“B-but it has b-been five years since your K-King… came b-back. How c-come those b-bandits haven’t g-given up?”
Ishira and Hephael exchanged a look, almost looking surprised.
“Well… It’s not like all those men took those villages five years ago. They gradually left the Capital once it became clear their master hadn’t won and there would be no one to pay them. Some have only arrived in those villages up to a few months ago.”
“It’s not something that can last, though,” said Tessandra. “We saw one of those villages the King freed, and it was already a wreck before.”
Hephael nodded, putting his hands on his knees with a very serious expression.
“I know. I happened to stop by the Muram Village on my way here, and we heard about a little group who had come with a dragon… What you did there also helped convince me Lady Cessilia might be exactly who we need to fix what can be fixed in this Kingdom. I will be speaking as the Hashat Family’s leader now. We will align ourselves behind Lady Cessilia, from now on. It was important for me to meet you and confirm your intentions.”
“You say that, but isn’t your father still the leader?” frowned Tessandra. “He did not give us the same impression.”
“My father is the leader in title only,” the young man retorted. “This helped me stay away from the Capital and the King’s eye. People of our tribe will listen to me, I promise. Ishira is like my younger sister as well as my representative in the Capital. You may ask her anything in my stead, and she will provide you with anything you request if it is within our power.”
Tessandra glanced at her cousin, waiting for her. Although she had been the one speaking the most, no one was mistaken as to who was the Princess. Cessilia was quietly listening, but she was the one making the decisions.
“What if the K-King is under th-threat?”
Hephael and Ishira were both surprised by her question. They were ready to be loyal to her, but they hadn’t been clear about their position toward the King, and she had picked up on that. Cessilia wanted to be sure they wouldn’t run the minute Ashen was under attack himself. She might be a decent candidate for Queen, but it would all be meaningless if anything happened to the King. She was a foreigner, and couldn’t become Queen if there was no one to marry… Right now, she was glad for their support, but it was all very fleeting, and conditional to Ashen making her his Queen.
Their hesitation in answering spoke volumes in their stead.
“Didn’t he make you guys rich, though?” said Tessandra, frowning. “You said it yourself, the Hashat Family was like any other before the King rose your status and gave you mansions inside the Capital.”
Hephael lowered his head, nodding faintly.
“That is true, but… for the longest time, we had suspicions about the King’s intentions. See, it is not the first time a king has risen a family’s status, only to use them and abandon them afterward.”
“Ashen is n-not his father,” declared Cessilia, a hint of anger in her voice.
“You… sound like you’re familiar with His Majesty,” noted Ishira, surprised.
“The K-King has a history w-with my family. I d-didn’t come here only b-because Counselor Yassim invited me. I c-came to b-become his Queen.”
Hephael and Ishira stayed mute in surprise, both staring at her dumbfounded, but it was only to be expected. This was the first time she was revealing her personal interest in Ashen, and speaking so vehemently too. Cessilia blushed a little once she realized that and grabbed some food to try and act normal. Next to her, though, Tessandra had a faint smile on. Only at times like this did her cousin leave her shy demeanor aside to shine, when she was determined and ready to fight for who or what she believed in.
“…See?” she chuckled. “My cousin is pretty stubborn when it comes to these things. You guys may be fine making promises to someone who has yet to become Queen, but you can’t keep stalling and hesitating any longer. The Yekara and Pangoja Clans you fear so much have made their choices already. It’s only a matter of time before they try to overtake the throne.”
Ishira’s face went pale, and she dropped her cutlery.
“What are you saying…”
“It’s easy to lie in wait when you’re hiding behind a king you don’t even trust,” Tessandra continued. “You can’t simply shift your hideout to my cousin’s shadow and pretend you’ll be all good once this is over and sorted.”
“That’s not what we said!”
“Th-then m-make a real d-decision.”
Their eyes shifted to Cessilia, whose green eyes looked more emerald than ever, shining and almost… reptilian. Right now, she had changed from her shy demeanor from earlier to a completely different woman. They could see the Empire’s eldest Princess in her. It was as if she’d matured and grown a few inches in the blink of an eye, her presence was suddenly overpowering them. Even Tessandra seemed to have taken a back seat behind her.
“I will side with K-King Ashen,” she declared. “If your family simply waits for me to b-become Queen t-to openly support me, I won’t c-consider your intentions as g-genuine. I will not accept a c-coward, even if they are related t-to my mother.”
“How can you call us cowards?!” exclaimed Ishira. “We have been doing all–!”
Before she could finish that sentence, her cousin grabbed her shoulder and had her quietly sit back down, his eyes on Cessilia. Hephael was clearly more lucid about the Princess’ clear warning, and more realistic too. He had underestimated her because she seemed to be of a kind nature like her mother, but right now, she had the aura of a War God’s daughter…
“You hide far from the C-Capital and b-behind your father,” Cessilia continued. “You want t-to support me, b-but you are not ready t-to take action. The other c-clans have already t-tried to k-kill me, and they will k-keep on doing so. I c-can’t trust p-people who are all t-talk and no action.”
“…What about the other tribes you met?” asked Hephael, frowning. “I thought the Princess would be more willing to trust our Hashat Family, but it looks to me like you’re asking us to be on the frontlines while letting the Dorosef and Sehsan remain hidden.”
“N-Naptunie and her uncle are with us every d-day,” retorted Cessilia, a hint more anger in her voice. “No one ignores the fact that the D-Dorosef Tribe is now my ally.”
“And don’t you think you, of all people, should be more supportive of us than the Sehsan Tribe?” added Tessandra. “You knew who we were, our common ties to the Rain Tribe’s legacy, but they reached out to us first, and even offered an opportunity to trade with the Empire, knowing full well how risky that was.”
“I b-believe the Hashat should b-be more p-proactive than them. Your family might only b-be healers, but you’re p-powerful enough to openly d-display which c-candidate you will support. D-did you even consider that the smaller families might be looking up t-to you?”
The two of them exchanged a glance as if really surprised by her words. They clearly hadn’t even considered the influence they had over other tribes.
“We… Well, we don’t mix with the other families…”
“You should s-start,” Cessilia coldly retorted. “You’re one K-Kingdom, one p-people. You c-can’t act like you d-don’t care what happens t-to each other anymore and p-push the liability onto others. Otherwise, th-there is no use in waiting for a q-queen. You are all already letting the other c-clans win by not d-doing anything. If the t-tribes d-don’t unite together against those c-clans, neither the K-King nor I will be able t-to do anything. Your passiveness will b-be the downfall of this K-Kingdom.”
A heavy silence followed her words. Ishira looked as if she had just been slapped awake, while her cousin’s face held a stern, indecipherable expression. Neither of them could say a thing, and Cessilia was done talking too. Next to her, Tessandra was simply re-filling her own plate with more meat, a satisfied smile on her lips.
“…I see we underestimated the Princess,” finally muttered Hephael.
His cousin glanced his way, looking a bit worried and unsure about what was going on now, keeping her lips sealed. Meanwhile, Hephael grabbed the teapot and refilled Cessilia’s cup himself, an obvious gesture of submission from someone who had his cousin serve him all along.
