The next day arrived too quickly. Sai thought while looking out the window at the bright sunny day.

Sai was feeling down for letting Benjamin escape.

“Sour Apple,” Sai summoned the three apples.

He started to eat them mechanically. They tasted awful.

The Maid Mary entered the room. “Lady Willowgreen would like to join her for breakfast.”

Sai nodded his head.

“Alright,” Sai started to finish the Sour Apples with a gusto. “Let's meet my fiance.”

----

Sai had a lot of time in the Time Chamber to think about various things. His fiance was something he thought about on and off.

What he knows about his fiance is that Jasmine has charmed a lot of men. Including the Jonas, Northern Duke and Duran Lockstrong, a very powerful merchant.

Sai was curious about Jasmine Willowgreen.

Erisenda led Sai outside the Tulip Palace near a decorated table and chair next to a nearby pond.

Sai noted that the table and the chair weren’t there before since he walked by the area numerous times. It meant someone set them up, just to have breakfast with him.

The woman waiting for him was a breathtaking beauty. She was adorned with cascading waves of rich, brown hair that gracefully framed her face. Her emerald eyes, like precious gemstones gleaming in the sunlight, held an enchanting depth that drew people in. Wearing a nice fitted floral dress.

‘She is gorgeous. Marriage life has just become far more appealing,’ Sai thought happily. He couldn’t help smiling. Fixing his hair, he then immediately sat across the woman.

Sai greeted his future wife. “Nice to meet you. I assume your Jasmine? My name is Sai Giri, your soon to be husband.”

Sai's charming smile didn’t seem to make Jasmine smile, she had a frown on her face.

Cough. Cough.

A man sitting next to Jasmine coughed loudly. Sai eyebrows rose, ‘Where did this guy come from.’ Sai turned his attention to the other man.

Clad in a pitch-black tuxedo the man exuded an air of undeniable sophistication. Beneath the jacket, a bold crimson shirt added a daring touch, its vibrant hue contrasting against the darkness surrounding him. The black tie, impeccably knotted. The noble man was the dream man of every woman kind.

The nobleman glared at Sai like he killed his family. “I am Duke Galen Winterstorm. I hope you act like a gentleman, oh penniless Hero.”

Sai could taste the jealousy and hostility from the Duke.

Sai didn't cower to bullies.

Sai couldn’t help smiling like a predator. “Oh, does it bother you that I am married to the woman you have been in love with?”

Galen rose from his seat. “Watch your words you poor bastard!”

“Galen!” Jasmine's voice rose.

Galen looked like he struggled with his anger and sat down.

Jasmine sighed in relief.

Sai chuckled happily. He counted this as a win.

Jasmine looked at Sai. “As you know my name is Jasmine Willowgreen. I would like to ask you a question. My acquaintance, Jonas do you know who killed him,” Jasmine asked while staring at Sai intently.

Sai shrugged. “No idea who killed Jonas. The last I saw him was a month ago after we fought in that duel.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“You mean after you fought Jonas two days ago.” Galen corrected.

“Hmm, yeah that,” Sai said.

“Did you kill Jonas,” Jasmine asked.

“Of course not. Why would I even kill him? I won the duel,” Sai replied.

Both Galen and Jasmine were silent.

Sai in turn sighed. He thought, ‘Do I even want to marry Jasmine?’

"I believe the food is here,” Galen loudly proclaimed while stopping Sai from pondering the question further.

The servants started to bring dishes and cups to be served. Sai noticed his cup filled with a brown liquid was emitting ominous dark smoke. Sai looked over to Galen and Jasmine cups and saw they were normal.

Sai tapped the cup, before asking. "Who prepared the food? Was it the Tulip Palaces maids?"

Galen answered, "My own servants cooked and served the food. This is probably the first time you had a proper meal, be sure to savor it," Galen said with a pleasant smile that would make a woman swoon.

"You know Galen," Sai grabbed the cup handle. "I can tell you did something to my drink,” Sai placed the cup near Galen and then exchanged it with Galen’s own cup.

Sai drank from Galen’s cup until it was empty and placed it back on the table.

Galen shook his head. “You think I would poison you?”

