Abdin silently watched her. From his lengthy observation, the princess was never one to hide things or to talk in riddles. She was most outspoken. That was one of the things that got her in trouble and forced her to flee the Shurein empire. But that was also the quality that attracted Abdin to her.

"My name is Ilu Sanka. This is my castle."

"Ilu Sanka?" Juwaira chuckled. This was a fake name. But she had no right to criticize since she didn't reveal her real name either.

She paced to a wall in front and caressed the white stone used in building it. "There is no stone like this in the whole of Biyakis. I am sure there isn't any in the surrounding empires." She paused to glance at him. "It wouldn't be easy to import this type of stones and the building instruments required to build this structure without alerting the Biyakis. Even if they were smuggled in, perhaps through an ancient bag of holding with infinite space, there must surely be a need for builders. Even if you gather a thousand earth-style cultivation masters, this castle can't be finished in just one year." She turned and smiled at him triumphantly.

"What are you insinuating?"

The young woman shrugged. "What I want to say is, this castle is an ancient treasure. It is obvious, and no one needs to look twice. Also, by my estimation, you have reached the core formation stage in your cultivation. But there is no core formation expert called Ilu Sanka in the entire Biyakis. There is no such cultivator with your particular looks. And yes, I don't think you're hiding your real face."

"You are saying I lied?" Abdin calmly asked. His face was quite bereft of anger.

The lady smiled. "I am not Haika either. I can understand why you won't want your true identity to be known. But we still need some understanding. Ten years is not a mere ten days."

Abdin was feeling convinced about his plan to invite this woman. Very few among the royals in these regions were as thoughtful and clever as her. She would play her role perfectly.

"Come with me," he said. He went in the direction of the center of the castle.

Abdin would have looked for her even if she didn't come today. They needed to reach an understanding. Only then would he get her full cooperation and the story behind their relationship with Laluri.

Juwaira followed him behind.

There were major roads and burning torches hung around every street. Every inch of the castle was swept clean. And everything was new and shining, as though the castle was newly built or someone was cleaning it every minute.

They walked quietly for about ten minutes before finally, Abdin cleared his throat and said, "There isn't a woman as beautiful as you are in the entire Biyakis. We lied to each other, I guess. I, myself, might not have come from these parts."

Juwaira gritted her teeth. So he noticed her beauty but carried on as if he hadn't. She knew his kind, but she would tame him. "Your dialect is different from ours."

Abdin furrowed his brows. Some signs could tell him apart from someone born in this place, but the dialect wasn't one. They spoke Juyad, and he had learned every consonant and dialect in the years he had been living here. He was good with it.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"I wasn't born here either," Juwaira went on. "But unlike you, my birthplace isn't far from here."

She paused to look at him. "This castle is those treasures you can take along with you as you move, yes? I don't know why you choose to come to Biyakis and I won't ask. But I want to make sure your ambition doesn't clash with mine. Shurein empire is mine. I don't care what happens to Biyakis. I will follow your every command if you agree to this one condition."

She had become slightly more confident after she learned he wasn't from Biyakis. Even going as far as to declare that the Shurein was hers. Meanwhile, she was being hunted by said empire at that very moment.

"I never intended to conquer Shurein," Abdin said. If everything went as planned, she would be the one to conquer it for him. "But I want you to know something, this castle has a secret." He looked at her pointedly to make sure he had her attention. "This isn't the castle's real size. It will be getting bigger as I raise my cultivation. The direction should be westward, but it can expand to the borders of Shurein."

Juwaira's eyes widened and she was dumbfounded for about ten seconds before she could open her mouth. "Not the real size..." She murmured.

The more she thought about that statement, the more she understood their plight.

She had thought they would just be getting attacked in their home forte, and all they had to do was defend themselves. Over the last few hours, she had calculated how they would hide the castle with more mist and how they would send men to guard all the ways leading to it.

But all these wouldn't work if the castle kept expanding. If it expanded too much, the forest would gradually not be enough to contain it, then it would naturally reach civilization and then, Biyakis wouldn't be quiet.

At the moment, the whole occupants of the castle weren't up to twenty-five, half of that number were slaves, how could they then defend themselves against a whole empire?

Abdin smiled at her. "The size of an army doesn't define victory. Biyakis is certainly big and they would try to conquer the castle as soon as they discover it. But they aren't the first to try that. And the ones before them are now buried deep within the earth."

Juwaira's brow furrowed. Abdin never strike her as a nut case, or someone boastful; then surely he knew what he was saying. But the only way to be sure about something like that was... "You are ready for them," she finally said. "You are ready to face Biyakis in battle..." Something crossed her mind just then. If Abdin was truly ready for Biyakis, then he must already have an army. He couldn't fight them singlehandedly, even if he was at the zenith of the core formation stage. But there was no one in the city apart from them.

"Tell me the truth. Who are the soldiers you intend to use for this scheme of yours?"

"Here is one standing before me," replied Abdin. He knew it wouldn't be long before Juwaira understood that he deliberately sent the mist on their path so they could trace their way to the castle. And then she would understand his calculations to use them in the fight against Biyakis. And from that point, she would know that he knew where they came from and their capabilities.

Every hide-and-seek would be over. But Abdin never intended to hide anything forever, so he went on, "You and your men are enough for us to vanquish the Biyakis empire."

Juwaira clenched her hands. "For how long have you been stalking me?"

Abdin shrugged. He wasn't bothered by the undertone of anger in her voice. He did everything to gain more lifespan and cultivation, but in the end, he wasn't cruel. The young princess would also get what she wanted. It was a win-win situation.

"Seven, eight, ten years..." He said. "I have lost count of the actual length of time. I was at Shurein then and I knew of what transpired between you and your brother before you were banished from home.

"I had thought about keeping Abd city in Shurein, but for many reasons, I changed my mind and switched to Biyakis. I knew then that you have fled Shurein but didn't know you were in Biyakis. I was most surprised the first time I saw you here. From then, I decided that you deserve to be among my warriors."

Juwaira laughed bitterly. They were walking one night when they sighted some suspicious mist on their path. Having realized that this could mean some newbie cultivator was trying to hide something, they decided to check it out and see if it were some treasure. With their strength, they weren't afraid of whatever they may face in the desolate forest. But they never expected the mist was an invitation.

"Why would I work for you now that I know your plans?" Asked Juwaira. "You know me and also my status, why would I work for you?"