Cessilia was a bit surprised. It appeared they didn’t mind them bringing in Royal Servants, although Ishira had been clear about Naptunie not being invited... So this was more about the rivalry between the clans than an attempt at isolating her. She hesitated for a second, glancing at the two young servants behind them.

“...Th-they are with us,” she finally said.

At any rate, the triplets were still trained as bodyguards. If anything happened tonight, it wouldn’t be bad to have them as reinforcements, especially after the trap they had already run into the previous evening...

Perfectly composed, Ishira bowed politely and turned around to show them the way inside. The entrance of their house was a small garden, which Cessilia immediately found beautiful. There was a small wooden bridge over a pond, so narrow and thin it only allowed one person on at a time, but that was the only way to the mansion, and they walked across it one by one, noticing the colorful fish quietly swimming underneath. From what Cessilia could see, the garden was only made of medicinal plants. For every single leaf and flower her eye caught, there was some use.

“My aunt created this garden,” explained Ishira. “It was her favorite place in the Kingdom... My uncle, our Clan Leader, wishes for this place to be preserved as it is, and I have been taking care of it personally since. That’s why despite being given a room in the castle as a candidate, I do still spend a lot of time here during the day.”

This explained why Cessilia hadn’t crossed paths with this candidate at the castle after the first banquet, but had run into her in one of the family’s businesses instead. Unlike the other candidates, Ishira herself seemed to have little interest in becoming queen. Cessilia remembered vividly that she hadn’t been shy to speak up against her rivals in Cessilia’s favor either. Maybe she was more interested in alliances with a woman she believed to be the future Queen, like Lady Bastat. The fact that she had already mentioned her aunt, who was probably from the Rain Tribe, intrigued Cessilia, though.

“Although this is considered our main house in the Capital,” she continued, “our family is more of an itinerant one, so my cousin, the heir to our family, isn’t here at the moment. We like to travel from village to village to offer our services as doctors, as well as study plants and remedies we can find in farther regions.”

“Your businesses in the Capital aren’t enough as an inflow of money?” said Tessa.

Ishira smiled, understanding the real question underlying her comment.

“I promise we’re not robbing anyone. Actually, people pay us what they can, but our services as doctors are mainly given for free. People only have to pay for the medicine, if they can afford it... We are trying to be charitable while not running out of business. Many would love to see us fall, though.”

“We heard a b-bit of your s-story,” said Cessilia. “Your family b-benefited from learning medicine...”

“That’s true. ...I know what you came here for, but you’ll hear it from my uncle. After all, a lot of our wealth came from his marriage...”

They finally reached the actual mansion, which, aside from the beautiful garden in front, didn’t seem much bigger or ostensive as the other larger houses they had seen in the Capital. With the servants opening doors for them, Ishira preceded them inside, quickly leading them into a small room where a man was already seated and drinking. The space was smaller than they had imagined, but the table was large enough for six people, and already filled with food. The man looked to be in his late fifties, with a well-kept silver beard and short hair, a thin nose and thin lips on a square-shaped face, and enigmatic brown eyes. His long sleeveless tunic showed thin but toned muscles, and like his niece, several tattoos. He was one of those men who might have been average when he was young, but was more attractive as an older man, with an aura of calm and dignity, and fine wrinkles.  He didn’t get up upon the young women’s arrival, only bowing over the table. Cessilia remembered him right away. He was one of the men sitting during the council she had witnessed on her first day there, one of the nine lords. He indeed was the head of the Hashat Family.

“Evening, Princesses. Please, take a seat.”

Cessilia and Tessandra exchanged a glance and took the two seats opposite the man, while Ishira went to sit next to her uncle, pouring what smelled like hot tea for the guests herself.

“My name is Hedrun, the head of this family, and Ishira’s uncle. My niece as well as my cousin, Counselor Oroun, mentioned the Princesses were interested in meeting me.”

Tessandra and Cessilia exchanged a surprised glance. Didn’t Ishira mention their Family Leader was the one who wanted to meet them, not the other way around? Upon glancing once more, they noticed the Queen Candidate was staying silent, as well as keeping her eyes down. They felt a bit wary of this odd situation.

