《Curses in Blessings (Garbage Collector Rise to the Top)》


 1. The World Shatters

    "Go away! Why are you still here?"


    "He stinks! Does he even clean himself?"


    "Grass! What makes you think you can be here!?"


    ...


    These are the words that I have to hear every day.


    ...


    "Come on! Kick him! Burn down his house! Break his legs! Let''s see how stubborn you are!"


    "You are ''Grass'' right? That means even if I beat you to death, you won''t die. So why don''t you just stay still and let me relieve my stress."


    ...


    And these, are the actions that I have to endure every night.


    ...


    My name is Do and I am a garbage collector.


    I don''t know who I am or what I did, but people in the South City despised me and tried to avoid my presence.


    I came to this city seven years ago when I had with me only injuries and starvation.


    I have lost all my memories, the only thing I could remember was my name, Do. It was the only possession that I have.


    The day I came to South City, barely survived, the only hands that reached me were of a young lady of a well-known family, Ly. She treated my wounds and gave me bread. That was the first and only encounter of us.


    And so, to find a chance to repay her, and to be able to see the young lady often, I decided to stay here and took a job as a garbage collector. Since no one wanted to hire me, and people around kept calling me ''Grass,'' collecting garbage was the only job that was left for me to do.


    But even with that much hate and discrimination, I didn''t take it to heart because staying at South City and being able to see the young lady often was my purpose.


    Every morning, after the usual curses I had to hear, I would wait outside her family''s residence to see if she would go out with her maid to play around town. I tried my best to hide my presence and follow them.


    I knew that it was stalking and creepy, but I couldn''t help myself. Seeing her face smiling while wandering the streets and being in awe at things that are being sold. Her happy face so early in the morning helped lighten my mood after a rough morning.


    After a day of work, I would check to see how many scraps I had collected that day and put them in the storage room so that I could sell them all at once on the weekend. I tried to keep the room very hidden so that when any of my neighbors decided to burn down the house, they would still be fine.


    Then, I prayed that no one would show up to beat me. My prayers were rarely answered. I would usually end up with bruises and swellings. After those hellish moments, I tried to stay positive by cooking some food and enjoying it with a cheap tea.


    That was my life every day for the past seven years. Until that night.


    That night, that fateful night. I waited, prepared mentally to be beaten up again, but no one came that day. Happy that I was safe, I cooked something delicious and ate while gazing at the night sky. Not far into the meal, suddenly, yells and screams began to rise outside of my house. Curious, I put down the bowl and moved toward the sound. Peaking through the small crack of the door, I looked to see what was happening.


    "Why are people running?" I wondered and came out. Seeing a guy running past me, I grabbed him and asked, "What''s happening?"


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    He spoke panicky, "Didn''t you hear? The Ly are attacking us right now! I need to get out of here!" He then pushed my hand away and continued running.


    "The Ly got here already?" I panicked as well, but not because of my safety. In my mind was only the face of the young lady.


    I immediately ran inside to grab my cooking knife and took down a side of the door as a shield. Going against the crowd was hard. But eventually, I arrived at the lady''s family''s residence. It was wide open and my heart raced faster than ever. I quickly moved close to the gate and leaned my head in to see if it was safe inside.


    The sight of what I saw almost made me puke. Bodies of the family and servants lying in the yard. Every nerve in my body and every primal instinct wanted me to run away from the scene as far as possible, but I used all my courage to stay. I won''t leave until I know what happened to the young lady.


    As I cautiously moved inside with my eyes squinted and hands covering my mouth, I could feel and hear the blood splashes on the ground because of my steps. The strong scent of blood violently seeped through my fingers and entered my nose. I couldn''t take it, but thinking of the young lady, I have to make sure she is fine.


    I looked all over the residence but couldn''t find her. A sigh of relief from me knowing that at least she could be alive.


    "She must be running away out of South City already," I suspected.


    Now my mission was to get out of there, flee, and find her. I walked back to the gate but then heard a strange sound.


    "Horses! They''re here!" I quickly looked around to find somewhere to hide. Not good. I was in the front yard and it was as open as it can be, there was no place to hide. As I was running out of options, I noticed that there was a bush at a very hidden corner, and behind it was an old well.


    Without hesitation, I dropped the door and ran to it as fast as I could, praying that the sound of splashing blood from the running would be hidden by the horses'' steps. I jumped in and closed my eyes, praying that the well wasn''t shallow.


    Lucky for me it was full of water, and I landed safely after a few seconds of falling down. But then, I noticed there was a person alive and hiding as well. It was too dark to see their face, but I quickly covered their mouths because they were about to yell in shock.


    "I am not an enemy," I quickly assured them. Feeling their breathing had stabilized, I felt relieved as well, but I didn''t remove my hand. I couldn''t risk them accidentally yelling and revealing our position.


    A long silence passed and my mind was stressed to the max.


    "I heard them coming in, but not out, so they are still here. But why wasn''t there any sound?" As I was thinking that, I heard footsteps coming closer and closer to the well. I quickly told the person, "Deep breath," and we both submerged in the water.


    I looked up to see a glimpse of light above us. The soldier above didn''t move for a while, and our breath was getting dangerously close to the limit. The person next to me started to move around, struggling. They were almost out of air. Afraid that their movement would reveal us, I moved behind them and held both their arms down. After about five seconds, they moved less and less. I instantly knew that wasn''t a good sign. We need air quickly, I am at my limit too. I looked up, but the light above us still hadn''t moved.


    "Don''t know if this will work, but that''s the only choice right now," I thought and placed my lips on theirs to transfer some air. Their lips were soft and full, but I didn''t really care about it much. It didn''t matter right now if the person was a man, a woman, or even if it was my first kiss. Saving their life was more important.


    As I was transferring my air, I began to run out of breath myself. I planned to only give them a little bit since I was at my limit as well, but as I was about to move my head away, they grabbed my head to keep it in place and began sucking the air out of me. I didn''t know if they were acting intentionally or just instinct, but at this rate, I would faint.


    I quickly pushed them away so hard that they hit the well wall. Afraid that the sound of it would give us away, I looked up to see if the lantern was still there. Thank god it was gone, otherwise, the soldier would see the violent movement of water of us struggling.


    I moved toward the person and pulled us up. It was the first time in my life that I was grateful to breathe. I checked to see how they were doing. Luckily, they were still conscious and were breathing heavily like me. Remembering that the enemy might still be around. I let out a quiet "shh" to tell them to breathe silently. After a time like an eternity of not hearing any sound, we were able to relax.


    "I think it''s safe now. Let''s climb up." I told the person.


    "I don''t know how to climb," it was a woman''s voice.


    "I will climb up first and find something to pull you up," I said.


    "Okay," she agreed and nodded.


    I then put my two hands and feet on the wet stones horizontally and slowly moved up. The stones were slippery, but I managed to get myself out of there. I quickly found a rope in the storage room and pulled the lady out.


    The moment her hands grabbed the well, I grabbed it and pulled her up. We were finally out. Both of us sat down to catch our breath. I looked over to see the face of who I was with, and I was stunned.


    It was the young lady that I loved. My head blanked out, and my heart felt like it had stopped. A feeling of joy rushed into me but at the same time fear as well.


    "She''s not out of the city," the realization frightened me.

 2. A Broken Soul

    "We have to get out of here, quick!" I grabbed her hand and we both got up. We had to move right away. The longer we stay, the more enemies will be around, and the harder it will be for us to get out of the city.


    I looked around to find my door shield. It was lying there with the bodies, soaked in blood. As much as I was disgusted to pick it up, I had no choice. The door shield is a great protection since it was big with the door handle already there for me to hold.


    As I carefully picked it up, the sound of blood dripping to the ground sent shivers down my spine, but I finally got it.


    When we moved to the gates, I carefully checked to see if there were any enemies around. None. So I turned back to her and signaled with my head that we were moving.


    That was when something caught my eye. A very visible trail was behind us from the well to the gate. I found out that it was the lady''s long dress, soaking with water from the well and blood on the ground, was the cause of it.


    I signaled her to keep quiet, sat down, and ripped a part off of her dress. We also took off our shoes for the same reason and walked barefoot.


    I wrapped up the spare piece of cloth and shoes to keep it with me. Although the cloth was wet and dirty with blood, we didn''t know what we could use the cloth for, we had to be resourceful.


    Confident that there was nothing else to do, we stepped outside. The goal was to get out of the city.


    Walking for a while, I dropped the door shield because I found it had more harm than good for us. Because we were trying to get out of the city as fast as possible, a clunky door would only slow down our speed. Also, the red color from the blood made the door very visible.


    I figure the risk of slowing down and drawing unnecessary attention from the enemy outweighs its potential defensive capability. Our speed improved significantly without the door shield.


    As we moved, I ran through the options that could get us here.


    "The front gate is a no, enemies will guard it heavily. Disguise? No, they might check our faces and see a woman. They will know we aren''t soldiers. Ugh! Think! Think!"


    As I was lost in my thoughts, the young lady suddenly pulled me into a house to hide. Moments later I heard soldiers running by us.


    "Thank you," I whispered. She didn''t reply. Now that I pay attention, she has always been quiet and shaking since we got out of the well.


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    I carefully lifted her face which was always down to see the look of the soulless. Her eyes were lifeless, with not a single reflection in it. Her cheeks left visible trails of tears that had dried up a long time ago.


    She was not even crying anymore.


    "Young lady, can you hear me?" I asked quietly, trying to get her attention.


    She nodded, but it was more intuitive than with intention.


    I put my hands on her shoulders, "My name is Do," I introduced myself. "You probably don''t know who I am, but I will get us both out of here. Don''t give up. We will live."


    I tried to be energetic and positive, but she gave no response.


    "Leave me," she finally said.


    Those words, I don''t know what they did to me, but they consumed me. Was it because of how calm and easy she said it? Or the look on her face as if nothing matters anymore?


    Seeing the person whom I admired so much for seven years in such a state. Her once bright smile and lively giggles that I longed for. Her playful jokes, and the pure, innocent in her eyes, things that I witnessed just that morning, in just a couple of hours were all gone. Thinking that made my emotions overwhelm my body.


    I slapped her.


    But she didn''t yell in pain or react. Her face stayed where it was after the slap I gave her. The red imprint of my hand slowly appeared on her cheek.


    Anger overtook me. I grabbed her face near mine while growling. "Why aren''t you reacting? Why aren''t you hitting back? Where''s your anger? Where''s your rage for revenge?"


    The young lady looked at me with her soulless eyes, and again, repeated.


    "Leave me."


    I shook my head, denying the drastic change in the person I love. "Why are you submitting!? Don''t you want to revenge your family''s death!?" I quietly yelled.


    Seeing her unfazed, I pulled her to the door and had her look out, where a group of enemy soldiers was passing by us.


    "You see them? Those are your enemies, the people who killed your family. Don''t you want to revenge them?" I told her while pointing at them, trying to invoke any kind of emotion in her.


    "What''s good of it? My family is gone," she replied as she teared up. But somehow, even though she was crying, her expression remained cold. It was as though I was talking with a corpse.


    I pulled her back inside, "Then, you have to live!"


    "Why?" she asked. She sounded tired and hopeless.


    I looked into her eyes, deep into it, and asked. "How are you still living? How did you end up in that well?"


    I think that question of mine finally pierced through the young lady''s clouded heart. She was still crying, but reflection started to show in her eyes, and at last, her face showed pain.


    The young lady crumbled.


    Her body contracted, and she had difficulty breathing. She had to cover her mouth to not let out a sound for the enemy to hear.


    Even if she didn''t see the slaughtering at the mansion, I believe she must have heard the screams of her family and servants must have traumatized her. I didn''t know what else to do but to sit down and hug her. I felt her crying on my chest. At each inhaling and exhaling, I felt it was as though a piece of her soul left her body.


    It was heartbreaking to see the young lady in that state. She had to cry without letting out a sound.


    "You have to live. Live happily, for them," I didn''t know what else to say. She didn''t reply but I saw her nodded. We then left the hug and I looked at her, smiling. "Let''s get out of here." I could see her eyes lighten up a little more than just a moment before.

 3. An Unexpected Event

    We quickly moved out and began to walk fast. Because of our hiding, I have had enough time to get my thoughts together.


    "The city''s wall close to my house had cracked from the stream of water from the mountain eroding it. We will make a hole and move in the mountain in secret."


    What I didn''t tell her, was that we would have to cross a big street, an open field area with nowhere to hide. But even with that risk, we still had a higher chance of living than trying to go through the front gate.


    Just when I was about to turn a corner, I immediately stopped and pulled both of us to a nearby house. There were footsteps in front of us. I peeked through a crack to see what was going on. What I saw were civilians walking in lines with their hands chained up. Surrounded them were the enemy''s soldiers.


    When all were on the big street, someone riding a horse showed up.


    "Kneel!" he yelled, and the other soldiers kicked the civilians until all of them kneeled.


    That person continued to speak loudly, "Our army is controlling the city. You do not have any other choice but to follow us. As long as all of you don''t do anything out of line, you will be accepted as the citizens of the great Ly."


    Seeing no sign of fighting back, he signaled the soldiers. They nodded and commanded the people to move.


    When all the civilians went away, another soldier riding a horse came beside him. The commander then told him something I couldn''t hear since it was too far away.


    We still couldn''t move because the commander remained on the big street. Not only that, there were soldiers scattered everywhere. As time went on, I began to feel my plan of escaping wouldn''t be possible at all, I had to find another way. Hiding in the house meant I still had some time to think, but it wouldn''t be long. Who knows when a soldier may randomly show up?


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    I turned to the lady and said, "Let''s wait. Too many soldiers right now."


    She nodded. From a quick glance, it seemed like she was now driven to escape South City. That was a good sign.


    A few hours passed and I still couldn''t come up with anything. Then, I witnessed something strange.


    On the big street, a few civilians, with their chains off, were walking around carrying wine. They stopped by the soldiers to offer them drinks. The soldiers, seeing the wine, happily dropped their guard and drank.


    "Our general is the best!" a soldier shouted.


    "Thank you general!" another added.


    I questioned myself what the ''general'' they were saying meant. It was a foreign word to me.


    The drinking went on for another hour. More and more soldiers started to appear to enjoy the drinks. Slowly, one by one, each of them fell as they passed out.


    Suddenly, many more civilians showed up and began to move. Seeing such a sight, I tapped the lady, who was asleep while we waited, and we stepped outside as well. We turned the corner to get out of the big street quickly to join the crowd of people. I was afraid that any of the people there would recognize me and start trouble. But luckily, they didn''t have the spare energy to look out for a nobody like me. We were all burning to get out of this city by any second.


    I peaked to check the soldiers at the gate, they were drunk as well. In fact, every single soldier was either drunk or passed out. Still having suspicions in mind, I waited to see what the civilians would do. What surprised me was that they went right out of the gate without any trouble at all.


    Slowly, we began to move the front gate too. I had my alert on the highest level until we were actually out for quite a distance. The crowd was walking up the mountain. I decided to follow them as well since it was my intention anyway. Although we went with the crowd, we kept our distance so that they wouldn''t notice us.


    As we were walking, I still found it strange about what just happened. Out of curiosity, I turned back to the city and saw that, on top of the city''s gate, someone was looking in our direction. He wore sophisticated armor, even more than the soldier that rode a horse I saw earlier.


    "That''s the general they were saying." I realized.

 4. Family

    The civilians walked deep inside the mountain and decided to rest. Some scattered to find wood for fire, some set up the camps, and the rest went searching for food.


    I decided it was still best to stay hidden. These people didn''t like me anyway. Plus, there was no gain in revealing ourselves anyway.


    After they regrouped. It was our turn to find fire and food. While searching, I noticed the young lady was always behind my back, holding my shirt. I was anxious and happy that I was so close to her. But when I remembered that she was still afraid and that her smile was lost, I wanted to lighten up her mood a bit if possible.


    "My name is Do. What''s your name?"


    "I''m L¡­ Ly Giai," she replied weakly.


    "Ly Giai. What a beautiful name," I said honestly. "What does your name mean?"


    "Giai is my name. Ly means¡­"


    I waited but she didn''t continue. I didn''t say anything after so we continued gathering wood and food in silence.


    "Ouch!" I heard a sound from behind. When I turned back, I saw the young lady, or Ly Giai, holding her hand in pain.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked worryingly.


    "It''s just¡­ I was picking fruits and hit a thorn," she replied.


    "I see," I said, and sat down beside her. Remembering that I still had the cloth from earlier, I took it out. Although it wasn''t too clean considering the well water and the blood that it soaked, it was the best we could use right then. I tied the cloth around her finger to stop the bleeding.


    "I think we should go back. We have enough wood and food already," I said while standing up.


    Ly Giai didn''t answer, she simply nodded. We went back and set up a fire. Then, Ly Giai put down the fruits she had gathered. There was a lot.


    "Wow, there''s this many?" I was surprised.


    "I was lucky," she shyly replied with a slight smile.


    "Let''s eat then!" I smiled back as well.


    We ate in silence. To conserve, we decided to only eat a third of the fruits. When put aside, not much was left for us to eat. I quickly finished my portion and watched Ly Giai slowly eat hers.


    I guess the nobility and gentleness of a lady never go away. It was just her slowly picking up a fruit, putting it in her mouth, and gently chewing it. Nothing fancy or extravagant. But for some reason, those gestures were beautiful to watch.


    I suddenly remembered who I was, and who I was with. This was the young lady that I had always loved and could only see from afar. I never even dared to dream of being with her, but now, she was right there, right in front of me. I even talked to and comforted her. Suddenly, I felt nervous and turned my head away.


    "What''s wrong?" she asked when saw my strange behavior.


    "Not¡­ nothing. I''m tired so I''m going to sleep first," I quickly replied and lay down.


    "Good night," she said.


    "Good night," I returned.


    I then pretended to sleep while she kept eating. When she was done, she also lay down as well.


    Time passed and my sleepiness helped me have a deep sleep. But before I went unconscious, I heard a quiet cry.


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    The next morning, I woke up to the noises. Looking around, I saw the civilians grouped up to choose a leader. Finally, an old male veteran was chosen to lead the group. He thinks that going to the capital makes the most sense. The most experienced and armed soldiers there would be able to keep us safe.


    They quickly packed things up. I layed Ly Giai who was still sleeping the entire time so that we could move as well.


    We tried our best to keep a good enough distance that the people from South City wouldn''t see us. Numerous times, I said to Ly Giai that she would be much safer joining them instead of traveling with me alone. They would welcome her and treat her well since she was loved by the people. Ly Giai refused every time I mentioned it.


    "You have saved my life. Even if it is a little more dangerous, I won''t leave you by yourself," she said.


    I was touched. In the end, the young lady I loved still had a good soul even after all the trauma she just went through.


    On the second night, she asked me, "Do you mind if I ask why the people of South City don''t like you?"


    I choked on the water I was drinking when I heard such a straightforward question.


    "*Cough... Uhm... I am not entirely sure, but it is probably because I am a garbage collector and I am always dirty," I replied as I slowly moved away from her. It wasn''t the whole reason, but what I said was still true. I realized like what I just described, that I was dirty being next to her.


    "You can''t hate someone just because of what they do or how they look," Ly Giai said sadly.


    I would have considered what she said to be pretentious if it was coming from the mouth of someone else. But since it was Ly Giai, I knew she truly believed in what she said. "Thank you. At least you don''t hate me. That''s all I need."


    She then smiled and encouraged me, "I''m sure that they won''t hold those prejudices anymore when they get to know you."


    I smiled, I knew that wouldn''t be possible, but I still appreciated her words, "They probably will."


    That night there was no moon or wind. Ly Giai and I both stared at the flickering fire that was warming and protecting us from wild animals.


    "Are you... alright?" I asked after puzzling myself whether it was appropriate or not.


    "No," she replied honestly. "The sounds, the screams. They are still haunting me."


    "It must be difficult," I commented. "That morning was all fine, but then at night..."


    Ly Giai began tearing up. She tried to smile to keep her from being too depressed. "I love my family dearly, even though I am just their adopted daughter. I never experienced any unfair treatment from the servants or my brothers and sisters. They all treated me as a family member and loved me dearly."


    The more she talked, the shakier her voice got. Until she could bear it anymore and collapsed her face in her hands.


    She continued after calming herself a little. Ly Giai just needed to talk to lighten the burden she was carrying. "Father is disciplined and can be a bit harsh at times, but he always apologized to me or my siblings after a rough scolding.


    He didn''t hesitate but ran to the mountain right away when the sky turned dark the moment a servant came back and told brother had gone missing.


    He was the last to rest when our sister was ill.


    Father doesn''t smile or show much emotion, but we always feel his love and care when the time comes.


    Mother was gentle and caring. She always patiently hears about us ranting while smiling. She always talked down the situation whenever one of us made mistakes. Somehow, Father could never get angry at her.


    She always stays in the middle of the conversation, trying to smooth things out. Because of that, she was loved by guests and servants. Ladies loved talking to her and children loved to be around her.


    But that doesn''t mean the mother is easily pushed around.


    She had principles and beliefs that she wouldn''t waver no matter how much you tried to intimidate her. Unless there are sound reasons, she doesn''t alter her beliefs easily.


    That night, Mother fully trusted when Father said to go ahead of him. "Listen to your father. We are going," she said to us calmly amidst the chaos and yelling.


    Brother took the image of Father. He is stern, righteous, and always treats everyone fairly and equally. He is a responsible person who always does his tasks wholeheartedly.


    Brother takes his training seriously. Our family never understood why he was so disciplined when his peers were having a relaxed life. He would spend the whole evening training with the sword and his room is always lit at night from him studying.


    My Brother was the person to always disciplined me when I caused trouble or was lazy. He is the best brother I could have had.


    Sister, my dear sister. She is the sweetest person I have seen. Always see things optimistically. She sees the purest, most innocent form of the world. I learned how to be happy from her.


    But contrary to her innocent view, Sister is the wisest person I''ve met at that age.


    She told me, ''The world is heaven or hell depending on whether you want it to be heaven or hell. If you look for curses, you will see curses. And if you look for blessings, you will see blessings.''


    And...


    And..."


    Ly Giai stopped. She couldn''t say a word anymore, and she couldn''t control her tears either.


    My family... My family..." she uttered


    I moved in closer and offered her a hug. She didn''t hesitate to wrap her hands around me. I prayed so that I was able to share her pain, even if it was a non-significant amount.


    How much does it hurt to be the only one left in your family?

 5. Departure

    A few days had passed and Ly Giai looked better than the night when she told me about her family. I knew she still cried in secret, but her eyes were swelling less and less.


    We still tried to keep our distance away from the people of South City.


    Every morning, before Ly Giai woke up, I would silently sneak in and hid near where they had morning meetings. I don''t know how I never get found. Am I too good at hiding?


    "I believe next up is a small village," the old man that the people elected as their leader announced.


    "That means we can rest for a few days!" A middle aged woman said excitedly. It was clear that she wasn''t too fond of living in the mountains.


    "We can probably ask them for food and drinks to resupply ourselves," another woman spoke. She was more on the practical side.


    A few minutes went on between the adults there discussing what they should do when reaching the village. The old leader listened to them all carefully.


    After listening to all the opinions. He took some time to think. Then he said, "I am thinking this. We will try to ask for any supplies that they can give us. Of course, we have to tell them that an attack occurred in South City so that they can prepare themselves.


    But for resting for a few days. That is not a good idea. From what I know, the village is in open land, very visible. The Ly''s army will find it in no time.


    So we will go in, get whatever we can, warn the villagers, and leave as fast as possible. If things go smoothly, we can reach the next mountain and set up shelters before nighttime."


    He ended and I saw a lot of the adults nodded. What he proposed was reasonable and cautious.


    From the talkings, I heard, "Not another mountain" from the first lady. She doesn''t look happy, but she has to accept the current situation.


    I quickly left right when the meeting was about to be over so that I wouldn''t get noticed. I came back to Ly Giai, who was awoke by then.


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    "Did you hear anything useful?" she asked.


    I nodded, "We are coming to a village next. They plan to get whatever supply they can and leave as soon as possible for the next mountain. The old man is afraid that Ly''s army can find them easily since the village is in an open field."


    Ly Giai looked worried, "What about the people there? We couldn''t just let them behind while Ly''s army is near."


    "They will warn the villagers," I reassured her. "The old man said to warn them so that they can prepare themselves. I guess the villagers will ask to join us to go to the capitol together. It''s the safest plan right now."


    "Then what are we going to do?" Ly Giai asked. "We should find things for ourselves too."


    That was a good question. I thought while coming back to Ly Giai after the meeting about what we could do as well. Hiding and waiting while everyone was resupplying would be a wasted opportunity. But the hard thing was, I would be recognized instantly. I didn''t want trouble arise during a chaotic time like this. I don''t want Ly Giai to find out the true reason they hated me either.


