“He arrived to save you almost right after those guys had begun chasing us... Even with a very fast horse, it should have taken longer than that. ...Do you think the triplets were watching us and tipped him off? That we had left?”

“I’m n-not sure,” sighed Cessilia, “...b-but I don’t t-trust them.”

“Well, I don’t either, but it’s rare to see you so... careful, Cessi,” said Tessandra, sitting down on the bed.

“It’s l-like you said. There was a m-murder already... We need to b-be more c-careful.”

Tessa and Nana exchanged a look. Naptunie nodded, agreeing with Cessilia. The fact that a girl from one of the most powerful clans had been murdered inside the castle itself was troubling enough already, but after the burglary and the attack, they just couldn’t act as if this was simply an isolated threat anymore. They were all impacted by the clans trying to push their candidates up while getting rid of others.

While rummaging through the dresses, Cessi couldn’t help but think she had made a wise decision, keeping her relationship with the King a secret for now...

“Nana, when will th-the next b-banquet be?”

“Oh my god, I completely forgot to tell you!” exclaimed the young woman, jumping on her feet. “I heard from my uncle that it was decided at the morning council that the next banquet will be tomorrow! Apparently, since the candidates are in danger, they all want to rush the competition. A lot of the Lords also asked to have bodyguards in the castle to protect their candidates, but His Majesty didn’t attend that council, and they just kept fighting about it, so it was dismissed for now...”

“No wonder,” scoffed Tessandra. “The King won’t accept them bringing more of their own men into the castle when they are all already busy trying to murder each other... I wonder who made him late, hm, Cessi?”

Her cousin blushed, tightening her grip on the dress she was holding. Next to them, Naptunie blushed too, and went to help Cessilia sort the dresses, clearly needing to do something with her hands.

“The Lords agreed to have the next banquet held in the arena, apparently.”

“An arena?” Tessandra repeated. “...Is that a joke?”

“No... Apparently, several of the candidates have asked to have more space for their next demonstrations, so enough of them agreed to have it held in the arena...”

“N-Nana, where is th-the arena?”

“Oh, it’s below the ground, under the castle! It was built to look like an arena, with stairs and everything, but it’s not that big... It was originally a vacant cave in the castle’s foundations, but the previous King had decided to use it for the soldiers to train because he had too many of them. Sadly, it became more of an execution room than anything. I have never seen it myself, I heard it was closed for years.”

Tessandra smirked.

“Of course... They don’t need more space, they need an underground location.”

“Somewhere a d-dragon can’t reach,” muttered Cessilia.

Nana’s jaw dropped.

“I didn’t even think of that! Do you think they chose that location because Sir Dragon scared them?!”

“Or because he won’t be able to defend Cessi this way...”

“What d-do you think, Nana, c-can a dragon g-get there?”

Nana pouted, a bit unsure.

“I’ve never gone to that place myself... It’s probably closed to the public too if they are to be ready tomorrow. I could ask the people working here for information, though! I get along with some of the girls in the kitchen, and–”

“Let me guess, one of them is your cousin?” chuckled Tessandra.

“H-h-how did you know...?”

“I think I’m starting to understand a thing or two about your family, Nana. Alright, we can try and ask about it, then. I like to know the grounds before a battle... and see if it’s really as protected as they said.”

“We won’t need t-to use K-Krai...” Cessilia protested.

“The last time we couldn’t call out the big guy, we ended up running with three dozen assassins behind us, Cessilia. I will go check with Nana, just to see what it’s like, alright?”

Cessilia protested, but the two women quickly headed out, leaving her there with her dresses. Cessilia let out a long sigh. She didn’t have any idea yet of what she would do at the next banquet, especially in a new location. She would have to figure something out by tomorrow, which worried her a little. After she had tried to act tough in front of Ashen, she didn’t want to act disappointing in front of all the Lords, candidates, and him... She had ruled out showing more of her dragon-related abilities. It was enough that she had made a statement about it. If she relied any more on this, it would be the same as crushing her way to the top, the last thing she wanted. For now, Cessilia was interested in winning, in a fair way.

She already had the Sehsan, Dorosef, and Hashat as her allies, or at least, not her enemies. The Pangoja and Yekara Clans were the main source of trouble, but from what she had seen, this wasn’t just about her; those two clans would have also gladly gotten rid of the King and their other rivals if they could... From their candidates’ arrogance, Cessilia could predict those two clans wouldn’t ally themselves with another. Only the Nahaf and Yonchaa she had yet to meet, but they were at the bottom of her priorities for now. She was more interested in the mysterious Cheshi Clan... If they were opposing the King for the murder of the Kunu Tribe they weren’t even allied with, why were they still alive? It was like those people were in a cold war with the White King, biding their time. Perhaps they were even watching this competition from afar?

At least, Cessilia could feel a bit better, now that she was more confident Ashen’s heart was hers. The dresses in front of her were all absolutely gorgeous... Some even had threads of gold, complex embroideries, and gorgeous silk materials she hadn’t seen in the market. Naptunie seemed a bit dazzled when she had seen them too; Cessilia would ask her later if she knew about these materials. In the meantime, she felt a bit happy and took her time picking the ones she liked the most, until a little knock was heard on the door.

Cessilia frowned, wondering who would knock without announcing themselves, aside from Tessandra who would have barged in...

“...Who is it?”

The door slowly opened, and Jisel entered, a smile on her lips. Cessilia’s heart dropped. Something about that woman made her uneasy. The way her smile didn’t go all the way up to her eyes, or how she wriggled her body around like a snake with a steel spine. Cessilia began glaring at her without even thinking, while Jisel casually made her way into the room.

“Looks like I’m bothering the Princess, again,” said Jisel with her honeyed voice. “...Did you enjoy your presents?”

Cessilia’s eyes quickly went to the pile of dresses she was admiring just before. How did Jisel know about the presents sent by Ashen already? If he had just sent them that morning... That woman kept walking around the room as if she was visiting it for the first time. She casually put her fingers on the nacre of the column, reminding Cessilia how she had done the very same thing just a few days prior...

“You really don’t like me, do you, Princess?”

Cessilia didn’t answer. The answer was obvious... She was trying to understand why that woman had come. She didn’t believe it was a coincidence for her to appear while Tessandra was away...

“That’s fine,” said Jisel. “You and I are more alike than we would probably like to admit... Dragon daughters are so easily made jealous, and rather possessive. Aren’t we?”

Cessilia’s heart froze.

“You’re no d-dragon daughter,” she hissed back.

“How would you know?” scoffed Jisel. “We grew up in different countries, yet don’t we look alike?”

Jisel turned around. Cessilia realized they were about the same height, and had a similar physique, although Jisel’s dress was so flowy, she hid her curves. Her hair was slightly curly too, like Cessilia’s, and her red hair was a shade not too far away from hers. But the most similar thing between them was their skin tone. Even Cessilia’s siblings all had different skin tones, varying in shades closer to either her mother’s or her father’s. But for Cessilia, who’d never seen anyone out of her family look like them, seeing someone else with a skin color so close to hers was disturbing. Jisel tilted her head.

“You’re having dinner with the Hashat Family leader tonight, aren’t you?”

“How d-did you know?”

Jisel chuckled.

“The walls have ears here, Princess. There’s little you can conceal from others, no matter how hard you try. Everyone talks... Everyone listens too. I am good at getting useful information and using it well. ...You might want to remember that.”

“Are you th-threatening me?”

“No, I’m letting you know I can help. Again.”