His eyes were clearly staring at Cessilia, just like his niece and daughter that were already glaring at her. Cessilia was disgusted by this man. She had already thought he was a horrible creature that morning while trying to use her relationship with Ashen against her, but now, his political standpoint was perhaps even worse to hear.

“Let’s go,” groaned Ashen, pulling her behind him.

They cut across the room, briefly crossing paths with the Yekara, although they purposely left quite some space between them. Ashen didn’t spare them a second glance, but Cessilia didn’t shy away from their glares. She was clearly an annoying obstacle between their candidates and the King, and they didn’t even bother to hide their hatred. The smirk on the Clan Leader’s lips as she was pulled away annoyed Cessilia all the more.

“N-no, wait.”

Just as they were about to reach the doors and part with the irritating trio, Cessilia turned around, fiercely facing them.

“You knew th-the flood would p-put people at risk outside the C-Capital,” she said. “You d-didn’t send help at all. Almost all the families did, but you d-decided to ignore those p-people.”

“Those families are so poor and weak precisely because they can’t help but lose their wealth stupidly. It is their choice to waste money and goods on those useless people. The Yekara Clan shall stand strong, alone. We do not need to concern ourselves with those peasants. They should have left those beggars to die in the natural order of things and saved their wealth. No wonder they are still below us.”

Cessilia chuckled.

It was a brief, crystalline chuckle, but it was so sudden and sincere, the Yekara Leader lost his prideful attitude and knitted his brows, completely overthrown. Cessilia’s confident laugh made him lose his stance. Facing him, the Princess looked strangely relieved. Her smile was anything but what he had expected.

“You are th-the one making foolish choices, Lord Yebekh,” she calmly said.

“How dare you?!”

“You’re c-completely wrong,” she said, “and you will r-regret it too. The other t-tribes are the ones m-making smart c-choices, while you stay b-back and hide.”

“The Yekara Clan doesn’t hide!” he roared. “We don’t fear anything!”

“You d-do. You f-fear losing what you have. B-but you’re losing opportunities b-because you’re so afraid. The other t-tribes are already far ahead. You just d-don’t see it.”

“You’re ridiculous! They are stupidly losing money! Wasting it on beggars! They will soon come and beg us for their own food!”

“They will n-not. They are already p-preparing for the future, g-getting richer.”

Cessilia grabbed Ashen’s arm, with a confident smile that infuriated Lord Yebekh even more.

“They are n-not wasting their m-money. They are investing in p-people,” she declared, before pulling the King away with her.

Just before they left the room, Ashen noticed Yebekh’s furious expression and smirked. Cessilia had defeated this man once again, just with words, no swords or dragons needed.

As the two of them walked away, he smiled to himself, proud of his Princess. She was surprisingly eloquent, fierce, and sharp as a blade at times. They climbed the stairs together in silence, both enjoying this little victory over the Yekara Clan after a long day. They finally reached his room, and Cessilia let out a long sigh, taking Ashen’s fur cape and the raincoat off her shoulders. Meanwhile, he went to prepare the fire in the little fireplace, half-naked already. Cessilia easily found towels in the only wardrobe and began drying her long curls with one.

“How c-come you really d-don’t have many c-clothes?” she asked, staring at the half-empty wardrobe.

“I don’t really need them,” he shrugged, grabbing another towel. “It’s easier to move around without...”

“I d-don’t like it,” she frowned.

Every time they ran into some women, candidates, or servants, they couldn’t help but glance at the King’s impressive body, regardless of if they were scared or not. Cessilia didn’t like that at all. She rubbed her hair a bit more vigorously with the towel, reminiscing about the Yekara women that still had their hungry eyes on her man.

“...Cessi.”

His gentle voice wasn’t enough to make her stop pouting. Instead, Cessilia ignored him, fiercely focusing on drying each of her long curls. She hid under the towel as an excuse to ignore him. She was jealous, and a bit embarrassed about her own possessive nature. It was a side of herself she was unfamiliar with and quite uneasy about showing to Ashen.

Suddenly, she felt large hands over her own, and he gently squeezed them. His fingers moved to take control of the towel, and he began drying her hair for her. Cessilia was mute, only following his lead, his movements far less aggressive than her own. Despite being temporarily blind, she could feel his presence right behind her, a bit too close.

“...They should be the ones to be jealous.”

His deep voice sent a wave of warmth down her chest. She tried to swallow her saliva, but her throat was dry, and her heart was beating a tad too fast. She wasn’t so shy when they kissed earlier, so why was she so much more troubled when he used his words...?

He slowly pulled the towel down and wrapped it around her shoulders instead. Because he was behind her and she couldn’t see his movements, Cessilia was on edge, trying to guess what to do next. She heard him chuckle, and she turned around, unable to take it anymore. She faced his smug expression, making her even more embarrassed.

“It’s not f-funny,” she mumbled, trying to push him away.

“I’m not making fun of you,” he assured her, caressing a strand of her hair. “...I’m just being a bit selfish.”