    Ly Giai seemed to understand my struggle when she said, "Let me go and find supplies for us then."


    I listened to what she said and fell into silence.


    Of course, I have thought about this option. But I didn''t say it because there was a high chance that the people of South City would recognize her and keep her with them. I didn''t propose this because I thought Ly Giai wouldn''t want to leave me.


    Now that she has said it, I accepted that she must have felt enough hardship being alone with just me. Truly, having the people of South City taking care of her is a better option.


    So I nodded. "That''s a good idea. There won''t be any issue if you appear publicly instead of me," I said.


    Part of me was sad thinking that I wouldn''t be able to be with her anymore, but I was also happy for her to get group protection.


    "That''s settled then," Ly Giai smiled gently as we packed things off before going.


    A few hours later, when the sun was at its highest, we finally reached the village that the old leader mentioned.


    "I will go then," Ly Giai said.


    I smiled. "Take care," I said our farewell.


    Ly Giai began walking down the mountain. I watched her step by step getting farther and farther away from me.


    I held my chest, it ached to realize that at last, a person like me was never destined to be with someone as wonderful as Ly Giai.


    As she continued going down and her figure became smaller and smaller from my view, I began to remember all the moments we had spent together.


    Our kiss under the well.


    I comforted her after her family was slaughtered.


    She told me who each of her family members was.


    The moments and memories weren''t much, but I cherish them dearly. I tried to remember and recall them as detailed as I could so that when I missed her, I would have them to befriend with me.


    Eventually, Ly Giai''s figure became too small for me to see her anymore. Just like that, our journey together has ended.

 6. The Meaning of Grass

    I sat still, recalling our moments together. To be honest, my eyes were teary, and I may or may not sobbed for a short amount of time.


    A few hours went by and I was still in hiding. The sun that day was staying brighter and higher than usual. By the evening, the sky still looked like it was just noon.


    All that time with nothing to do, I spent worrying how Ly Giai would be perceived by the people from South City with her sudden presence.


    That worry grew over time. I became more anxious when I realized that I was too far up the mountain to see anyone down the village. I contemplated whether or not I should move down a little closer, at least enough to see people.


    But that would increase the likelihood of them finding me, so I was in a back-and-forth.


    In the end, I decided to come down. Saying worrying for Ly Giai was just an excuse. The fact was, I started to miss her already.


    "Just a little bit," I reminded myself as I was carefully moving down the mountain. I constantly looked left and right in case someone was still in the mountain. But luckily, beside me were nothing but trees, rocks, and dirt.


    "A little bit more won''t hurt," I told myself as I continued moving down, farther than where I originally planned.


    "There is probably no one left in the mountain, so a little closer is fine."


    "I don''t see anyone around. I can move down more."


    ...


    ...


    Before I knew it, I was at the bottom of the mountain.


    I was extremely scared and nervous about being found out, but there was no one nearby, so I took the risk of going into the village.


    The village was small and clean. They were mostly agriculture with all the equipment and farms I ran by.


    The sky hadn''t turned dark yet, but the sun was starting to come down. I have to hurry, the people of South City could start moving soon before the night comes.


    I walked slowly through the tiny houses with my back bent. I didn''t know if lowering my back would make me smaller or not, or if it was just an unconscious action to make myself smaller. Whatever the reason was, the fear of being spotted while walking in an open street with nowhere to hide was unbearable.


    Going through the houses, I finally ended up at one that was built larger than the others. Coming closer to it, I heard the sounds of people talking inside.


    So I watched my step and got close to the wall to peek in. Finally, I have found Ly Giai.


    Inside the house were the people from South City and the villagers. They were having dinner together. I saw the people talking and laughing, having a great time.


    In the middle of the feast, surrounded by other ladies, was Ly Giai. She was the center of attention. I saw her talking and smiling with them naturally. I was relieved seeing her surrounded by people who appreciated her like that. Seeing her smile, I felt a bitter happiness that she left me for a better place.


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    I stood beside the window to watch her secretly, no different than what I did at South City. In the end, nothing has changed. Things were just getting back to how it should be.


    Even though I had accepted the harsh reality, I wasn''t willing to leave. I remained still, watching her dearly.


    But I was too greedy.


    "You! You''re ''Grass''!" A voice from nowhere rose.


    My heart sank.


    Someone had seen me. I panickedly looked to where that sound came from, to see that it was from a man that had just come out from the house.


    "You''re not dead?" he asked in surprise as he walked up to me.


    I watched his footsteps as they came closer and closer. The thing that I feared most had happened. I got recognized.


    So I ran.


    "Hey! Hey!"


    I ran as fast as my feet let me. I didn''t know where I was running, but I just wanted to get as far from there as possible.


    "I got found out! I got found out!" I repeated to myself. I couldn''t think of anything anymore. I was in full panic.


    I looked back to see if anyone was chasing me. There was no one. So after a while, I stopped running.


    My heart was beating like it had never beat before. I felt the pulses in my head, and I could hear it loud and clear through my ears.


    I was dizzy, running out of my mind like that made everything I was seeing warped. Somehow, the land was curved? and the houses looked like they were floating.


    I was dying for air. It was no better than being close to being out of breath in the well back at South City.


    But after taking some time to rest and recover myself, something else came to my mind, something that feared me even more than being spotted.


    "They are not going to tell Ly Giai about me, are they?"


    I was horrified even when the thought just slightly crossed my mind. All tiredness instantly washed away. I stood up and began running back to the house.


    "Please don''t tell her! Please don''t tell her! Oh heavens, please don''t let them tell her!" I prayed and prayed as I ran back to the house as fast as I could.


    When I got there, I quickly jumped to a bush close by to hide my presence. I should have done it in the first place. But in this bush, I couldn''t see anything inside the house. I could only hear them.


    "Old man!" someone called. He sounded like the man that saw me.


    "What is it? You''re disrupting everyone," the old leader spoke. I couldn''t hear the laughs and talks anymore. He had drawn all the focus on him.


    "I just saw Grass!" the man said.


    I closed my eyes and prayed. My hands were all sweaty listening to them but I couldn''t dare to do anything. I was frozen in fear.


    "Grass?" The old man asked again.


    "Yes!"


    I then heard noises arise from the room. Most of them were about why I wasn''t dead yet.


    Among the talking, one stood out, "Who''s Grass?"


    "Ly Giai," I recognized her voice. "Please, don''t tell her. Please," I desperately prayed, closing my eyes tight.


    "You don''t know Grass?" someone asked her, a woman''s voice.


    "No, I don''t. Who is it? What did they do that you all reacted so strongly?" she admitted.


    "I''m surprised that you don''t know about him," the woman said. "He had been living in South City for many years now. Posters about him were all over the city back then."


    "I didn''t know. Who is he anyway?" Ly Giai asked again.


    There was a long silence after Ly Giai''s question. I hoped that the other lady wouldn''t say anything. But my wish was only short-lived.


    "Grass is what we call him," the old leader spoke. He must have overheard Ly Giai''s conversation.


    "There are many things we don''t know about him, and to be honest, we don''t want to know more about him. What we do know is that Grass is not from our country, Sa. He came from our enemy, Ly."


    "Is that why you all despise him?" Ly Giai asked.


    "No," the old man said. "Many Ly people were living in South City since it is the main trading center of Sa. We don''t just hate him because of his origin.


    We hate him for what he does."


    "What did he do?" the old man stated.


    "He sexually assaulted a lady."


    "Oh heavens! He said it! He said it!" I cried in silence. Hopelessness filled me.


    One by one, people commented.


    "I heard that she is from Ly''s royal family."


    "His face and his crime were posted in every city throughout Sa and Ly. People called him Grass."


    "Grass, as in, ''How dare a grass try to touch the clouds?''"


    "Truly despicable! How shameless he was to stay at South City when everyone knew what he did!"


    ...


    ...


    In those conversations, Ly Giai finally asked, "What is this Grass''s name?"


    One lady told her, "Do. That''s his name."

 7. Reunion

    I ran back to the mountain.


    The moment I heard them saying my name to Ly Giai, I couldn''t bear it anymore. My heart was not strong enough to hear how she would react when hearing that Grass, that horrible of a human being, was me.


    This time, I ran straight back to the mountain. I didn''t stop or turn my head a single time.


    Once I got back to where I was, I began to cry.


    No, I sobbed.


    "I shouldn''t go down," I guilted myself. "My image in her was good, but now... I''ve ruined it." I kept repeating and beating my chest.


    I began to imagine what Ly Giai''s face would look like when she heard that Grass was me, Do. The disgust she would express. The urge to puke when she realized she had lived days with a rapist. Those images involuntarily occupied my head.


    Until the night came, I was still sobbing. There was no one left on this mountain anyway. I was the only person left. So why should I stop crying?


    I held my legs tight to my chest as I fixed my eyes down the village. "I..." my voice cracked from the crying. "I... couldn''t remember..." I mumbled among the loneliness.


    When I came to South City, I was as shocked as everyone when I saw myself on the posters. Before I could understand anything, people started chasing me and beating me up.


    Throughout the years, I''ve come to accept that their hatred was justified and that I was a criminal, even though I couldn''t remember anything.


    "Tell me! Did you really do that!" I started banging my head on a tree, forcing myself to remember.


    "Something! Anything! Why can''t I remember anything!" I hopelessly yelled while blood flowed down from my forehead.


    "Why can''t I remember anything?" I collapsed to the ground, sobbing. The pain and suffering were endless of not even knowing about the crime I was accused of.


    My body fell and my eyes ended up fixing on the sun as its colors slowly changed from yellow to red, then orange.


    I watch as it slowly comes down the horizon, disappearing.


    "Take me with you," I exhaustedly whispered. And before I knew it, I lost consciousness.


    ...


    "Why am I still alive?"


    I asked myself as I tiredly opened my eyes and realized I was still existing.


    Darkness was the only I saw. I was happy to think that I was dead at first but quickly disappointed when I slowly realized that it was just midnight.


    "Don''t give me false hope like that," I chuckled bitterly.


    Still lying on the ground with no reason to get up, I stared down the village.


    "No light, no sound, no movement. They must be evacuated with the villagers already. That means..."


    "That means... no more Ly Giai."


    I said and covered my eyes, laughing, "Haha. I never knew I was such a crybaby."


    ...


    "Why are you crying?" an unexpected voice said.


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    My tears stopped. "There shouldn''t be anyone left on this mountain."


    I quickly wiped my eyes and looked to see who was talking. I couldn''t believe my eyes.


    "Ly Giai?"


    "Yes, Do? What''s wrong?" Ly Giai replied. She was breathing heavily from just coming up the mountain. I was speechless seeing her put down a heavy bag and come sit beside me.


    My heart was filled with joy and happiness. "Are you real?" I asked out loud, not just to her, but to myself as well.


    Ly Giai tilted her head a bit. Confused, she held my hand and said, "Yes, I''m real."


    "A real hand," I mumbled, smiling, still couldn''t process the reality. "I''m not hallucinating. You are the real Ly Giai. You..."


    | "What is this Grass''s name?"


    | "Do. That''s his name."


    Remembering what Ly Giai had known, I immediately took my hand back and crawled back to a corner of a tree. I hid my face and spoke with a panicked, shaken voice, "You... you know who I am now... Go! Go away! Don''t come here!"


    A long silence fell on me as I waited for a response, but there was nothing.


    I slowly let my hands down and opened my eyes, thinking Ly Giai had quietly left. But she was still sitting there, facing me. The moon was behind her so I couldn''t see her face. But after a while of seeing her still figure, I became worried.


    "Ly... Ly Giai? Are you alright?" I reached out.


    But she didn''t react. Her figure was still amidst the windy night. Her dancing hair was the only part of her that was alive.


    I began slowly moving back to check on her.


    "Ly Giai?" I called, but no response.


    I moved a bit closer.


    "Ly Giai?" Again, no response.


    A bit closer.


    "Ly Giai. Can you hear me?" I asked. Nothing.


    By then, all my fears went away. I stood up and ran to her.


    Shaking her shoulders I yelled, "Ly Giai! What''s wrong!? Why are you not responding!?"


    And by that time, when I was close enough that the moon couldn''t hide her face anymore, I realize. The whole time, she was crying.


    "Why... Why are you crying?" I was scared, afraid. I couldn''t bear to see her cry. I wiped her tears and looked her in the eyes. "Did something happen?"


    Ly Giai, with her gaze that was partly confused, sorrowful, and angered, asked, "Why are you avoiding me?"


    "A... avoid you!?" I was shocked. "I never wanted to avoid you," I told her.


    "Then why did you run away just now?" she sulked.


    "That was... I thought..." Each time I wanted to explain, my throat stuck. "Ly Giai, why are you here? Don''t you know who I am?" My eyes looked to the ground as I asked.


    "Who are you?" she asked back.


    I smiled bitterly. "Why did you ask when you already know the answer? Didn''t that lady tell you? I''m Grass."


    Ly Giai shook her head. "You are not Grass."


    I laughed, "You can''t just deny reality like that. I''m Grass. I know it. They know it... And now, you know it too."


    "Do, look at me," she softly said.


    I turned and locked her eyes. They were so warm, so gentle. For some reason, I teared up again.


    "Tell me, are you Grass?" Ly Giai asked softly.


    I shook my head while wiping my tears, "I don''t know! I really don''t know! I couldn''t remember anything!"


    Ly Giai smiled. She wrapped her hands around me and placed her head on my shoulder. "They said that Grass sexually assaulted a lady, but you never placed your hands on me. How could I believe you are Grass."


    "You came back just because of that reasoning?" I was shocked. "You are too naive Ly Giai. What if..." I shut my mouth.


    Ly Giai lifted her head and looked at me, "What if?"


    "Wha... what if my memories came back and that I am Grass? You will be in danger."


    "Why would I be in danger?" she asked again. I could see the slight smirk on her face.


    "What... Whatever! You know what I mean!" I was too embarrassed to say.


    Ly Giai shook her head. "I don''t know what you are talking about."


    We looked at each other for some time then both busted laughing. Somehow, Ly Giai made all the awkwardness and negative feelings go a way with just a few words.


    "Did the people from South City not try to stop you from leaving?" I asked.


    "They would. That''s why I traveled with them to the next mountain and waited until the night when they slept, so I could quietly leave," she replied.


    "That must have been tiring from so much walking," I felt bad.


    "And the first thing you did was run away from me?" she sulked again.


    "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry," I said honestly with all my heart.


    She then turned smiling in an instant, "Apology accepted."


    "By the way, are you going to continue holding me like this?" I asked as her hands were still around me.


    "Do you hate it?"


    "I don''t not like it," I replied cheekly.


    We smiled and let both felt the warmth of the other person.


    "But seriously, Ly Giai, are you sure you want to stay with me?" I asked softly.


    "Yes," she said without hesitation.


    "I''m sure you will regret."


    "If you happen to be Grass?"


    I shook my head, "Even if I''m not. Many people will still hate. Ly Giai, you are a respected person. Being with me will turn others against you as well."


    Ly Giai smiled, as if nothing I said weight on her at all, "You saved my life, Do. Without you, I would still be under that well, rotting away. I will stay with you no matter what hardships there are ahead."


    I put my hand on her hair and gently brushed it. "Thank you Ly Giai, for trusting me."


    In return, she patted my back. "Thank you Do, for being the light of my life."

 8. A New Member

    The next morning, Ly Giai and I woke up early so that we could catch up to the people from South City and the villagers quickly.


    "They have more people now, so their speed must be slower. Hopefully, we can get to them soon," I told her.


    Coming down the mountain, it was empty. Looking around, I felt strange, almost unreal. Just the day before, I was there alone, scared, and afraid. I had to watch every step, worrying every second about the thought of being discovered. But now, I walked with my back straight around a village that only had two people.


    Or so I thought. As we walked, I suddenly heard a ruffling sound somewhere. I quickly took the kitchen knife that I had kept from South City out and looked around for any danger.


    Ly Giai heard it as well so she hid behind my back. Slowly identifying and moving toward the sound, I came stop at an upside-down basket. Ly Giai and I looked at each other, both confused about what could cause the ruffling sound. Was it a small animal that was trapped?


    Carefully, I lowered myself and lifted the basket.


    Under it wasn''t an animal. It was a boy. A little boy with torn clothes and a dirty face. He was curled up and was quietly crying. The boy was scared. I put the knife away to avoid frightening him more, and Ly Giai sat down beside him.


    "Don''t be afraid. We are not your enemy," she said while patting his head.


    Only then did he slowly lift his head. Seeing her gentle face, he was less afraid. "Everybody''s gone. I don''t know where to go," he said with a shaken voice.


    "Where are your parents?" I sat down as well and asked.


    "I¡­ I don''t have parents," he said quietly.


    "The villagers moved right? Why didn''t you go with them?" I asked again.


    The boy was reluctant, but he then told us, "The other kids wouldn''t let me. They threaten that if I follow, they will beat me up," he cried. This time, he busted into tears.


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    Ly Giai quickly hugged him while patting his head. She then turned to me and asked, "Can he come with us?"


    Seeing the boy crying was emotional as I saw myself in him. I was also hated by other people around me as well. So I wanted to help him like I always wanted someone to help me.


    "Of course," I nodded.


    Pleased, Ly Giai lifted the boy''s head to look at her. "Come with us. We will not hurt or abandon you."


    I could see that the boy was touched. He nodded repeatedly. And so, we added another member to our journey.


    As we walk, Ly Giai asked, "My name is Ly Giai. His is Do." She pointed at me. "What''s your name?"


    "I don''t have a name," the boy replied.


    "You don''t have a name?" Ly Giai looked confused. "What do others call you then?"


    When she asked this, I could see his face turned worse. Being on the same ship as him, I knew what others called him wasn''t anything good.


    "How about we give you a name? A nice name. Are you fine with that?" I jumped in.


    The boy raised his head and we exchanged a look of understanding. He nodded, "Please give me a name."


    I turned to Ly Giai, "I am not educated, so I don''t know what is a good name to suggest. What do you think?"


    "That is a lot of pressure on me," Ly Giai smiled. "What should his name be..." she started thinking.


    She looked down to observe the boy, squinting her eyes as she analyzed him. "You have a slim figure and quite tall. You have a gentle demeanor... Hm... What do you think of the name Si? Si in b¨¢c s? (doctor), h?c s? (scholar), and chi?n s? (warrior). A name that fits for both fighters and intellectuals."


    "Isn''t Si also mean lovesick? As in si t¨¬nh?" I added.


    Ly Giai nodded, "That too. But lovesickness is not a bad thing. That means you will be loyal to only one person. How is it? What do you think?"


    The boy looked confused. "I like it, Si," he whispered the name. "I don''t understand much of the meanings you said, but I like how it sounds."


    "Glad you like it," Ly Giai smiled. "Nice to meet you, Si," she greeted.


    "Nice... nice to meet you, Miss Ly Giai," he bowed to show respect.


    He then turned to me. "Nice to meet you too, Do."


    I nodded and smiled, then realized something was missing. "Wait! Where is my honorific!?"


    Si shyly chuckled, "You are too dirty to be called Mister."


    My eyes opened wide as I looked at myself. Indeed I was dirty from head to toe. My hair was a mess, and my clothes were all torn and covered in dirt. I then looked at Ly Giai to see that she was nicely dressed. Her hair was all neatly tied up as well.


    "The villagers gave me new clothes to change," she explained.


    Embarrassed and couldn''t say anything in return, I hurriedly went ahead, leaving them behind.


    Behind me, I could hear two voices laughing.


    "Wait for us!" Ly Giai called.

 9. The Night Bath

    A few days went by and Si had become completely natural with Ly Giai and me. He even stopped calling us Miss, Mister and just used our names. The boy was surprisingly energetic when you got to know him. Compared to when Ly Giai and I first met him, it was like we were seeing two completely different people.


    "Si, you help to pick the fruits too," I said as he was just sitting on a rock, swinging his feet around while watching Ly Giai and me doing all the work.


    "Ok!" he got up and ran to Ly Giai. "Ly Giai, pick me up!"


    She happily took him up and let him excitingly pick the fruits. "Gently, you don''t want to hold them too hard," she gently advised. Si nodded wholeheartedly. Watching him having fun, Ly Giai and I smiled at each other.


    "So good! As expected of my fruits!" Si said while we were eating our harvest.


    "That one you''re eating was what I picked," I told him.


    "What? So gross! Ugh!" he made a disgusted face.


    "You wanna fight!" I got fired up. Of course, I was just playing with him.


    For some reason, Si had become too comfortable with despising me. I know he wasn''t serious at all, but it was still funny to see him react every time.


    "Ly Giai. He''s bullying me," he made puppy''s eyes to win Ly Giai over.


    "What''s wrong? Didn''t you provoke him first?" Ly Giai smiled.


    Si was shocked, "You''re siding with him. Not fair." His mouth puffed.


    "Why don''t you like my pick anyway?" I asked.


    He glanced at me, "You are really dirty."


    I looked at myself and must admit, he was right.


    "I feel dirty too. We haven''t had a chance to clean ourselves for days now," Ly Giai also said. She sounded embarrassed and self-conscious of her present state when speaking.


    "I found a pond when getting water. Let''s take a bath at night when others are asleep," I suggested.


    "That''s great," Ly Giai excitedly said. She was a clean person after all.


    That night.


    Ly Giai was happily humming while enjoying herself.


    "I want Ly Giai to wash me," Si struggled as I was cleaning him from a distance away from her. He kept trying to get away from me, but I pulled him back each time.


    "Stay put! You are not going anywhere," I firmly said.


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    "Why is Ly Giai not over here with us?" he frustratedly asked.


    "Because she is a lady. Men and women should not see each other''s bodies unless they are married," I answered.


    "Why is that?" he asked again.


    "You will understand when you get older," I said. I don''t know if he is playing dumb or not. He looked at least eight or nine. Surely he should know why.


    "There. You''re all done," I said.


    "Nice! Can I go up now?" he asked.


    "Yes, but make sure to stay put so Ly Giai and I can see you," I reminded him.


    "Okay," he said, then left. Leaving me here by myself.


    I used that time to wash too.


    "Ah," I let out a sound of satisfaction as I let myself float on the water. It definitely felt great getting cleaned after days of dust and sweat. I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment.


    *Humming


    *Water dropping


    But how can I be calm with those sounds!? I couldn''t see my face but it must be red hot. While Ly Giai was enjoying herself, I was all tense up here. I couldn''t stop my mind from imagining her bathing.


    "Well. I should get up now," I started walking to shore. From where I was, I could still see Si playing with pebbles.


    But then. "Ah!" Ly Giai cried. I quickly turned but didn''t see her anywhere.


    "Ly Giai!" I called her while swimming to her spot.


    "Ly Giai?" I continued looking around aggressively. My heart was burning hotter at each call.


    *Splash


    I notice a splash. I swam there and sure enough, Ly Giai was barely afloat.


    I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. She grabbed onto me tightly and breathed heavily. Noticing that she didn''t have any clothes on, I quickly closed my eyes.


    "Wha¡­ what happened?" I asked.


    "I got a cramp¡­ on my leg," she hardly replies while still catching her breath.


    "Is it gone now?"


    "No. Ugh¡­ I was moving around too much¡­ah!... I got a cramp on my other leg too."


    "I¡­ I see," Ly Giai was so focused on her pain that she didn''t see that she was completely exposed. "You should float flat to relax your legs. I''ll hold you."


    "Ok," she replied painfully.


    Still having my eyes closed, I put a hand on her back and told her, "Lean on my hand." As her body turned horizontally, I put the other hand under her thighs to keep her balanced. Although I couldn''t see, I could feel her legs'' muscles were tense because of the cramps.


    "Now close your eyes and take deep breaths," I instructed.


    I could hear Ly Giai slowly breathing as I said. It was a long silence but after a while, her legs were more relaxed. The cramps had gone away.


    "Thank you. I felt much better now," Ly Giai said. "Why are your eyes closed?" she asked.


    "..." I didn''t reply because I knew it would be awkward for both of us. I then put her back to standing after hearing she was okay and turned my head away.


    I focus my attention on the shore, trying to find Si. But after glancing through the whole shore, I couldn''t see him anywhere.


    "Ly Giai, Are you seeing Si anywhere?" I asked.


    She took a few steps forward and looked around, "No, I couldn''t find him."


    Immediately, I felt something wasn''t right. "Hurry! We have to find him!"


    After getting out of the water and putting on our clothes. Ly Giai and I started going back to the mountain, calling for Si.


    "Si! Where are you!?" I yelled.


    "Can you hear us!?" Ly Giai followed.


