“Lady Cessilia, your hair is so pretty like that! But you don’t have any hair ornaments, will that be fine?”

“I th-think it will,” chuckled Cessilia. “I d-don’t think this c-competition is really about looks...”

Tessandra glanced at the King but didn’t say anything. She shrugged.

“Let’s go,” she sighed. “I have a feeling this new banquet won’t be relaxing at all, anyway.”

She walked ahead, while the two siblings, a bit more self-conscious about the King’s presence, politely let him and Cessilia through first. Their little group made their way downstairs in silence. The closer they got to the cave where the banquet was being held, the heavier the tension got.

While going down the stairs, though, Cessilia couldn’t help but admire how their surroundings became less handcrafted but more natural. The walls were now irregular, designed by the waves that once reached this place. The windows were rarer too and were the last things men had put in there. Even the stairs got less and less equal, more uneven and forcing them to watch their steps. The path was narrow, forcing them to come down two at a time. Had everyone come down this narrow path? It didn’t leave much room for a proper evacuation in case something happened... It would be easy to block the way out too. Her cousin probably had the same thoughts, as Tessandra kept nervously glancing all around.

Finally, they reached a much more open area. It wasn’t a room per se, more like a very large cave that had been designed to look like a hall. The ceiling was entirely made of stone, some stalactites even coming down from the ceiling. There were only a handful of windows, all too small to brighten the whole cave without the help of a few well-placed mirrors, some torches lit up against the walls, and at the other end of the cave, a small lake. Just like the one she had been to with Ashen before, this water was crystal clear, almost turquoise, and reflected the light like a large mirror. There had been a conscious effort made by the human craftsmen too. Unlike the roof of the cave, all of the walls up to a certain height had been decorated with gorgeous mosaics, most made of stained glass, shaped gems, or polished stones, to represent scenes or beautiful designs. A portion of the cave’s floor had been dug to an even level and had a clean floor of stained glass and polished stones. It was as if the lower half of the cave had been made into a large hall, while the top was still very natural, where no man’s tool could reach. It was a truly unique place, beautiful both by the efforts men had made and the natural talents of nature.

The cave was large, but most of it was used as an arena, just like Naptunie had described. A large circle had been dug below the natural cave’s floor, while stairs had been carved all around, three levels for the guests to sit around it. Outside of this arena, the cave was mostly left to its natural state, with only three entries like the one Cessilia’s group had just walked out of, small holes on the other side, probably dead ends to smaller caves, and the little lake. As they finally reached the last step into the cave, Cessilia was surprised by the sand color of the stones around, much clearer than the ones from outside. Perhaps the lack of seawater and sunlight reaching them had preserved the stone’s natural color...

“It’s so beautiful!” exclaimed Naptunie, saying out loud what Cessi was also thinking.

Her voice echoed in the cave, attracting all eyes to their little group. Although the cave was very large, the echo was equally as impressive, and thus, the smallest sound could be heard everywhere. Moreover, the people already seated on the steps of the arena had been rather quiet, or only whispering, thus their entrance was not discreet at all.

There were a lot more people than Cessilia remembered seeing at the first banquet, perhaps because the room had been smaller before. Now, the cave seemed filled with people from all clans, their eyes going right to her. It would have been a bit scary if she hadn’t prepared herself for at least this much attention. However, with Tessandra in front of her and Ashen holding her hand, Cessilia wasn’t scared at all. Moreover, she wasn’t only getting defiant glares. A lot of the eyes looked happy to see her, notably those from the clans she had already befriended. She looked around, trying to spot her closest allies, but none of those who had helped at the Outer Wall were there. She suspected the Yonchaa, Hashat, and Sehsan had sent representatives and remained at the Outer Wall to help. She recognized Lady Bastat’s father and Nanaye, the candidate of the Yonchaa Tribe and Naptunie’s friend. The Hashat Family was represented by Hephael’s father, although the man looked a bit unhappy to be there, his arms crossed and his lips pinched.

Seated on the first level was the Yekara Clan, more numerous than before. Cessilia frowned. They were all wearing blood-red outfits, their eyes on her. Their leader, Lord Yebekh, was between his two candidates and smirking. He definitely had something on his mind...

“Is it me or... are there a lot of people?” muttered Naptunie, a bit worried.

“The Yekara asked to bring more men, saying they were worried for their candidates after the murder,” muttered Ashen. “I couldn’t refuse, but I brought more of our guards, just in case...”

Sabael nodded. Indeed, he recognized some of his fellow Royal Soldiers, even nodding at those he personally knew or was friends with. Still, it couldn’t be helped that the atmosphere would be tense with so many people. There would have been no reason for the Yekara Clan to bring this many people if they didn’t have something in mind.

“...Krai really won’t be able to come here,” groaned Tessandra. “It’s still raining outside, and there’s no point in him coming, either; he’d risk killing us all if the cave collapses.”

