“My uncle is… a sad man,” Ishira muttered. “Although we don’t approve of his ways, neither of us really blame him. After tonight, I guess Hephael will take his position as the official leader, to make your request doable… My uncle won’t agree to it, but he’ll step down. He already knows who our family will follow.”

Cessilia didn’t answer that, only glancing Hephael’s way. The young man seemed to be having fun with Tessandra, far from the serious Family Leader he had acted as just before. It was one fun night for the four young people, now that they had become closer, and it did feel like they belonged to the same family.

“…Do you believe you can do it?” she asked. “Become our Queen?”

“I b-believe it.”

Cessilia’s answer wasn’t arrogant or hesitant. Despite her stutter, she had said it the most calm and honest way possible, not even blinking.

“Good,” smiled Ishira. “I’ll hold you to that. And then, I hope our nations will be able to create ties again. It’s my dream to visit the Dragon Empire.”

“Really?” Cessilia asked, a bit surprised.

Ishira blushed and nodded. She suddenly looked a bit younger, finally acting like a young woman her age rather than a family representative. It was obvious she had finally let her guard down with Cessilia. She leaned a bit closer, like a friend about to share a secret.

“I am rather admirative of your mother…” she whispered. “Since I was a child and heard of her achievements, I always wondered what kind of woman she was, to free herself from slavery and become such an important healer for an empire. We don’t have many examples of women becoming such important figures, except for the Empress, of course, but... the Empress is almost akin to a scary deity, while your mother’s love story with your father has… crossed the border as a tale that would make more than one girl dream.”

Cessilia felt a bit strange, hearing about her parents in such a way. She knew their story was quite unique, but she had grown up observing them, and she was somewhat used to it. A close, loving family was the norm for her. She knew by heart the way her father’s dark eyes always looked for her mother, like a dragon fiercely guarding its treasure. Meanwhile, her mother was the pillar of their family, the one they all gravitated toward. In a way, perhaps she had always been influenced by those two and their love story. Cessilia had never been interested in boys before she met Ashen, and once she had met him, there had never been anyone else for her…

“…My g-grandmother has a theory that d-dragons only have one real p-partner in their life,” said Cessilia. “My father’s d-dragon knew my mother was th-the one f-for him since the moment he saw her.”

“That’s even better than what I had heard,” smiled Ishira. “…Do you see the King like that too?”

“M-me?”

“I saw how your eyes changed each time we mentioned His Majesty… and I have seen you two in the same room. He might not be a dragon, but the candidates are all jealous because it’s clear the King is different with you, Lady Cessilia. Honestly, you make it easy for us to give up on this competition… No one wants to pursue a man who only has eyes for one woman.”

Cessilia wished this was true. Sadly, there was more than one woman still aiming for Ashen, and they wouldn’t give up easily.

Thinking about the rivalry for the King’s heart, or at the very least the position of his Queen, made her long for him more. She glanced out the window, noticing how the sun had gone down already. On the other side of the table, Tessandra looked a bit too drunk, but it made her smile. At least her cousin had fun and forgot about her love troubles for a short while. It did feel like they had made new friends, if not, new relatives.

She decided it was time they left the Hashat cousins and politely bid them farewell, after thanking them for the meal. Hephael promised he’d keep to their agreement, and Ishira added they’d always be welcome in their properties. The young woman wasn’t going back to the castle that night, instead, staying there to discuss some of their family affairs with her cousin, so Cessilia was left to take a staggering Tessandra back by herself.

“T-Tessa, you’ve really overdone it t-tonight,” she sighed, helping her down the street.

“Sorry, their wine was damn good... Oh, I should have asked Mr. Handsome what it’s called or something...”

“M-Mr. Handsome?” Cessilia repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh come on Cessi, he’s easy on the eye, isn’t he?”

“Yes, b-but... he’s almost a r-relative. And what about S-Sabael?”

“I don’t want to talk about that idiot! He can keep brooding and ignoring me if he wants, I do not care for him anymore! I don’t care! I’d rather go and lick a dragon’s butt than see him again!”

“Oh. That’s a bit harsh...”

