “Th-then, is he d-doing it alone?”
“He is,” nodded Bastat. “That is also why many respect him, or fear him like one would a real god. The King didn’t only establish himself because he took the throne by force, but because he managed to remain there without any clan’s help, and restored peace at an unprecedented pace all on his own.”
“What ab-bout the Royal G-Guards?”
“He had defeated the ones his father had previously, so when the White King rose, there was almost none to support him. The Yekara Clan helped him defeat the previous Royal Guards, but there wasn’t many left to switch to his side. It took a couple of years before we even got enough new recruits to protect at least the Inner Capital.”
Cessilia was rendered speechless.
She meant Ashen had reconquered his Kingdom almost... on his own? It seemed unthinkable, and yet, it would have explained why all his people worshiped him like a god. He was their War God, the one who had single-handedly saved the decaying Eastern Kingdom. If she put together everything the Counselors, Nana, and Bastat had told her, their country was an absolute wreck for the past two decades. The one King who had first tried to restore some peace had turned out to be a tyrant himself, and the most barbaric tribes had fueled the years of civil wars in between.
What she had seen so far reflected very little of that. Although she had witnessed the dangers in the Outer Capital and the ravaged landscape, the Capital still seemed to be thriving. The Inner Capital was completely secure, and the economy was given a new breath, enough for the locals to try and grow more activities, trades, and businesses. All this in the span of just five years... Cessilia had always felt something was off about the way people treated Ashen, but now, she knew why. His legend wasn’t just a tale he had simply fabricated. It had been forged by his actions, and the miracles he had conceived.
Miracles she didn’t believe in.
“...Lady B-Bastat,” she suddenly asked, turning to Bastat with a resolute look, “d-do you kn-know which cities were freed r-recently?”
“I do not,” Bastat shook her head.
“I know!” Nana suddenly raised her hand, popping up before them. “Sab and some of his friends were chatting about it last week. But why?”
“I want t-to g-go.”
“Are you sure?” Nana frowned. “It’s a bit far, and probably not very nice to visit...”
Cessilia smiled at her and turned to Bastat.
“Th-thank you very m-much for the visit t-today. I will c-come to the market a-again, another t-time.”
“You will be welcome anytime, Princess Cessilia,” Bastat nodded politely. “I will have some art pieces delivered to you later if that is alright with you.”
“Th-thank you. Nana, let’s g-go.”
“Alright... Bye, Lady Bastat, thank you for the invite!”
They quietly left the market, Bastat waving as they exited the little alleys of the market. However, Naptunie frowned and got closer to Cessilia.
“It’s not that I don’t want to go, but... why are we going there? It’s really not a good place to go, even if the King freed that city. The cities usually take a while to get back on their feet and for people to go back there to open trades. If they liberated it last week, it’s probably still very, uh... unsightly.”
“I kn-know. Th-that’s why I want t-to go now.”
Naptunie was a bit confused, but she still decided to follow Cessilia quietly, without further discussion. Whatever the Princess did, she was always curious to hear and see. It was more interesting than any of her books.
“So... do you want us to rent horses? If we take really fast horses, maybe we can get there tomorrow morning, but it’s still going to be a dangerous journey... I can ask Sabael to come, but it might not be enough! I know Lady Tessa can fight really, really well, but...”
“D-don’t worry, Nana,” chuckled Cessilia. “I have th-the ride and s-security already c-covered.”
Nana frowned for a second, and then she slowly understood, her eyes opening wide and her heart beating a bit faster. She opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to formulate her thoughts. She walked a bit quicker next to Cessilia, only to realize they were going to the Royal Guards’ training grounds, probably to get Tessandra. Perhaps they were picking her and Sabael up before going to rent horses? However, Cessilia had definitely said the ride was covered... Nana tried hard to contain her excitement, but she was practically jumping when they arrived at the training grounds, not even daring to ask the question that was burning on her lips, which was quite a first.
“T-Tessa!” Cessilia called once they got there.
In the middle of a training field, her cousin was shining. With two short, wooden sticks in her hands, she was defeating her four opponents with incredible ease. When her cousin’s voice got to her, she turned her head at the same moment she blocked an attack coming from the opposite side, as if her arm was operating by itself. Then, she turned around, and as if she had been resting until then, she quickly ended the fight about one minute later. She was sweating a bit, but compared to the young men with their bodies and egos on the ground, she was fine. She quickly walked up to Cessilia and Nana, Sabael appearing behind her with a faint frown, and a bruise forming next to his chin.
“Cessi, Nana! Are you guys back already? How was it?” Tessa asked, a large smile on. “How come you’re back already?”