This was definitely part of the alienated clans’ plan. Cessilia had thought the same while looking around the cave. She could hear the sea waves outside, probably not too far on the other side of the cave’s walls, but the underwater passage probably led them further than that. They could also hear the rain, much calmer than before but seconded by a storm getting closer and closer. She silently hoped Naptunie was right about that waterway...

They finally reached what seemed like the arena, but far from parting with her, Ashen held her hand tight and guided her to his seat in the stalls. Unlike all the other seats carved around them, the King’s throne was much larger, more embellished, and almost as tall as two rows by itself. No one had sat near it, so when Ashen sat down, Cessilia was noticeably the only one within his proximity. After a hesitation, she sat right next to him, in a normal seat, but with the King still holding her hand. Tessandra, Nana, and Sabael sat close by, although deliberately leaving some space for the couple. Their seating gathered a lot of attention once again, some staring while others glared. The women behind the Yekara Leader, in particular, seemed to be piercing holes through Cessilia, but she ignored them. Instead, she glanced at the Pangoja Leader. That middle-aged man seemed to have lost weight and aged a few years in just a couple of days’ time. Perhaps he was very affected by his candidate’s death. The remaining one was seated right next to him, with a defiant look in her eyes. Istis had a beautiful, long, orange dress that did not match her unhappy expression, as if she had been dragged here by force. In fact, she was the only candidate not looking toward the King or Cessilia, her eyes down on her hands.

“Welcome, Your Majesty!” exclaimed Lord Yebekh as if he was the main host of the banquet.

“You sound very happy,” hissed Ashen.

“Of course! This banquet will most likely be a memorable one... Hopefully, no bad news comes to mess with our candidates’ performances this time. We shall expect the ladies of our Kingdom to demonstrate their best skills, so Your Majesty can choose a queen from the best of them.”

His obvious intent to exclude Cessilia from the “ladies of our Kingdom” was rather straightforward, and got him a few glares. Not only from Tessandra and Ashen but from several people from the other families as well. Even Axelane, the beautiful candidate of the Nahaf Family, looked a bit annoyed at his arrogance, rolling her eyes and grabbing the hems of her gorgeous, long, golden dress.

“...Enough,” said Ashen. “This banquet is only happening so we can confirm who my future Queen will be. Since some of you still think this is even necessary...”

He was obviously referring to two clans amongst the seven, but both the Pangoja and Yekara Leaders decided to play dumb, remaining silent. Ashen formed a fist with the hand that wasn’t holding Cessilia’s. If it wasn’t for those two clans’ power, he would have ended this foolish, useless competition long ago. There was no way he’d choose a woman other than Cessilia. The only reason he couldn’t end it was that the Yekara and Pangoja Clan might use this as an excuse to start another civil war. With Cessilia’s latest achievements, though, this might not be a concern anymore. She had rallied several tribes and families to her with impressive speed and diplomacy.

Ashen took a deep breath.

“...May this second banquet start,” he groaned.

This time, there would be no dances. He’d had enough of useless ceremonies and had insisted this banquet would be less frivolous than the previous one, with only servants putting large tables full of food on each level so they could watch the performances without moving around. The musicians were playing on their own in one corner of the arena, filling the time until the first candidate’s performance. It was quite austere, but this way, all the candidates had to remain there too, so no one could get assassinated in the middle of the banquet a second time... which led the banquet to debut with a rather awkward tension in the air. Cessilia didn’t even touch her food, only drinking wine with her free hand. She couldn’t shake that bad feeling she had, and right below her on the stairs, Tessandra was also watching the audience like a dragon waiting for its prey to come out.

Soon enough, though, Ashen turned his eyes to the Sehsan Tribe Leader, and they exchanged a nod. The Lord slowly stood up, and walked down to the center of the arena, quickly gathering the audience’s attention.

“Honorable Lords,” he said, “my King, and everyone here. I have an announcement to make as the leader of the Sehsan Tribe. As you can see, my dear, first-born daughter and our tribe’s candidate, Bastat, isn’t attending the banquet today. My dear Bastat has always been a wise child, doing her very best for the sake of our tribe, and, in the future, I will happily entrust her with the title of Tribe Leader. Today, however, she shared with me that she had made the decision to renounce the position of this Kingdom’s future Queen. She said there would be no point in her attending this banquet and the next when there was a candidate much better suited to accompany our King.”

Cessilia was rendered completely mute. Lady Bastat was forsaking the competition? In her eyes, she had been the second most likely candidate after herself! Cessilia had no intention to lose to anyone, but she couldn’t help but be shaken up by such a strong candidate openly giving up, and so soon too... Yet, she found herself even more shocked when Lord Gebri turned to her and bowed very deeply. She could have mistaken it for a bow to Ashen if the man hadn’t been so obviously addressing her.

