Page 254 of The White King's Favorite

After a while, Kareen sighed.

“...The lake itself isn’t special. It’s what’s hidden beneath it that is.”

“What’s hidden beneath?”

“It’s true,” said Kareen, staring far ahead. “Your mother died, shortly after Kassian was born.”

Cessilia was stunned. She had always had a hunch, but neither her or her brother had ever been able to confirm it. Their parents always firmly ignored that subject... Her mother would put on a sad smile and change the topic, while their father would look deeply hurt and angry. Both their reactions had made it so neither of them dared to ask twice.

“Just... how?”

“She died in the battle opposing one of your uncles, a wretched man who murdered your grandfather. Sadly, your mother gave her own life in that conflict. ...Shortly before, though, she had found out how special that lake truly was.”

“Why the lake...?”

A faint smile appeared on Kareen’s lips.

“The best secrets aren’t uncovered in centuries-old libraries, but in a man’s bed, Cessilia. Your grandfather had told me once that there was a secret buried deep in that lake. Something only the Emperor and their heir ought to know. He had told me, in case something happened to him, and with the intention that Kairen would become the next Emperor. Deep, deep, in the depths of that lake, a legendary creature was hidden.”

“...A legendary creature?”

“Yes. A dragon so old, it was more a deity than a creature. No mortal could tame it, and the dragon always hid so deep inside the lake, no one could reach it. With the centuries going by, and the dragon never resurfacing, it had become no more than a legend passed on to the next generation.”

“...But the Sea Dragon was there,” muttered Cessilia. “Wasn’t it? My mother’s birth tribe was the Rain Tribe. They had ties to the Sea Dragon... and that’s how she was saved. The Sea Dragon saved my mom’s life.”

“It did not save her,” said Kareen. “Your mother was indeed dead, and her body was taken to the lake, just like your Cece. She stayed there for an awfully long time. Months, many months. If not for Kassian being just a newborn who needed his dad then, I don’t know how your father would have endured it. He was heartbroken... It’s no wonder neither of them can bear to talk about this, even today. That was the hardest time of their lives.”

“So... Mother came back thanks to the Sea Dragon.”

“Yes. She briefly talked with me about that matter, although it wasn’t clear for her either. She did see that great dragon, that forgotten god from the depths.”

Cessilia wasn’t exactly shocked to hear all this, but it was still heavy on the heart. She knew the incredible love that united her parents. Many times, she had been the prime witness of it. Those gazes, kisses, and gentle gestures exchanged between her parents. Despite having so many children, her parents never forgot to have a tender moment with each other. She almost suspected they stayed apart for days just to be even happier to reunite. Or perhaps, did her mother know they should wait until the next child…?

At times, there was this strange worry in her father’s eyes. If the smallest thing happened to their mother, something as small as a flower’s thorn pricking her finger, he’d get incredibly protective. Even with his children. Cessilia had many memories of her father being her favorite shadow, the strong arms she easily hid in, whenever she felt shy to the world. She knew her father was a strong man, a warrior who had fought every battle... yet she had never imagined his biggest scar was invisible.

“Do you think... the same dragon deity healed my Cece the same way?”

“It’s possible,” smiled Kareen, “if a dragon is still down there. Or perhaps, the centuries-long home of a Dragon God became a sanctuary itself. Who knows? But you know, your mother did say something. She said that water, in the depths of the lake, had a salty taste.”

“Salty?”

Cessilia frowned. How could a lake’s water possibly be salty? Moreover, she knew that lake well. Her siblings, their dragons, and she often played by that lake. They’d even swim and fool around in the shallow bank of it. She had never tasted that water to be anything close to salty...

“Could it be connected to the sea? That would tie it to the legend...”

“Maybe,” smiled her grandmother, “but only your mother could swim deep enough to tell.”

Cessilia was almost hoping she’d get to go home and swim in the depths of that lake now. She had never shown any interest because Tessandra and her younger siblings couldn’t follow her that deep, but perhaps, if she tried to go really, really deep, she’d find that salty water...

“You’re thinking a lot,” chuckled Kareen.

“What about the Earth Dragon?” Cessilia immediately asked. “Krai... I mean, my father’s dragon and their ancestors were all earth dragons, before what happened to Mother with the Sea God. Do we know where the other dragon rested, if it was still alive?”

Kareen smiled enigmatically.

“That legend... Do you remember the last dragons exchange?”

It took a few seconds for Cessilia to remember, with certainty, what those had been.

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