That man’s attitude and tone were a bit different from what they had expected. He was barely looking them in the eye and was already busy eating, as if this meeting had little to do with him. Next to him, Ishira hadn’t touched the food, either, and was simply sitting with her hands on her lap, seemingly a bit tense, as if she was cautious of her uncle herself. They didn’t look like close relatives, more like master and servant.

“Our m-mothers were p-part of a t-tribe called the Rain Tribe,” said Cessilia. “We b-believe the Hashat Family is familiar with these p-people.”

“That is true,” said the leader. “My wife was one of their people. She died a few years ago, though.”

His bluntness shocked Cessilia even more, and she frowned.

“We had no idea th-there had b-been other survivors in the Eastern K-Kingdom. Our m-mothers d-devoted a lot of themselves t-trying to find more of their relatives.”

“Not many. Most were sold as slaves, and our tribe bought some of those slaves. Some fled, the others were killed.”

Despite the leader’s aloof and cold tone, Cessilia felt her heart accelerate a bit. So there really were some of her mother’s long-lost relatives in this Kingdom. According to her mother, the Rain Tribe wasn’t composed of a lot of people, even before they were attacked. To hear there were any survivors at all had been a huge relief when they expected them all to be dead. Although she had never met those people, Cessilia was well-aware this was half of her heritage, half of her family’s story, the half that wasn’t from Imperial Dragon blood, but from the sad history of a dying civilization.

“We’re sorry about your wife,” said Tessandra, “but are there other members of that tribe still surviving?”

“What for?”

The man finally looked at them, a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

“So your people can plunder that village again? Rape those women?”

Cessilia was so shocked, she lost her words for a second. Tessandra was the first one to react, clenching her fist on the table.

“Are you mad, old man? Didn’t you listen? Our mothers are from the Rain Tribe! They went through that shit too!”

“And who do you think put them there? How do you think they became slaves? How do you think they fell into the hands of those men? Did your daddies ever apologize for it?!”

This time, even Tessandra was rendered mute.

“...Our fathers had n-nothing to d-do with what happened t-to the Rain T-Tribe,” muttered Cessilia.

“Really? How did you think they got to meet your mothers in the first place?”

“Uncle, please,” muttered Ishira, uncomfortable too.

“Silence, Ishira,” the man hissed. “My wife spent her whole life traumatized by the men who had beat her, raped her, and sold her. They did the same to her whole family if they didn’t kill them. Do you think I’ll tell anything to two girls who have the blood of those rapists?”

“Hey!” roared Tessandra. “Don’t you fucking insult our fathers! Who the fuck do you think you’re talking about? The Eastern Kingdom was the one who raided the Rain Tribe!”

The man brutally slammed his glass against the table, making even his niece go white.

“...Say that again?” hissed the leader.

“You’re not scaring me, old man,” retorted Tessandra. “The Rain Tribe was raided by the Eastern Kingdom, not the Dragon Empire. Get your damn facts straight before you start insulting our dads!”

“You damn little–”

“Uncle!” Ishira shouted, panicked. “You can’t insult the Princesses!”

“Princesses?” scoffed the man. “How dare they call themselves princesses, when they are the daughters of wretched murderers...!”

“...That’s enough, Father.”

They turned around to see a young man who had just opened the doors wide, out of breath, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He was strikingly handsome, with his long, black hair over his shoulder, his muscular silhouette, and his simple but beautifully embroidered blue outfit. Even more striking was the contrast between his olive skin, and his clear blue eyes.

“Holy shit...” muttered Tessandra.

“Hephael,” sighed Ishira, relieved to see her cousin.

The young man’s eyes quickly circled the room, changing into a brief glare when he met his father’s, and softening when he met Cessilia’s green irises. To her surprise, he bowed even more politely than his cousin had.

“Princess, it’s an honor to meet you. ...I apologize for my father’s rudeness.”

“Hephael,” hissed his Father, “you shouldn’t get involved in this.”