Page 271 of The White King's Favorite

His expression fell a bit. Cessilia was always amused to see how heartbreaking it was for him to let go of his precious daughter. With a heavy sigh, he put a kiss on the baby’s forehead, and very gently put her back into her crib. Even if he wasn’t so cautious, Cessilia was sure their baby would have slept well. Neridie had already proven to be quite an easy baby to take care of; she slept and ate well. Both Cessilia and Ashen had been so baffled with how little the baby cried, but they would often find her already awake in her crib, patiently waiting for them and playing around with her plushies or dragon.

“Sleep well, my princess,” Ashen whispered.

Then, he offered his arm to Cessilia, and after one last glance, turned around to leave the nursery. Cessilia waited until he had closed the door, with unnecessary care, to chuckle.

“She’s going to grow up with a terrible temper if you keep spoiling her like this,” she whispered.

“She won’t,” he said. “She’s already so well-behaved, it can’t be helped that we’re doting on her. I’m sure she’ll grow as mature as you when she gets younger siblings.”

Cessilia smiled, happily. They weren’t planning to give Neridie siblings just yet, they had agreed that the baby girl was their priority for now. As her birth had been quite a surprise and earlier than intended, they had promised to be a bit more careful this time. At least until they felt ready for a second one, both of them sure they wanted to grow the family in the future. Ashen had been the most nervous about the birth itself. She couldn’t help but smile whenever she remembered it. Her pregnancy hadn’t even been more difficult than most mothers’, yet the father-to-be had acted as if she was having the hardest time in the world, over caring and watching her every move. Needless to say, she had quite enjoyed seeing him so protective of her, except when it got a bit too much. There had been much to do in the Kingdom, yet he protested anytime she tried to carry something heavy or got busy... He had even heavily insisted that her mother was around for the birth, and in the end, Neridie had in fact been born in her father’s Onyx Castle, a week after they had gone there to prepare for the birth. It had been quite a situation back then, with the King taking constant trips back and forth, torn between her pregnancy and his Kingdom that needed his attention too. She could easily imagine how her own father had to witness and try to ease Ashen through the long hours it had taken. Thankfully, her first baby had come into the world without issues, and she had recovered well. Cessilia had thought a lot about her own birth while preparing, and she could understand all the worries her mother had to go through. She was old enough to remember the birth of some of her siblings, and all had seemed so easy, she had no idea hers had been the most difficult one... No wonder her father had always been most protective of her as a baby. She had only thought it was because she was his first daughter.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, noticing how she was lost in her thoughts.

“I was thinking about Neridie’s birth... She was an easy baby from the start, wasn’t she?”

The mere mention of his daughter was enough to put a smile on Ashen’s face. In fact, she had never seen him smile this much until their baby girl had come into this world. It was clear he was overjoyed to have the family he had longed for... and not just Neridie. Since he had made up with the War God, they had taken many trips between the two countries to visit Cessilia’s family. Any of her siblings were welcome as well, although all of their visits were non-official. On paper, the Eastern Kingdom and the Dragon Empire were just resuming their trades together, and many negotiations were ongoing between the merchants of various trades.

“Of course,” he smiled. “I’m glad she took after her mom.”

“...You think I am the easy one?” she chuckled, pinching his arm.

“No!” he exclaimed, grimacing. “I meant your patience. You’re a lot more patient than I am... I have a short temper. If our daughter took after me, she’d be a handful, but instead, she’s our perfect little Princess.”

“If you keep praising her like that, she will definitely become a handful, Ashen...”

“It’s alright,” he said, putting a quick kiss against her curls. “I promise I’ll get stricter in the future.”

Cessilia had a hard time believing that. The White King was known to have an iron fist with everyone, Neridie was the only one who could probably get away with anything as an adult... She wrote his words in a corner of her mind, swearing she’d remind him later if needed.

