Page 49 of The White King's Favorite

Her heart was going fast, way too fast. She could almost feel the blood rushing to her extremities, making her numb in some parts. She was holding on to that vision of Ashen’s back, and the fact that he wasn’t gone yet. Instead, he was stuck in that heavy silence between them. Cessilia stepped forward, almost worried she would miss his answer. She couldn’t see his face, blocked by his white hair in between. He then turned his head, but now, she couldn’t see his eyes, just the edge of his lips and nose. He opened his mouth, slowly.

“I...”

Whatever he wanted to say next, it didn’t come out, his sentence remained suspended between them, that troubled tone in his voice serving only as a clue. That was all Cessilia wanted. Some hope.

She moved forward, not thinking about anything anymore. In just a few seconds, she closed the distance between them, feeling the bravery of a dragon inside her. She reached Ashen, and without any warning, she put her lips on his. This was a gesture she wouldn’t have dared to dream of just seconds ago, but now, something was changing inside her. Her voice was broken, but not her body. Her hand on his cheek, the other on his arm, she just kissed him, putting all of her feelings into that shy, fragile kiss.

Ashen’s lips opened slightly. She couldn’t tell if it was to breathe or to taste more of her. Cessilia slowly pulled back, watching his expression, that feeling lingering on her lips.

The look in Ashen’s eyes was all she wanted to know. That breach in his armor, that almost frightened look meant she had reached something deep inside. He was letting down his cold and ruthless demeanor to show the young man she had known once before, the one she had missed so much it hurt.

“...Never do that again.”

He fled the room as fast as he could, leaving Cessilia there.

When reality hit her again, she exhaled all at once, staggering and stumbling back, her body going numb again. It was such that she dropped down to her knees, trying to catch her breath, massaging her chest, hoping her heart would calm down too. Cessilia had to lean against the door for a few minutes, just trying to recuperate. Despite her physical distress, something in her heart was a bit brighter, and she felt a little bit more confident, a faint smile even appearing on her lips.

Then, she heard a faint growl coming from the other side. She brushed her curls back and turned her head, seeing Krai’s big head shyly appearing behind the rail. Cessilia smiled and slowly stood up, helping herself by using the wall on the side, and walked over. Its head was trying to go higher than the balcony, so it could get in, but there was no way the dragon’s body would ever fit in the suite. When Cessilia reached the balcony, she glanced outside and noticed it was indeed trying to climb up the cliff, its lower body in the water. Krai probably struggled to fly to that place and had to dig its claws into the cliff to have a stable position to peek. She smiled, and sat on the rail, leaning forward to caress the big dark snout.

“Were you worried...?” she muttered. “I’m f-fine...”

The dragon’s warm scales under her hand were very comforting. Cessilia gave in, leaning even further, until her upper body rested on the dragon’s head, her hand between its eyes. Feeling her father’s dragon was both heart-warming and a bit saddening. When she heard Krai growl softly again, Cessilia felt her lower lip twitch a bit.

“I miss her t-too...”

Cessilia’s tears fell down silently. She didn’t want to think about Cece, but now, it was inevitable. She closed her eyes, crying silently and feeling the dragon’s warmth under her, imagining it was her own...

“Lady Cessilia...?”

The shy knocks on the door woke her up from her half-drowsy state. Cessilia slowly rose up, gently pushed by Krai too, and saw Nana fidgeting at the entrance of the suite. The young woman looked worried and was holding a large drink in her hands.

“Oh, Sir Dragon is here too! Hi, again!”

Krai tilted its large head, visibly curious about the little Dorosef woman. Nana walked over to Cessilia.

“I’m sorry, I tried knocking twice already but I thought you didn’t hear, these doors are so huge! So, my uncle said the dinner is almost ready, but he wanted to know if you prefer to eat in your room or in the tower with us since the weather is nice tonight! Oh, you should drink this later! It’s warm milk with honey, it will help you sleep! I’ll put it on your bedside table! Oh, you didn’t unpack yet? Do you need help with that? Oh, I can... Lady Cessilia, are you okay? You look like you cried!”

Cessilia quickly tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Her face felt all dry and salty from being exposed to the sea spray all this time, and her hair was a mess too...

“Nana, c-can I wash my face b-before dinner?”

“Of course! The bathroom should be ready, right? Oh, you should ask them to get you coconut butter! It does wonders for dry skin, all my sisters and I use it!”

“Th-thank you, I’ll b-be quick.”

Cessilia ran to the suite’s bathroom, trying to hide her face from Nana, a bit shy. Upon glancing at the mirror, she realized it wasn’t so bad. She took a deep breath and washed her face in the little basin first, hoping the cold water would wash it all away, and wake her up a bit better.

The memory of what had happened just minutes ago was still burning on her lips. Cessilia stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to see what he had seen in her... A liar? A traitor? She shook her head, chasing all those thoughts away. It didn’t matter much now. She knew there was still something between them... She could hold on to that, and it was enough for her. He hadn’t kicked her out of his Kingdom, and he hadn’t rejected her kiss either. The look in his eyes... Cessilia touched her lips, trying to grasp that feeling again. It was still so vivid in her mind, yet disappearing already.

“Oh, can I help you brush your hair?”

Nana’s voice coming from the doorstep made her jump.

“Sorry...” mumbled Nana, realizing she had scared her. “I just thought you might need uh... some help. The coconut butter is great for dry lips too!”

Cessilia smiled, thankful for Nana’s bright personality right now. If it had been Tessa there instead, her cousin would have surely insisted to know what had happened for the longest time. Naptunie didn’t seem to mind, and she was nice enough to pretend she hadn’t seen Cessilia’s crying. Although she obviously knew, she was being kind and was just trying to cheer her up. After Cessilia nodded, she merrily walked over to grab a comb and help her with her hair, which was too long for Cessilia to handle alone.

“Your hair is so pretty...” smiled Nana. “Do you have servants at home to brush it?”

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