Page 144 of The White King's Favorite

Cessilia and Tessandra chuckled alike. Naptunie and her endless passion for books knew no bounds when it came to the subject of study...

“There aren’t any that we know of,” said Tessandra. “They were reportedly ruined and burned by one of our ancestors who didn’t want his enemies to find a weakness in our relationship with the dragons.”

“I’m sure Nana c-could study dragons and b-bring more things t-to light,” added Cessilia.

“I would love that! Ah, but I would probably have to travel to the Dragon Empire...”

Cessilia and Ashen exchanged a glance. Indeed, the border had been tightly closed for years now... Only a few people could travel between their two countries, but at a great expense, like Counselor Yassim. The White King let out a faint sigh and kissed Cessilia’s wet forehead.

“We might have to rethink that border,” he muttered.

Cessilia was happy with that promise. She was already dreaming of everything she could import and export between the countries, not only merchandise and money but also years of knowledge, advanced crafts, and perhaps the promise of even more magnificent discoveries if both sides of the continent could unite in this... Now that she thought about it, if she married Ashen and her brother became the Emperor, their countries would be closer than ever before. It would probably be the safest and surest way to definitely put an end to the wars between them.

“...Cessilia.”

She raised her head, realizing they had stopped walking. They were almost at the castle already, but she had been so absorbed in her thoughts she had almost run into a cart. She blushed, realizing she had been dreaming about a wedding and a future where she was Queen of this Kingdom for almost all of the walk back... Behind them, Tessandra, Naptunie, and Sabael were casually chatting about the new recipes for the beignets and didn’t seem to have noticed her daydreaming. Ashen chuckled.

“What was that about?”

“N-nothing... I’m just th-thinking about t-trading opportunities.”

“I heard Lady Bastat praise you endlessly, earlier.”

“Lady B-Bastat did?”

Ashen nodded, a faint smile on his lips.

“She said a lot of the fabric they used was unsellable, but many people were glad to take it. Because the citizens in the Capital have the means to buy the best quality, only the very best fabrics usually get sold... Now, she was talking with families from the Outer Capital to have them purchase some of their fabrics and improve them for traveling. I think this gave them a few nice opportunities to extend their businesses to families that don’t come to the Inner Capital.”

“Lady B-Bastat is a very smart woman,” nodded Cessilia. “I’m sure she will make a g-great leader for her t-tribe in the future...”

“Don’t you ever take a compliment for yourself?” sighed Ashen. “They were praising you, Cessilia. The families haven’t tried to collaborate or trade in any way other than through money for years. Most of the people who came to the Outer Capital today would have never come there to help if it wasn’t for you...”

“They were all talking about you,” added Tessandra, catching up on their conversation. “I think I heard them say the Dragon Princess about a thousand times today.”

“Oh, we made sure to say it was your idea!” exclaimed Nana. “The Dorosef Tribe was happy to help, but none of this would have been done if Lady Cessilia hadn’t given us the confidence for it! My tribe has been making a lot of exchanges with the outside, but it was never really safe until today! I am so glad so many people got to eat my family’s beignets! Oh, and that we made friends with the Yonchaa too!”

“You forgot the Hashat. They were all looking at Cessi as if she’s the great priestess of medicine...”

“You g-guys are exaggerating,” muttered Cessilia. “I d-didn’t do that much. Without everyone’s help, I wouldn’t have b-been able to do anything... a-and we still have t-to pay them b-back too.”

“Pay us back? Surely not!” protested Nana. “These are our people! I don’t regret handing out a single beignet for free!”

“The soldiers were happy too,” chuckled Sabael. “To be honest, guarding the Outer Capital and making sure no one gets robbed or attacked can be exhausting. Most soldiers don’t want to be assigned there, but today, we had many guys volunteer to help out. Because food and tea were given for free, no one reported a single robbery. We even spotted the local thugs helping out the soldiers!”

Those words seemed to have Ashen thinking. While the trio behind passed the doors to the castle, Cessilia stared at the King, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

“...Ashen? W-what is it?”

“I was just thinking... I never thought things would go so well today. I haven’t... visited the Outer Capital in a while. Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate the situation outside.”

“You should,” bluntly said Tessa, who had once again heard that. “People don’t choose to become bandits or thieves. If you give them jobs and a paycheck, you’ll be putting them to work. A stable job is a safer way to get their stomachs full compared to daylight robbery.”

Cessilia was pensive. It was true. Even when they had slaves in the Dragon Empire, they still earned money. That was why their aunt had fewer issues abolishing slavery. People had simply stopped buying someone’s freedom, but there weren’t fewer jobs or workers, on the other hand.

“You should d-discuss with the families to have jobs c-created outside,” Cessilia muttered.

“I can’t possibly relocate everyone in the Outer Capital,” said Ashen. “I’ve thought about it. It isn’t safe enough, and there just isn’t enough time to build and get more businesses running.”

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