“Lady Cessilia of the Dragon Empire, my daughter places her full trust in you, and so will the entire Sehsan Tribe. My daughter Bastat and I will fully support you as a candidate, and thus, are retiring from this competition in the hope that Lady Cessilia becomes our Queen.”

Cessilia was speechless. Lady Bastat was giving up so her tribe could support... her? Right as she was wondering how she should respond to this, if she had to answer at all, the Yonchaa, Hashat, and Dorosef Leaders or representatives slowly stood up, and came down to the center of the arena.

“The Yonchaa Tribe joins the Sehsan Tribe’s position. We are forfeiting our candidate Nanaye’s participation, and giving our full support to the Princess.”

“The Dorosef Tribe forfeits our candidate Naptunie’s position as well, to support Princess Cessilia.”

“The Hashat Family gives its full support to the Princess as well, thus candidate Ishira will no longer partake in the competition from now on.”

Cessilia was stunned. She couldn’t even speak or get up to thank them. Should she even thank them? Half the candidates were leaving the competition for her sake! When had they even decided on such a thing? This was insane! Naptunie and Tessa both turned to her with bright smiles, but Cessilia was unable to process what had just happened.

On the other side of the arena, the Yekara Clan Leader had lost his smirk, and his expression was now absolutely furious. He stood up, glaring at the four families’ representatives.

“You are all insane! Leaving this Kingdom to a foreigner!”

“We are leaving this Kingdom to a promising young woman who can do something for it,” retorted Lord Gebri, Bastat’s father. “Lord Yebekh, this young woman spent the whole day outside, under the downpour, caring for our people more than anyone in this place has in a long time. Where were your candidates then? In my eyes, and my daughter’s, this brave Princess more than deserves to be our future Queen already!”

Despite what she was hearing, Cessilia had a hard time believing all of this was even real. She had been so nervous about this second banquet and the lack of time to prepare a performance to measure up to her rivals that she hadn’t even thought about how the others could have lost interest in the meantime. Not in a million years would she have imagined four of the candidates forfeiting, and for her sake too. It was a lot all at once. Moreover, the leaders were now all arguing over her.

“You bunch of spineless cowards!” the Yekara Clan Leader was shouting. “You dare let this foreigner win over your own daughters? We cannot allow one of our enemies on the throne!”

“Wake up, Yekara,” retorted the Dorosef Tribe Leader, a very large man named Poseus, and one of Naptunie’s grand-uncles. “The war ended long ago, despite what you like to think! We have more to win by working with the Dragon Empire than against them.”

“That’s so typical of you,” hissed Yebekh. “You’ll run away at the first sign of a fight. You should all be ashamed! No matter what, you should have let your candidates try and defeat the other girls!”

“You forget this competition is more about who is most suitable to become Queen than who can survive their rival’s jealousy,” retorted Lord Gebri. “I am not willing to risk my only child’s life any longer for the mere sake of my pride. My child is the only pride I need, and I will happily serve a queen who can do great things for my tribe and all of our children.”

“Our own daughters or nieces have chosen their Queen already,” nodded the Yonchaa Tribe representative. “The next generation knows the way, and the Princess has shown a lot of grace and kindness already. Yes, she is a foreigner. But she still has the proper lineage as a princess and inherited power and knowledge from the current ruler. Nothing disqualifies her, and her actions have only given us more proof that she is a great candidate, at the very least. Admitting defeat is no shame when the winner’s victory makes it valuable.”

“You fools!”

Despite the Yekara Clan Leader’s furious shouting, most other people in the cave seemed to be agreeing with the four family representatives’ words. As Cessilia looked around, Axelane of the Nahaf Family seemed to be chatting with her Family Leader, a bit worried. The Pangoja, however, looked like they had taken a big bite out of a sour fruit. They seemed to disagree with both sides. They most likely hated the Yekara Clan too much to agree with them but also didn’t believe in Cessilia. They had never hidden their intentions but she believed their clan wouldn’t be as scheming as the Yekara, at least.

Still, Lord Yebekh wouldn’t calm down. He slammed his hand on the armchair, shouting back at each argument the other leaders gave him. However, neither party wanted to change their minds, and this debate was going absolutely nowhere. Cessilia sighed. If this was just the beginning of the banquet, it would surely last a while…

“Enough!” finally roared Ashen. “Lord Yebekh, whether you agree to it or not, this is the other Lords’ decision, and you have no right to interfere with it. Their candidates are all willingly giving up. The remaining ones are free to stay or drop out of the competition as well, but I won’t hear any more protests today. Sit back down and shut the hell up or I’ll assume your candidates are forfeiting this one.”

Lord Yebekh slowly sat down, still glaring at his King with a furious expression, his fists clenched. Every single inch of his body expressed his silent and barely contained anger in some way. His daughter and niece were calmer, but they had similar furious glares at the King. Cessilia couldn’t help but wonder why those two were so bent on becoming Ashen’s Queen. They didn’t seem to have much affection for him, yet they were participating in this competition as if there was no way they could lose.