    Half an hour passed but we still couldn''t find him. We even went back to where we picked fruits this morning but he wasn''t there either.


    "I told him to stay at the shore," I was very worried. "Where could he disappear to in such a short amount of time?" I was lost and kept turning my head for anything to stick out.


    It was then Ly Giai held my hand that got me back. "Wait. Listen," she said.


    I stopped moving and started listening.


    "Do you hear that?" Ly Giai asked.


    I shook my head. "Just sounds of ruffling leaves."


    "But it doesn''t sound natural," she added.


    I listened again, "Now that you mentioned, it does sound much rougher than normal leaves moving around."


    We both moved toward the sound quickly. It wasn''t long until we saw what made those rough sounds.


    Three boys were beating up Si.


    "HEY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, so loud that the whole mountain could hear it.


    I stepped up, trying to hold my rage at those kids. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING TO OUR BOY!?" I growled

 10. Confronting

    The three boys were startled by my voice. They slowly moved back, away from Si. Ly Giai quickly ran up and helped him stand up.


    "Are you hurt badly?" she asked worriedly.


    Si smiled. "I can take it?" he said to make us feel better.


    I walked passed them and toward the other three boys. "Why did you three bully him? Only a coward group up to bully one person."


    The three were frightened at me. One of them lost their strength and fell, grabbing the other two by reflex.


    I slowly came up to them. "Apologize," I ordered.


    "We... we''re sorry!" one of them spoke. He hit the other two in the arm.


    "We''re sorry too!" they said.


    I looked at them, on the verge of tears, but my anger wasn''t cooling down at all. "Not to me," I said, then pointed to where Si and Ly Giai were. "Go apologize to him."


    The three looked at where I was pointing, but they didn''t stand up despite being so scared.


    "GO NOW!" I shouted.


    As a result, the three boys started crying. I''ve pushed beyond their limit.


    Almost instantly, other voices came out of nowhere, "What''s happening?"


    Following were the sounds of the footsteps of many people.


    I instinctively moved back to Ly Giai and Si, staying alert.


    The torches slowly lit the whole scene, we were surrounded by the people of South City and the villagers.


    I immediately put my hand up to hide my face, hoping none of them could recognize me.


    Among those people, an old man walked up. It was the leader of the South City people. "What''s going on here? Why are the children crying?"


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    The parents of those kids ran up to comfort them, while Ly Giai stepped in front of me to help hide my identity.


    "Old leader," she greeted.


    "Young lady Ly Giai?" the old man was surprised. "We couldn''t find you anywhere a few days ago. We were worried that you were harmed."


    "Thanks everyone for caring about me. As you all can see, I am fine and healthy," she replied.


    "That''s good to hear," the old man nodded. He then looked at the three boys who were still crying and asked, "Do you mind explaining what caused these three to be so afraid? And I see that you have two other people behind you. I don''t think any of them are from the village or South City."


    "I can assure you that these two are safe and harmless. They have been with me, caring and protecting me for the past few days. As for the three boys crying over there. We saw them first bullying my little friend here. We stopped and demanded them to apologize to our friend. They didn''t like it and started crying."


    The old leader frowned. He turned to the three boys and asked, "Is that true?"


    They were frightened, looking around and seeing everyone''s attention on them. They shook their head violently.


    The old man sighed. "You know what you did. Go apologize to that little friend."


    One of the boy''s parents was not pleased. "Leader! didn''t they deny it? Why are you making them apologize?"


    "Miss," the leader said calmly. "You know full well as I am if those shaking heads are honest or not."


    The parent couldn''t say anything back. "Go. Apologize," they told their kid.


    "No!" one of the boys yelled. "I don''t want to! He''s very scary!" he pointed at me.


    Suddenly, everyone''s attention fell on me.


    The boy added, "He yelled at us! He''s very scary! He wants to kill us!"


    I could sense the displeased around me.


    The leader said to me. "Mister. I see that you are shy to have your face shown, but the boys don''t look like they are lying. I think there is a misunderstanding. Do you mind explaining to us what happened between you and them?"


    Ly Giai immediately stepped in. "As you can see, he is very shy in front of so many people. But I can assure you with my name and my family''s honor that he didn''t harm any of those boys," she firmly said. "If you don''t want them to apologize, then so be it. We three will leave."


    The leader opened his mouth, about to say something, but one of the boys'' parents spoke first. "You can''t just make my kid cry and not explain anything! You there! Are you too ashame to show your face after making a bunch of children cry? Come out and speak! Only a coward hides behind a woman!"


    Hearing that parent''s words, the people surrounding us riled up.


    "Show your face!"


    "Pathetic! Making children crying!"


    "Do you have no shame hiding behind a woman!"


    I put both my arms up and looked down. I was sweating heavily even though it was a cold night. Next to me, Si held my legs. He was afraid too.


    All their shouting and pressure were so stressful that my vision slowly became blurred and my ear was deafening by the second. Before I could make sense of what just happened, someone had come up and pulled my hands down.


    "GRASS!?" They all yelled in shock.

 11. Ly Giais Toughness

    I couldn''t describe the feeling of being in the middle of a rage, being looked at like a demon, and yelled at like a pig. There was nothing more dehumanizing and shameful than where I was standing.


    Standing in the middle of those people and enduring their harsh words. My heart was beating so quick, and the whole scene was so loud to me that my ears slowly became deaf.


    But suddenly, out of nowhere, I wasn''t scared anymore.


    Just a minute ago, I was so afraid, wanting to curl up to hide my existence. But why did when I got exposed, I felt more relieved than terrified? Was it because I don''t have to constantly worry about hiding my identity anymore? I don''t know.


    Looking at Ly Giai, I don''t think I had seen horror from her ever until that moment. She was speechless and trembling. Even though those anger and curses weren''t directed at her, she was still shaken by the pure pressure of them by just being physically there next to me.


    Si was also horrified. He hid behind me, clenching at my shirt while tightly shutting his eyes and covering his ears.


    It was that horrible, that terrifying, that shameful. Yet, I felt little from it.


    Was it because I have already experienced it many times over, not just words, but physical violence from these people that I have become numb to it? I don''t know.


    Ly Giai instinctively stepped back until she hit me. When our eyes touched, her look turned from frightened to disbelieve.


    It was as though she was asking, "You were enduring this much every day?"


    I smiled and hugged her, replying without words, "I am used to it. It did not affect me anymore."


    I heard her crying but wasn''t sure if the tears were because the scene was too much for her, or that she was crying for me. Either way, I patted her back and rubbed Si''s head to calm them down. My face was revealed, there was no better use for my hands to comfort those around me.


    When the crowd around us began to quiet down, across from us, the old leader spoke, "Miss Ly Giai, I don''t think you know who you are standing with. That man is the Grass that we told you about a few days ago.


    Ly Giai also calmed down and became less afraid. She wiped her eyes and left my arms. She turned to him. "I know about it. He has confirmed his identity to me."


    "And you still stay beside him? Even after knowing the truth? Did you leave us to be with him?"


    Ly Giai smiled with love in her eyes, "Yes to all three questions."


    The old man was puzzled, "I don''t understand. Why? Knowing what he did, you are in the devil''s arms."


    Ly Giai gently shook her head, "With all due respect, old leader, despite what you and everyone have told me about him, Do had never done anything out of bounds. I never once felt discomfort or unsafe around him. Do saved me from South City, raised me from my lowest point after losing my family, yet all he did was give me caring words and warm looks."


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    I never felt more love in my life. Her words, Ly Giai''s words, each of them like honey, sweet nectar that slowly poured into my ears. For some reason, I felt the atmosphere in the mountains so nice and comfortable. I looked behind me and Si was more relaxed now, so I guess I wasn''t the only one that felt it.


    I noticed Ly Giai would just not stop. "He never voiced any demand from me. Not then, not now, not once. Do is a good man. He is..."


    "BULLSHIT!" Someone suddenly yelled.


    We all turned to who it was. It was the mother of one of the three boys.


    The mother stepped up, with high energy. "Young lady! You made him, Grass," she pointed at me, "sounds like such a gentle and caring person!"


    "But he is," Ly Giai happily replied.


    "Then look at what he did to my child," she brought one of the boys up for everyone to witness. She then turned around and spoke to the audience, "Don''t you see them cry? Don''t you see how afraid and scared they are even just looking at this Grass?"


    Suddenly whispers everywhere. People started talking to each other.


    Ly Giai immediately raised her voice, loud enough to bypass the gossiping. "His name is Do! And these boys didn''t cry out of nowhere. Do asked them to apologize to Si, the kid with us here. He never touches them or threatens them!"


    "Phh! How can we believe what you said?" the mother attacked.


    Ly Giai wasn''t backing down. "Then how can I take your words that Do did the thing you people have accused him of?"


    "Everyone knows about his crime!" the mother yelled.


    "That doesn''t confirm that Do did it!" Ly Giai also raised her voice.


    The two women stared like they wanted to swallow whole the other person. Standing there next to them, I slowly moved back a little with Si to avoid the two lionesses.


    Even the people surrounding us felt the danger and took a few steps back. For a short moment, everyone thought a fight was about to break out.


    But the old leader raised his voice. "Enough of this!"


    He walked up and announced. "This problem that was about kids fighting had been blown out of proportion." He turned to the mother and us. "I don''t care who is in the right and wrong. We are in a hurry running to the capital. This is not a picnic. This is survival!"


    He spoke to the mother and Ly Giai, "How about we both take a step back for the benefit of everyone? Grass..."


    "His name is Do!" Ly Giai restated.


    "Do," the old man went with it. "How about you apologize for scaring the boys, and they apologize for hitting your kid?"


    Ly Giai looked at me. "I agree," I said.


    The leader nodded. He turned to the mother, "And you?"


    The mother wasn''t going with it. "Why do they have to apologize!? My son is so kind, that kid must be provoking him. He..."


    "Miss." the old man stepped up to her and spoke calmly yet intimidatingly. "We are all tired here. We need to rest and wake up early to travel to the capital. Do you want to drag on this issue for longer to slow us down and risk both you and your son''s life? Or do you want this to be over so we can be done with it?"


    The mother couldn''t say anything back. She looked around, saw eyes of disagreement all around her, and got nervous. "I agree," she finally said.


    I then went up and apologized to the boys for making them scared. Although they were forced and didn''t like it, they also apologized to Si for hitting him.


    After the exchange, the old man proposed to Ly Giai, "Now that you are all here, please join our group. It must be hard to travel with just three people taking care of each other. Here, you can rely on our help."


    Ly Giai looked at us. Si and I both shook our heads. She smiled and turned to the leader, "That does sound nice, but we have had no issue traveling by ourselves. But thank you for asking us."


    "If that is how you decided," the old man shrugged. He looked at me and added, "But if you or the kid is ever in danger, come to us." He intentionally spoke so that I could hear it as well.


    Ly Giai smiled, "Thanks for caring, but I don''t think we''ll ever need it."

 12. Hunger

    A few days have passed since that particular night. Strangely, when Ly Giai or I tried to ask Si why he ran off when we were in the pond, he always found ways to avoid answering. Both of us were puzzled.


    Another strange thing, Si stopped being cheerful. No more running around, clinging to Ly Giai, or verbally attacking me. After that night, he turned the complete opposite and became timid, like how he was when we first met him.


    Ly Giai and I didn''t know what to do in this situation. We both never had experience with children before, but we''ve decided not to mention why he disappeared anymore. Since he won''t answer anyway, that will only make Si more uncomfortable. We''ll just have to wait for him to become more open to us.


    ...


    I have lost track of how many days it was, but I roughly guess it had been about a month since Ly Giai and I escaped South City. We should be reaching the capital in, at most, two weeks.


    But there was an issue.


    The more we travel north, to the capital, the colder it gets.


    That means, there was less and less food for us to find.


    *Stomach growling


    "Are you hungry?" I asked Ly Giai.


    She was blushing, embarrassed of her stomach. "No no!" she tried to deny. "I am full!"


    "But I just heard..."


    "That! ... That was the sound from a wild animal..."


    "Is that so..." I squinted my eyes.


    "Yea... yeah..." she wasn''t good at lying.


    I opened my bags and offered her a handful of berries. "Then I must feed this wild animal, or it will eat me someday," I jokingly said.


    Her face was even more red. She pushed my hand away. "You shouldn''t waste them. We haven''t been able to find any food for three days now."


    "But Ly Giai, you look so skinny and frail," I told her.


    "You are not any better than me, Do," she replied.


    I was trying to ignore how worse Ly Giai was looking day by day because we were all suffering together. But still, it hurts to see the person you love declining so much.


    I smiled, "Why can''t I give you some food when you gave Si so much?"


    Ly Giai shook her head, "You also shared so much food with Si too. Please don''t make me look like the only one that did good."


    I sighed. "I thought young ladies from rich families couldn''t handle hardships well. Can you be a little more demanding?"


    She smiled playfully. "Since I''m so different from those other elegant and beautiful ladies, do you not like me anymore?"


    I raised my hands and pretended to surrender. "Oh, my young lady, please forgive this insignificant for his foul language!"


    Ly Giai smirked and played along, she put her fingers under my chin and pulled me in close, "Does this servant listen to his master?" she lowered her voice.


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    Ly Giai was intimidating.


    I was completely caught off guard. "Uh... Ly Giai?"


    But it looked like she was enjoying a little too much. "If you are a good servant, then be obedient and put that food away."


    "Ly Giai?" I called her again, nervously.


    "Are you clear?" she won''t snap out of it. Her eyes were turning more violent by the second.


    "Hello!" I waved my hand in front of her eyes. "Ly Giai, are you oka... WHOAH!"


    Once again, she pulled my chin closer, so close that our noses almost touched. "Are you clear?" she smirked again and lowered her voice even more, almost whispering.


    I nervously swallowed and gave in. "Here." I showed her me putting the berries back in the bag.


    Her eyes carefully watched my hands. After I closed the bag, she immediately smiled and pulled her hand back. Her voice turned back to normal. "Yay! You listened!"


    "WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT WAS THAT?" I was screaming internally over and over although my expression was neutral on the outside.


    Ly Giai looked at me and giggled. Satisfied with her performance, she went up to check up with Si, who was walking ahead of us the entire time.


    "Hope Si doesn''t hear us this entire time," I completely forgot he was with us for a moment.


    "You two shouldn''t be doing this in front of children," he said.


    "UGH!!! SO EMBARRASSING!" I screamed internally.


    Opposite to me, Ly Giai found it amusing.


    "Are you tired, Si? Should we stop for a bit and rest?" she asked him, smiling.


    "I''m not tired," he replied rather coldly and walked faster.


    Ly Giai tried to keep up with him. "Did we do something wrong? That''s why you are angry at us?" she tried to understand him.


    He shook his head. "I just want us to get to the capital quickly," he said and increased the speed, leaving us behind, puzzled.


    This forced atmosphere continued for another three days. At where we were, the trees only had dead branches remaining. Even if I wanted to hunt animals, I couldn''t find any to set up traps.


    Our food supply was running dangerously low. I tried to consume as little as I could, but I only had one day left of food. Ly Giai and Si should be similar to me.


    We had one day left of food, and more than a week to reach the capital.


    But something stood out to me. I didn''t know if I was running mad or hallucinating. But every morning, when I picked up the bag, I always felt like it was slightly heavier than the night before.


    But food couldn''t just magically appear, right? This continuous hunger must be making me hallucinate about having more food.


    ...


    At least, that was what I thought.


    That noon, when the three of us sat down to eat and rest.


    "You''re done already?" I asked Si. He finished eating so quickly.


    "Yea... Yeah. I wasn''t hungry," he replied.


    I was skeptical. "I''ve noticed that you eat very little the past few days. Are you running out of food? You can have some of mine."


    Si smiled, but it looked forced. He raised his bag for us to see. It was quite heavy. "See? I still have a lot left. I''m just not that hungry," he said and quickly went away.


    I looked at Ly Giai, quite worried. "Does kids don''t eat that much?" I asked her, hoping she knew better than I was.


    "I''m not sure," Ly Giai said. "But Si is still young. Young kids couldn''t handle hunger well. So I think he''ll eat more whenever he feels hungry."


    I sighed and scratched my head. "I just hope he doesn''t starve himself."


    "You are too worried, Do. Take a rest," she gently said and held my hand.


    I nodded. "If only we are still as close as before, then I can maybe I can talk with him. But he''s suddenly become so distant."


    Ly Giai tried to ease my mind. "I think he is a little traumatized getting beat up back then. Si doesn''t hate us, so he''ll talk to us when the time comes."


    "I hope you are right..."


    ...


    Two more days passed, but the capital was still nowhere to be seen. My mind was becoming all fuzzy, not only because of the hunger but also the cold weather of going northward.


    At that point, the three of us stayed extremely close, wrapped our arms around each other, to warm ourselves with the others'' body temperature, even for just a little bit.


    I looked over to Ly Giai, whose lips had become dried and cracked. Her face looked gray and sick.


    Si didn''t look any better. The three of us were shaking uncontrollably.


    The sounds of our stomachs crying had become the usual, even Ly Giai stopped getting embarrassed by it.


    Our speed had become significantly slower, our feet trembling just to be able to stand up. It was hell. There was nothing around for us to eat, not even leaves.


    But even though my mind was becoming numb, somehow, I still noticed that my food hadn''t run out.


    As we were dragging our feet onward, Si lost his balance and fell.


    "AH!"


    "Si!" Ly Giai and I yelled and went to help him stand up.


    Si lost grip of his bag and it spilled out everything. When I went to pick up it up, I couldn''t believe my eyes.


    It was so shocking that my voice was trembling.


    "What the... Are these... rocks!?"

 13. The Great Sacrifice

    "Don''t tell me...Don''t tell me..." I was lost for words. I ran to Si and collapsed as the last bit of energy left my body.


    "Si! What is this!? Why are there rocks in your bag!? Where''s the food!?" my voice was trembling tremendously. I was on the verge of tears.


    "What are you saying Do? Rocks?" Ly Giai panicked when she heard me.


    I gave her the bag, she was horrified when she saw the rocks inside.


    "Si?" her eyes were getting wet as well as she turned to him.


    The young boy avoided eye contact from both of us. He put his head down while looking away.


    In the midst of the harsh cold winds, Ly Giai and I had our knees on the ground, waiting for Si to reply.


    But he didn''t say anything.


    "Tell me. When was the last time you ate?" I asked first.


    He was reluctant, but slowly raised his hand, making a peace sign.


    "Two? Two days!?" I screamed in shock. Ly Giai covered her mouth from the news.


    I remembered the moment he showed us how heavy his bag was two days ago. "It can''t be!" I shook my head violently. "The past two days, I always have food remain on my bag."


    "Me too..." Ly Giai added.


    "I... I gave the rest to you two," Si shyly said and fell.


    "Si!" Ly Giai sprinted to support him. "What happened?" she touched his forehead, "It''s so hot!" she looked at me.


    I immediately reached for my bag and took out the rest of the food. "Here, Si. Eat and drink. You''ll feel better."


    "No. I... I am fine," he breathed heavily and his eyelids almost collapsed. "You need it more... I am small. I don''t n...e...e...d"


    "Si? Si!" I called him.


    "Si is fainted," Ly Giai said. She quickly took off her outerwear and wrapped it around Si. I did the same. "He needs medicine. He needs a doctor."


    I looked around us. Everything was stones, dirt, and dead branches. "Where can we find a doctor here?" I panicked.


    "Do. Calm down, calm down," she reminded me. "First we need to get out of here."


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    "Yeah. You''re right. Hurry!" I pulled her up and carried Si. We both sprinted as fast as we could.


    Almost magically, when seeing Si collapse, Ly Giai and I completely forgot about how hungry and fatigued we were. Just a while ago, we were shivering, and couldn''t lift our legs to walk. But now, we were sprinting like there was no tomorrow. Even the harsh cold wind didn''t bother us anymore.


    "The people of South City and villagers!" I remembered. "Why did I forget about them? They are not far ahead of us!"


    We ran to where they were with the last of our breaths. Many people was stunned seeing showing up.


    "Please!" I yelled with all my might. "My kid is sick, a fever! Please help him!"


    We went inside their camp and kept asking around, but they all turned away because they hated me. The villagers didn''t help us either, they seemed to hate Si as well.


    Ly Giai tried her best as well, But wherever we went, they declined and hid in their tents.


    It was hopeless. I looked down at Si. He was trembling, unconsciously gripping me and curled up as small as possible. The weather is cold and so harsh. I hugged as tightly as I could and fell on my knees. The exhaustion caught up to me. I couldn''t think anymore, the only thing I saw was Ly Giai still trying to go from tent to tent, asking for help.


    "No one is helping! No one!" I was in a panic state. I cried and yelled in the void. "Please! If you have a heart! If you are still human! Please help Si! Please help him!"


    "What is going on here?" A voice of someone was behind me. I turned back, and it was the old leader.


    "Old man!" I crawled to him desperately and grabbed his legs while showing him Si. I tried to calm myself to explain to him. "Uhh... He''s sick! High fever! Very sick!"


    Ly Giai saw and came back to us. "He haven''t eaten anything the past two days," she said while helping me standing up.


    "Please help him," I pleaded.


    He didn''t reply. His face was in discomfort.


    "Ah! Right! I know you all hate me. Don''t worry! If you can help Si and let Ly Giai stay besides him, I will leave here immediately." I beg.


    "Do! What are you saying? You can''t leave us!" Ly Giai said.


    I quickly held her and covered her mouth from speaking any further. I tried to put on a smile. "Is... is that fine? I will leave right now, immediately. Please... please help Si. Please."


    The old leader looked at us and finally said. "You don''t need to leave. Come with me."


    I turned to Ly Giai. We couldn''t believe our ears. Then he led us to one of the tents with a strong medicine aura. There was someone already in the tent.


    "Give me the kid, you wait here," he told me. After handing Si to him, I waited outside while he and Ly Giai went in.


    "Doctor," he called.


    "Yes?" the man turned around.


    "This boy is very sick. Can you treat him?"


    "Let me see."


    After a while, he said, "The kid is only having a cold, but the malnourished state he is in makes his condition more severe." He looked at Ly Giai, then at the leader. "But we are running low on food and medicine to treat the it. Everyone is catching a cold in this weather. We have to save the resources."


    "I have accepted their plead," the leader said. "Please treat the kid as best as you can."


    The doctor shook his head, "If you say so, but don''t say I didn''t warn."


    After some more exchanges, Ly Giai and he came out. "As you have heard. We are not in the best situation either."


    "We are very grateful," I said honestly. "Please, if I can do anything..."


    But he stopped me. "That is for later. You and Miss Ly Giai are exhausted. You can rest at my place."


    He walked us to his tent. It was small and modest just like any other tents here. "You both rest here," he told us and was about to head out.


    "What about your family? We don''t want to bother you all," Ly Giai said.


    The old man looked down. His eyes sadden. "You can stay here. I don''t have anyone. Only me," he said and left, sounded so lonely.

 14. Forever Stain

    I don''t know how long it has been. I was completely unaware of things the moment I lay down. If it wasn''t for the strange noises that disturbed me, I would have slept for another three days.


    Tiredly sat up and covered my eyes against the morning light from outside the tent. It seemed like a whole day had passed. I looked over and saw Ly Giai next to me, sleeping nicely. I gently caressed her hair and she smiled.


    "Awake?" I barely spoke, in case she was still in dreams.


    Opening her eyes, she looked at me playfully, "I woke up right after you."


    I helped her sit up and said. "Then I don''t think you know what that noise is."


    "No," she shook her head.


    We both stood up and went out. The instant burst of sunlight made us cover our eyes. After a while, for us to slowly adjust to the brightness, we knew what the noises were about.


    In front of us was the back of the old leader, and across him, was a crowd of people from South City.


    They yelled and screamed. It didn''t help to calm the crowd down by us showing ourselves. The noises were so loud, intense, and chaotic that those people didn''t sound human anymore.


    It took quite an effort from the old leader to calm them down. By the time they quieted, there was visible sweat on his forehead, even though it was so cold then.


    When things settled, someone spoke, "Leader! We''ve heard everything from the doctor. We can''t understand why you are like this!?"


    The old man sighed in tiredness. "What don''t you understand?" he asked.


    The man raised his voice, "We don''t understand why you are so easy on Grass! First, you let them off so easily at the other night''s incident. Now you let him stay with us! What is this!?"


    "He and his people are on the brink of collapsing. I can''t turn away," he simply explained.


    "But that''s Grass!" the man called. "He is a rapist! We can''t let someone like that near our women and children!" His words awoke the crowd, and they all raised their voice in agreement.


    Standing behind the old leader who was the center of all the criticism. I felt guilty to let him have to endure this. I was planning to walk up and tap his shoulders, but he spoke before I could do it.