Cessilia sighed. He could be horribly arrogant at times. He chuckled once more, but stepped away, grabbing another towel to hand her. Although her hair was half-dry now, her dress was still soaked, and her body cold. It was unlikely she’d get a cold, but she was still very much uncomfortable. This time, he stepped away, giving her some space to finish drying herself, or at least try to. He called out for a maid to bring her a new dress, and quickly changed himself, grabbing one of the very few pieces of clothing in that wardrobe. They were strangely cautious around each other, both looking away from the other’s naked body. Cessilia, first, tried hard not to look his way as he got into a new pair of pants, still not bothering with a shirt. She was a bit surprised to see him so absorbed in the fire while she put on the new dress brought by the servant, though. Ashen was very clearly looking away on purpose when she had expected him to peek at her naked body. She wondered… was he really not interested? Or just trying to be considerate? She wondered if she was more foolish for wanting him to look, or because she was dejected he didn’t...

The dress was very pretty too. She recognized one of those they had brought to her bedroom. This one was ocean blue, with the shades getting darker and darker toward the bottom, in thin layers that followed her body’s curves. It was sleeveless and off-the-shoulder, with thin silver-colored chains around her neck and arms, holding the fabric and acting as body jewelry. She liked it. It wasn’t one of those overly decorated dresses, it had no embroideries or anything sewn on it, but the fabric was obviously of superior quality. It barely weighed anything and was very flowy... She could feel it float around her like a breeze as she moved. When Cessi turned around, Ashen was seated on the bed, waiting for her. She smiled at him and closed the distance between them.

“How much t-time do we have?” she asked.

“A couple of hours, more or less. You have time to sleep a bit.”

“B-but what if I miss the b-banquet?”

“I’ll wake you up,” he promised. “Plus, it’s my banquet. They won’t start without me. Come.”

He gently pulled her onto the bed, and they laid next to each other. Ashen took her in his arms while still respecting her with a bit of distance between them. Cessilia chuckled. He was definitely holding himself back on purpose... For now, she was indeed much too tired to want anything more. In fact, as soon as she laid down, it was as if all the fatigue from the day suddenly washed over her. All strength left her body, and she gladly snuggled against Ashen’s warm torso.

His fingers started caressing her temple, combing her curls gently. Cessilia slowly drifted away, soothed by the gentle rain sounds, the smell of a warm fire, and Ashen’s fingertips against her skin.

“...Cessilia.”

She woke up to lips softly pressed against her shoulder. Cessilia frowned, a bit confused and upset about being taken away from her very good nap. She felt like she had only slept for a very short while, but the lighting in the room said otherwise. It was darker outside, and the room was taken into a warm halo from the fire. Ashen moved his lips to her cheek with a faint chuckle.

“Are you awake?”

She nodded with a faint sigh. At least, she was feeling a bit more rested. She felt Ashen move to position himself over her, and she opened her eyes to see him, a playful smile on his lips, hovering over her. His intense, burning stare woke her up instantly. Her heartbeat quickened again, sending blood rushing through her body. She realized she was trapped between his arms.

“Ashen... D-don’t we have to g-go?”

“We still have a few minutes.”

She blushed even more. He probably hadn’t planned those minutes to let her get ready... Still, her body felt strangely content about this. She knotted her hands behind his neck, a bashful smile on her lips as well. When Ashen came down to kiss her, she didn’t refuse him.

She was now warm, and feeling that heat from her lover’s body. Ashen was large enough to fill her entire field of vision, but she liked his presence, so protective and reassuring. His height was matching hers, and his thick arms were so nice to caress with her hands too. It felt like a mile to cross his shoulder and his back to get back to his nape, her fingertips meeting the few bumps of his scars on the way there. She had never thought such a muscular body could be so attractive. Perhaps because she had grown up around toned people, Cessilia was just now realizing the beauty of a perfectly defined muscle moving, the silent strength that emanated from it. Ashen seemed like he could carry the world on his shoulders, and she liked that. She didn’t want a man who would need her more than she needed him. He may have taken a long detour to realize it, but her Prince was truly a fine King.

The sounds of their kisses and caresses filled the room, with the beautiful concerto of the crackling fire and gentle rain behind them. She could hear his faint breathing like a brisk wind, and feel the mattress moving under them. His hands gently caressed her leg, up and down her hip, without going much further. While she wondered why he hesitated so much, Ashen’s lips moved to her cheek, down her jawline, to her chin, her neck, and pressed down further to her cleavage. Cessilia blushed helplessly, but she didn’t care anymore. She looked down, meeting his eyes. Ashen was kissing her between her breasts, the burning dark eyes of her lover locked with hers, making the whole encounter even hotter. She opened her lips to say something, but the delicious shivers he was sending from each place he kissed rendered her mute. It was good, scarily good. She gasped as his fingers moved in between her legs, caressing her even more intimately.

“...Will you be alright?” he asked between two kisses.