Page 122 of The White King's Favorite

“...You know I didn’t choose to come back,” he groaned. “When... your father told me to leave, he said I should go back and finish what I had started; I never thought he had been training me all this time with the idea to send me back and let me conquer my father’s throne. At least, not so soon. The way he... banned me from the Empire was so sudden. I felt like I was falling down from that window again, losing everything and everyone I cherished. It was like being thrown back into hell after tasting paradise for more than two years. My hair turned completely white then, I think. ...I didn’t want to go back, but once I was back in my Kingdom, I realized there were truly people who needed me.”

He took a deep breath, his eyes going down on the sword at his side.

“...In the end, I obeyed your father. I started from scratch, letting people believe what they wanted about my supposed death... My father had used my murder to gain sympathy, so when I got back, everything crumbled under his feet. People had already endured two years of civil war, they were more than glad to see me appear to put an end to it.”

He scoffed bitterly, a disgusted smirk on his lips.

“...Killing him was almost too easy,” he chuckled bitterly. “He hadn’t trained in years, he was no match for me, who had been trained for two years by the War God himself. Plus, those who were still debating on who to follow against him were only too happy to rally behind me... like the nine clans. I knew some of them didn’t do it only for my sake, but I figured it was better to let them follow my lead and deal with their expectations later. It only led to where we are now...”

He let out a long sigh. Despite how young Ashen was, he already had faint wrinkles, too many scars, and something incredibly sad and wise in his dark eyes. He had already lived one too many lives, it seemed. Cessilia smiled, and gently pulled his face closer to kiss him.

“...My King,” she muttered. “You’ve really gone through a lot, haven’t you?”

He smiled. He liked the way the Dragon Princess said this, with a hint of possessiveness in it. Ever since she had appeared again, he was rediscovering the girl he had once known bit by bit, unveiling how she had grown into a strong, beautiful, and determined woman. Still, the more he learned about her, the more unworthy he felt. He didn’t want to be that weak, anger-filled boy anymore. The same way he had turned from a prince to a king who had fully taken his throne with his own power, he wanted to be a strong and reliable man to Cessilia, not the self-centered bastard he had shown her all this time. He took a deep breath, and answered her kiss back.

“...Let’s leave,” he said.

She nodded, and he gently pulled her hand, the two of them leaving the house. Cessilia glanced back once more before they stepped out. Even if this place was filled with melancholy, she could feel it had been the home of some happy days too. Hopefully, it would be able to host more in the future...

“...Now you know,” Ashen sighed once they were outside. “...I’m sorry it took me so long. You’re the first person to know all of this... about my past.”

“Thank you for t-telling me,” she said calmly, “...but it d-doesn’t change anything, Ashen.”

His hands froze on the lock he was busy putting back. He finished locking it, and turned to her, taking her hand with a worried expression.

“...What doesn’t change? What are you talking about?”

Cessilia sighed calmly, and caressed his cheek once more.

“You’re still a p-prince, in their eyes… a p-prince they want t-to manipulate to d-do their b-bidding. You haven’t finished the t-task my father sent you to do. Finish what you s-started here. End the wars and b-bring peace to your home c-country.”

“Cessilia...”

“I’ll help you,” she added with a gentle smile. “D-don’t worry. I’m stronger than you th-think, and so are you. We c-can do this... together.”

Ashen hesitated for a few seconds, caressing her cheek with a solemn look.

“...I know. But... I am afraid I’m going to involve you in something you shouldn’t have to go through if it wasn’t for me. Given a couple more years... maybe you could have come when I had finally pacified this Kingdom.”

“And m-maybe you wouldn’t b-be able to d-do it without me,” Cessilia calmly retorted. “Ashen, I chose to c-come here. It was n-not on a whim, b-but by my own choice. It’s n-not just about you. I have some things to p-prove to myself t-too. I j-just chose to d-do it b-by your side.”

The King remained silent for a little while. A part of him was still desperate to protect her at any cost. Since he had learned what she had gone through after he left, and what had happened to her dragon, Ashen felt an even bigger sense of responsibility toward Cessilia. In his mind, he had already been granted a miracle just to be able to meet her once more and to have her by his side. But if anything happened to her because of this Kingdom’s political intrigues, it would be entirely his fault...

While he was lost in some dark thoughts, the Princess unexpectedly slipped her hand into his. He glanced down, a bit surprised, but Cessilia looked very calm, simply leading their little stroll away from his childhood house. He held her hand a bit tighter and they kept walking in silence, just enjoying each other’s presence, and the quiet streets around them. With no one willing to stay out late, it looked as if time had stopped in the streets of the Capital. The night sky was beautiful too. The moon was bright and full, only obscured once in a while by a lonely cloud.

“I really like th-this city,” she whispered.

“It wasn’t always this calm and quiet. Ten years ago, you couldn’t walk three streets without risking being robbed or getting into a fight... The wealthier people hid in their houses and could pay for their security, but for everyone else, it was quite the challenge just to survive...”

“Nana t-told us about her childhood here too...”

“Yeah, she probably experienced it from a... more privileged point of view. At the very least, the clans, even if they were still more tribes back then, could protect each other. For people with only their families to rely on, it was... hard.”

Cessilia nodded, and they kept walking. Knowing the history of this place made her even prouder about what Ashen had managed to do with it... Bringing back peace and security had probably been the very first step to healing this country from its deep wounds. Even if it was just beginning with the Capital, it could at least show that with time and the proper measures and leaders, the other cities would improve too. It was just a matter of time, and if they could find the right people...

“What about C-Counselor Yassim?” Cessilia asked. “I heard a b-bit from him about his r-relationship with you, b-but...”

Ashen grimaced a bit.

---