The two girls stopped and turned around, only to see a blushing Sabael standing awkwardly behind them. This time, he wasn’t wearing his armor, only a plain white shirt that was still open enough to show his muscular torso... Cessilia was a bit surprised to see him there, but judging how close they still were to the Hashat residence and the direction he had come from, it looked like he had been waiting for them to come out. She realized he might have gotten a little tip from his sister on where to find them. Cessilia smiled, a bit relieved to see his sorry expression, and his two different-colored eyes on her cousin. Tessandra, however, wasn’t of the same opinion. She glared.

“There he goes, that coward. He’s done for the day, and he has the guts to show up, with that sexy get-up too! Who do you think you are, to appear all hot like that in the middle of the night?! I’m not tempted at all! It. Does. Not. Work!”

Confused, Sabael looked down at his outfit, completely unaware of his own charms. Cessilia couldn’t really blame her cousin, the young man was indeed quite attractive, even more so while wearing fitted clothes rather than heavy armor. His leather pants and boots were dark and highlighted his silhouette, and a blue, colorful scarf was tied around his waist.

“S-sorry,” muttered Cessilia. “She’s a b-bit drunk...”

“I’m not drunk! And I am not tempted to jump on that sexy pirate! ...Where did you get such a girly scarf? Why would you wear what another bitch gave you?! I haven’t had a chance to buy you anything yet! Take it off!”

“T-Tessa!”

“I-it was a present from my sister!”

Cessilia was almost more shocked to hear Sabael genuinely trying to explain himself apologetically than her cousin’s shameful behavior. Ignoring him and Cessilia’s attempts to hold her back, Tessandra staggered up to the young soldier and angrily tried to take off his scarf. Her fingers were unable to untie anything in her state, but having her fidgeting around his waist area made Sabael blush uncontrollably, and he didn’t even dare try to stop her.

“Uh... I’m... sorry...” he muttered, his eyes down on Tessandra’s uncontrollable hands.

“Shut up,” she retorted. “Shut up, you and your mouth. I don’t care! You’re an idiot, and you’re... you’re...”

“I’m sorry,” he muttered again. “I didn’t mean to act cold this morning, but I was just surprised, and I needed to collect my thoughts...”

“Shut up!”

Tessandra’s shouting was assorted with a violent slap on his torso that cut his breath. He coughed a couple of times, his eyes opened wide in surprise. Behind him, Cessilia grimaced.

“I’m sorry, S-Sabael,” she said. “T-Tessa gets a b-bit hard to handle when she’s d-drunk...”

“N-no,” muttered the young man, trying to regain his composure. “I’m the one who made her upset, I should be able to handle this much... It’s my fau–!”

Tessa suddenly grabbed his collar and kissed him. Sabael was so stunned, he kept his eyes wide open on Tessandra and froze completely. Behind them, Cessilia facepalmed.

“G-goodness, Tessa...” she muttered.

Right after, Tessandra ended their kiss, her hands still on Sabael’s collar with a proud smile.

“There!” she exclaimed, visibly satisfied. “Now, you’re mine!”

“Uh... th-thanks,” dropped Sabael, at a complete loss of what else to say.

“Shut up,” retorted Tessandra, frowning. “You shut up. Don’t add anything.”

“...Sorry.”

“I’m sleepy,” groaned the willful young woman. “Take me to bed.”

Behind them, Cessilia was completely at a loss. She had seen Tessandra become a handful when drunk, sometimes too violent as she didn’t control her strength, and willful too, usually toward her dad, but never with a man her age. She silently apologized to Sabael but, much to her surprise, the young Royal Guard didn’t seem offended at all. He sighed, and as if it was natural, lifted Tessa up, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder. Curled up in the soldier’s arms, the young warrior didn’t seem so feisty anymore. She was probably going to fall asleep long before they reached the castle. A smile appeared on Cessilia’s lips, although it was likely her cousin would flip over all her bold actions the next morning...

“S-sorry about this,” she muttered to Sabael. “T-Tessa was b-bit uneasy about what happened th-this morning.”

“...You probably mean my attitude,” sighed Sabael. “My apologies, I just needed... a bit of time. I’ve never been with a lady like Tessandra before. I’m not used to... bold women. It made me... a bit insecure as a man.”