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    "Everyone, please hear this old man."


    The noises slowly settled. All eyes were on him.


    "Just like everyone here. I don''t know about this man any more than you. But I have seen how protected young lady Ly Giai is for him."


    The crowd turned to Ly Giai.


    She raised her hand. "I swear in my name and my family name that Do have not harmed me in any way since he saved and protected me on our way from South City."


    Nodded, the old man continued. "Not only that. We saw from the other night that they''re also bringing a small boy with them. A stranger with no relation to them. Yet yesterday, this man here cried his heart out, begging us to save that stranger boy."


    He looked at me, whose eyes couldn''t keep dry anymore. I bowed as low as I could to thank him.


    The old leader spoke, "From what you and I have seen, his actions are opposite to what we heard. They say trust your eyes before your ears. That''s why I''ve decided to help the boy and allow him to stay."


    There was a period of silence from the crowd. From the looks, they seemed to be reflecting and processing the leader''s words. The leader may have convinced them.


    But the man who spoke out to the leader finally shouted, "B... but even that! He is still a threat to us! I don''t want a convicted rapist anywhere near my wife and daughter!"


    With just that, his words brought the people back to their previous stance.


    "We can''t let him deceive us!"


    "Throw him out! We need to throw him out!"


    "We need to protect our women and daughters!"


    The waves of shouts and insults rained on us. Each felt like a weight of a thousand pounds, so heavy that I felt the air was vibrating.


    The old man looked at everyone. His gaze was full of disappointment, and anger. Didn''t wait for them to settle down like before, he shouted through the oceans of insults.


    "Since when have your hearts turned cold? Why is there so much hatred in you, even though we should be focusing on getting to the capital as soon as possible? Are you not tired of all this hatred? Instead of helping one another as the citizens of Sa, you are hunting down your people. I have to ask. What is this!?"


    The people hearing him speak became uncomfortable, as if he saw right through their hearts.


    Another person came out and disagreed. "Leader. You know well that we don''t hate our fellow people. But who we are talking about is Grass. If there is any other person you want to help, that''s fine. But why does it have to be Grass?"


    The old man slowly approached the person. He stared at their eyes and spoke calmly. "In this weather that freezes even ice with not even a bark to chew, letting him out there by himself is no different than killing him. Tell me. How can I do that?"


    The person couldn''t say anything back. So they backed down in embarrassment.


    As I stood there in silence. I couldn''t describe my feelings. The old man ahead of me, who I thought also hated him, just like everyone else. Is speaking for me, defending me like how Ly Giai did that night. Watching him grabbing all the attention and ill intent that should have been on me, I was speechless. My eyes couldn''t help but get teary.


    "DON''T YOU FORGET THAT HE IS A RAPIST!!!" a strong, piercing yell from someone among the crowd. The mother of one of the three boys that night walked up. "At the end of the day, whatever you say try to say to convince us, we can''t let that kind of person stay with us."

 15. Nothing Changed

    Immediately discussions occurred. The tide turned against the old man. Even he is puzzled and speechless. Since what the woman said was true.


    Watching the people slowly pointing their eyes back at me, that familiar sense from South City returned. I can''t help but let out a small, bitter smile.


    Ly Giai, the old man, and I were not enough to hold the immense pressure of a surrounding crowd. For the first time, the old leader took his steps back. I could see in him that he was trying his best to come up with something to help me. But he could find none.


    Because what can you say back when you are a rapist?


    Ly Giai was holding my arms then, showing support while hiding behind me. The pressure from those stares was also too much for her.


    I quietly took her hands away from me. "What are you doing?" she looked at me in shock, with tears on her cheeks.


    I didn''t know if I could say anything to make her not follow me to what I was about to do next. So I smiled.


    Leaving her behind. I walked up to the old leader and held his hands dearly. "Thank you for trusting me."


    His face was just as puzzled as Ly Giai''s when he saw my unfazed face. "Why are you out here?" he asked. "Don''t you see that they are even angrier now that you''re here? Go back inside! I''ll figure something out."


    But I shook my head. "Please take Ly Giai inside and shut the tent. Make sure she can not see what''s going on outside," I told him.


    He was confused. "What are you going to do? Are you... going to harm them?" he stumbled a little.


    I laughed and was shocked. "No! I''m not a killer!" Then I looked at Ly Giai and back to him. "I just... want to save a tiny piece of my dignity, if I have any left."


    "What do you mean by that?" he asked again.


    I shook my head, not replying. I held his hands once again. "Can you take her inside?" almost begging.


    Our eyes locked for a while. Then he slowly nodded. "Okay." I let his hands off, and he started walking back, toward Ly Giai.


    "Don''t let her see the outside," I reminded.


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    He nodded.


    "Let''s go inside, young lady Ly Giai."


    "What did you talk with Do? Why is it only us two going in?" she was more confused than before.


    "I don''t know. But he asked you to stay in the tent. Come on." He grabbed her hand and started walking into the tent.


    "Wa... Wait a second. Don''t force me! Do!! Do! Help me!" she called to me.


    I turned to my dear Ly Giai and smiled.


    "Do?" Ly Giai let out. The old man shut the tent and stood in front of it.


    The people surrounding me witnessed the whole thing and were just as confused as Ly Giai.


    "Wh... what are you going to do?" the boy''s mother spoke.


    I slowly turned around, facing them for the first time, eye to eye, with my back straight. All those years in South City, I''ve always kept my eyes low to avoid provoking violence towards me, but not anymore. Letting my eyes go through those faces. I realized that even though these were the people who lived in the same city as me, I never knew what they looked like.


    I laughed at my cruel life. I couldn''t even find words to complain anymore. Nothing I say can make my past any better, nor what I''m about to do.


    I let out all the energy from my legs.


    And kneeled.


    "Please let Ly Giai and Si stay!" I begged.


    The crowd of people was stunned by my action. It was nothing of what they were expected. Their looks of confusion turned to each other, don''t know what they should do. They discussed with one another, from one person to the next. Some question my actions, if I am sincere or not. Some proposed to keep Ly Giai and Si, but was argued that there was not enough food and supplies to support more people.


    The whole scene was chaotic. Meanwhile, I still kneeled with my head high. Watching them arguing with each other. I look at them without emotion. It wasn''t that I had lost my humanity or anything. Just emptiness. As if nothing worthy of getting my emotions up.


    At that moment, I was strangely calm.


    Seeing them minutes without result, I spoke again. "I will leave the camp immediately. Please let Ly Giai and Si stay!"


    The mother of one of the boys walked up to me and spoke loudly. "Everyone! Why do we have to let those two stay? We are running out of food and medicine ourselves. It isn''t like we have abundance to give them."


    Seeing the crowd nodded in agreement, I quickly replied. "The one you hate is me! Ly Giai is the same as you, from South City. She and you are no different. As for Si, he is just a little kid. Please have mercy on him."


    A few people agreed with my points. The woman responded. "I have asked around the villagers. That boy is not liked there either. There must be a reason for that. As for young lady Ly Giai..." She pauses as if she is hesitating for her next words, but she continued regardless, "We all knew Grass''s crime. Yet Ly Giai is always protecting him. I am very concerned that she is now... dirtied and... impure."


    "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, terrifying everyone around. "You can insult and humiliate me all you want, but I won''t allow a single word that would hurt Ly Giai''s reputation! She is as righteous and dignified as she always is! If I hear you slander her name again, I won''t forgive you!"


    The woman took a few steps back. "You... how dare you threaten me! See everyone? Look how violent he is. How can we let such people like him and his kind with us? They are dangerous."


    After a few seconds of silence, the crowd gained back their senses and began throwing insults at me.


    Nothing changed.

 16. Doctors Assistant

    I clenched my fists and grinded my teeth. It was no help. I can''t talk straight with these people.


    But when I thought all hope was lost. Someone stepped up and gave an opinion.


    "I think we should keep them."


    We all look at the person speaking, and I realize that was the doctor the old leader handed Si over for treatment earlier.


    He walked up helped me stand up, then faced the woman.


    "I respect you as a doctor, but I don''t see any reason why to keep them," the woman frowned.


    The doctor looked at everyone and gave a friendly smile. He said, "The Ly is a big and generous family that has helped a lot of us in South City, so I think it is right for us to help their only family member left. As for the boy named Si, he is currently very sick and needs care. Throwing him back to this weather is not something a human should do."


    The doctor appeared to be a respected person among these people. His words carry a level of authority that is only below the old leader. So many heads turned to his side.


    "What about him?" the woman pointed at me. "There''s no reason to keep him."


    He smiled somewhat playfully. "He will be my assistant."


    It was an answer that none of us could have expected.


    "Think about it," he added. "There are currently a lot of patients in my care because of many reasons. Hunger, dehydration, fatigue, cold... and that number will only increase. You can''t expect me to take care of all of them. I need an assistant. Taking care of these patients carries risks of getting ill yourself, so why don''t we use Grass instead of one of us? We don''t need to care if he will get sick or not."


    What he said was able to persuade the people. Eventually, through some more convincing from the leader and the doctor, even the woman agreed to let me stay.


    When things are done. I thanked him. "I don''t know why you helped me, but I thank you with all my heart."


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    He looked at me deeply and said, "I don''t know much about you, Grass. I only know from what I hear, but your actions and words today are opposite to what I thought of you. But still, I haven''t fully put my guard down on you yet."


    "Anyway, thank you," I said again and bowed.


    After he left, the leader gave me a nod and walked away as well. I slowly got to the tent and opened it. Ly Giai''s face appeared right at me.


    "Is that what you don''t want me to see? That you were kneeling?" she asked, with a scent of anger and betrayal in her voice.


    I smiled playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "So you saw it after all."


    "Do you not trust me? I won''t think less of you. I''m even willing to kneel with you."


    I shook my head. "Not at all. It''s because I know you are that kind of person, Ly Giai. I don''t want you to lower yourself with me. You don''t deserve that." I paused and chuckled bitterly, "But the thing was, I want to save the last bit of my dignity left in your eyes, however small it is."


    Ly Giai''s face softened, and her voice became gentler. "Oh Do. Why do you always see yourself less? You are as dignified as any nobles and royals can be."


    "Thank you," I said with all gratitude. "Thankfully, that doctor came and helped me."


    "Yes, we must make sure to repay him," Ly Giai nodded. "Let''s go assist him."


    "Don''t follow me, Ly Giai. I don''t want you to get sick."


    She flicked my forehead. "We will be staying in the same tent after you finish helping the doctor anyway. How is it more dangerous for me to assist you? So why can''t I help you as much as I can?" she replied.


    Ly Giai and I went to the doctor. It took some convincing for him to let Ly Giai lend a hand.


    "Any of you know anything about medicine?" he asked us.


    "No," we both replied.


    "Then follow me and note down whatever I''ll say. We are visiting patients right now."


    Ly Giai and I quickly took some paper and writing brushes. The patients'' tent is next to the infirmary tent, so the doctor can easily check on them.


    And it was also the tent where Si was in. Along with him were about ten other patients. They all looked in their twenties to forties.


    The doctor visited each in order. Ly Giai and I would write down the medicines and methods of treatment for each of them. The doctor assigned me to the male patients and Ly Giai to the female patients to treat and clean them up daily.


    Then he went to Si. It was a long checkup in silence. When done, he looked at Si puzzledly.


    "What''s wrong, doctor?" Ly Giai asked.


    The doctor shook his head, "I think I am just worrying too much."


    "Is there something strange?" she asked again.


    He said thoughtfully, "I am confident that Si is having a cold right now. But when I just checked him, there were moments where his body turned unusually cold, as though there is something else besides the cold."


    "Something else? What would that be?" Ly Giai was worried.


    "I don''t know yet. For now, take care of him like I instructed you to. I will go through my books to see if I can find anything."


    "Okay," we both replied.

 17. Ly Giais Confidence

    When the doctor left, Ly Giai and I took care of Si like how he told us to. Just preparing medicine and cleaning him took us a few hours to finish.


    After Si, we shifted our care to the other patients. Luckily for us, there are many similarities in their medicine that it didn''t take as long to have their medicine ready compared to Si.


    While waiting for the medicine, Ly Giai and I came up with an idea to put up veils between the patients to keep their privacy when we have to clean them.


    "Hi, Miss Tu. I have the medicine ready for you here. Let me help you sit up to drink it easier." Ly Giai seemed to have an easy time with the female patient.


    So I tried copying her, but I was much more nervous speaking to other people. "Hi, Mister... Sao. I have... medicine here. Let me help you sit up."


    Mr. Sao glanced at me and turned the other way. I tried to help him sit up, but he shouted at me. "Don''t touch me!"


    "But you need the medicine..."


    "I will never drink anything that you touch! Don''t come near me! Filthy rapist!"


    I was damaged by his words. I just wanted to help, even got permission from the doctor, but it seemed my reputation would forever haunt me. I felt the eyes of all of the other patients silently watching me, all with the same sentiment as Sao.


    "I... understand," I whispered and closed the veil. I left the tent. As I walked past the female patient, she didn''t look at me with friendly eyes, either.


    I returned to the medicine tent, set the medicine down, and became lost staring at the dark liquid, so dark that I could see myself in it.


    I stared at it for a long time, a very long time. My mind was completely blanked and consumed by it.


    "Do," a gentle voice behind me. It was Ly Giai.


    "Ly Giai..." I slowly turned.


    She put down her medicine bowl that was just finished and took mine. She then looked at me in and said gently. "I believe in you."


    I smiled, feeling a little better. "Right. Thank you."


    "Give them some time. Eventually, they will feel the same as I am. That accusation... you will be able to leave it behind."


    "I''m not even sure if I am truly innocent, Ly Giai," I honestly said. "What if I did it? Then..."


    "Do," Ly Giai cut me.


    "Yes?" I replied.


    "Believe in yourself, like how I believe in you," she said confidently with a slight punch on my chest.


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    ...


    "What is this feeling I am having? How can all the desperation and dreaded emotions I was feeling just now be gone? Why do I feel so when hearing that from Ly Giai?" I thought internally.


    "Do you ever... doubted me?" I asked in awe, as I was still processing what just happened.


    Ly Giai smiled. "Never," she answered without hesitation. "I trust my eyes, my heart, and my life. My eyes see that Do is a good person, my heart loves Do the good person, and my life was saved by Do the good person."


    I was speechless, and couldn''t think of anything. Just standing in place staring at Ly Giai slowly getting closer to me and putting her hands on my face.


    "You are crying?" she said.


    "What?" I returned to myself and touched my face. There were tears without me ever knowing.


    "Haha. How many times have you kept saying things like this to me? And yet every time, I couldn''t help myself," I laughed in happiness while wiping the tears with my arms.


    Ly Giai suddenly hugged me.


    "L... Ly Giai?"


    "I''m here for you Do, whenever you need," she said gently.


    I was stunned in place, didn''t know how to act.


    "Hug me," Ly Giai instructed.


    "Ah right!" I nervously laughed.


    Slowly relaxing my body, I wrapped one hand around her waist and the other on her head. We stayed in that position for who knows how long, but at that time, I just wished for time to end and freeze then, so that this moment would last forever.


    In each other''s arms, I felt the caring, warmth, and gentleness of Ly Giai. Her soft hands and fragile body, which should only be for living in comfort and happiness, now had to be stuck bearing the ruthlessness of society by being with me.


    "I will live my life for you, Ly Giai," I whispered.


    "Me too," she replied.


    Eventually, we left the hug and returned to reality. Usually, Ly Giai and I would be clumsy and nervous after these kinds of moments, but strangely, I felt even more comfortable being with her. I think she felt the same.


    "Let me reheat and give the medicine to Mister Sao," she said.


    After the medicine was reheated, Ly Giai was about to take the medicine to the patient''s tent, but I stopped her. "Let me."


    "He won''t drink if it''s you," she explained.


    "I''ll figure it... somehow. If I fail, then I''ll let you try," I insisted.


    I took the medicine to the patients'' tent. Taking a deep breath to prepare myself, I stepped in.


    "Didn''t I say that I won''t have medicine from you!" Mr. Sao still refused me.


    "Please keep your voice down. The other patients are resting," I reminded him in a serious voice.


    Realizing that, he lowered his voice. "Anyway, leave! I don''t want to see you!"


    "I need to give you medicine and clean you once a day. That''s what the doctor instructed me," I stubbornly said.


    "Hah! You think I''ll let you touch me! Ridiculous. Where is the doctor? I want to speak to him!"


    "The doctor is busy with other patients. You are not the only patient here Mister Sao. He gave me clear instructions on how to take care of you. There is no need to bother him. Or are you expecting young lady Ly Giai to clean you?"


    "Absurd! Of course not!"


    "Right," I nodded. I then put the medicine bowl down and said one last thing before leaving. "You must know that our medicine is precious, especially in this wartime. This medicine could save someone else, but I let you decide if this bowl will be wasted or not."


    I left the tent to see Ly Giai was waiting outside. She asked, "Will he drink it?"


    "I think Mr. Sao is truly a righteous man with a good heart. He wouldn''t let the medicine be wasted thinking it could save another person."


    "What makes you say that?"


    "I have just realized from talking to him that he hated me only because of my reputation. He refused to let you clean him, outright showing that he has good morals. That''s just how I feel."


    Ly Giai took a peek inside the tent and smiled. "Well, I think you are right. He is drinking the medicine."


    After that, using the same argument, I was able to convince the other male patients to take their medicine as well. But just like Mr. Sao, they also strongly refused to let me clean them.

 18. Another Strange Dream

    I let Ly Giai go in and collect the empty bowl. We then returned to the doctor''s tent to report.


    "The male patients didn''t let me clean them, but they did drink the medicine," I said.


    The doctor nodded while still reading his medical book. "More than I expected. I thought they wouldn''t even drink the medicine."


    "It took some convincing," I said and looked at Ly Giai. "And encouragement."


    We smiled at each other, but the doctor didn''t seem to notice it.


    "Is there anything else for us to do?" Ly Giai asked next.


    He shook his head. "You''ve done enough for today. Return and rest well. Don''t let yourself get sick. We will continue moving to the capital early morning."


    "Okay," we both replied.


    I noticed that he looked kind of grumpy, so I asked, "Any progress on Si''s symptoms?"


    "No," he sighed and frowned. "I''m still looking."


    After some more exchanges, Ly Giai and I left. We went back to the old leader and he had prepared two extra tents for us when we returned.


    "A man and a woman shouldn''t be in the same tent at night unless they are married. I don''t need to tell you two this right?" he didn''t even let us respond.


    "Well... good night Ly Giai," I said.


    "You too, Do," she said back.


    I went to my tent. It was very simple, with only leaves tied together for bed and blanket. For the past weeks, Ly Giai, Si and I only had each other to keep warm during the cruel nights'' chill. To have this in this kind of bed is a luxury. I couldn''t ask for more.


    I lay down and immediately fell asleep.


    Once again, I dreamt. The strange girl that appeared in my previous dreams kept showing up.


    "Do! Come here with me!" she called me.


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    We were in what seemed like the middle of a night festival. The girl, still wearing the light green dress in the previous dream, took me through cart after cart of the festival, buying so much food and gifts.


    "** ***! Please stop! My hands couldn''t carry any more stuff!" I cried to her. For some reason, I couldn''t hear her name."


    The girl only then realized that my hands were full, so she carried some of the stuff so that I had an easier time. "Ha ha Sorry Do. I was too excited."


    I smiled at her happy face. "It''s fine. As long as you are happy."


    Almost immediately, a cart caught her eyes and she flew to it, "Woah! Look at that! I want it!"


    "Hey!" I tried to complain, but she was already far away. Gave up, I just shook my head and followed her.


    The dream suddenly changed when we already left the festival place. The streets were dark and narrow. With only the light I was carrying to be able to see things.


    "** ***! Where are you!?" I shouted while running everywhere, trying to find the girl. "** ***!" I kept calling and calling, but no one ever responded.


    The dreaded and desperate feeling grew more and more as each step my feet took. I kept running through the streets, turning at each corner hoping to see her then. But every time, only darkness welcomed my presence.


    The more time went by, I felt as if the streets had become narrower and narrower. At the corners where the eyes wouldn''t look, a dark aura seeped to the surface, slowly covering everything. In a short time, even the air was completely suffocated by it.


    My steps slowed bit by bit as it was becoming harder to look ahead and breathe. But I still didn''t give up trying to find the girl.


    My body slowly crumbled until I was lying on the ground, slowly being swallowed by the darkness.


    My eyes wide opened. Looking around, I became calmed after remembering this was reality.


    I let out a huge sigh of relief while standing up and preparing for a new day. My back was full of sweat even though it was bone-chillingly cold at night. After changing to a new shirt, I stepped out of the tent. Next to me, Ly Giai also tiredly stepped out. She stretched with her messy hair.


    "Good morning, Ly Giai," I greeted.


    "Morning Do," she returned satisfyingly after the stretch. "Did you sleep well?"


    "Yeah," I lied. "I felt like I only lie down for a minute before waking up."


    "Me too," she smiled. She then looked around and said. "We have to start packing things up and continue moving."


    After some cold water to fully wake me up and some self-talk to put the dream at the back of my mind, I quickly had a small piece of bread and dried meat given by the old man. I then disabled my tent and helped Ly Giai with hers.


    We then went to the doctor and helped him move Si and the other patients with self-made carts using the woods nearby.


    When everyone grouped up and was ready to move, the old leader stood in the front. "We are only three more days before reaching the capital! Keep yourself warm and hydrated! We will all overcome this harsh time!"


    "OH!" the crowd rallied.


    During the travel, I was responsible for Si''s cart, letting Ly Giai, the doctor, and other patients'' family members deal with the other patients.


    As expected, the people from South City and villagers avoid walking near me. I would often feel unfriendly gazes on me too, something that I have become familiar with.


    During the mid-day, something great happened. Si was conscious.

 19. Before the Journey Starts

    "Hm? Where am I? There are so many people," he rubbed his eyes while looking around.


    "We are with the people from South City and your villagers. We are traveling to the capital," I replied from behind him.


    "Do!" Si excitedly called.


    "I''m glad that you are okay," I smiled. "What are you looking for?" I asked seeing he couldn''t sit still, constantly looking around.


    "Where''s Ly Giai? She''s not with us?"


    "Over there," I pointed to where Ly Giai was pushing a female patient''s cart.


    Si saw her and energetically stood up, waving his hands. It caught her attention, she waved back. Her face was so happy and relieved when she saw him.


    We were so happy seeing each other that for a moment, I forgot that we were in the middle of the people. Their looks of judgment and caution were getting on me. But doing anything now would only make things worse.


    When we stopped for lunch, the three of us sat together, staying far from the people.


    Ly Giai and I quietly watched Si devour his meal without a care in the world. We couldn''t be happier.


    "Have ours too," we handed him our portion.


    He wasted no time and snatched the food from our hands before we could blink and finish them in an instant.


    "Ahhh," he let out the sound of satisfaction while rubbing his belly.


    "Are you full?" Ly Giai asked.


    "Yeah!" he smiled and swung his feet back and forth.


    I turned left and right, making sure no one was near us. I quietly whispered to Si, "Make sure you always stay close to either me or Ly Giai."


    "Why is that?" he naively asked.


    "We are both not welcome here. I''ll protect you if anyone bullies you. Make sure to not stand out until we reach the capital. We are only two and a half days left before getting there," I explained.


    Our little boy nodded. "I won''t run away."


    "Good," I complimented and patted his head. "Go back to the cart and rest. Ly Giai and I will return with you soon."


    "Okay!" Si replied and jumped off his seat, sprinting back to his cart.


    Next to me, Ly Giai commented, "Are you keeping Si from knowing his symptoms?"


    I nodded, "I don''t want others to be infected by it either. That''s why I told him to only stay with me and you."


    "Is Si going to be okay?" Ly Giai worriedly asked while watching him from far away.


    "We''ll find a way," I assured her.


    After that, the group continued until the sun began to come down. We stopped and set up camps to get over the night.


    As instructed, after Ly Giai and I put up our tents, we helped the doctor set up the medicine and patient tents.


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    Like he taught us the day before, we prepared the medicine and brought it to the patients. This time, Mr. Sao didn''t reject me. He quietly took and drank the medicine.


    "How are you feeling?" I asked after he finished drinking.


    "A little better. This thing is too bitter. Did you prepare the medicine correctly?" he scolded me.


    I shrugged to myself, knowing he would never speak softly to me, but at least he answered my question.


    "I did as the doctor instructed me to. You don''t have to worry," I said. "Now, I will have to wipe your body to keep you clean."


    "You think I will agree to that!" he shouted.


    I ignored him and brought in a bucket and a towel. "Keeping your body clean helps prevent complications to your illness. Here, you can wipe yourself," I said and handed him the towel.


