Page 273 of The White King's Favorite

“You speaking with His Majesty earlier. You were both acting sneaky, Sab. What did he want to discuss with you? He obviously didn’t want Cessi to listen to it.”

He sighed. She was always so perceptive, it was hard to keep secrets from her. He finally glanced up. Tessandra was still staring at him, with that usual little frown between her eyebrows, her lips in a little pout and her arms crossed. She abandoned the piece of fish she had been attempting to prepare for their dinner, leaving the dirty knife planted on the chopping board. The kitchen counter was an impressive mess, as usual... He smiled. He was starting to really know her expressions by heart, even how she tilted her head like that when she was a bit nervous.

“He had something to ask me,” he simply said. “We were sneaky because he didn’t want your cousin to hear about it, as you already guessed. Why so curious?”

“Because you’re not telling me what it was about although I already asked twice,” she retorted. “What is it about Cessilia that you can’t tell me?”

“His Majesty asked me to keep it a secret, Tessa.”

“From me too?” She raised an eyebrow.

He sighed and put his sword aside.

“She’s your cousin, and you two are close. Plus, can’t we have some secrets between men?”

Tessandra pouted a bit more, obviously not convinced. She hated secrets, even more so when they were kept from her. Sabael decided to stand up and walk up to the kitchen counter instead. They had officially begun living together just a few months ago, and for some reason, Tessandra was extremely stubborn about learning how to cook. He had rarely seen her be so bad at something, but she really had no talent for cooking, despite each of her attempts being the most serious. He was even aware of her secretly taking lessons from his sisters, without much success. Sadly, he had actually found out by catching his siblings joking about it.

Today, like every time before, there was an impressive layout of ingredients, everything still raw and at best, poorly chopped. Tessandra’s talent with a sword did not translate well into her wielding of kitchen knives... She had left the fish meant to be their dinner in a poor state too after her first attempts to skin them. There was an impressive amount of skin left, considering how much flesh was gone, although the goal had obviously been the opposite. Embarrassed about her failure, Tessandra grabbed all the ingredients and tossed them into a large pot before she slammed it on the counter. Sabael grimaced.

“...You know I’m fine with grilled fish,” he muttered.

“We’re having soup.”

She took the pot to the fire pit, trying to heat it a bit before she went back to clean the kitchen counter. Sabael’s eyes were still on that pot, wondering if it was safer to tell her it needed water or to let it burn...

“I’m not prying into your relationship with Ashen,” Tessandra suddenly declared, her back turned on him. “I’m not trying to be a control freak. I was just curious, that’s it.”

Sabael frowned, and turned his eyes to her.

“I never thought of you as a control freak,” he frowned.

“Oh, please Sab, you know I am.”

“Tessa, I’m serious. ...Who said that?”

She didn’t answer, which, for anybody who knew Tessandra, spoke volumes. Sabael walked up to her right when she was rinsing her hands, grabbing her wet fingers to have her look at him.

“Tessandra, I’m serious. Who called you that?”

Tessandra hesitated, avoiding his gaze. After a while, she mumbled.

“...Your sister.”

“Which one?” he insisted. “I’m guessing that it’s not Nana, so which one of the two others? Marcie or Plunie?”

“What difference does it make?” Tessandra sighed. “They both think it! That I’m just some unfeminine, useless, and loudmouthed version of Cessilia. I know your family wanted some cute, docile housewife for you, and they think I’m not the right match. Look at me, I can’t do a single house chore right! I’m only good with swords and my big mouth! What good is it to be strong in times of peace? I hate it, Sab.”

“Tessandra, look at me.”

She reluctantly raised her eyes again, and saw his smile. He chuckled. She was strong physically, but at times, she was the most vulnerable woman ever. He lightly put his hand against her cheek and grabbed her other hand, gently entangling his fingers with hers.

“First, my sisters don’t speak for the whole family. In fact, I’m much closer to Nana, who worships you, and my brothers all adore you too.”

“That’s because I get along with guys.”

“Is that so bad? I grew up used to two of my sisters being the local gossipers. Of course my brothers and I like frank and honest girls more. Yes, you’re loudmouthed, and I love that. I like that you’re going to tell me when something’s wrong, and you’re not afraid to speak up for yourself. My girlfriend is bold enough that she doesn’t need me by her side all the time, she can stand up for herself and wrestle with dragons in her free time.”

Tessandra couldn’t hold back a chuckle at that last line. He was talking about the previous week, when she had quite literally brawled with Dran. It was just a game between them and also revenge for the dragon stealing her fish, but she had fun, while the crowd who had gotten to witness this were completely stunned. However, Sabael’s sisters hadn’t failed to mention how unfitting it was for a girl. Just thinking about it erased that smile from her lips again.

---