After a few hours, they reached a checkpoint. The coachman of the carriage handled it smoothly, and Martia and the Prince didn’t have to get out of the carriage.

  After crossing the city, they entered a village, which was neutral; the people there only believed in business and profit.

  The carriage stopped, and the coachman got into the carriage and said to Martia, “There is an abandoned house here where you have to wait. Baharitus will send people to pick you up to be brought to him.”

  Martia and the Prince went into the house. Martia took the Prince

  deep inside the house, to a room, and made him sit behind a wall, which was erected to divide the room. She took out her bag and placed it on the floor beside the Prince.

  They both then heard sounds inside the house. The Prince looked

  worried, but Martia didn’t look bothered; she looked ready.

  Martia spoke loudly, looking back to where the sound was coming

  from. “At least give me two swords, a fair chance to defend myself!”

  And after a few moments, two swords were thrown in her direction. Martia covered her face and head with a black cloth. She then looked at the Prince, who looked bewildered. She took out one of the ribbons that she had bound on one of her wrists. She blindfolded the Prince and said, “Don’t take the blindfold off.”

  Before the Prince could reach out for her hand, she stood up. She then took the swords in both her hands and left the room, closing the door behind her to reach the small courtyard, where everyone was waiting for her.

  The Prince heard the sound of swords hitting each other. He understood that Martia was fighting against a lot of people.

  After some time, the sounds stopped.

  Martia returned to the Prince.

  Martia held his hand and pulled him up; he was still blindfolded.

  When Martia brought the Prince out of the room into the courtyard, where it was raining, his blindfold got wet and loosened up, because of which he had to take it off. He saw a few corpses, cut and slashed, and many more injured fighters, and blood all over the courtyard, which even the rain was taking time to wash off the surface. He felt sick seeing this but controlled himself and continued walking to cross the courtyard. Martia took off her face cloth and let go of his hand to go forward to meet someone who was waiting for her under an umbrella along with many guards.

  Martia confidently said, “Did I just prove myself worthy to be saved by you?”

  Baharitus smiled and said, “I already knew you were worthy, and these few fighters were nothing compared to your skills as an assassin. But still, they were some of the bests I had. Martia, helping you is like going against Promapple and the other eleven villages that support it."

  Martia said in a mocking tone, “Didn’t you already go against Promapple when you ran away from your village in the middle of the training?”

  Baharitus recalled, “And you helped me to run away from there while you and Arigue were visiting my village. I remember that I was their enemy, but now I am already helping them with weapons and some resources, so I am not their enemy anymore. It’s just that I am made for business, and all I care about is from where I can get maximum profit. Fighting was just not for me.”

  Martia said in an annoyed tone, “Yes, I know. Why are you telling me this?”

  Baharitus said boldly and confidently, “Of course you know this. You know everything related to Promapple and all their business and spies along with it. But, Martia, I have to pay a fortune to others to hide you in my village and go against Promapple again. Why would I take this risk?”

  Martia declared, “You will take this risk because I have taken a risk to save you and gave you a chance to live the life you wanted to live. You don’t want to die owing someone, do you? And if those things don’t matter to you, and you only believe in profits and business, then hire me. Make me a part of your businesses. I will make sure your weapons manufacturing and import-export business become more profitable than what they are right

  now. You know that, right? I am capable of that, too, along with killing people. You know Arigue, right, who was my teacher? He taught me all about economics and business. I also helped Promanthae in chalking out deals with others, and that was one of the reasons I was in your village when I first met you.” Martia smirked and continued, “Yes, that same Promanthae of whom you were scared to no limit and the same Arigue who was with me to buy some books in your village, with whom you prayed to help you get out of that place, who ultimately convinced me to help you

  escape.”

  Baharitus said in an annoyed tone, “I will hire you as my main

  bodyguard and my adviser. But before that, remember, you might not getmuch time to give to your lover, who is standing there. He doesn’t look like a commoner.” Baharitus asked nosily, “Where did you find him? Is he from some castle?”

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  Martia looked at him furiously but replied calmly, “He is just an

  ordinary person.”

  Baharitus, smiling in suspicion, said “Just an ordinary person? You left the village where you were supposed to be the leader. And made that deadly village your enemy just for an ordinary person? Did they not teach you to lie during your high-level training?”