For now, they were simply walking down the stairs, away from their family apartments, and to the lower levels of the castle. In the whole Kingdom, the castle had seen the biggest changes in a short time. Once again, the pregnancy had triggered Ashen to realize the damaged castle was no place to welcome a family, let alone a baby. It wouldn’t have been an issue for the two of them, who were the only permanent residents left with Lady Kareen, but Cessilia knew the castle in its decrepit state would have been far too dangerous for a young child to be in. There were many holes everywhere, broken stones, unstable stairs, and wind coming from all sides. Even if her baby had dragon blood that made her stronger, there was no way she or Ashen would have let their newborn live in those conditions. At record speed, Ashen had prompted the architects to find the best ways to turn the old, damaged, and empty castle into a suitable home for his family. Of course, so much couldn’t be accomplished within just seven months, at least not when the rest of the Kingdom was in the same dire need for rebuilding. Moreover, aside from the Capital, they even had a whole new city to raise from the ground. Still, thanks to the King himself working hard, as well as the little Princess’ uncle and aunt, they had managed to make at least a few floors of the Castle decent enough for their family to live in. They still only had a handful of servants, and no guests were invited aside from their close relatives and the Kingdom’s new officials. In fact, this strange atmosphere had even given their castle a new nickname: the Silent Tower. Cessilia couldn’t tell if she liked it or not, but the name had already taken root in the locals’ minds, so it was a bit too late either way. Strangely, the name that sounded so cold wasn’t meant to be negative, it only reflected how peaceful their new home was... and how quiet its residents were, like the little Princess.

“Aren’t you tired?” he asked gently, looking concerned.

Cessilia shook her head.

“I’m alright. It’s not as busy as it used to be either... You?”

“I’ll endure,” he nodded.

She smiled. Indeed, they had been working hard for the past few months, on top of doing their best to raise a newborn. They even had to remind each other to carry Neridie from one place to another.

She let out a faint sigh, thinking about all the past months. Strangely, even if the days had been busy and often tiring, she felt like they had gone by in a flash. They had constantly worked hard, knowing there would be easier days to follow, that the Kingdom would heal by itself once they laid the foundations of its recovery. Even now, the reconstruction of the castle was still ongoing, but visible on each floor. No more wind running through the castle, and every bit that had been broken was now replaced by an even more beautiful piece. Some windows had been enlarged, and some walls torn down to make even bigger rooms. Every day, this castle resembled less and less the once corny building she had first walked into, and was turning more and more into a refined, welcoming building. Cessilia had more plans for this castle, like growing more plants and enlarging some of the balconies, but those could wait for later days...

“...We should plan to go to the island again,” he suddenly said.

She turned her head back to her fiancé, surprised.

“We haven’t been in a while,” he sighed. “I miss our time together a bit... and I feel like a bad future husband too. I’m sorry we haven’t been able to hold our ceremony yet. I don’t want you to think I’m...”

“Neglecting me?” Cessilia chuckled. “Pushing back? Stalling? Ashen, we’ve both been very busy. We even had a child, and it’s just been a year since I first came to this Kingdom... I miss our alone time too, but I don’t believe for a single second it’s your fault. You’re busy, we both are. And from what I have seen, you’re a very caring dad and a loving fiancé. I have no doubt it will go on even after we’re married. Also, we both agreed to have our ceremony once we’re ready for it.”

Ashen sighed and stopped walking, holding her hand. He looked a bit worried this time, making Cessilia frown.

“That’s the thing,” he muttered. “I’m ready. I’ve been ready to marry you since the first kiss we shared. I feel bad that I can’t give you the ceremony you deserve yet. If I had agreed to have it in the Empire, it would already be done, but I...”

Cessilia grabbed his cheeks, amused.

“Ashen. Ashen, look at me. We both wanted to have our ceremony here, remember? I want to marry my future husband in the country he’s the King of. Don’t let my aunt’s words get to you, please. I don’t need all the gold and jewels and never-ending banquets. I know what you’re thinking, but no. You don’t need to rival my family’s riches. Please... I want our ceremony to be just like us. Nothing showy. I don’t even need many people to attend; as far as I’m concerned, our family and friends would be enough. I’m pretty sure most of the Kingdom thinks we’re married already, and they are definitely aware we already had a few first nights in the same bed too.”

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