Page 203 of The White King's Favorite

He was a bit more exhausted than she was, his torso heaving up and down under his armor. Cessilia was glad the one she had picked was perfectly protecting his injury, but also helping his posture. Whoever had crafted this truly knew the needs of a dragon warrior.

She stepped ahead, and kicked the door open for the two of them, her weapons at the ready for the next fight. Luckily, there were less soldiers guarding the entrance of the castle; the room being too large and circular had probably convinced them there was no point in defending such a vast area. Moreover, from there on, the castle was going to be divided in narrow corridors, enclosed spaces, and a handful of large rooms. There would be more than enough places more efficient than there to put a defense up. In fact, Ashen and Cessilia left the Cheshi fighters that had come with them to deal with those, while they were still catching a break, glancing around.

“...Chances are those rotten bastards are hiding in the throne room or the banquet hall,” he said.

“They will t-try to keep us from k-killing your adopted brother,” nodded Cessilia.

“They can try. I can’t wait to get rid of that wretched bastard once and for all, if he really is alive...”

That was what they had heard so far. Cessilia herself was surprised, if that was true. From what she had seen, his body had been crushed by rocks. Perhaps he had survived, but he ought to have lost a limb or two, at the very least... She couldn’t understand why the Yekara Clan Leader was holding on to that man instead of taking the throne for himself. He could have simply taken over, declaring he had been named by their fake, very brief King to take his succession. Or was it that he doubted he would be recognized as a legitimate leader? It turned out Ashen’s brother wasn’t much more welcomed by the people, though... No one was blind as to who was truly behind all this.

“Cessilia.”

Ashen gently called her name, and extended his free hand for her to take. Together, they climbed the stairs first, trusting the Cheshi would catch up with them, or spread out in the castle to get rid of more Yekara soldiers. This was more their kind of battleground, after all. Unlike the plaza from earlier where they had been completely exposed, this time they could execute lightspeed attacks and disappear right after.

While climbing up, Cessilia tried to catch sight of what was going on outside through the windows. Not only in the Central Plaza, which she could spot in a blink, but also farther away, where her brothers and the dragons stood. She could see more fights going on, and Kian’s shiny figure defending one of the bridges. It was harder to figure out the situation on the other one, but Darsan seemed to be doing fine, standing in the middle of the bridge, the bright orange armor shining through while dozens of little silhouettes were regularly thrown off to fall into the river below. She couldn’t see Kassian’s situation, as her brother’s location was caught between all the buildings, but she could guess. It was probably like everywhere else, dozens of citizens flocking the streets to fight back with them, and Lady Bastat’s tribe gathering at his side. So much had happened during such a short amount of time; Cessilia could only hope the losses on their side would be minimal. She could also see more people gathering outside the Outer Wall, hundreds of little dots moving toward the doors. Who knew how long the bridges could be defended before people managed to force their way in…?

It wasn’t as if Ashen and herself weren’t busy as well. Cessilia was astounded with how many people got in their way. How long had the Yekara been preparing this? How many people had they corrupted to make the castle so guarded? At each new corridor, there was another fight. Ashen’s castle had suddenly turned into a maze that was not welcoming them back. Not only that, but Cessilia realized there had been a lot more fights than she had thought after they had fled the cave; there were signs of battle almost everywhere. They even ran into some Royal Guards’ bodies abandoned here and there, most likely those who had tried to resist.

Ashen’s anger gradually rose as he saw more and more of them. When they pushed the door to another room, finding three more bodies and a lot of blood spilled everywhere, the furniture wrecked, the floor and walls covered in blood, his piercing black eyes stayed on the bodies.

“If only I had gotten rid of the Yekara earlier... I should have known they wouldn’t be satisfied with a seat and a title. All my guards...”

“...You c-couldn’t have known,” gently muttered Cessilia, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You needed their help b-back then. It isn’t your fault.”

“No, it is, Cessilia. It’s been my mistake all along. I refused to handle all the responsibilities alone, and I tried to persuade myself I could let the leaders decide with me to divide the burden. That was so wrong. Not only did I let those bastards do what they wanted under my nose, but I didn’t even get to do anything worth it for all the tribes that deserved it.”

“That’s not t-true. It’s not as if the tribes resent you, and they know you d-didn’t just give in to the Yekara either.”

He closed his fist and didn’t answer, but Cessilia could tell from his expression that he wasn’t satisfied with that. Ashen was carrying his guilt all over his face, but that was his burden to bear. Cessilia knew he had faced too much at way too young an age. She knew most of the Lords didn’t blame him, but at the very least, recognizing his own wrongs would only make him a better King... even if it was another painful lesson learned.

She looked down. He had let go of her hand again. She frowned and suddenly grabbed his face between her hands, forcing him gently but firmly to look at her. Ashen opened his eyes wide at her, stunned. Cessilia actually took him by surprise.

“You may not have b-been the best King,” she said, “but you are a g-good man, Ashen. So please, d-don’t close yourself to the p-people who want to help you. I will b-be with you from now on. I’m not leaving you. If you made mistakes, we c-can repair them, together. I want t-to stay by your side.”

“...I know,” he muttered.

He gently held her hand against his cheek, and moved his head slightly to kiss her palm.

“I d-don’t think we have a lot of time for that,” Cessilia blushed.

“Later,” he whispered. “After all this is over, I want to spend all the time I have with you.”

“It’s a p-promise, then.”

“It is.”

She smiled, feeling a bit shy. It felt almost outrageous that the two of them could still be so loving toward each other in such a situation. Yet, her heart felt as if it was overflowing with love for him. Ashen had changed and, if possible, he had become even more handsome in her eyes. She really wanted to hug him, but they didn’t have the time for that. Instead, she put a quick kiss on his lips, leaving him with a smile on.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

“For what?”

“For being so patient with this stubborn lover of yours.”

Cessilia blushed and chuckled, and they finally parted, although still holding hands, tighter than before. As they were just about to leave the spot they were in, a loud dragon growl was heard in the distance. They ran to the closest window, immediately spotting the large red fire Naptunie had just set as a warning. At least, she was fine. Meanwhile, their eyes quickly found the large Black Dragon next, exactly on the bridge they had positioned it at, being assaulted by a myriad of strange ants. The humans had found ways to breach the gate, and began crawling onto the bridge, trying to get past the large dragon. They would probably take a while before managing to get past Krai, but that still wasn’t anywhere near good news for them. It meant the Yekara allies had already won over that side of the Outer Capital...

“...Let’s get going,” groaned Ashen. “The sooner we finish things here, the sooner we can go and get rid of the ones outside. ...Will your father’s dragon be alright?”

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