  Martia said angrily, “Then what do you think? That I ran away with the king?”

  Baharitus laughed. “Ah, well, he is not the king but—”

  Martia cut in, “He is just a good person. And nothing else.” Changing the topic, she said, “Have you arranged a place for us to stay? How long do you want a conversation in the rain?”

  Baharitus replied, “There is a carriage waiting for you. It will take you to a place I have selected for you to live. Don’t worry, there won’t be any tests along the way.”

  Martia said nonchalantly, “I am not worried about that. It is good that you chose to help me and got me on your side, otherwise, do you think that you would have escaped from this place alive?”

  Martia, along with the Prince, got into a carriage, and it left.

  Baharitus, who was smiling at Martia’s reply, watched them leave and said to himself, “Let’s see how long this arrangement of ours works.”

  The carriage stopped in front of a small but beautiful house with a

  garden full of flowers. They both went into the house.

  Inside, the Prince held Martia’s hand and asked, “Are you injured?”

  With Martia’s gown completely black it was difficult to know if she was injured or not.

  Martia replied calmly, “I am going to take a bath and change. Someone will come to deliver us food. Take it and eat first. I will join you later.”

  She picked up some clothes kept for her on the table and went into the washroom.

  The Prince, who understood that Martia was injured, just sat on one of the chairs and waited worriedly for her. He didn’t know how to talk to her, what to say, what not to say. How to make her understand that he loved her and that there was no need to hide any pain from him.

  While bathing, Martia saw that her whole body was covered in cuts, some still bleeding. She was disappointed with herself after seeing so many wounds and wondered whether the presence of the Prince affected her or whether she needed to practice more or that she was not as good as everyone else assumed. She thought, Like this, we won’t be able to survive long. She cleaned all her wounds and applied medicine, which she always carried. And then got dressed again.

  When she came out, she saw the Prince waiting for her with food. She went up to him, and said politely, “I have to practice for some time and analyze what I did wrong today. Don’t wait for me; you eat and sleep.”

  She then took two swords, which were in the room, and went to the garden and started practicing to understand what mistakes she had made to be this injured.

  The Prince saw Martia practicing—fighting strenuously in the garden and felt a sense of longing for her company. He continued looking at her and fell asleep beside the window after a while.

  After practicing for two hours, Martia came into the house and saw the Prince sleeping beside the window. She remembered that she had promised him that she would never let him feel lonely in her company. But she had made him feel alone even in her presence.

  She felt sad and thought she really did not know how to love someone. And it was going to be a long journey of learning about affection before she could keep her promise to him.

  She woke him up and said, “Let’s go eat.”

  He smiled on seeing her, went to the table to eat, and said, “Let’s eat quickly. They will come to pick you up early in the morning. You need to get some rest. I will go to the village tomorrow and find myself a job or work in a hospital if they will allow me to.”

  Confused, Martia said, “I already have some money, and the person I am going to work for is extremely rich. We don’t have to worry about money. Just find a hospital and work there so that your skill of healing others won’t get wasted.”

  In a concerned voice, the Prince said, “Then let me take a look at your wounds.”

  Martia replied unflinchingly, “I am not that injured, and the medicine I carry is so strong that it heals some wounds very quickly. One of the pros of coming from a deadly village is that they also spend a lot of money on research and medicine. I have knowledge of all the medicines made and also about the ones that are in the process of being made and what to take and when, as it was necessary to learn about it. So, you don’t have to worry

  about me.”

  Sad at this reply, the Prince got up to wash his hands along with Martia.

  Martia, understanding that none of her actions or words were anywhere near affectionate and seeing the Prince sad, said, “Give me some time. I know you are not happy with me right now, but I will learn to show love, and you won’t be sad in my company anymore.”

  The Prince smiled and said, “Who said you don’t know how to love? Anyone who knows you from before can guess that you are in love right now. Only you don’t realize it. The moment you realize your affection for me, accept me completely in your life, and share everything in your heart and mind, that moment you will know that loving someone doesn’t need any effort or planning or strategy. It is one of the most naturally beautiful things in this whole world. For me, it is the only thing worth living for.”

  Martia felt at peace after hearing this and smiled warmly.

  They went to bed and lay side by side, looking at each other, and

  eventually fell asleep.