Page 129 of The White King's Favorite

Cessilia frowned, and crossed her arms.

“I’m c-curious to hear your c-concerns,” she said calmly.

“A hoe can’t marry a king, that’s what,” scoffed Safia.

She had said it just loud enough for all to hear, despite the downpour outside. Ashen stood up furiously, glaring at her.

“Yekara,” he hissed, “I suggest you watch your words carefully.”

“Why?” retorted the Yekara Leader, not afraid. “Your Majesty, my niece raises a true concern for your sake. It is part of the rules of the competition that all candidates should be virgins.”

Cessilia’s blood left her face. She wasn’t embarrassed about losing her virginity. She was shocked they already knew. It hadn’t been a day since she had been with Ashen. She glanced around, many people looking embarrassed to hear this, doubtful or sorry for her. More were delighted by the accusation, though.

“...Is th-that why you had me c-come here?” Cessilia said, not hiding the anger in her voice.

“Princess or not, you have to follow the rules of the competition,” said the Yekara Leader. “We have several witnesses claiming they saw the Princess going out alone last night, and you came back to the castle late in the night.”

“Princess Cessilia and her cousin were invited to the Hashat Family house,” retorted Hephael. “I already told the Council that, and many witnesses will confirm this as well.”

“Oh, we know. But the Princess was seen parting ways with her cousin, and a man came to her after that. She definitely spent a part of the night with him.”

Cessilia was frustrated and mad. She exchanged a glance with Ashen, but it was now clear why he had requested her presence. He wanted her to decide whether to reveal their relationship or not. At the very least, Jisel wasn’t here this time. It should have made her glad, but somehow, she had an ominous feeling about her absence.

“Well?” said the Yekara Lord. “We knew you aren’t quite eloquent, Princess, but we still ought to hear at least an explanation. Or proof we’re wrong. After all, we do have means to check your words...”

An old woman stepped forward, probably a nurse or something of the sort, but she ignored her. Instead, Cessilia glared at the man who was now trying to annoy her. He had the look of a predator toying with his prey. He knew he was right, and perhaps, he even knew who she had actually spent the night with. What he wanted was to humiliate her, expose her in front of the Council. He may have thought a young woman who had just lost her virginity would have been terribly embarrassed of the situation and ashamed. However, Cessilia crossed her arms, not shy in the slightest.

“It’s t-true,” she said. “However, it d-doesn’t disqualify me as a c-candidate if the man I spent the n-night with was His Majesty.”

Many eyes shifted from her to the King.

The White King was smiling. For many, that unique sight was absolutely terrifying. Rather than a happy man, it looked like a predator showing its fangs, and when he relaxed his shoulders and sat back down, many got chills. He remained silent, though, so the Yekara Leader was confused for a second, his eyes going from the King to the Princess.

“B-but you already knew th-that, d-didn’t you?” said Cessilia with a smile.

“You... you broke the rules! We will not accept a sullied candidate as our Queen!”

“You’re not making any sense, Lord Yekara. ...Surely you were not expecting the future Queen to remain immaculate?” retorted Ishira, raising an eyebrow. “How is His Majesty supposed to have his heirs then?”

“We shall not accept it,” the man insisted. “The purity of the candidates is one of the rules for–”

The Princess suddenly stepped in his direction, suddenly seeming taller, making the older man sit back in his chair and almost swallow his tongue.

“His Majesty can confirm I had b-been with no other man b-before him,” retorted Cessilia, her angry voice suddenly echoing in the room, “and I will not b-be humiliated b-by the mere loss of my virginity b-by any man. If you want t-to reduce your c-candidates to mere child-making t-tools, th-then all I did was g-get a headstart on them!”

She looked around, glaring back at those who had been prepared for her humiliation.

“You c-can’t even honor the rule of not k-killing or harming other candidates,” hissed Cessilia, “and you’re t-trying to corner me with your rules that d-don’t make sense? A K-Kingdom where a man c-can take mistresses, b-but his wife has to b-be a virgin? How c-can you ask that of your d-daughters and nieces?!”

No one in the room dared to utter a word anymore. In fact, most of the Lords were stunned and stuck to their chairs, some of them sending guilty glances toward their candidates. But Cessilia’s angry eyes suddenly went to Ashen. The King had completely stopped smiling.

“Next t-time, at least ask your King to stay pure too.”

A heavy silence befell the room after her words. She hadn’t meant to target Ashen with this, but she couldn’t spare him, and the guilt was legitimate too. After all, he had agreed to those rules as well as the others, and even if she knew it was her own pride talking, Cessilia was still bitter about Jisel. Even worse, she couldn’t swallow the hypocrisy of these men toward their own female relatives, and she refused to let him be used against her. If anything, Cessilia had grown up in a house where women were not looked down upon, and she wouldn’t let herself be here.

After a short while, someone in the room chuckled, awkwardly breaking the silence.

“...This is why I admire the Empress so much.”

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