    Seeing him didn''t say anything, I took that as a yes.


    I then closed the veil to give him some privacy and moved to the other patients. I gave each of them towels and told them to clean themselves. After all of that, I checked on Si.


    "How are you doing?" I asked.


    "I''m hot... and cold," he weakly said while covering half his face with a blanket. The temperature was dropping as the night came. Si couldn''t playful as he was in the morning anymore.


    "You are just having a cold, don''t worry," I smiled, trying to assure the kid.


    I put my hand on his forehead. Indeed it was hot, typical of a fever. But then...


    His forehead turned extremely cold for a few seconds before returning to being hot.


    This happened frequently, just like the doctor said. But it was more frequent than the last night.


    I was worried and anxious, but I kept my face cool to not worry Si. "Ly Giai and I will be back with you after taking care of the other two."


    "Okay..." Si almost whispered. "Be quick... I''m scared..."


    I hurried to the medical room and asked the doctor as soon as I got in, "Have you figured out what illness that is? The temperature switching is becoming more frequent..."


    My throat closed when my eyes had enough time to process what I was seeing. The doctor, practically fused with his desk, furiously flipping page after page of his medical book in frustration. The tent was a mess with books scattered everywhere. His face was pale, his hair was messy, and he had big eyebags that weren''t there yesterday.


    "You... didn''t sleep or rest at all since yesterday?" I asked worriedly.


    But he just ignored me completely and rambled on his own, as if I was non-existence. "Why can''t I identify it? I''m close, very close. I can feel it. What am I missing?"


    Seeing him acting like a madman, I held my breath and slowly stepped backward until I was out of the tent.


    "Phew. I thought he would jump at me," I let out.


    "Any news?" a voice from nowhere came from behind making me jump up in shock.


    "Oh! Oh, Ly Giai. You almost killed me," I had to put a hand on my heart to calm it down.


    Ly Giai was also stunned by my overreaction. But she got right back quickly. "So?"


    I signaled her to take a peek.


    She slightly leaned in and saw the doctor as I did.


    She stepped back and turned to me, "Do you think he''ll figure it out?"


    "I''m not expecting it," I replied honestly. "But I think there is a higher chance someone at the capital can identify what illness Si has."


    "Yeah... I hope so too."


    Two days later, the last night before we reached the capital. "I gave up," the doctor said to us as we visited him at his medical tent. He sounded so tired, his eyes were practically dead. "I went over all of my books, none has an illness with sudden temperature change as a symptom.


    Ly Giai and I looked at each other. We both expected this. So we didn''t feel disappointed when hearing it.


    "We understand. It must be difficult for you. We feel bad for having you spending so much energy on this," Ly Giai said.


    "It''s okay," he replied. "I am just worried if what Si is having is dangerous, and how quickly can it spread. We are in wartime. Having an unknown illness is very bad especially when medicine will become rare."


    Ly Giai and I looked at each other with concern. "But Si is still fine. I mean he looks like he''s fine. So it probably is not deadly?" I said.


    The doctor scratched his head while having a big yawn. "Yeah. I hope the big doctors in the capital can identify what that illness is. This is too much for a small doctor like me... zzzh zzzh"


    The tiredness had caught up to him, and he collapsed in the middle of our talk. Ly Giai and I knew our place. So we blew off the candles and covered a blanket over him before leaving in a tent in silence.


    The moon is somewhat bright that night, enough for us to not have to carry torches to see things in the dark.


    "Tomorrow we will reach the capital. Finally," Ly Giai whispered.


    "Our journey is close to the end. You and Si don''t need to suffer in the wilderness anymore. Hopefully, we can get him treated too."


    Ly Giai smiled, "I don''t like how you said ''Our journey is close to the end.'' Do you plan to leave us?"


    I smiled back, "Not unless you all leave me first."


    "Then our journey is just about to start!" she said positively.

 20. Before the Journey Starts: The Last Moments

    The next morning, everyone was energized because we were getting close to the capital. Our group, made up of people from South City and some villagers, picked up the pace. We all just wanted to get to the capital quickly to feel safe.


    "I think I see the capital," I announced when we reached the top of a mountain.


    Ly Giai and Si looked and they nodded. "Do you see that? I think they''re people," Ly Giai pointed at the moving dots towards the capital.


    "Yeah, I see it too! They must be like us!" Si said.


    "Let''s go then. We shouldn''t be left behind," I told them.


    Descending the mountain, the scale of the migration shook me. There were floods of people, all converging towards the capital like rivers to the sea. The sheer number of people was overwhelming.


    "There''s so many people!" Si gasped, his young voice tinged with awe at the sight.


    "We need to move fast. We have to get as close to the gate as possible," I immediately said while looking around to find the best path forward.


    "Why in such a hurry?" Ly Giai asked, puzzled at my haste. I picked Si up and we started running.


    Assessing the situation, I replied, "I''m afraid the capital can''t hold this many people. There are so many."


    I held Ly Giai''s hand tight and told her, "Make sure to keep holding hands like this so that we don''t lose each other."


    We weaved through the crowd as quickly as we could, which annoyed some people. Eventually, we managed to get to the front.


    But then.


    "STOP!" a commanding shout from the city gates stopped us from moving. The voice sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.


    "I AM THE COMMANDER OF THE GATE. DO NOT MOVE!" he ordered.


    "Is something wrong?" someone from the crowd asked, but no one answered.


    The crowd fell into a tense silence, questions hanging unanswered in the air. I couldn''t help but wonder, "Why does the gate commander sound so hostile? Shouldn''t he be welcoming us?"


    The atmosphere was filled with anxiety, and Si, sensing that, looked at Ly Giai with fearful eyes. "Ly Giai?" he whispered.


    "Things will be fine," she smiled and hugged him. She looked at me as well, but I didn''t know any better.


    "Why didn''t they at least let in a few? What are they afraid of?" I asked myself.


    Then, from afar, noises rose, louder and louder by the minute. All of us looked back to see a cloud of dust from the mountain furiously approaching us. The things that made those moving dust, were Sa''s cavalry.


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    They were Ly''s.


    The crowd panicked. People from the back began pushing forward. It became a chain reaction. The sea of people ran to the gates, banging and crying for it to open.


    "OPEN THE GATES!" We all cried for help, but nothing happened. A lot of people tried to force the gate open, but it wouldn''t budge.


    The horsesteps had reached their first victims. The screams of people signaled a parade of deaths.


    We banged the gate harder, more desperately, but it didn''t move at all.


    "OPEN!! OPEN THE GATES!!!"


    "HURRY! THEY''RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!"


    Si clung to Ly Giai, his voice breaking with fear. "Ly Giai. Are we going to die?" he sobbed.


    Ly Giai, her actions speaking louder than words, shielded Si with her body. She was willing to use herself as his protection.


    "We were so close. The capital gates were right in front of me. There must be something I could do. Things can''t end like this," I repeated those words again and again while I tried to see if there was any way for us to survive.


    My search quickly became desperate and hopeless. There was nothing we could do. We were in the open field, with the gates behind us. The crowd had become too chaotic to organize and fight back. They all ran one on top of another, desperately trying to survive. Around us, bodies stacked up in clumps, blocking any possible path to escape. There was no place to hide or run.


    "Why¡­ Why is it like this? No¡­ no," I began crying, tears streaming down my face as I kneeled and grasped Ly Giai and Si close.


    "My happiest time was when I was with both of you. It is my blessing in this life to meet you two," I cried.


    Si couldn''t stop crying, his voice trembling, "We haven''t met long, but I always see you two as my parents," he managed to say. his words were a bittersweet testament that recalled all of our memories together.


    In that moment of despair, Ly Giai and I gave each other a look of understanding and affection.


    "We will be together. So smile. Okay?" she whispered. Her voice was a beacon of strength in the chaos. Her words, though simple, carried the weight of unspoken promises and shared memories, binding us together in the darkest of times.


    Si then raised his head to see both of us smiling. He stopped crying and smiled as well.


    "Yeah! Let''s be together!" he smiled brightly.


    As the sound hooves drew closer and closer, signaling our last moment, we faced our fate with peace. Ly Giai and Si had closed their eyes. They have accepted and awaited their end.


    It was then that I slightly turned my head and saw a cavalry was running toward us. A surge of courage that I never felt before overwhelmed me.


    Quietly, I stood and drew out the kitchen knife. I ran toward the enemy with nothing but desperation.


    *Slash


    With just one swing, I was knocked back and lost my grip. The kitchen knife flew away from my hand and landed somewhere in this blood bath.


    *Slash


    A second swing. It was so quick that I couldn''t see it was coming. The cavalry slashed across my body. I collapsed instantly.


    "NOOO!!!" Ly Giai screamed, a heart-wrenching scream. She must have found out that I wasn''t with them anymore.


    My body fell. I felt heavier and heavier and I couldn''t breathe properly. My sight was full of red from the blood of my own and other people who fell before me.


    In that final moment, I felt oddly at peace, as if I had accepted my end. Lying there, flashes of memories of the short time I spent with Ly Giai and Si flew by. Seeing those smiles, those hugs, those encouraging words, I felt comfort even when my consciousness was fading.


    "I felt tired. I wanted to sleep. This is enough enough," I told myself, smiling as I welcomed my end. All the pains, fears, and struggles that I have experienced in my life. The grudges and hatred that were in my heart, all went away, leaving behind only the memories of that short amount of time of happiness.


    Such a small part of my life, just one month, yet my soul has been healed by Ly Giai and Si. With them, I felt what it''s like for the first time to be treated and seen as a human. I felt needed and depended on. With Ly Giai, I was able to show my weakness and seek protection from her. With Si, I was able to play around and show my childness. Those were all the things that were luxury for me to even dream of. Yet, they have given to me.


    Seeing their smiles and laughter for one last time, I grinned and accepted my death. "Thank you, Ly Giai, Si."

 21. The Princess of Sa

    "What are these images that kept appearing in front of me? Is this what they called life flashing before one''s death?" Confusion clouded my mind when I saw images flickering before my eyes, images I had never seen before.


    Within those images, I saw a tall and strong female warrior, wearing golden armor confidently charged into battle. Aside from that, I heard the haunting cries of a woman and child in the distance.


    These images were not in my life, yet they were all I could see as darkness slowly consumed my vision.


    As I lay there, unable to move a muscle. The blood spilled from the slaughtering was covering me. The metal smell of the blood overwhelmed my sense of smell.


    I closed my eyes and tried not to think too much about the nastiness I was in. Moments went by, and my consciousness began to fade. A strange feeling of being dragged away was the last thing I could remember before I completely blacked out.


    "So this is the end. My life has been completed," I told myself as I laid the middle of darkness, smiling with happiness.


    There was truly nothing around me. No smell, no light, no sound. Surrounding me was nothing but a space of nothingness.


    As I was asking myself how I would keep myself entertained in this void, the small murmur of voices appeared out of nowhere.


    I turned left and right, up and down trying to find what or who was there, but I couldn''t find anything.


    The murmuring began to get louder and louder, to the point that it irritated me very much. I tried lying down, closing my eyes covering my ears, and waiting for the murmuring to end. But it won''t stop. The voice only got louder and louder, until I felt like it physically vibrated my brain every time the voice spoke.


    Couldn''t handle it anymore, I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    "STOP IT! CAN I DIE IN PEACE?!" I shouted, lifting my body, only to be met with a sharp pain that sent me back down.


    "Agh!" I let out. "Wait! I can feel pain?" I questioned myself out loud.


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    Amid pain and confusion. I came to realize that I was still alive. It was then that my eyes picked up that I was in a tent, and saw Ly Giai and Si next to my bedside. They looked both shocked and relieved.


    "Oh! You''re alive!" Si cried and jumped to hug me. Ly Giai did the same. They were both crying.


    "Ouch! You''re hurting me!" I cried. They were hugging me too tight.


    "Anyway," I gently pushed them away and looked around. "How am I still alive? Where are we? How did we get here?" I asked.


    Ly Giai replied calmly, "No need to worry. We are inside the capital. in a refugee camp."


    "The capital? That didn''t make sense. Didn''t the commander of the gate refuse to let us in?" I could still remember his deadly order.


    She nodded, "Yes, but right when you were unconscious, the princess herself ordered the gates to open. She and her soldiers came out and fought the Ly. Thanks to them the enemy is pushed back and we managed to get inside. This refugee camp is currently in the yard of her residence."


    "The princess fought? That is unusual," I couldn''t hide my surprised face.


    "And do you have a problem with that?" a voice spoke that was not us three. A woman wearing golden armor then entered the tent, followed by many guards.


    My first impression was how commanding her aura was but at the same time caring and gentle. She was quite tall, taller than an average woman. On one hand, she held her helmet, letting her long, silky hair free. Her face was uniquely feminine yet full of authority at the same time. Truly a unique look.


    [The princess''s appearance with the help of AI] [https://imgur.com/ZuqN1q6]


    "Your Highness!" Ly Giai and Si quickly bowed to her respectfully. Realizing who she was, I tried to do the same but struggled because of my injury.


    She gestured us to be relaxed, "No need to be formal. You are still hurt, and you two can raise your head."


    Ly Giai and Si did as she was told.


    "Why are you here, princess?" I asked.


    Suddenly, a guard pointed her sword at me. "How dare you speak to her Highness so informally?!" she shouted.


    I was surprised and confused but was able to keep calm, "In what way am I disrespecting the princess? I''m just asking a question."


    "Speaking without permission and honorifics to a royal is disrespectful!" the guard shouted.


    I opened my mouth and eyes wide. "What kind of ridiculous rule is that?" was what I was about to say, but Ly Giai quickly covered my mouth to avoid further trouble.


    "Please forgive him, your Highness! He doesn''t know many rules about etiquette behaviors in front of nobles and royals," Ly Giai nervously apologized.


    "What? Those rules are taught in school for kids¡­" the guard couldn''t finish.


    "San!" the princess interrupted her. She then gave the guard a cold glance that made her put back her sword and went silent.


    "Sorry about that," the princess turned to us and smiled. "Well then, I should leave now seeing that you are fine." She then turned around and left with her guards.


    When they finally got out Ly Giai dropped her hand from my mouth. "You are very lucky," she gently told me.


    "How so?" I asked naively.


    "Speaking without honorifics could lead to jail time and public shaming," she explained.


    "Oh¡­" I slowly covered my mouth.

 22. First Days In the Capital

    After a month, all the other refugees have left except for us because my body hasn''t fully healed.


    During this time, the princess enrolled Si in a school, saying that young kids should have a proper education.


    Si was surprisingly bright in terms of learning. Teachers said he caught up to the materials very quickly. He was also able to make a lot of friends.


    Ly Giai asked the princess to help her find a job. The princess asked what she could do and demonstrated her sewing skills. She brought Ly Giai to the royal seamstresses to demonstrate her work. They really liked her skills and eye for detail. So she was accepted to work with them.


    As for me, it wasn''t as smooth sailing compared to Ly Giai or Si. While I was healing, the princess suggested I go to the training camp and observe how her soldiers were training as a way to kill time. At first, I was afraid that the soldiers would know who I was and that I would be beaten up again. But after a few times showing up nervously while hiding my face, I realized they didn''t recognize me. So I gained confidence day by day and eventually showed up with my bare face.


    Besides that female soldier, all the others were men. I tried to memorize as much of their training routine as possible and secretly tried to imitate despite not being fully able to replicate them because of the injuries.


    During the first few days, the female soldier directly told me to leave. Not because she realized I was Grass, but because she remembered me being disrespectful to the princess when she visited me. But when I told her that the princess allowed me to watch them, she had to accept it even though she clearly didn''t want to.


    Eventually, when the other soldiers saw how stubborn I was showing up every day, they slowly became friendly and welcomed me as one of their brothers. The female soldier was later sent somewhere far away for a mission. So I didn''t have to bear her glaring anymore.


    During a break in their rigorous training, the soldiers and I would gather together to chat about all kinds of stuff. One day, One of them curiously asked me, "What are you planning to do after your body is healed?".


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    "I don''t know yet. I''m still trying to figure out what I want to do," I replied honestly.


    One slapped on my back. "Don''t stress yourself. Just try out different things here and there until you find something you like," he said.


    "Ouch! That hurts," I complained. "On that said. Why did you all become the princess soldiers?" I asked, turning the conversation to another topic.


    They all looked at each other, then pulled me in and whispered, "Have you seen the princess?" they asked.


    "Yeah? And?" I was confused.


    "Do you not see how ho¡­ I mean... how charismatic she is?" They changed their words, but it was too late. I knew exactly what they meant.


    "Oh? So you''re telling me the reason all of you are here is to be able to see the princess every day?" I said cheekily.


    They all nodded seriously. I smirked.


    "Did you catch all that your Highness?" I said loudly.


    All the soldiers tensed up and quickly got back to a formation. They then turned behind, expecting the royal highness, to see that no one was there. Seeing how they reacted, I was die laughing.


    "Haha! Ouch! Wait! Stop!" They punched me while I was laughing. "Oh, your Highness!"


    "Don''t think you can fool us again," they said, thinking I was trying to fake again.


    But I wasn''t joking this time.


    "What''s happening here?" her voice was enough for the soldiers to know that they f*ked up.


    They quickly reassembled in a formation nicely on the side. With the clear view, she saw I was lying flat on the ground. Standing up, I glanced to see them all nervous. Looking at the princess, I saw that she was wearing a regular dress now that she was not battling, a light purple dress. Even though it highlights her feminine side, it couldn''t hide her aura as a charismatic leader. She stood confidently, with her back straight, and that was enough to command respect from anyone in her eyesight. Standing in awe at her presence, I could understand now why those men obediently became her soldiers.


    "Did they bully you?" she asked nicely. Her voice was soothing yet full of authority.


    Her words brought me back to reality. I quickly bowed my head, remembering the basic formality Ly Giai had taught me. "No, your Highness. We were just playing with each other," I replied as respectfully as I knew how to.


    "That''s good," she nodded and turned away. "Let''s go for a walk," she said and went ahead.


    I soon followed but felt a sense of threat behind my back. Looking behind, the threat aura came from the soldiers. They were jealous that I had the chance to be alone with the princess. I quietly turned back to the front and followed her.

 23. Alone Time with the Princess of Sa

    "How are your wounds?" the princess asked as we were walking. I kept myself behind her for courtesy.


    "All going well, Your Highness. I think I will be fully healed in a week," I replied.


    "Good to hear," she said, her voice was more relaxed now that we were far from the training camp. "What will you do when you are healed?" she asked casually.


    I thought for a moment and said, "I might try cooking. That sounds fun."


    "Oh? How so?" she turned slightly to me with a curious tilt.


    "I don''t know. But I imagine it would be nice if I could see Ly Giai and Si''s satisfied faces when eating my food," I said, imagining our warm moments having meals together.


    "I see," she replied thoughtfully when hearing that.


    She then stopped when we were at a pond. I was surprised to see such a naturally beautiful pond inside her palace.


    The princess''s gaze paused at the still water to take in the beauty of the peaceful setting. The gentle sound of rustling leaves, the soft chirping of crickets, the slight breeze of the air, and the light waves in the pond made the place ideal for relaxing the mind.


    She then closed her eyes and took deep breaths, appreciating the fresh air. I stood behind her and did the same.


    "I have observed the three of you closely since you were the only one left of the refugees," she continued speaking.


    "I''m sorry for being a nuisance," I quickly said, afraid that we had somehow upset her.


    She smiled and shook her head. "That''s not what I meant," she assured me. Then her tone changed. "Can you tell me what you know about Ly Giai?" Her sudden shift to Ly Giai raised my defenses immediately.


    "May I ask why you are interested in her?" I asked politely and cautiously.


    The princess glanced at me as if asking how dare I question her. Her blue eyes were so sharp and intense that I felt they would penetrate me. Her sudden change from gentleness to overpowered made my spine shiver. How could a maiden be so terrifying?


    I forcefully put out a smile but remained silent.


    Seeing that pressure didn''t work on me, she turned to face me directly.


    "How am I compared to her?" she asked. Her question was so unexpected that any barrier I had in my mind couldn''t predict it.


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    "Huh? What kind of question is this? Does she like me or something?" I questioned myself.


    "Uhm¡­ Your Highness, what do you mean by that? I don''t know how to answer?" I responded.


    "My face compares to her face," she clarified, but it raised more questions in me, to be honest.


    "Does she like me? Like for real? I mean why would she like me? She sure is pretty. But compared to Ly Giai¡­" I suddenly stopped when a realization hit me.


    "Sorry if I disrespect you in any way, but you and Ly Giai have very similar features," I carefully replied.


    When you compare the two, besides the obvious fact that they both have blue eyes, Ly Giai also has naturally curled hair, with a small high bridge nose and thin lips. But although both have similar features, the princess looks more stern and strict while Ly Giai looks more loving and caring. One thing that was undeniable though, was that both had auras and demeanor, unlike commoners like me.


    "So I am not the only one," the princess sighed. "A few days after I took all of you in. I noticed that too," she confessed. "Ly Giai might be related to our royal family."


    The possibility hung in the air between us. "Should I ask her about it then?" I proposed, but the princess shook her head.


    "No need to. We are still not certain if Ly Giai really is a royal or not. Does she even know herself? If she does, then why is she hiding her identity? There are too many uncertainties for you to ask her directly," the princess explained. "Now then, can you tell me what you know about her?"


    I scratched my head. "Honestly, I don''t know much besides that her family was rich and influential in the South city."


    The princess looked at me suspiciously. "That''s all. Really?" there was a slight coldness in that question.


    "Yes. I''m honest," I quickly replied.


    She stared at me but then relaxed and let out another sigh. "Since you are close to Ly Giai, can you observe her and report to me anything out of the ordinary?" she asked.


    "Of course," I nodded. "But what will you do if Ly Giai is a royal?" I added.


    "I''m also curious about Ly Giai''s identity, but I need to see if the princess will harm her," I thought.


    As though she could see through my intention, the princess smirked, "Opposite to what you think. If Ly Giai is indeed a royal, I couldn''t be happier." Her face turned sad. "It''s been pretty lonely by myself."


    I was curious as to what she meant by that, but also a bit relieved hearing that she didn''t mean to harm Ly Giai. But still, I was cautious. "Why should I trust you, Your Highness?" I asked.


    "Because I opened the gates to save you and the other refugees," she replied swiftly, stating the obvious.


    Her response struck me. It brought back memories of the desperate moments at the capital''s gates. "That''s true," I agreed. "Talking about that, what happened to the gates'' commander?" I asked out of curiosity.


    "Him? I killed him right then."


    "You killed him?" I let my voice out loud, couldn''t hide my shock.


    "Of course. Don''t you remember how many people died because of his stubbornness?" she said like killing a person was nothing for her.


    "Yes," I clenched my fists. I was still very angry remembering all of that. "I still can''t fathom why he didn''t let the gates open despite how desperate we were begging him," I angrily said.


    Just a hand of her on my shoulder was enough to calm me down.


    "I questioned him the same when I threatened to kill him, he scaredly told me there could be spies hiding among the civilians," she calmly said. "Which was stupid beyond imagining."


    "Is that really a good reason to let thousands of people die?" I almost yelled.


    The princess went silent. Her not saying anything was a frightening answer.

 24. First Kiss

    As the evening descended, the three of us gathered at the tent in the princess''s yard. Seeing them back, I quickly reheated the food and we had dinner.


    Si''s energy was still high even though the day was ending. He curiously asked as we were having the meal. "When are we out of here?"


    "In about a week," I responded while chewing.


    "Where will we stay then?" he continued asking, probing into something I wasn''t sure myself.


    "I don''t know to be honest," I admitted, turning towards Ly Giai for any suggestions she might have. "Any ideas?"


    "No," she replied at first but then added after some thought. "But I guess we could rent a place," she proposed. It was the most obvious path we could take.


    I felt a sudden pain in my stomach from the guilt I had. "I thought about that too, but since I wasn''t able to work this entire time. I don''t know if we can afford a place," I confessed, can''t help but be embarrassed.


    Ly Giai gently smiled. "Don''t worry, Do. My salary should be enough for about two months. You are injured, so stay rested until you recover," she reassured me.


    "Really? That''s great." I was happy to hear this, but at the same time felt uncomfortable being cared for and depending on Ly Giai without being able to help her.


    Si''s giggles cut through my awkwardness. He whispered "Useless" directed at me. Only he can say something so cruel.


    "Hey! I could hear you," I shot back, but his cheekiness wouldn''t stop.


    "Ah! Ly Giai, he''s bullying me!" Si ran behind her to hide.


    Ly Giai, who was now all used to how we behave, continued with her meal like nothing happened. "Si, don''t cause any trouble. Do, don''t pick on him."


