Page 45 of The White King's Favorite

Nana grimaced, probably wondering if Tessa would seriously consider amputating someone, but she didn’t dare ask. Their little group went to the shop Nana had mentioned, which, fortunately, seemed much more honest and welcoming. While Sabael stood guard outside and refused to enter, the three girls were all treated like princesses. The shop workers were visibly used to prestigious customers, and their attitude became twice as polite when they saw Cessilia’s jewelry. They offered them tea while Tessa stood first on the little stool for her measurements to be taken, two young girls jumping around her with their rulers and announcing numbers while an older lady took notes.

“I want something pretty,” declared Tessa. “...Nana, does your brother have a favorite color?”

“Sab?” said Nana, looking surprised. “Uh... I don’t really know... Why?”

“Nevermind,” sighed Tessa. “Just make it comfortable to move around, please. Nothing too tight or impractical.”

“What is this?” a voice suddenly came from the entrance of the shop.

“Lady Safia, I’m very sorry, but since you didn’t come at your appointed time, we thought–”

“Excuse me? Are you pretending this is my fault? I had an appointment, and it turns out you gave it to someone else? Who the heck dares to…?!”

The woman vociferating abruptly walked into the shop, glaring at Tessa where she stood. Then, her eyes went to Cessilia and Nana. Immediately, her expression changed into a scornful look.

“Ha! You’re saying these miscreants are the ones who took my appointment? How dare you serve those crummy foreigners before me! I’m Safia of the Yekara Clan, daughter of the Clan Leader himself!”

“...And queen of loudmouths?” scoffed Tessa.

The woman did not appreciate Tessa’s snicker. She immediately turned her black eyes to her, furious. It was obvious she came from a very wealthy family, from her luxurious dress, the two servant girls following her, and the many pieces of silver jewelry displayed on her neck, arms, and hair. Her hair was very long, down to her thighs, and styled into dozens of thin braids. She wore simple makeup and was undoubtedly pretty even without that. However, right now, her face was distorted by anger, her lips in an annoyed rictus.

“You should learn to show respect, foreigner girl,” she hissed. “This isn’t your country, you’re nothing here! No one wants you here, either!”

“Seems to me you’re the unwanted one, you tardy bitch.”

Cessilia sighed. She had no intention to get into a fight with any of the candidates, she hated those kinds of catfights and attitudes. Tessa, however, was prone to react to insults, and surely wouldn’t remain quiet about this... Despite her seemingly calm tone, she could tell when her cousin was really pissed. This could get out of hand if she didn’t watch it. Next to her, Nana looked a bit worried, her eyes going back and forth from one woman to the other.

The one most panicked by the situation was undeniably the shop owner; the poor woman almost ran to Safia’s side, looking on the verge of tears.

“My deepest apologies for this situation! It is entirely our fault for assuming my lady wanted to cancel your appointment. Lady Safia, please, we will happily take you now, if you can just wait a few minutes...”

“You want me to wait?” scoffed Safia. “Are you seriously thinking of serving these women while we wait? Are you daft? Have you forgotten who I am? What’s my family’s name?”

Tessa rolled her eyes at her and let out a loud sigh, exasperated.

“No, no, no, of course not, my lady. We will serve you right away. Let us take you to the other room, and...”

“I am not going to any other room,” said Safia, crossing her arms. “I want this one, and those foreigners out. Now!”

Her shrieks echoed in the room like a raven’s squawk. The poor shop owner was visibly doing her best to please both customers but also terrified to anger either. Seeing how calm Safia’s servants were, this wasn’t a rare occurrence either. As she kept screaming, Cessilia sighed and stood up.

“Let’s g-go,” she said calmly.

“B-but...” mumbled Nana, visibly upset about the situation as well.

Cessilia gently helped her up, showing she was resolute in leaving that place. Back on the stool, her arms still crossed, Tessa rolled her eyes, but still followed Cessilia’s lead, and began taking off the fabric she was trying on.

“That’s right,” scoffed Safia. “You scram, and don’t you come into my sight again!”

“Or what?”

Cessilia’s strangely composed tone took the woman by surprise. Not only that, but she had stopped walking on her way out, when they were crossing paths, to stare right at her with those frank, green eyes. In a second, the Yekara woman felt an instinctive surge of fear and stepped back. Something in the foreigner’s eyes had just triggered her most basic survival instincts and made her move away from the Princess. ...However, Cessilia was not showing any sign of aggression, and she immediately regretted stepping back without thinking, wondering where that had come from. She tried to regain her composure, but the Princess was still staring, visibly waiting for an answer. Safia cleared her throat, trying to regain her former arrogant attitude.

“I’ll get rid of you,” scoffed Safia. “I’ll make sure you can never step foot in the Inner Capital again. My family is the Yekara Clan, the most powerful of all. This is not your Empire, a little princess like you has no power here!”

A silent second passed, and Nana stepped forward, getting angry this time.

“You can’t use your family’s power against a foreign princess! How dare you talk to Lady Cessilia like that, Safia! Your family’s only good at bullying people and extorting money!”

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