Returning to the current time where Reysha is met by Falikh with a smile as she walks in the forest dyed with red and orange as the season of autumn enters. Each and every step made created a satisfying sound and the scenery could be called calming, however, for Reysha, nothing is pleasant.

“Where’s Eiru? Have they arrived yet?” Reysha bluntly asks as she evaded Falikh’s approach and talks to Teth.

“They have arrived days ago. Wait here, I’ll call them.” said by Teth as he left the duty of cutting the vegetables and runs towards the second shack. Falikh was a little disappointed as he knew that lunch will be a little delayed.

Meanwhile, as Falikh and Reysha are left to their own devises, Amadeo arrives and unexpectedly, his face blooms into a smile as he saw Reysha who nonchalantly ignored his arrival even though she took a little glance towards him.

“Miss Reysha, when did you arrive?!” Amadeo who seemingly excited threw a question at Reysha while she head locks Falikh.

“Just now.” she simply answered while she kept herself busy with Falikh’s unrelenting peskiness. For Reysha, it is something she missed doing to Camille when they were still married, usually whenever Camille does a nasty prank to her.

“Where’s Mika?” she added as she turns her head left and right to spot the gay friend she made before she left the bandits on their own accord. Reysha felt a little comfort talking to someone who is more decent than this people.

“Mika? Mika…ah! Mikael! He left two days ago and hasn’t come back yet. He told us that he will go shopping.” Amadeo answered in haste as he remembered about Mikael’s nickname “Why do you want to know?” he added.

“Nothing… I’m just glad to know that even amidst the cluster of you clowns there are some decent people like him and Teth.” Reysha bluntly told Amadeo but pauses a little. “Come to think of it, Eiru is fine too. Furan and Hansens are not bad. Lars is well behaved and…wait…everyone is quite decent if you think about it.” she said as she tilts her head.

“Only this guy here is the only clown.” Reysha said as she hits Falikh’s cranium with a light smack.

“Ow! Give! I give up! Eeerkk!” Falikh desperately said as she taps on Reysha’s arm.

Reysha lets go of Falikh’s neck which his mouth started frothing. Her attention spans towards the unfinished vegetables. She walked towards the chopping board where all the vegetables are picked up the knife. She began cutting the ingredients as she finds it a little boring with only Amadeo staring at her and Falikh struggling between life and death.

“Ahh…cold as ever…” Amadeo muttered with a deep sigh.

“I am not cold, I just give my best to ignore things that take up extra energy except if it is something interesting for me. You may not know it Amadeo but I am a pragmatic person.” Reysha said as she meticulously cuts the vegetables.

“That much is something obvious. Miss Reysha…”

“What?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Do you remember our little talk back then?” Amadeo questioned Reysha with a straight and serious face.

The question caught Reysha’s attention and she stops from cutting the vegetables and momentarily turns to him with a dim face.

“I don’t.” she blatantly lied.

“I see…Well, it is better if you don’t.” Amadeo put up another forced smile as Reysha emotionlessly stares at him.

In reality, when Amadeo asked about it, Reysha remembered it quickly. However, for Reysha, it is a troublesome thing that could dig up Amadeo’s past. She said it herself before that she doesn’t care about his past or anyone else’s except if it can relate to the current problem or dilemma she is facing right now. She holds enough trouble for herself as it is.

_

A moment later, Teth returned with Eiru and Furan who are visibly still sleepy. They rub theirs while yawning but their sleepiness was blown away as soon as Reysha entered in their sight.

“Miss Reysha?!” Eiru exclaimed as he hops towards her.

“Eiru, sleeping until noon, that’s a terrible lifestyle.” Reysha reprimanded towards Eiru while giving Furan a quick glance indicating that he is not safe from such words.

“Miss Reysha, give me a break. We’ve been traveling nonstop for the past month, you know? I didn’t know information trade is quite dark too.” Eiru countered Reysha’s reprimand.

“This one here is tired too. I’ve slept with several mistresses to get some tricky information and such. We also tried to keep a low profile to the nobles. Man…seducing housewives are tiring.” Furan said as he sheepishly smiles. Even though he just said are all complaints, it is visible to his face that he quite enjoyed his self with the company of the older women.

“Enough of your housewives affairs, it is the last thing I want to hear from you. Tell me immediately what you’ve gathered.” Reysha knits her brows and crossed her arms as she stares at Eiru and Furan demanding the information she wanted to know.

“Miss Reysha, at this point of time, the fan that blows the flames of war is getting stronger. The Kerias Kingdom and the Breille Kingdom’s clash will be inevitable.” Eiru adeptly told Reysha his opinion first. “if you have gone to Kerias, then you should know that one of the prince there is one of the Breille Kingdoms princess suitors.” he quickly added.

“Yes. It is as you said, Eiru. It’s Prince Arytorio Kerias the third prince. He once tried to court me too but to no avail, I magnificently turned him down.” Reysha said nonchalantly like it was just a pebble on the side of the road.

“That’s a little amazing of you Miss Reysha, well, I am no different I guess.” Eiru spoke as he also acknowledges that he did a similar thing. “Well, you know at least now what’s happening or even a gist.” Eiru added an inquiry towards Reysha.

With a light sigh and a massage on her temple like she has a constant migraine, Reysha nodded a little.

“I don’t quite get it but that prince made quite a scene. That princess from the Breille Kingdom is greatly displeased and demanded an apology to Arytorio’s impudence while he was in another kingdom’s land.” she said as she keeps rubbing her temple while her left cheek twitches from something absurd.

“It’s Princess Meriyal Breille, the fourth daughter. Her anger escalated and the two kingdoms had arguments and misunderstanding causing the simple problem into a spark of war.” Furan said as his face becomes blank. “Most likely, some people from the shadow are manipulating the events to lead this into a war. After all, a war is a take-all competition.” he supplemented.

Amadeo who was listening becomes a little shaken as said “Those dirty people…they are using people to start war for their own gains?!”

Reysha knows that the longer the peace is the greater the war will be if one ever broke out. A war boosts a country’s economy by using their people’s workforce with reduced pay with a preface called war. It’s a dirty tactic that most commoners and even lower nobles don’t know.

Not only that, the winning Kingdom will take everything from the losing one. Either of that two kingdom fails to win, there is not much loss if one adheres to a surrender conditions which surely be mutual.

At that case, the losing kingdom will prevent major loss of economic power and with the forced labor set upon the en masse, there will be a leeway for them to have more gain even though they lost.

They don’t care about the people it is how much they will contribute matters the most.

Reysha knows…this world is not perfect.