    We both quickly settled down and ate since we didn''t dare to not listen to her.


    As we cleared the remains of our dinner, I asked, "So, how is the food?"


    "It''s good," Ly Giai smiled. She always eats so elegantly.


    "But it tastes a little different from the other days," Si questioned pointed out. He''s quite observant.


    "It''s because I cooked today''s food," I proudly stated.


    "Really?" Si dropped his mouth, a piece of meat almost fell out but he quickly caught it. "You cook this good?"


    "Of course. I''ve been in the kitchen these few days and learned from the chefs there. I don''t have anything else to do after all," I explained. Inside, I was smiling, full of myself.


    I then noticed that Ly Giai didn''t give much of a reaction at all. "You don''t seem surprised, Ly Giai," I said.


    "I noticed from the first taste that it tasted different from the usual, so I assumed that you may cook them," she replied.


    "You''re so smart," I praised her.


    "Thank you," she smiled shyly. Her redding cheek made my heart skip a beat.


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    We then finished eating and went to sleep. We put the dishes away, took out the mat, and slept together.


    I was sleeping well until a rattling sound woke me up. Tiredly sitting up, I looked around to see nothing was wrong. I was about to lie down again but then noticed Ly Giai was nowhere to be found.


    I went out of the tent and stepped into the cool night air. The soft rustling of the leaves and the bright light of the moon led me to find her sitting on a rock nearby. She was lost in her thoughts, not noticing my presence. It was an unforgettable sight with the moonlight behind her casting on her figure with her hair dancing with the wind.


    Hearing someone approaching, she opened her eyes.


    "Hey," I greeted, breaking the timid silence.


    "Do," she smiled, calling my name.


    "What are you doing here at this hour?" I sat down on the ground next to her, letting the cool ground relax me.


    "I couldn''t sleep," she said softly. At that moment, Ly Giai looked so vulnerable and delicate.


    "Still remember about that day?" I asked but did not specify what. We both knew what I was talking about.


    She nodded.


    A short quiet went by, it wasn''t awkward or uncomfortable. In contrast, because we both have grown so familiar with each other, just being with the other person was enough to share the emotions and baggage we were carrying. It is like drinking wine, the more you drink, the more you love it.


    At some point during, I offered, "Want a hug?"


    Ly Giai raised her eyes. "Why do you say that?" she questioned.


    "I just think it would comfort you somewhat," I honestly said.


    Her smile was so warm and genuine. "Uhm." she acquiesced, opening her arms in silent invitation.


    Standing, I embrace her with my whole body, letting our warmth soothe each others'' minds, the contrast to the cool air surrounding us.


    "I never thought a hug could feel so warm," she whispered. She sounded at peace.


    "Just like you are always there when I am at my lowest, I''m here anytime you need," I assured her.


    I wish we could stay like this forever, but everything has to end after some time. When we left the hug we sat back down to casually chat. I let her retell stories of her family members. I knew it was her way to cope, so I just quietly listened and let her pour her heart out.


    At some point, I remembered the princess''s words. "I''m curious. How come your family is so wealthy?" I interrupted.


    Ly Giai replied, "My family owns a few of the biggest clothing shops in the city. Why do you want to know?" She did not suspect me at all.


    "I''m just curious since I don''t know much about you when we''ve been together for quite long," I quickly found an excuse. "Is that all your family did? You had a huge mansion in South City."


    Ly Giai put her hand on her chin as she pondered, "I''m pretty sure that was all. They might have other businesses that I don''t know about since I was so carefree then."


    Her words invoke memories of the days in South City, where Ly Giai would always smile and laugh while playing around with her maid. Her eyes were so vibrant, so full of life. Now, even though it was still lively, it had a drop of maturity and sadness that couldn''t be hidden.


    "I hope you can still be carefree," I couldn''t hide the sadness in my voice when I remembered how bright and innocent her smiles were.


    "Things change, Do," she replied deeply, but then changed the subject to something lighter. "That aside. I also don''t know much about you."


    "Me? There''s nothing much about me," I said and thought for a moment.


    Ly Giai squinted her eyes a bit. "Why do I feel like you left some details out? Do you not trust me?" her voice sounded a bit hurt.


    I shook my head, "Honestly, besides the reason why I was called Grass, I just couldn''t remember anything else before coming to South City." I tried to force my memories to come, but I got a sudden headache instead.


    "I''m sorry for thinking ill of you," Ly Giai apologizes immediately seeing me struggling. When I settled down and breathed normally again, she added. "But please know that you can share with me anything you have in mind. I will never judge you."


    "Thank you," I genuinely said. "I am so thankful that the heavens let me meet you."


    Ly Giai held my hands and gently said, "I am also very thankful, Do. Without meeting you, my mind and body would still be under that well. It was you that brought me up." She then raised our hands until mine touched her face. She rested her small face on my palms playfully in silence, all the while I was stunned and speechless.


    When the wind picked up again and rushed us with an overwhelming breeze, Ly Giai uttered, "I love you, Do."


    My mind was completely frozen, was it because of the wind? Or because of words I never even dared to dream of hearing, let alone Ly Giai was the one saying it.


    "Ex¡­ Excuse me?" I couldn''t hold my composer and stutter.


    Our eyes locked intensely with the moon witnessing us. In a swift movement, Ly Giai placed her lips on her mind, letting her action speak for itself.

 25. The Great General And Crown Princess

    A week has passed. My wounds were fully healed, so the three of us busied ourselves packing up our belongings early in the morning, about to leave. With the help of the princess''s connections, Ly Giai was able to rent a place for us that was affordable.


    The day we were leaving, the princess wasn''t away from her daily court duty. As we packed up our things, she watched us quietly. Opposite to how normally I see her, always having a fierce, unshakable look, that moment, her eyes show signs of vulnerability. I guessed she was saddened and felt lonely to see us leaving. But it was strange, we hadn''t been at her residence for long, only about two weeks. Aside from regular visits from Si, the princess barely talked to me or Ly Gia the entire time. Then why did she look like saying goodbye to childhood friends?


    Perhaps the princess was too lonely? That our minimum interactions were enough to find her?


    She watched us packing our stuff and walked with us to the front door. With her, some of the soldiers I have befriended also came to see us off.


    "I have a small gift for each of you," the princess announced, her voice was soft and endearing, showing us genuine affection.


    Si''s eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement. "Oh! What is it?" Si asked.


    The princess kneed to meet his gaze. "Take your hand out and close your eyes," she instructed.


    He immediately did as she said. It was quite cute seeing him so obedient.


    With a tender smile, she placed a mysterious object on his palm. "You can open your eyes now," she gently told him.


    Si''s eyes slowly opened to see what he was given. He scratched his head. "A wooden box?" he asked.


    "Open it," the princess encouraged.


    "Woah! Brush pens!" he excitedly said.


    Inside were two brush pens. There was no need to say, they looked precious. The bodies are made of rare marble. The brush itself was very shiny, it was made of healthy and beautiful hair.


    "My friends at school will be jealous when I show them these!" Si chuckled. He was probably imagining the scene of all the other kids surrounding him in awe.


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    "Si. What do you say when someone gives you a gift," Ly Giai also kneeled down and gently reminded him.


    "Ah! Sorry, I forgot. Thank you very much!" he crossed his hands and bowed.


    The princess couldn''t help herself but lightly laughed at his cuteness. She patted his head. "Such a good kid. I wish the royal family had a child like you," she mused with wistfulness in her words.


    Ly Giai, also noticed how down the princess''s mood was, proposed, "If you don''t mind Your Highness, can Si visit you from time to time?"


    Hearing that, her face brightened a bit. She patted Si''s head daringly. Her voice was so soft and yearning, "Yes. Come visit me whenever you have time. Anyone of you can."


    She then stood up and turned her attention to Ly Giai. "You too, take out your hand."


    Ly Giai raised her body and put out her hand as instructed. The princess then placed a badge on her palm. It was made of orange jade, with the shape of a rising phoenix carved on top and some words at the bottom.


    "This is my badge. Whenever you need help, use this," she said.


    I glanced at the badge and caught myself having to read the words on it twice.


    [Great General And Crown Princess Sa Mi]


    "GREAT GENERAL!?" I almost fell when reading the badge. "Aren''t only men allowed to be generals? Not only that, Great General? This means she oversees the army of the whole nation of Sa." I sweated thinking about this in my head.


    But that wasn''t all. Crown Princess meant that she would be the next King, no, Empress of Sa. Something that had never happened in the history of Sa. What did she do and accomplish to get to this?


    Just then I realized, that standing in front of us, was someone who would leave their name in history. And because of that, I was having a panic attack internally.


    "T¡­ Thank you, princess. W¡­ We have received so much of your help but couldn''t return anything," Ly Giai replied. She was probably just as shocked as me when received that badge.


    Sensing the pressure that both of us were feeling, Princess Sa Mi lightened the mood. "What can you possibly return? I have all the money and power one could wish for," she half-joked. "Anyway, it''s time for you to go," she grabbed Ly Giai''s and Si''s hands as we walked to the front gate.


    We walked outside the mansion and the gates were closing, but I kept having a feeling of missing something.


    "Wait!" I told the servants that were closing the gates. "Your Highness, they all have a gift. What about me?" I complained.


    I could see her smirking, "Took you this long to realize. I was about to think you are an idiot."


    "He is," Si immediately joined in.


    "Hey!" I played along.


    "Alright. Calm down. Here," she handed me something sharp.


    "A dagger?" I uttered. A black dagger, with a handle that was perfectly fit for me to hold. The blade was also black. It was durable and extremely sharp, cutting through paper with ease.


    Princess Sa Mi nodded. "Far more practical than the kitchen knife you are having and easier to conceal. Keep it close."


    "That is very thoughtful of you. Thanks," I said.


    "Good to hear," she smiled. "So, that is everything," the princess said. She then looked at me with hidden intent, "Remember to keep it close to you." I nodded. "Close the gates," she told the servants. As the gates shut, we saw the image of her back return to, once again, the cold and lonely mansion.

 26. Sas Marketplace and Our New Home

    Leaving Princess Sa Mi''s palace, Ly Giai, Si, and I merged into the capital''s busy streets as we moved ourselves to the new rented room the princess had found for us.


    "Since Ly Giai asked to not work, and you don''t have school today either. Why don''t we have fun today and walk around the market before heading to our new place?" I suggested. A part of me was afraid of being recognized as Grass. But when I told Princess Sa Mi about who I was, she reassured me that the people in the capital wouldn''t know me. I was puzzled why that was the case, and why the princess didn''t have a strong reaction when knowing the real me. I have to ask her about that later.


    Si responded immediately, jumping up in excitement. "Yes Yes! Let''s go to the market."


    "How about you, Ly Giai?" I turned to her.


    "I have no reason to say no," she smiled.


    The three of us changed our path to the marketplace, which it was even more busy than the common streets we were walking.


    The market was full of life, with merchants putting shops on both sides of the street, only leaving a somewhat walkable space in the middle for buyers to move around. There were all kinds of goods there, from weapons to clothing, jewelry, food, musical instruments, and many more. There were casinos where people cheered when winning big and others agonized over losing all their livelihood. Somewhere in the market, there was even a public theater for storytellers to collect donations and charm the audience with stories using their voice and body expressions in return.


    Needless to say, Si couldn''t suppress his excitement. He rushed from shop to shop to see goods that he had never seen before. There was even a shop that sold wild animal skins and goods made out of them like coats and sandals. We three almost had a heart attack when we turned our heads to get jump scared by a bear head with its mouth wide open, only to realize it was only the skin that was there. We were confused as to who in their right mind would want to buy something so terrifying. For me, I wouldn''t be able to sleep comfortably having something like that in my house.


    But even with all the wildest shops and goods we encountered, there was one that stood above the rest. At the center of the market''s heart was a giant building five stories tall. The highest of any shops there. The others at best were two, maximum three, stories. By being so tall, one could see this building even before stepping into the market.


    The buildings were entirely made with aged woods that were dark brown and solid. Just feeling at its columns was enough to feel how stern it was. The building''s width would be comparable to three other shops combined, making the place feel very open for customers even though it was in the middle of the busy market. As for the customers, there were so many people moving in and out of the building that with blurred vision, you could mistake it for a water current.


    And what does this shop do that they could afford a building that big? What were they selling that endless customers were coming in and out?


    There was a giant sign on top of the building, made from rare wood and framed in gold, with beautiful calligraphy on it.


    [My An Restaurant]


    The three of us stood in awe in the middle of the busy streets, with our mouths opened wide, Ly Giai was no exception, letting people move around us giving weird looks. It was just too much for our modest brains. There was no building even close to similar compared to this restaurant in South City, and certainly none in Si''s small village. It was a mind-expanding experience appreciating the majestic of the building.


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    "I¡­ I don''t think we can afford a meal there," my throat stiffened trying to speak.


    "Y¡­ Yeah," Ly Giai responded, she was also overwhelmed by the building.


    "Wow¡­" Si uttered. "It''s so beautiful," his eyes were captured.


    I looked up to the sun and realized that it was almost turning noon. "Let''s check out the rest of the shops and go to the new room before it gets dark."


    We quickly moved away from My An restaurant and quickly checked the rest of the shops, but the excitement wasn''t as high anymore. That restaurant completely held our minds hostage.


    When the day began to turn grey, we quickly left the market and went to our new room. Si and I were excited, anticipating what our new place would look like. Ly Giai stood by us, and smiled like a mother with two sons.


    Surprisingly, our new room would be just about ten walking minutes away from the market, and thirty minutes away from Princess Sa Mi''s palace. It is a convenient place to live.


    Another thing was, I thought we would just rent a room and live close to other renters. I was wrong, the princess had found us no a room, but a house to rent. The house wasn''t anything fancy. It was quite a modest one-story house made of materials that were no different from others in the neighborhood.


    "How much is the rent here, Ly Giai?" I asked cautiously, afraid that it was too much for us to afford.


    "10 silver coins a month, only half of my salary," she smiled to reassure me.


    "That¡­ is still a lot," I said. "Too much, half of your salary¡­"


    "It''s okay Do," she said. "When you find work, the rent wouldn''t take half of our combined salary," she explained.


    "Yeah," I tried to smile and ease my mind. Now, the pressure for me to find work and not be dependent on Ly Giai was even greater.


    On the side, Si chuckled once again, half-jokingly probing. "Useless"


    This time, I didn''t retaliate.


    "Let''s check the inside. This is my first time here. I wonder what the house looks like," Ly Giai turned our attention away.


    She unlocked the door and opened the door. The smell of wild flowers instantly welcomed us. The landlord had prepared a delicate vase of fresh flowers on the dining table. They were beautifully picked and carefully arranged.


    "I have a friendly affection for this house already." I let out while sniffing the fragrant, completely forgot about our financial situation.


    Ly Giai walked over and picked up the vase, bringing it over so Si and I could further enjoy the rich aroma. "I think it is because the princess referred us. This vase and flowers are expensive to be given to every renter," she explained.


    "Do you know who our landlord is? I think it''s better if we greet them on our first day, so they have a good image of us and won''t cause us trouble in the future," I said.


    Ly Giai shook her head. "The princess didn''t tell me whose house this is. She said that he is a very big businessman. If we never need anything, it will be dealt with by his employees anyways. There is no need for us to know who he is." Then she remembered something and added. "But the princess did say that when we live long enough in the capital, we will be able to guess who this businessman is eventually."


    "That means he is popular, I guess," I deduced. "Oh well. We should be insignificant to him. So long as we keep paying rent, we won''t get in trouble."


    "I agree," Ly Giai smiled. We were somewhat at ease. The last thing both of us wanted was to encounter a demon landlord.


    "Where is Si?" Ly Giai exclaimed.


    Just then we realized Si was not around us anymore. No wonder why it had been just Ly Giai and I talking the entire time we entered the house. That kid would be yelling and running around if he was with us.


    "Si? Si!" Ly Giai and I frantically searched around the house.


    We only found him after opening the second bedroom. Si was already taking a nice nap, smiling on the comfortable bed.


    We smiled at each other and quietly left not to disturb his good time. Mimicking him, we entered the other bedroom and had a nap lying next to each other. Ly Giai and I have become so comfortable with one another that we weren''t hesitant to rest our backs on the firm bed. She and I naturally and quietly put our coats away and removed our shoes. We lay on the bed and let the cozy blanket put us to sleep.


    As I was lying there next to Ly Giai, I still couldn''t believe that one day, I could have a family and a house to ourselves. Granted that we were renting this house and our relationships are not exactly of a family. But to me, that was enough. It was all already beyond my wildest wish.


    I smiled satisfyingly and let my mind be carried away.

 27. Disasters come from the mouth

    I slept for many hours uninterrupted. When I woke up in the peaceful afternoon, Ly Giai was still beside me, soundly asleep. Her peaceful face held my eyes as I lost myself staring at her a long time before I broke myself out of it.


    Tip-toeing out of the room, I eased myself to the other bedroom and saw Si was also napping.


    Alone, I sat silently in the living room by myself with nothing to do. After some time fidgeting around, I glanced at the kitchen and had an idea, so I grabbed a bag and headed to the market.


    "I''ll cook us dinner while they are sleeping."


    It had been some hours since we visited, but the market''s chaotic energy remained the same. If anything, it felt like the place was even more crowded.


    Moving through the crowd, I expected it would take me forever to buy all the ingredients. But surprisingly, I was able to navigate through the masses easily. My feet had minds of their own, stepping left and right to not hit anyone, yet I was able to move forward at a constant speed. It was unbelievable how effortlessly I was able to handle the crowd.


    When I recollected myself, I had already stood in front of the meat shop.


    "How did I¡­" I wondered, astonished at myself. But I quickly shrugged it off and continued my day. "Whatever, it doesn''t matter," I thought and went into the shop to buy meat for dinner.


    After that, I was able to quickly move around the shops and buy all the ingredients needed for that day. Although everything was quick and smooth, my legs were exhausted from all the maneuvers, so I stopped at a small tea shop to order a drink and sat down to rest.


    As I had a relaxing time enjoying the rich aroma and taste of the black tea, I couldn''t help but hear what the two men at a nearby table were saying.


    "Did you hear? This morning, Ly Va declared Ly will return all of the east territory they took from us," one man said.


    "Ly Va? The Ly''s General that was able to go equal with our Great Princess?" his friend commented. Why did he give back all those lands?" he asked.


    "I heard that was to apologize for the recent attack on our capital," the man whispered. "I heard that along with the declaration letter to return, he also delivered the head of the general that called the capital attack."


    His friend scratched his head, puzzled, "But why did he have to do that? Why did he apologize?"


    "Have you been living under a rock?" the man complained. "Last month, Sa and Ly signed a temporary peace treaty so that both sides can recover from this more than a decade war. The attack from that reckless general would stir up conflicts once again. A bigger war could break out because of that. Ly Va knew full well the current health of both Sa and Ly. He gave us back the east territory to ease our anger. Another war right now would crumple both countries," he explained.


    Hearing how knowledgeable the man was about the subject, I couldn''t help but reach out and ask. "Do you know what happened to South City?"


    "South City?" he pondered for a moment. "I heard South City was recently conquered. But from what I know, Ly Va only gave back the east territory, so I think South City is still in their hands."


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    "I see. Thank you, brother," I said to him, then quickly paid for the drink and left the shop. As I was leaving, I could hear the faintest of their talking.


    "Wait. Does that guy look familiar to you?"


    "Not sure¡­ But I do feel like I''ve seen him somewhere¡­ On a poster I think."


    As I walked back to our new home, the market got thinner now as customers started to leave when the day was about to end. I can''t help myself but fall into deep thoughts when thinking about South City. It was a mix of emotions hearing that the Ly wouldn''t return it to Sa. South City was where I spent the last seven years of my life. It was my home, but it was also hell on Earth. The uncountable amount of insults and abuses I had to endure daily, no one should ever have to experience that.


    But it was also the place where I met Ly Giai, my saving grace. The person who kept my string of life attached during the darkest moments of my life. If I hadn''t met Ly Giai, I was certain I would have ended myself at South City.


    And to Ly Giai, South City was the place where all of her most cherished memories at. Her family was there, her childhood was there, all her friends and acquaintances, and her innocence died there. After that incident, Ly Giai had become more mature, more thoughtful, more caring, more resilient, but I could tell that a part of her soul had died deep in that well.


    In just no time, I returned to our new home. Putting the thoughts away, I entered and checked if Ly Giai and Si had awakened yet.


    I set down the ingredients in the kitchen and went to check the closest bedroom, where Ly Giai and I fell asleep earlier. It was empty.


    I then checked the second bedroom, and there they were. Ly Giai was standing next to Si, who was sitting at a desk. It looked like she was helping him with his school assignment.


    "Evening," I greeted, notifying them of my presence.


    "Do," Ly Giai turned to the front door. "Did you go somewhere?" she asked casually.


    "I went to buy ingredients for dinner," I pointed at the kitchen.


    I then got closer to them to see what Si was working on. "What is this?" I asked him.


    "A phrase. Ly Giai is trying to help me understand it. The teacher will ask us about it tomorrow," he replied.


    I took a quick look at the phrase, and it read,


    [Disasters come from the mouth]


    "Interesting," I whispered. For some reason, the phrase felt familiar, even though that was the first time I read it.


    "Disasters come from the mouth. Disasters come from the mouth," Si kept repeating. "What does this even mean?" he got frustrated.


    Ly Giai pondered for a moment and gave her thoughts, "I think it implies saying bad things can bring bad karma. Choosing the wrong words could be disastrous." She paused and added. "It could also imply watching what you eat. Your health is directly related to your food¡­ That''s all I can think of."


    "Wow! Ly Giai, you are so smart!" Si complimented her.


    Ly Giai smiled, "But I felt like there is something more to it. Those two ideas of mine are just surface thinking. What do you think, Do?"


    The two turned to me to see my whole presence was completely consumed by the letters on the page. For unknown reasons, my body was shivering the more I kept staring at the words. A never-ending, indescribable feeling of anxiety and fear hit me in waves.


    "Disasters come from the mouth. Good words to the bad people bring disasters. Even good words to good people could bring disasters. Not saying anything makes you a threat. Saying everything makes you exploitable," I kept murmuring on repeat.


    "DO!" Ly Giai kept calling to bring me back to reality.


    "Huh!" I snapped out of my thoughts and instinctively stepped back. I didn''t notice then, but I was sweating furiously.


    "Are you okay, Do?" Ly Giai asked concernly. She stepped up and tried to wipe my forehead.


    But I stepped back without thinking. "I¡­ I''m fine. Sorry, I didn''t mean to avoid you¡­ I will come back in a bit." I finished and left immediately.


    Rushing out of the house, the sky had become completely dark now. That night, the moon was clouded, so I could only rely on the faint lights coming off of nearby houses to see things.


    I started running through the streets for no reason. "Why am I panicking?" I asked myself. "That quote. It triggered something in me, but what is it? Something from more than seven years ago that I can''t remember? Why couldn''t I remember anything at all? Was it related to the reason that I am Grass? Who am I really?"


    I kept on running and letting those thoughts consume me. When I regained my sense of self, I unconsciously stood in front of Princess Sa Mi''s palace.

 28. Mysterious Person

    Standing outside Princess Sa Mi''s palace, I was shocked to find myself there. Grasping for air after the long run, I sat at the gate steps and put my head down to recollect my thoughts.


    "Disasters come from the mouth. Good words to the bad people bring disasters. Even good words to good people could bring disaster. Not saying anything makes you a threat. Saying everything makes you exploitable¡­ Agh!" a sudden sting went through my head. The pain was unbearable. Everything around me went silent but my ears felt like it was about to explode. But despite how painful it got, I kept forcing myself. "Remember! Remember! Something, anything! Even just a flash! Why can''t I recall anything? AGH!!!"


    Even after forcing myself, I got nothing but pushing my head to the limit. When the pain reached its highest point, I lost control over my body. It wasn''t like before that my consciousness slowly faded away. No, it was so sudden this time, like blowing off a candle. My mind shut in an instant.


    ¡­


    In the middle of the darkness, the coldness of the void seeped into my body and thoughts. "So lonely, so cold," I murmured, my voice shaken. There was nothing around me. It was a complete void where there was no bound. There wasn''t anything that I could rely on, not a place to stand, nor a wall to lean. "This place," I said out loud, but I knew I was only talking to myself. "So scary, so lonely, so cold. Where is this? Why am I here?" my voice shaking as I tried to navigate.


    "Is this my punishment?"


    ¡­


    How long has it been? Hours? Days? Months? Years? I couldn''t track time anymore when all I got to see and touch was nothingness. I have walked in this void for a long, very long time. An endless walk even though there was nothing to put my feet on. Eventually, I just gave up and crawled tightly, using my own body to warm myself.


