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Anarka, fifteen years ago."Illarion, wake up… Illarion…," a woman whispered to her son, who was still fall asleep.The little boy, about ten years of age, squirmed in his sleep, his brows furrowed at the constant disturbance that plagued him. Then, at last, his bead, which was like the darkness of the night, opened heavily."Mother…? What is it?" Illarion rubbed his eyes, shifting his gaze from a beautiful woman with jet black hair like himself to the large window at the end of his room. "It's still night, I can still see the stars.""We have to get out of here," the woman whispered, hastily preparing a bundle of clothes and some jewelry.Still half-conscious, the little boy had not caught his mother's intentions. "Why? Brother is also going?"The sea blue eyes looked back at her beloved child, "no," she shook her head weakly. "You told him? Tell Prince Alexander that it was me who healed the bird?"Illarion sat up straight, his mother's question just now telling him he had made a mi
A maid looked sadly at Illarion, "Concubine Mother will be burned this morning in the square. And you will be sent to the battlefield as penance for what your mother did, sir." A piece of news he heard just now, like the beginning of the nightmare of the little Prince's next life.With a raging feeling, Illarion galloped through the palace halls, looking for someone who could defer the punishment his mother was about to receive. His Majesty's room is tightly closed with layers of security. The little boy screamed outside when he wasn't allowed in. His mournful roar was heard in Prince Alexander's room. The fifteen-year-old young man lay in a pool of blood helplessly because of the repeated beatings from his mother for opposing the Queen's words.Illarion's half-brother did not expect her biological mother, Queen Minerva, to use the statement she told earlier to frame Concubine Sonya, the mother of her beloved brother Illarion Black. "Just out of thirst for praise, I lost my brother. I
Illarion's breaths were ragged. His back was shivering cold, but his body was sweating as if he was hot, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably."Are you all right?" Amanda asked worriedly. The candlelight hit his pale face on the nightstand. He was creating a beautiful silhouette on a shabby mossy wall.Illarion's eyes gleamed at the soothing, serene face, and Amanda was immersed in the man's broad chested arms with one embrace."Sir?" Amanda squirmed in the man's arms, begging him to breathe. But Illarion's shaking hands behind Amanda's back and his ragged breaths in the crook of her neck seemed to say, 'I'm scared.'Amanda brushed the hair above Illarion's nape with her slender fingers gently. 'Everything's fine…,' she said but only inwardly, not daring to utter any reassuring words for Illarion. 'Inappropriate, I am a girl who does not deserve to comfort him.'But that only made Illarion's embrace even more intense. The firm grip on the girl made Amanda's breath even tighter. T
Still ignoring Illarion, the old woman spoke to Amanda again. "There are still many noble men who will like you Lady, even if you look strange. I'm sure there are still many noble men out there, with smooth bodies although maybe not as handsome as this bodyguard of yours.""My Galela! Come here honey, I've made breakfast for you and our guests," shouted an old man from outside the room.The old woman -Galela- growled. "Look? That's what happens when you marry a man because of his good looks. I'm a noble's daughter who eloped with a gardener, she has no manners and is always shouting to call me," Galela vented while showing her toothless mouth."Galela! Dear! My wife!" Again a scream rang out from outside.While hunched over because of the bone loss experienced due to old age, Galela got up from her seat with the help of Amanda. "Yes! Yes! Damn old man! You're so annoying! Look? Here's an example if you marry a man for face not money, and puff! only a few moments until it becomes old w
Amanda placed the empty bowl on the small table, then grabbed Galela's wrinkled hand. "Madam is wrong, I am the one who comes from a lower aristocratic class than Master," Amanda explained with a smile.Galela's wrinkled lips form the letter' O'. "Aren't the bodies of nobles usually so smooth? Their parents could not allow their children to work until the body-""Galela, I told you you always misjudge people," the old man interrupted, rubbing his wife's shoulder. Balton then sat down next to Galela, "he's a knight. Only war soldiers have such wounds on their bodies.""I think the handsome man got the wound when his employer whipped him for stealing the heart of his favorite daughter. Even though her daughter is extraordinary, I'm sure she doesn't have anyone who likes her," Galela whispered to her husband, but it was useless because everyone in the room still heard her voice."Old woman! Watch your talk,s he's not weird! Even very bea-," Illarion cut off his sentence. "Very ordinary.
"I owe you my life," Illarion said later.Balton smiled. The remnants of the good looks that Galela fell in love with are still real even at his much older age than his wife. "No, I'm the one who paid off my debt."Amanda and Illarion stared confusedly at the old man. Balton chuckled before answering the question that flashed across the couple's faces. "Your horse, wasn't he the one who led you here? It seems the animal wants me to pay off my debt. I only realized this this morning when I saw the mark on the horse's back."Illarion still didn't understand what the old man meant."I'm a twenty bronze man," said Balton. "You may have forgotten that you were in your twenties at the time. A little boy leading a group of troops, it's extraordinary."Balton's dark eyes were still staring at Illarion. "That horse, you bought it when it was used to drag my body down the street by my master, Galela's parents. Then after spending a lot of money on that horse, you also bought me 20 bronzes, 300
"What are you doing?" asked Illarion as soon as he entered the kitchen. The man rested his chin on the table before a pile of apples blocked Amanda's face.The girl who had been peeling the apple smiled. "Are you well, Sir?" she asked. Amanda seemed more relaxed outside the palace."He's blind? Can't he see you're peeling an apple?" interrupted Galela."I'm bored in my room," replied Illarion as he picked up an apple and took a bite. He was trying to ignore Galela."Look at that, he doesn't help and he just want to eat," quipped Galela again."Try it," Amanda offered, handing her a cake plate. "Master- I mean grandpa picking apples in the forest and I making apple pie." Amanda corrected her call to Balton because the old man insisted on being called that. While Galela doesn't mind anything, she likes Amanda to refer to her as 'mistress'.Illarion glanced at the cake plate, his subconscious mind always asking, 'is this cake poisoned?' But looking around, there were only two elderly peo
"Don't you want to hear your wife's answer and make up your mind?" teased the old woman to Illarion."Galela!" called Balton, then shook his head. His wife sometimes needs to learn which things she shouldn't talk about."Sorry," Galela mumbled, then continued munching on the cake as if nothing had happened.'If he could raise a child, he would no longer be with me,' thought Illarion. 'However, with whom are you going to take care of the children?' A quick question resurfaced, making Illarion's chest seem tight. 'Will you be happy afterwards?'The elbow-jawed man then sighed as he cast his gaze at Balton. "What do you do?""I sell forest products. Then, once a week, we sell to the city," explained Balton while pulling Galela's plate.The old woman immediately pouted."But now the competition in the market is getting tougher. The goods from the Walls kingdom are much cheaper," complained the old man."Since the Queen reduced the entry tax from various kingdoms, market competition has be