Despite what she was hearing, Cessilia had a hard time believing all of this was even real. She had been so nervous about this second Banquet, the lack of time to prepare a performance to measure up to her rivals, that she hadn’t even thought about how the others could have lost interest meanwhile. Not in a million years would she have imagined four of the candidates were going to forfeit, and for her sake too. It was a lot all at once. Moreover, the Tribes and Clans Leaders were now all arguing over her.
“You bunch of spineless cowards!” the Yekara Clan Leader was shouting. “You dare to let this foreigner win over your own daughters? We cannot allow one of our enemies on the throne!”
“Wake up, Yekara,” retorted the Dorosef Clan Leader, a very large man named Poseus, and one of Naptunie’