    Feeling my heat, I started to remember the people I cherish. "That''s right. Ly Giai and Si. How could I forget?" I felt happy seeing them in my mind, the cold felt somewhat bearable.


    The hardships we''ve been through. I still recall vividly the bloody yard of Ly Giai''s family, her soulless eyes when realizing only she survived the invasion.


    I remember Ly Giai coming back to me when I thought Ly Giai would follow the people from South City and leave me alone in Si''s village.


    Speaking of Si''s village, who would have thought the small and fragile boy we found under the basket would later sacrifice all of his food left for us during the long march to the capital?


    "We''ve truly been through a lot," I whispered satisfyingly. "I am glad to be with you two, Ly Giai, Si."


    Then, I don''t know if my mind was losing itself as time went on or not, but I felt embraced by a strange, soft touch that shouldn''t exist in this empty void. But it must have been real, because slowly, bit by bit, a spark of light came to life. At first very small, just pea size, but it grew and grew and expanded. In the end, the void had become a space of light, and my feet which were floating with nowhere to stand gently came down and touched the floor.


    "What does this mean?" I wondered. Looking around for an answer. Unlike before where there was nothing but darkness. This time, I saw something.


    Walking closer, no, it wasn''t something, but someone. Someone was standing, with their back towards me. Coming even closer, their figure was familiar, a female, but didn''t look like Ly Giai or Princess Sa Mi. I don''t know any girl else besides the two of them. Yet¡­ this figure¡­ felt much more familiar to me than even Ly Giai.


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    "Hey! Do you know where this is?" I shouted to her, but she remained quiet and unmoved.


    Eventually, I caught up to where she was standing. Standing this close, I realized that she wasn''t very tall. At that height, she was probably somewhere around fifteen years old.


    "Hey! Hello! Why are you not answering me? Can you hear me?" I kept asking as I moved myself to face her.


    The moment I saw her face, I was completely stunned in place.


    "You¡­" my jaws became stiff, couldn''t say another word.


    Standing in front of me was a girl around my age, in her mid-twenties. She was motionless with her body standing straight and her eyes closed. Her height was similar to Ly Giai, roughly to my ears. Her face was small and compact, delicate like an angel, with her nose high and thin lips. Her skin was as smooth as silk. She looked oddly similar to Ly Giai, but at the same time looked nothing like Princess Sa Mi.


    "W¡­ Who are you?" I asked, but my mind was completely blocked by what I was feeling right then. "Who is this? I haven''t met her before, and she is not Ly Giai. So why is my heart-wrenching so tremendously right now?"


    The more I looked at her, the more my heart pounded and the more anxious and flustered I became. I could not figure out why I felt like this.


    "Are you¡­ someone I knew before I lost my memories?" I asked once more.


    And that was when her body got to life. There was a slight movement in her hair and hands. When she opened her eyes, like Ly Giai, her eyes were sky blue as well.


    At first, when she looked at me, she was also confused as to who I was. But unlike me, after the quick second. She smiled realizing who I was. Her lips then started moving, gently whispered one word.


    "Do."


    That one word overloaded my mind. Images and conversations suddenly rushed into me so overwhelmingly, that I crumbled and lost my consciousness once again.


    ¡­


    "You''re awake now?" I heard a faint voice speaking to me. Struggling to open my eyes, I saw it was midnight, and that I was laying on a bed. Across me, Princess Sa Mi was watching me. "What happened? I don''t think you would already miss me, don''t you?"


    "Your Highness?" I uttered, my head was still unclear. "Why am I here?" I scratched as I held my head from the afterpain.


    "Why are you asking me?" she said back. "You are the one who fainted before my palace. I coincidently came back from a late meeting and found you blocking my entrance."


    She pointed to a glass of water next to me. After drinking it and leaving some time for my head to clear, reality slowly came back to me.


    "Ah¡­ I remember now. Sorry for surprising you, Your Highness. I will leave now to not bother you anymore," I said and tried to stand up.


    "Sit."


    My body suddenly lost control and I fell back to the bed. I quickly turned, but the princess did not move from the chair. Her words alone made my body listen. No wonder she is called the Great General.


    Remain sitting, Princess Sa Mi slightly leaned forward, but the immense pressure I felt was unbearable. "You can''t just show up at my door, faint, wake up, and try to leave without an explanation," she smiled, but it felt more like a threat.


    "There is nothing," I tried to explain myself. "It was just that¡­ I needed some quiet time, so I went for a quick run. You have to believe me when I say I just unconsciously got here. There is no hidden intention."


    "A quick run, this late?" she pushed.


    "Ha ha¡­ Experiencing something new doesn''t hurt," I tried to joke.


    The Princess remained quiet but kept staring at me like she was trying to dig out my soul. But after a moment, she leaned back in her chair and the atmosphere got more breathable. "And here I thought you have something important for me. Do you know how late it is right now that I have to wait for you to wake up?"


    "Sorry¡­" I scratched my head, feeling guilty.


    "At least having no news is still good news." She gave out a sigh and shook her head. "But you fainted. Are you sure you are fine? Do you have any illness?"


    "I am fine. Thanks for worrying," I said. "It is just something I have to deal with for a long time. It''s just getting a bit more intense lately."


    "I can recommend you doctors that I know," the princess proposed.


    When I heard doctors, my mind brightened. "Doctors!" I almost shouted. It caught the princess by surprise. "How could I forget? Your Highness, Si has caught an unknown illness on our journey to the capital. The doctor we had with us from South City couldn''t figure out what it was."


    "Rock head!" Princess Sa Mi jumped up and hit my head. "How could you forget something that important?"


    "Ouch!" I touched my head, and there was a bulge there. "Too much stuff happened, even Ly Giai forgot about it too."


    "I can''t believe this." She shook her head. "I will call the royal doctors now. Come with me."

 29. White Hair Doctor

    In the dead of night, when everything was quiet, a horse came thundering down the streets, breaking the silence. Princess Sa Mi was in charge, guiding the horse swiftly through the narrow streets.


    I quietly sat in front, leaning my head forward to clear her vision. We didn''t exchange a word the whole way just so she could reach the royal doctors as soon as possible.


    The size of the royal palace hit me then. We were galloping for what felt like forever, and it seemed like we were getting nowhere.


    After twenty minutes, we reached the medical section where the doctors were. Without even waiting for the dozed-off guards, I followed the princess bursting through doors and sprinting to wake every available doctor.


    Princess Sa Mi didn''t waste any time. She ordered the doctors, "A friend of mind is having a strange illness that couldn''t be diagnosed. Bring all of your necessary tools. I give you fifteen minutes to get ready." That got them moving. Being given a time limit, the doctors couldn''t even think of complaining about the two of us disrupting their night. Most of them were in their middle ages and mid-forties. There were some youngsters too in their twenties, but very few. Hearing the order from the Crown Princess, they hurriedly and fumbly ready their tools and stood in line by the fifteen-minute mark. They assembled with their back straight and chest high, no different than soldiers getting into formation.


    When we left the medical section, it was under half an hour since we got there, yet Princess Sa Mi was able to swiftly come in and dispatch a group of fifty doctors in no time. Truly a feat only a general can do.


    Unlike us, the doctors couldn''t ride horses. They traveled in carts, so Princess Sa Mi gave cart riders directions to our home, and we went ahead without them.


    When we got to our new rented house, I got down the horse first. "Si haven''t suffered from the symptom ever since we were in the capital. So I hope the illness is weakened."


    "We don''t know for sure. You go check on him. I''ll go see how far the doctors are from here," she said and turned the horse around.


    I ran inside and saw the front rooms were all empty. Quickly running to Si''s room, I anticipated the worst.


    "Why are you sweating?" Si asked, sitting on his desk with his feet dangling. The dim yellow light on his desk was the only light source in the room.


    I went in, checking his body everywhere. "Are you okay? Were you in pain these past few days?"


    "Hey hey!" Si felt weird because I suddenly approached him. He pushed me away. "I''m fine," he said. "It''s the cold right? Wasn''t I cured before getting to the capital?"


    "So you haven''t had anything since we got here? No strange feeling or something wrong with your body?" I pressed to make sure he wasn''t hiding his pain from us. I never want something like his sacrifice back then again.


    "No," he replied. "Is there something wrong with me?" he was curious.


    I shook my head and stood up, looking around. "I''m not sure, but I asked the princess and she is bringing the royal doctors here," I said.


    "The princess is coming," he jumped from the chair, couldn''t hide his excitement. He hopped onto the bed and rolled around. "Yay!"


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    I was happy to see him like that. But then I realized something. "By the way, where''s Ly Giai?"


    "Ly Giai?" Si sat up from the bed. "She went looking for you since you suddenly ran away. I wanted to go with her but she told me to wait here."


    I was completely shocked, speechless, "Reckless!" I raised my voice. "Doesn''t she know how dangerous it is at night? Especially a gorgeous person like her!" I shouted and sprinted out of the house, leaving Si stunned in place. But before I could get out the door, Ly Giai came back.


    Our eyes opened wide looking at each other. Ly Giai''s was watery. She was worried about me.


    "Do?" she called, almost in disbelief. She hugged me with all her strength as if she was scared if her hands weren''t tight, I would be lost. "I was so worried," she teared up, finally being able to bottle out her emotion.


    "I''m sorry for going without a word," I apologized, holding her tight. "When I came back just now and heard Si say that you went out searching for me this late, I was afraid anything happened to you."


    We enjoyed embracing each other not for long until the princess and her doctors showed up. Her sudden stop made the giant battle horse reared. Its cries echoed through multiple streets, shocking the both of us. "Sorry to interrupt the lovebirds, but I''m here to deliver medical service," she announced her presence, half-jokingly.


    "Y¡­ Your Highness!?" Ly Giai couldn''t keep her voice low, but she quickly reserved herself. "May I ask why we are bothering you this late?" she asked cautiously and had her head low.


    Princess Sa Mi got off the horse and came to us. Even though she was wearing a long dress, her movement getting off the horse was not clumsy at all. "No need to be on guard," she reassured Ly Giai. I am only here because I heard from Do that little Si is having an unknown illness. I brought the doctors to see if they can diagnose what he is having."


    Ly Giai carefully raised her head, not daring to be casual with the Crown Princess. "Did you go bother Her Highness? Was that why you left so suddenly?"


    Seeing that she just gave me a golden reason to justify my action, I took it immediately. "Yes. Yep, that''s right. I suddenly remember that Si''s illness is still there. So I went to Her Highness to see if we could treat it before it got worse."


    Ly Giai sighed, she was somewhat relieved. "You could have told me about it before running off without a word. I was so worried about what happened to you."


    As I apologized to Ly Giai, Princess Sa Mi quietly smiled, knowing full well I was hiding something from Ly Giai. "That''s enough small talk," she nicely intervenes to us. "Doctors," she turned to the carts behind her and gave orders. "There should be a young boy inside the house. That is the person I need you all for. Go ahead and try to diagnose what illness he is having."


    The doctors left the carts quickly. All fifty of them rushed into our little modest home. "I think Si is going to be shocked when suddenly a bunch of middle-aged men storm into his room to check on his body unannounced," I commented.


    As expected, within seconds from when the doctor showed up, Si couldn''t keep his voice down. "HEY! WHO ARE YOU!!!" The kid yelled so loudly that we could hear them standing outside.


    "See?" I smiled.


    "I don''t know if this place could take all of them," Ly Giai wondered out loud.


    I looked at the princess and saw her odd smile. That made my hair stand on end. The last five doctors that couldn''t get in the house because it was overcrowded, she called them over. "Since you can''t go inside. Why don''t you check up on this man? Just to make sure he is healthy."


    I was about to refuse the offer, but she quickly gave me the look that if I didn''t listen to her, the princess would tell Ly Giai that I fainted in front of her palace.


    So I shut up and let the doctors sit me down for a check-up.


    "Ly Giai, since I am the only other woman here. I have some knowledge of medicine from my days in the army. Let me examine you," the princess said. Then they both went in the cart to avoid being seen since the check-up can be a bit touchy.


    "No need to be on guard, young man," an old doctor reassured me. His hair, eyebrows, and mustache were all white even though his face didn''t look that old. He was just in his mid-forties. His voice was gentle and deep, and his hands'' movements were coordinated with no unnecessary step.


    "These four are my pupils," he introduced them to me. "Only I will check your health. They will only observe and study my techniques. So you can put that murderous intent down now."


    "Murderous intent!?" I was completely shocked.

 30. Ly Giai and Sa Mi

    The doctor''s mention of "murderous intent" caught me off guard, leaving me bewildered. "Murderous intent? Me?" I questioned, unsure if I''d heard him correctly.


    The man observed me for a moment with an intense look, then dropped it and smiled gently. "Never mind this old man''s rumbling. My judgment is getting affected by old age. Let us begin your health check. Let me see your palms."


    Still puzzled by his initial remark, I hesitantly extended my hands, first the right, then the left. The doctor examined them closely, his fingers probing gently, his eyes scrutinizing every detail. He noted his observations to his pupils, who watched intently, absorbing his every word.


    "Can you stand up?" he requested next. I got up, and then he continued checking my waist, thighs, and calves.


    He handed me a peculiar device with two prongs¡ªone for the base of my thumb and the other for my remaining fingers. "Give this a squeeze," he instructed. "Let''s see how strong your grip is."


    I clenched the device and was surprised by how much resistance it offered. It required some effort, but I was able to compress it fully.


    "I see¡­" the doctor hummed thoughtfully, while his pupils looked amazed.


    "Is there something wrong?" I asked, seeing such strange reactions.


    "Not at all," he reassured me. "It just means you are very healthy."


    Just then, Princess Sa Mi''s approached. "Are we finished here?" she inquired as she and Ly Giai stepped out of the horse cart.


    All of us turned, and the doctors kept their heads low. "Yes, Your Highness," the white hair doctor said. "Mister Do here is in good health."


    "Good," the princess nodded her head. "There is no problem with Ly Giai either," she told me. "The doctors should have assessed Si by now. You might want to check on him," she suggested, subtly urging us to leave.


    Ly Giai and I exchanged gazes. Both of us felt strange why she wanted us to be away, but we kept our suspicion unspoken. "We will go then," we replied and went inside the house. When we turned our backs away, the side of my eyes saw the white hair doctor leaning in close and whispering something to Princess Sa Mi. Other intentions made the princess come to our home this late. It wasn''t just solely because she was worried about Si But I held the suspicion in mind since there was no point in confronting them right then.


    As we navigated the crowded space, filled with doctors sitting everywhere, the floor, couch, dinner table, etc. discussing Si''s condition. It was difficult excusing ourselves through the ocean of doctors in our small home. By the time Ly Giai and I reached Si''s room, we were both out of breath.


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    "Hu hu! Ly Giai! Do!" our little boy ran to us when we stepped into the room. He was genuinely afraid. "Who are all these scary people? They suddenly rushed in and touched me everywhere and didn''t explain anything."


    "You don''t need to be afraid," Ly Giai tried to calm him. "They are doctors Her Highness brought to do a health check on you. They are not bad people."


    But that wasn''t enough to make the little boy less afraid immediately. Ly Giai and I had to spend some time to get him to stop crying. By the time he settled down, the doctors outside were starting to leave.


    Since Si was so tired from staying awake so late and crying that much, it was easy for us to get him to bed. Then we quickly went to meet the princess again.


    "It looks like the checkup is complete," Princess Sa Mi said when seeing the doctors coming out of the house.


    One of them, representing the group, stepped up and reported, "Your Highness. We have carefully checked young master Si''s conditions and symptoms, even listening to his description of the periodic pains. But even after careful discussion among each other, we couldn''t diagnose what illness he is having."


    "That¡­" Ly Giai and I were speechless. If even the royal doctors couldn''t know what that strange illness Si is having, then who can?


    "Hm!?" Princess Sa Mi gave a death glare that made the surrounding temperature fall rapidly. She slowly approached the group of doctors, each step made them more anxious than the last. "I brought with me fifty of the best doctors in Sa, and these brilliant individuals are telling me they can''t diagnose an insignificant illness? Who are you kidding with?"


    "Y¡­Your Highness, w¡­we do not dare to take this lightly! We have tried our best!" the doctor representing the group panicked. His voice shook as the princess stood in front of him.


    Princess Sa Mi violently stared at the doctors, who had their heads as low as possible to avoid her eye contact. Her quietness made the atmosphere suffocating. Even those that are not involved like Ly Giai and I held our breath unconsciously. That was the first time I saw how one person can command such intense pressure at will.


    "Your Highness," I spoke up at last, trying to resolve the situation. "Please don''t be harsh on the doctors. I am sure they have tried their best." But that wasn''t enough to lower the intensity. She didn''t even turn to look at me. I wasn''t sure if the princess heard me at all.


    "Your Highness. Please calm down," Ly Giai also spoke up. Somehow, Ly Giai''s voice reached her, and she put away her killing stare.


    *Haiz. "I couldn''t believe this," she finally took back the murderous intent and shook her head. "I thought the diagnosis would be quick and easy. Who would have thought Si is having such a strange unknown illness?"


    "You don''t have to feel guilty, Your Highness," Ly Giai gently spoke. "It is¡­ just a reality we have to accept," she said devastated.


    Princess Sa Mi held her hand. "Si is a good boy. The heavens don''t punish good people."


    "Thank you," Ly Giai replied. At that moment, her guard was down, so she felt comfortable looking up and meeting eyes with the princess. When that happened, both ladies opened their eyes wide, like they had just experienced something magical.


    "Ly Giai, are you¡­" Princess Sa Mi shockly uttered but was cut.


    "Your Highness! You must be very tired right now. It''s been a long day. Please treasure your health and return to your palace," Ly Giai quickly intervened, breathing heavily from speaking too fast.


    The princess was half stunned, probably from the earlier experience, but she eventually agreed. "Yes. Have some rest. I will leave now," she said and got up the horse, racing away. The doctors followed and they left soon after.


    When it was just the two of us left standing outside the house, I was about to ask Ly Giai how she was feeling, but she quickly turned away and went inside. I took that as a hint and didn''t say anything afterward. We quietly lay in bed, next to each other, and let the crazy day end.

 31. Teasing Ly Giai

    When I woke up the next morning, Ly Giai was not next to me anymore. Getting out of bed, I headed to the main room, where I saw her preparing breakfast for the three of us. There was a rich aroma in the air that I couldn''t resist smelling.


    I came over to help her. "Why didn''t you wake me up to help you?" I asked, my voice still heavy with sleep.


    Ly Giai smiled and tucked her long silky hair behind her ears, letting her hands cut oranges and nicely decorate them on a dish. "There isn''t much since you already bought the ingredients yesterday," she said and hand-fed me a piece of orange. The sweet and sour taste of the juice instantly woke me up.


    While Ly Giai was handling the fruits, I helped her by getting the necessary utensils and putting out the bread on each dish. "Can you help me scoop the soup too?" she asked, flicking her head toward the bubbling pot on the stove.


    I went to get three bowls and approached the stove. Lifing the lid off, a cloud of steam released, carrying the rich, comforting aroma of chicken soup.


    "I didn''t know you could cook, Ly Giai," I commented, ladling the soup into the three bowls. "I thought young ladies from rich families like yours had servants to cook."


    Ly Giai giggled softly, finishing up with the fruit. "When we were fleeing, all we had was dried food and wild fruits, so I didn''t get to cook. In wealthy families, we might learn arts like poetry and singing, but we''re also expected to manage household duties like cooking and sewing."


    "That must be stressful keeping up with the high expectations," I remarked, genuinely impressed.


    "I was thankfully naturally talented and found them fun to learn, but it is very stressful for the other young ladies."


    As we continued chatting, I couldn''t help but be distracted by the delicious smell of the soup. Curiosity getting the better of me, I dipped a spoon into the pot and tasted it. The flavors were so heavenly that it made me smile involuntarily. "Any man lucky enough to marry you must have saved a kingdom in his past life," I joked as I placed the bowls on the table.


    Ly Giai giggled. She also finished decorating the fruit dish with oranges and grapes and brought them out. "Then should I go and ask the princess to find me a partner? Since I am so precious as you said," she teased and set the dish down.


    I took this opportunity to slip behind and wrapped my arms around her. Leaning my face to her, I whispered to her ears, "Would you?"


    Caught off guard, Ly Giai''s cheeks flustered in a deep red. "Do¡­ what if Si sees us?" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she gently tried to push me away, though her efforts were half-hearted.


    I chuckled, holding her a little closer. "I checked on him before coming here. He''s still snorting," I reassured her, then pressed, "Ly Giai, you haven''t answered me. Would you?"


    Ly Giai was flustered, her gaze darting around the room. "W-would I what?" she stammered, pretending confusion while avoiding my gaze.


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    "Why are you avoiding looking at me?" I teased softly, enjoying her flustering.


    "S¡­Since when are you like this?" she was not prepared for this surprise attack at all, even her neck was burning hot now.


    To my eyes right then, Ly Giai was no different than a small, shy cat. I couldn''t resist teasing her. Her soft body didn''t help her either. I just kept wanting to hold her forever.


    It was strange, before this, Ly Giai was always the confident one in our intimate moments, and I would be the shy person trying to avoid her attacks. This time, it seemed like my sudden initiation had caught her off guard, turning what would be a fierce and aggressive tiger into a small and shiny kitten.


    "Who knows? Do you not like this?" I teased her again while smirking. Ly Giai tried to push me away again, but couldn''t escape my arms. To be honest, I didn''t even put any force holding her, just gently placed them around her shoulder and waist. Any effort she was showing had been in vain simply because there wasn''t any force in Ly Giai''s pushes as if she lost all the energy the moment our skin touched. "I won''t release you until you answer me," I gently said. "Would you leave me for another partner?"


    By that point, she has given up resisting. She anxiously fidgets with her fingers while biting her lips, not wanting to give me what I want. That was when I realized that Ly Giai was still somewhat childish. She didn''t want to admit defeat.


    Knowing that, I pressured her again. "I can do this all day, you know." Turning my head to the hallway, I added, "And it looks like Si is about to wake up. I don''t mind him seeing us like this, but¡­"


    I wasn''t able to finish the sentence and Ly Giai already cut in abruptly. "No!"


    I smiled, not wanting to let her off so easily. "No? No what? I can''t understand with just that?" I acted dumb.


    Ly Giai quickly turned and gave me a look of suffering. She did not want to want to admit defeat. But I slowly put my face closer, and that made her shyness come back instantly. At last, although she didn''t want to, Ly Giai uttered so quietly that I almost couldn''t hear her, "No, I won''t find another partner..."


    I was planning to tease her more telling her to repeat but louder, but at that moment, both of us heard the sound of footsteps coming from the bedroom direction. Miraculously, Ly Giai pushed me out with a force so strong that I almost fell. We fumbly tried to act like nothing happened. She pretended to organize the utensils while I even took back the bread to the kitchen and brought them out again.


    *Yawn! Si stepped out to the hall and saw us. "You two woke up so early," he said half asleep, his eyes barely open.


    "Yeah¡­" I awkwardly said. "Did you just wake up?" I asked to make sure he didn''t see our intimate moment.


    "Yup¡­" he took a long yawned again. He turned his head up, gazing at us with his almost closed eyes. "Ly Giai, why are you so red? Are you sick or something?" he asked innocently, but that made Ly Giai even shyer.


    She quickly defended herself, "Ha ha¡­ It was just the kitchen is hot. Let me go wash my face," she said and stood up, rushing to the restroom.


    Si and I saw her running away, and it made Si scratch his head. "Why are you two so awkward today?"


    When Ly Giai came back, she quietly sat down next to me and the three of us ate breakfast, it was so unbearably uncomfortable between Ly Giai and me. But Si was unaffected by it, he didn''t feel our awkwardness between each other.


    Si did not help when he suddenly attacked me verbally, "By the way, Do, when are you going to find a job?"


    *Phugh! I spilled the spoonful of soup in my mind to his face. I quickly got some paper and wiped him. "W¡­Why are you bringing that up again?"


    Si wasn''t happy with the plash on his face. He talked while I cleaned his face. "My teacher asked us to describe what our parents do. I said that Ly Giai is a royal seamstress."


    "And what did you say about me?" I anxiously asked, holding my hands together under the table. I had no idea what Si would say with that unfiltered mouth of his.


    "I told them you are a house-husband," he replied nonchalantly.


    *Hic!


    A small, almost unhearable sound rose next to me. I slowly looked in its direction and saw Ly Giai turn her head away from me, but she couldn''t hide the chuckles.


    Needless to say, I just wanted to bury my head in the sand. I flicked Si on the head, my face was beat red. "You¡­" I couldn''t even find the words. "Why would you say that?"


    "Ouch!" the little boy complained, rubbing his forehead. "Why are you hitting me?"


