Page 180 of The White King's Favorite

“Those who protested, at least. I think they want to make an example of them, to dissuade people from resisting.”

“That’s what I’d do too,” nodded Darsan, his mouth full. “Intimidation strategy is rather efficient among military tactics. Especially if there are no fighters to resist. People don’t like having their... Oh. ...Sorry.”

After getting glares from three pairs of eyes, he grimaced and went to sit in a corner with a sorry expression. Meanwhile, Kassian shook his head and turned back to Tessandra.

“If I understand right, we don’t really have any other... fighters we can rely on?”

“Not necessarily. The Pangoja Clan was the only other one with an official position as fighters, if they survived... There are the non-corrupt Royal Guards too, and probably a few mercenaries here and there.”

“...Th-there were a lot of m-mercenaries outside of the C-Capital,” said Cessilia.

“Yeah. Bad people, Cessi, remember?”

“Not n-necessarily. They d-didn’t become mercenaries by choice...”

“They are still probably not fond of the King who kicked their butts out of his Capital, Cessilia. I wouldn’t count on them too much.”

However, Cessilia was still frowning, thinking deeply about this. Kassian smirked.

“There’s that Cheshi Clan we need to check out too. Am I the only one who noticed they probably don’t just handle books?”

“We noticed too. That girl she revealed as a spy? She’s a sister among triplets, and all three of them are trained fighters, at the very least. I would say... assassins.”

“...That makes sense,” nodded Kassian, “and explains how their clan really survived so long... No one really makes it through centuries in an unstable nation with just books.”

They all remained silent for a long time, then, a faint smile appeared on Tessandra’s lips.

“...It seems like the Yekara haven’t won yet, after all.”

“So, do we get to kick ass or not?” Darsan asked, his mouth half full.

“Probably,” said Kassian with a smile. “For now, though, we should get some sleep. Especially you two. Let’s make sure you treat your injuries before sleeping, I don’t want you to catch a fever overnight.”

“You sure are your mom’s son,” chuckled Tessandra. “Don’t worry, Mommy, we can take care of ourselves. Damn, we survived just over a week before you had to come and save our asses... Come on, Cessi, let’s go upstairs. I really need some sleep.”

However, as she stood up, Cessilia’s eyes were still on Ashen. Kassian came behind her and gently pushed her to go with Tessandra.

“Go sleep, Cessi. Darsan and I will watch him.”

“We will?” asked his brother, raising an eyebrow. “I’m still not fond of the guy, for the record!”

“If you do anything to him, you’re dead, Darsan,” groaned Tessandra, pulling Cessilia’s hand to leave the room.

“Fine... Hey, so you’re introducing me to Nana tomorrow, right? Right?! Hey!”

“It’s Naptunie to you! Don’t you dare think you’ll get a love life before I get my boyfriend back!”

Chapter 22

Despite how worried they both were for their partners, Cessilia and Tessandra fell asleep almost as soon as their bodies hit the bed. The day had been absolutely exhausting for both of them and although their minds couldn’t quiet down, they needed the rest. Lady Bastat had prepared a room with a comfortable bed for them too, so despite the noise outside and their injuries, they managed to sleep through the night.

When Cessilia woke up and opened her eyes, the sound and smell of the rain came to her first. The room was still dark, but from the noises outside, she could tell the day was slowly starting. She sat up, worried she would miss the time the Cheshi had given her and glanced around. Tessandra was still sound asleep on her side of the bed, but someone had brought fresh clothes for the two of them and put them on the little table against the wall. There was also everything necessary for a quick body wash, with a basin of water, soap, and towels. Cessilia sighed and got up to quickly clean herself. She checked her injuries, but most damage was internal. She could tell her muscles were sore from the brutal sword fighting and swimming. She was a bit mad at herself. If she had kept training regularly, at the very least, she might have been in better shape than this...

She quickly got ready, glad to be able to refresh herself a little and get into some clean clothes. The simple but thicker dark brown dress Bastat had found for her was both comfortable yet pretty, off-the-shoulder with a flowy skirt. It was definitely a good fit and a nice change. She had gone straight to sleep in her dirty clothes from the previous day... whatever was left of them. At least Tessandra had undressed and slept pretty much naked. Cessilia decided to let her cousin catch a few extra minutes of sleep and went downstairs, dying to check on Ashen’s state. As soon as she thought about how she had left him the previous day, she couldn’t help but be worried. She knew Kassian wouldn’t have let anything happen to him and wouldn’t have left his side if he promised to look after him, but she just had to check for herself.

“...When did you arrive?” a voice groaned.

She stopped, a couple of steps away from the door, recognizing Ashen’s voice and a chuckle from Kassian.

---