"You have hated her from the day she showed up to ruin your family, right? You hated me because I was her friend. You cried so hard when she killed your mother too. And now, you perished from this miserable world because of her. It's all her fault. It's all Tala's doing. She's right… I can't bring you back to life." Maki took a heavy sigh and formed his hand into a fist.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure that she will suffer more than you have gone through. I promise you, my Bai, my Yanar."
The summer had started, in the midst of April, Yanarym was resting in the duyan or hammock. It was tied to the large trees beside her cabin and was swaying slowly and the gentle breeze of summer air was hitting her face.
Achis was busy on his banwa at the moment so, she was having the time of her life before that young man would come back and make her do another intense training. It's been exactly eight months since she began her training learning sword techniques. With the everyday harsh training that was coached by the strict young Datu. She was not aware of how time flies so fast.
It had been almost ten months since she came here. There was nothing to note about but Lapil and Tala were supposed to join forces by now. However, there was no news from Guide-sama regarding their romantic development.
Also, she was surprised when she heard that Maki had turned the tide with Tala. He became her enemy but he was plotting things under the table. Meaning, he was not attacking face to face. He was gradually making her lose the forces that they worked hard to gather. The plot that favors Tala very much was changing bit by bit.
As Yanarym continued to sway back and forth an external force stopped her motion. She opened her eyes and was greeted by Achis handsome face.
"You sure enjoy your time without me." He muttered to her and she smiled at him.
"Hello," she welcomed him in a sleepy tone. "You're back? Are you done with your banwa stuff?" Before he would come here day and night, after a while. He particularly lives with her at the hut.
Despite his eagerness to be with her, he was still a Datu and he had people to rule over. And if he brought her to his banwa, this might have caused chaos since someone may recognize who she was. That's what she said.
That was why she was still being kept in the middle of the woods where no one could see her. Isolated from the world and only Achis who pampers her to the bone was the only one in contact with her.
Yanarym was appreciating the situation. She was not an introverted person who was scared of social interaction. If she had to, she could do it. However, she was also not an extroverted one, who likes being in the spotlight and going around from there to this and meeting countless people to party and all.
If she draws a diagram, she could put on fifty percent, watching alone and reading, indulging herself in her realm. The other twenty-five percent was for human interaction, the necessary moment she had to talk or interact with someone to earn money for a living. For the last twenty-five percent, the important thing to do was to sleep.
"No, not yet." Achis bent his body to kiss his woman's lips that had been distracting him since he came here to see her.
Just like what he thought, he can't be away with her for more than twenty-four hours. He was getting anxious about the thought that she was all alone in here. Also, there were times where he dreamed that she would leave him behind with no words of goodbye. He doesn't fear anything except for that scenario, that was his nightmare, that was his greatest fear--- it terrifies him more than death.
"Then, why are you here?" She asked innocently that made him bite her adorable nose. "A-ah! Aray! Why are you so wild?!" She hit his shoulder and he chuckled, kissing the area he bit.
"I am here to fetch you." Yanarym creased her brows when she heard what he said. Fetch?
"For what?" She also asked for Guide-sama's intel and she cursed in her mind heeding the answer.
"We will be going to the Rajah's puod." Achis played with her hair that already grew longer. That's a good thing because he disdains her short hair a lot.
"We? Do you mean, I am included?" She protested and Achis pinched her cheeks with her question.
"Of course, can I leave you here alone?" He responded casually.
"Why are we going there?"
"There's a banquet for his birthday and I have received an invitation. It's a good opportunity to make connections."
"B-but, what if someone recognizes me?"
"That's why I prepared you a disguise."
"Disguise? Achis, can I just stay here? I don't want to go." She flouts, trying to get her way by acting an obnoxious brat. But Achis was not willing to give in to her caprices this time.
"No," he refuted firmly. "You can't live on your own. You can't even cook your meal. The banquet will be held for five days. I can't leave you here for that long."
"I can cook! Or why don't you leave me in the care of one of your uripon?" Achis found this side of her convenient most of the time. She was willingly distancing herself to the people that he did not need to trap her here forcefully. However, there were moments like this one where she was having a headache and insisted on staying here in the woods.
Honestly, Achis could bring her to his balay at his banwa. He was thinking about it for a while and he had decided to marry her.. Yanarym must belong to him.