    Anger stuck in my throat. I didn''t know how I should be angry at his naivete. "House-husband¡­ that just makes me look like a leech," I sighed and shook my head. "I will have to avoid your school from now on."


    Then Si remembered something. "Oh yeah! We have a parent meeting today! I almost forgot."


    I couldn''t believe my ears, my eyes wide opened while I stared at him. "What did you just say?"


    "Parent meeting," Si repeated, not knowing how much damage it carried. "At least one of you, Ly Giai or Do, have to attend."


    I turned to Ly Giai, almost begging her, "Ly Giai! Can you attend it?"


    The girl next to me, while the conversation between me and Si was going on, tried the best of her life to not burst out laughing. She took deep breaths for a while before speaking, but her voice was in the constant of cracking up a laugh. "I¡­ I can''t. We have an important order from the court that¡­ is close to deliver."


    I felt the energy left on my legs as I fell back to the chair, hopelessly looking at Si. "Can I not go?"


    The little boy hopped down the chair and walked over to me, placing his hand on my shoulder, and spoke like an old man, "Sometimes, there are things in life you can''t avoid."

 32. Sis School

    I didn''t know how it happened, but by the next moment I recalled, I was standing in front of Si''s school. I still remember the dreadful and embarrassing feeling I had then.


    "Ugh! My stomach is not well, Si! I have to go home!" I made excuses in an attempt to get away from there. But he held tight to my shirt and pulled me back.


    "Do! Stop! You have to attend the parent meeting today!" he insisted while dragging me through the school''s gates.


    "But I don''t want to¡­ It''s embarrassing to me that you told them I''m a house-husband. What are they going to think of me?" I complained.


    "Stop whining!" Si scolded me and kept pulling me through the schoolyard. Eventually, I had to comply and go with him, only because I didn''t want Si to be seen as the kid with no parent attending. But honestly, if I could choose, I would sprint out of that place in a heartbeat, with no hesitation.


    Letting go of the urge to retreat, I began admiring the school. Although it was just for commoner''s kids to have an education, it was still much better than even the school for scholars in South City. This school was much more spacious, clean, and well-built. In the classrooms I went by, the teachers there seemed very friendly and caring for the kids. They also have access to more variety of tools and toys to help kids learn more easily. Seeing the quality of it, my appreciation for Princess Sa Mi increased because she helped Si enroll here.


    "How is school? Are you able to make friends? Was there anybody bully you?" I asked Si, trying to keep up with his new life here.


    "Yeah, I have lots of friends!" Si said energetically. It didn''t look like he was just acting it to make me not worry. "The teachers and classmates are nice. There are some¡­ unfriendly people too," he added.


    "There are always bad eggs in any place," I told him. "But if you can have a few friends, then that is good. Much better than what we''ve been through," I added. "But¡­ how are they unfriendly to you?" I asked. A little in me was worrying that Si might be picked on again.


    Si''s mood was a little down as he responded, "There are some that kept saying I''m reaching high because I''m not a capital kid and because I haven''t gone to school before. They say I''m dumb and inferior to them."


    "Is that all?" I gently asked. It was painful for me to hear what Si heard, but I was thankful that he didn''t hide it from me. "Did they do more than that? How did the students and teachers react?"


    Si shook his head. "They didn''t do anything else. The teachers and my friends see them as just childish talks so they just ignore them."


    "How about you?" I asked him. "How do you feel when hearing those words?"


    Si stopped, turned to me, and smiled. Not a fake smile, but a genuine one. "After what we''ve been through, they are just empty words to me."


    I was stunned a bit by how mature he was. The Si in my mind was just a little boy with high energy, always jumping around and picking fights with me. But from his sacrifice in sharing food for Ly Giai and me, to this moment, there might be another side to him that I haven''t seen fully yet.


    ¡­


    Si walked me through a few more rooms until he stopped at a classroom that looked about twice as big compared to the others. "The parents are waiting in there. I''ll go to my class now. See you in the afternoon!" he quickly dropped me and sprinted down the hall. I didn''t even get the chance to tell him goodbye.


    "Now I''m all alone with strangers," I murmured and pushed the door to come in. There were already about twenty other parents inside before me. They all looked like they had known one another already, so conversations and groups being divided up were natural. Only the new guy like me who just entered, knowing no one, was alone by himself. I took a few steps in and stood awkwardly by myself, then quietly moved to the back of the room to grab a cup of freshly made tea and stood by a corner to not stand out. "This isn''t bad either. I''m not bothering anyone, and no one is bothering me," I told myself.


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    I stood there for quite some time while we were all waiting for the rest of the parents to show up. When everyone was present, an organizer appeared. "Parents and guardians, please gather before me for just a moment!" he called for us to gather around, and then he said, "As you all know, today''s meeting is for you to talk with your child''s teacher and understand their well-being while studying here. It is also a great opportunity to know your fellow parents too. Okay, as usual, a parent will follow me to their kid''s teacher one by one. While waiting, please feel free to get yourselves food and drinks here. Let us begin!" They finished and started to call out to parents using the student''s name, then they walked with the parent out of the room.


    A lot of time had passed, more than an hour went by, and I was still waiting for Si''s name to get called. I was beyond bored. Just stuck in a corner eating sweets and drinking tea, I couldn''t get to talk to anyone. Everyone already had their groups to kill time with. I was about to fall asleep just standing in one place.


    "Ly Si''s parent!?" finally, Si''s name was called. Since I couldn''t remember my last name, we have decided to use Ly Giai''s surname when registering Si for the school. I walked out and followed the organizer to Si''s teacher.


    "Are you new here? I usually remember the faces of the students'' parents?" the organizer asked me as we walked through the hall.


    "Yes," I replied. "We just moved to the capital, so this is my first time coming here."


    "I see. You must be one of the few surviving refugees from the capital attack recently right?" he asked.


    "Yes, that''s right," I said.


    "I am so sorry for what you have been through. I heard there were less than one hundred survivors after the attack." they sounded genuine.


    "Yes, we are blessed to still be alive," I replied.


    The organizer nodded. "Well, it is a blessing that you and your kid made it here. You don''t have to worry. This school welcomes all people from all places. Your kid won''t get mistreated here, that I can say at least."


    "Thanks," I said, but still remembered what Si told me. "In general, this school is great."


    We then stopped at one small room and the organizer left me there. I went in and sat at the table in the middle of the room. Across me was a female teacher in her mid-thirties flipping through a set of papers. She kept the paper close to her face and squinted her eyes to have a better look at the pages. Only when I moved the chair and sat down that she see me.


    "Oh, you''re here! Sorry, I didn''t notice," she apologized.


    "You are fine," I said and gave a friendly smile.


    The teacher extended her hand. "My name is Co Day. I am Si''s teacher. I''ve always been curious to know who is the parent of such a bright child!"


    I gave a firm handshake. "Thank you for thinking highly of our kid. My name is Thien." I avoided using my real name just in case, even though Princess told me that no one in the capital would remember a name from a news years ago. When I was afraid to go watch the princess''s soldiers training, the big part of it was because I thought I would be recognized as Grass in an instant. It was Princess Sa Mi that eventually convinced me to go out. I had a lot of questions back then but kept to myself because I didn''t know how friendly the princess would be, but I always wanted to have the chance to ask her about it.


    "Thien¡­ Nice name," the teacher commented. Once the greeting was over, we moved to the main subject. "Let''s see here. In the report, it says that student Ly Si never had any form of education before coming here, is that correct?"


    "Yes, that is correct," I nodded.


    "May I ask why that is?" the teacher asked. "I am not trying to fault you or anything, maybe you had circumstances that couldn''t get Si''s to get educated."


    "I know you have no ill intent," I replied. "To be honest with you, Si is not my kid. My partner and I were on the run from Ly''s army when they attacked our city. On the way, we happened to meet Si and decided to treat him as our child. From what we know, Si was an orphan before meeting us. He had no guardian and his villagers didn''t like him. That''s why he couldn''t go to school then."


    The teacher''s eyes soften. "You and your partner are his hero," she said.


    I smiled, "Thank you, we were just doing what was right."


    Then she continued. "Now that I understand what your circumstances were, I can confirm that the child is in great care. We can move on to the student''s grades and achievements. I was very surprised when I learned that Si had no prior education, yet he was able to understand and absorb the lessons very quickly. He also did great on his assignments. Currently, he is standing fifth of our class of thirty students, a very impressive achievement," she commented.


    "Wow! We didn''t know he was doing so well," I was happily surprised to hear. Ly Giai and I only knew Si adapt to school quickly, but didn''t know he was standing fifth in the class already. "It is nice to hear that, but is he having a good time with the students here? We are happy about his grades, but it is more important to us that Si is having a healthy school life."


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Si was the center of attention in our class. Besides a few childish comments, in general, the students adore him."


    "Thank goodness," I was relieved to hear confirmation of what Si told me.


    The teacher observed me, then said, "When I asked student Si about why he was studying so hard, not only listening to lessons and doing the assignments but also in other activities, he said that he has to because his parents sacrificed so much for him. I can see now how you are a great parent in his eyes."


    I felt the appreciation in her words, genuine appreciation. "Thank you. We are just doing the best of our abilities."


    After some more exchanges, we ended the session and I stepped out of the room. Awaited for me was a short kid. "Why are you here? You changed our outfit?"


    "We are playing sport right now," Si said with his quick breaths and heavy sweat. He had changed his clothes to something more active. "Come with me, watch me play." He grabbed my hands and walked me to the school''s field where green grass was all around. There was a bunch of kids running and laughing. We stopped not far from the other kids. "Since you are here anyway, come and watch," he said and quickly left. When his head turned away, I saw how unusually red his ears were.


    "Someone just got caught eavesdropping," I smiled. "I guess dragging me here is his excuse as to why he was standing outside the room."

 33. The Princes

    I stood and watched Si and his friends play sports together. From the looks of it, he was having fun, so after half an hour or so, I told him I would leave.


    "Why are you leaving so soon? It''s not like you have a job or anything," he somehow verbally spin-kicked me before I left.


    Finishing the parents'' meeting, I realized I had no reason to freak out like earlier in the morning. Nobody was giving me weird looks when I was there. It was just my mind that was scared.


    So I headed home, knowing that Ly Giai already left to work at the royal seamstress a while ago. Before yesterday, I had completely forgotten about Princess Sa Mi mentioning that Ly Giai could be a royal. Their interaction last night reminded me of that. So I went through her belongings, and just as I thought, the badge that had the words, [Ly & Sa] was there.


    "I have always been curious as to why she has this since when I first saw it after the night bath at the pond. If Ly Giai is a royal like the princess said, it would make sense that she has this badge. It even has


    e similar pattern to the princess''s badge," I thought out loud.


    But after some thought, more questions arise, "But why did it also say ''Ly'' on the badge?... Now that I think of it, her last name is Ly, not Sa¡­ Could she be somehow related to the Ly? But Ly Giai and Princess Sa Mi''s faces are alike, so how could she be related to Ly? "


    The more I thought, the more questions I had. In the end, the questions looped around one another to the point that my head spun. I didn''t have enough information to answer any of them, so I got up and decided to visit the princess''s palace once again.


    ¡­


    "Sorry, Mister Do, Her Highness is away currently," the old servant at the palace told me when I asked to meet the princess. Their back was bent and had to squint their eyes to look around.


    "Can I wait inside until she returns?" I asked.


    "Of course, please follow me," they responded positively. They were easy to let me in because I have lived there for some time.


    The servant took me to the guest room and was about to excuse themselves, but I probed them a question, "Do you know what Her Highness is doing right now?"


    The old servant was open enough to not hide from me, "Her Highness is currently in the royal court, overseeing the process of the Ly returning our eastern territory by the Ly''s general, Ly Va."


    "Hm? Why is Her Highness overseeing that and not the court officials? Isn''t she a general? Shouldn''t her only responsibility be to battle and win?"


    "But her Highness is also the Crown Princess," The servant explained. "For such an important event like returning territory, having the Crown Successor ensure that the process is successful will increase their credibility when they inherit the throne in the future."


    I nodded at their assessment. "You are very knowledgeable," I commented.


    "You are over-praising. This is just the surface observation of us servants that have lived so long in the palace," they humbly replied.


    "Please have a seat," I moved one of the empty chairs. "How long have you been here?"


    The old servant sat down, happy with my gesture. "This servant has been serving Her Highness for more than a decade."


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    "That''s long. It means that you know Her Highness well?" I asked.


    "I am confident in that," they let out a small smile.


    "Then can you entertain me while we wait for her to return? Who is Princess Sa Mi? How did she become a general and Crown Princess?"


    "Oh my¡­ To hear all about Her Highness and her accomplishments, that couldn''t be fit even in a few hours of talking."


    "It''s okay. Take your time," I said. "I am very curious to know more about Princess Sa Mi."


    The servant sat back to relax and organize their thoughts. While doing that, I poured tea for the both of us. We both took a sip and let out a sound of satisfaction. Then they said, "If Mister Do wants to know about our princess. I have to start at the very beginning."


    "Please do."


    The servant nodded and began telling. "You may not know, but in the beginning, our king had three children; two princesses and one princess. The princess is of course Her Highness, but her two older brothers, the princes, are slowly being forgotten in the public mind."


    "Have they passed away?"


    "No," the servant shook their head. "The two princes are both alive and well, but they have not participated in any court activities for the past fifteen years."


    "Why is that?"


    "The eldest brother, Prince Sa Thi, who was originally the Crown Prince, was too affected by the death of his aunt, our late Princess Sa Ru. She was married off, in a political marriage, to Ly''s king to better the relationship between the two nations. But after her death, while on her visit back to Sa, the Ly blamed her death on us and declared war."


    The servant stopped as if to relive the moment once again. "Our princess Sa Ru was someone Prince Sa Thi adored as if she was his mother. Her death devastated him, changing him completely to a battle-hungry, bloodthirsty savage only out to kill as much of the Lys as possible. Eventually, he was banished from ever entering the battlefield again by His Majesty himself. I heard rumors of him currently being a monk at some monastery."


    "That is tragic to hear," I couldn''t help but feel empathy. "What about the second prince?"


    "The second prince?" The old servant swirled the cup of tea while trying to remember. Their eyes are watery recalling the memory. "It is tragic. Oh so tragic! The second prince was a very intelligent, nice, and gentle person. Although he doesn''t talk much, he always has a high sense of responsibility to make sure all his work is completed with the best results possible. But¡­ when the court found out that his newlywed wife was a Ly, they demanded they separate. After days and months of arguments and heartbreak, one night, his wife suddenly disappeared into thin air. There was no trace of her as if she had never existed. To this day, no one knows what has become of her."


    "How is that possible? A person disappears inside the palace without leaving a hint?" I was skeptical.


    "I don''t know," the servant shook their head. "I believe there are details that were hidden, but I, as well as others in the court, value our lives too much to try to find out the truth. But after her disappearance, the second prince vanished from the public too. Us commoners don''t know where he is now," he finished.


    "Her Highness must be lonely," I commented.


    The servant gave a bitter smile, "I have seen Her Highness from her lowest point. She was left abandoned, alone in this royal palace of sly foxes and sweet tongues constantly ripping and backstabbing each other." They leaned against the chair and stared up. "But because of that tough and dangerous environment, Her Highness has now grown up to be as capable and strong as she is today. You could say that¡­ there are blessings in curses."


    "Blessings in curses¡­" I repeated their words. "Sounds poetic."


    We let the talk end and enjoyed the calming quietness. The old servant poured another round of tea and we both felt the warmth of each sip. Before we knew it, the sky had turned orange, from the door, a figure stepped in.


    "I heard that you are waiting for me?" Princess Sa Mi spoke, carrying a welcoming smile. I couldn''t recognize it was her at first when she was standing before the sun. "Are you talking with him, old Lao?"


    The old servant stood up with their body already bent body. "Your Highness, Mister Do invited me for a little talk while waiting for your return."


    "Oh? What did you two talk about?"


    But the old servant deflected their answer, "We just wandered around from one thing to the next, so I couldn''t even remember what they are anymore."


    "Old Lao," she didn''t look trusting at all. "You can just say the talk was something private and I would let it by. How can YOU forget things?"


    "Ha ha¡­ I couldn''t cover Your Highness''s eyes," the old servant laughed it off. "I will not take your time anymore," they bowed and left us alone.


    "So," Princess Sa Mi turned to me now that old Lao left. "What are you here for?" she sat down in the same seat old Lao sat in and poured a cup of tea for herself.


    I took out the badge I took from Ly Giai. "Does Your Highness know what this is?"


    She immediately slammed the cup down and jumped from the chair when her eyes only glimpsed at the badge. "Let me see!" she snatched it from me before I could say anything. "Doesn''t look fake," she murmured after a thorough look. "Where did you get this?" she asked with a serious tone.


    "What is this?" I questioned back. Seeing how intense she was seeing the badge. I was worried that it would be bad for Ly Giai.


    "This is¡­" Princess Sa Mi almost lost her words, the first time I saw her panicked. "This is the badge of¡­"


    "YOUR HIGHNESS!!" A servant ran in, shouting at the top of their lungs. "The court is calling you. You need to go right now!" they almost lost their throat finishing the sentence.


    "What happened?" Princess Sa Mi was brought from one shock to another. "I was just coming back from there. What is the urgency?"


    "Ma¡­ Ma¡­" he was too stressed to say anything.


    "Calm down!" she told him. "Take a deep breath. Now, what is it?"


    "Ma¡­ Ma La is here!"


    "Wha¡­ what did you say!? Who is here?" she couldn''t believe her ears and had to ask again.


    "Ma La! Your Highness! Ma La is here!!" the servant repeated, confirming that her hearing wasn''t wrong.


    I helped the servant sit down while still blind to what was happening. "Who is this Ma La person?" I asked the princess.


    Turning to her, the princess''s face darkened, and her eyes became fierce as if she were ready for battle. "Ma La," she said the name with so much weight. "Is Ly''s chancellor."

 34. Lys Chancellor

    "Ly''s Chancellor?" I couldn''t believe what I just heard. "Chancellor¡­ that is the highest official rank. A chancellor is someone who is under only the king. You are saying that kind of person of Ly is here!?" I screamed in my head.


    While I was still dumbfounded at the sudden event change, Princess Sa Mi was ready to act. "Get me the fastest horse! I will be at the court immediately!" she ordered the servant. She then gave me Ly Giai''s badge back. "We will come back to this at another time," she whispered and was about to storm off. But for some reason, My fingers, on its own, held her arm. "What are you doing?"


    I realized what I did, but I didn''t withdraw my hands. "Sorry I¡­ felt strange hearing that name," I said with my mind not straight.


    "What are you saying? What name?" Princess Sa Mi asked, her tone sounding frustrated at me for slowing her down.


    "Ma La," I murmured like a lost man. "That name¡­ is dangerous." A sudden ocean of fear and anxiety hit me out of nowhere, making me sweat cold while my eyes tremble in fear. "Your Highness¡­ bring me as well," I uttered the words without thinking.


    "What are you saying?" she couldn''t understand anything I said. But upon seeing how bad I looked, she became concerned. "What''s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"


    I shook my head violently. "I''m fine!" I raised my voice, unable to control my tone. I looked at her with desperation, urging. "You have to bring me with you!"


    Princess Sa Mi forcefully removed my hand from her arm. It was not my intension, but I was unconsciously tightening my grip, hurting her. "Are you out of your mind?" she lowered her voice and gave me a cold look.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry! I wasn''t in the right mind, but you have to bring me with you!" I apologized and continued begging.


    The princess watched me closely for a moment, then crossed her arms and said, "Look at you, shivering beyond control. You are scared of Ma La, even though I don''t know why you are so afraid of him. Why do you keep insisting to go see him despite being in fear that much?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t know why that name is making me like this. I am very scared. Every hair on my head and every piece of my skin are yelling at me to avoid him, but there is something in me pushing me to see him no matter how fearful I am right now," I explained, nothing of it was logical enough to convince her, but I asked her one last time. "Please let me go with you to the court."


    *Sigh


    The princess let out a breath of defeat. "If you are that desperate, then come. But don''t turn to me if this gets you in trouble."


    "Of course not! Thank you so much!" I said with all my heart.


    "Hurry! The court is waiting!" We rushed out the door and got on the same horse. "I will keep you hidden but close enough to see and hear the court. Be careful to not let anyone see you."


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡­


    Princess Sa Mi stuffed me in an abandoned room underneath the floor of the court. It must have been abandoned for a long time because the old smell of mold and the amount of dust in the air was overwhelming. "Stay here and don''t make a sound," she warned me before storming off.


    I was left alone in a dark and dusty room. The only source of light came from the top of my head, through the cracks above. Carefully placing my hands on the tiles and putting my eyes closed, I realized I was right underneath Sa''s royal court!


    Through the cracks, I could see there were tens if not hundreds of men talking to one another wearing long, grey fur coats with snow patterns, the symbol of Sa, that only government officials could wear.


    "ATTENTION!" A voice shaking through the air from above was strong enough that I felt the vibration in the tiles.


    I was shocked by the loud command, while the officials, as though they were customed to it, started to organize themselves into groups, standing left and right, leaving the middle of the court vacant. Luckily for me, this abandoned room was somewhere in the middle section, so I was able to have a good view. I would only be able to see a bunch of feet otherwise.


    "KNEEL!" The same voice announced again, and as if they had practiced, the officials kneeled in sync, with their heads up and only their left knee touching the ground, like knights.


    Then, without any announcement, the officials uniformly lowered their heads. I tried to look around to see if there was something that I missed, but because I was looking through cracks under tiles, my sight range was limited.


    "Diplomat official. What is the situation?" a calm, deep, and soothing voice swept through the court. I couldn''t see who was talking, but just his voice humbled me unknowingly.


    "Your Majesty, Ly''s chancellor, Ma La, and his people have been waiting outside. They can be called in at any time," the diplomat official replied with a shaky voice due to old age.


    "Call them in," the voice of what seemed to be Sa''s king said.


    "SUMMONING LY''S CHANCELLOR!" the announcer yelled through the court to the outside.


    A shadow showed up, and I tried to squeeze my eyes to the front to have a better view. It was a man, and behind him were more than ten people. They seemed to be his underlings. From my viewpoint underneath the floor, they looked so massive as they stepped in. The man in front of them caught all the attention of Sa''s court.


    A middle-aged man with tan skin stood out from any pale-skinned person. He had cleanly cut silver hair with a thin beard and mustache. To end it with a fancy and fashionable black coat with white fur decorated by gold flowers and patterns.


    But the thing that stood out most to him was his eyes and smile. A pair of silver marbles as if they have seen the true essence of life itself and what it has to offer. A friendly smile that was both welcoming and endearing, yet at the same time showed power and confidence.


    [Ma La''s appearance with the help of AI.] [https://imgur.com/0zVL0ni]


    His decisive steps captured the eyes and gazes of Sa''s court entirety. The officials, with me included, held our breaths as he and his people presented themselves to our king.


    The man and his people behind him stopped their feet when they were in the middle of the court. The tan-skinned man spoke loudly, "I! Ma La! Chancellor of Ly! Here wish His Majesty forever health and wisdom!" He clammed his fists together so loudly and with so much energy that a bang was heard inside the court. He then kneeled similar to how the officials did earlier, and the people behind him did the same.


    Their sudden burst of energy was overwhelming Sa''s official morale. Some tried to keep their calm, but they were sweating heavily.


    "So this is Ma La," the king''s voice, like a warm blanket swept through the court. It seeped into every official and helped them regain their confidence. "You can raise your head." Ma La and his people stood up.


    The king continued. "I have heard of your many accomplishments. As expected, the aura you have lived up to my expectations."


    "I am not worthy of your high praise, Your Majesty," Ma La humbly said, yet he smiled confidently, nothing humble about it. "Instead, it is my blessing to have a chance to hear your heavenly words, Your Majesty. Truly the voice of a ruler!"


    From where I stood, I still couldn''t see Sa''s king, but he seemed to enjoy that, he had a light chuckle hearing Ma La''s words of admiration. His laugh somewhat eases the tension of having the enemy''s chancellor right in the middle of your royal court. When the chuckles ended, the king said, "We can cut the unnecessary back and forth. Let''s get to the main topic. What are you here for? Ly''s chancellor."


    Ma La smiled. "I admire Your Majesty''s straightforwardness. Then let''s not waste time," he said and turned around to speak to Sa''s officials, announcing his purpose. "As the chancellor of Ly. I am here to officially sign and complete the transfer of the eastern territory, that Ly has captured, back to Sa!" he announced and added "I know that there are many doubts and conspiracies about this agreement. I am here to listen and address any of your questions and concerns. I hope that my presence can ease and clear all your worries."