Sai tapped on the table. “I think your a jealous bastard. Why don’t you prove me wrong? Go ahead and take a sip from the cup if you dare.”

“I don’t need to prove anything to you. I have more money and power than you can ever imagine. While your scraping by,” Galen smirked. “I would never be jealous of the princess's personal slave.”

‘Bastard!’ Sai attacked.

Bam!

Sai's fist connected with a solid blow to Galen's nose. The satisfying sound of a crunch filled the air as Galen was propelled through the air, tumbling upon hitting the ground.

"You barbarian!" Galen didn't continue his rant because he slumped on the ground.

"Galen!" Jasmine yelled in shock.

Sai moved back, "This was a lovely dinner. But I will have to go. Jasmine next time, let's have dinner alone."

Sai left the table with chaos and commotion in his wake.

----

Sai was escorted to Princess Ophelia by a servant.

Sai immediately started coughing.

Cough. Cough.

Ophelia was in the middle of stirring a giant cauldron over a roaring fire.

The cauldron was so large that Ophelia had to stand on a wooden stool to use her large wooden stick to move the liquid inside of the cauldron.

The fumes from the cauldron were nauseous and foul.

The Princess stopped stirring. Her yellow eyes glared at Sai with disgust. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“He was trying to kill me,” Sai said softly. “Do you want him to murder me, without fighting back!”

The Princess raised her hand and the silver rings glowed.

“Argh!” Sai fell to his knees, the mithril shackles were smoking an intense black mist. It burned his skin like acid and the pain would not stop.

“You deserve to die! The audacity that a servant would hurt my future husband! One hero died in this palace! Do you want to be the second!?!” The Princess yelled.

Sai could do nothing but withered in pain.

It felt like hours before the Princess finally stopped the torture.

Sai felt all his energy leave his body. He could still feel the phantom pain of mithril shackles linger.

“If you ever hurt Galen again,” Ophelia growled out. “I promise, I will give you fate worse than death. Do you hear me servant?”

Sai could only nod his head.

Ophelia went back to stirring the large cauldron.

The servant Dimitri came over to help Sai up. With the servant's help he was able to leave the room.

----

While walking through the Tulip Palace, Sai noticed Mary the Maid cleaning a window.

"Hello, Mary. Can we talk?" he asked.

Mary ceased her cleaning and turned to face Sai. "Of course."

Sai revealed a Healing Orb. "This is a Healing Orb. I want to give it to you. It should help heal your burn scar."

Mary's eyes focused on the Healing Orb. "Are you certain you want to give me the Healing Orb? Its value is far greater than you may realize. They say it weighs as much as a person's life."

"I want to assist a friend, and you've been kind to me. Please, accept it."

Reluctantly, Mary accepted the Healing Orb, cradling it delicately in her hand, treating it as a precious gift.

She hesitated before saying, "Healing."

The burn scar on Mary's face vanished. As she touched her smooth skin where the scar had been, she marveled, "It's really gone. How do I look?"

Sai smiled and replied, "Healed."

Tears streamed down Mary's face as she expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you. You can't imagine how much this means to me. I thought I'd have to live with my scarred face for the rest of my life. I can't... I don't know how to repay you."

Sai shook his head and said, “I am happy to help.”

----

In the market.

Ray and Roy accompanied Sai while he was shopping in the market.

Sai drank all the Mountain Frog Poison while in the Time Chamber so he went shopping to get more.

Sai might have developed an addiction to the poison.

They arrived at a medicinal shop.

"What are we doing here," Roy asked.

"Getting a drink," Sai answered.

Sai went to the clerk and slammed his hand down on the wooden desk. "I will take your entire stock of Mountain Frog Poison!"

"Oh no he's planning to attack the Duke again!" Ray shouted in alarm.

“Shut up, I had a very stressful day and this is how I cope,” Sai started to frantically mess up his hair. “I must have burned away all my remaining lifeforce with that last stunt!”

Ray and Roy grabbed Sai arms.

“Oh no you don’t! Your not killing yourself with poison!” Ray roared.

“You have so much to live for! Don’t do it buddy!” Roy joined in.

“Bastards, let me go! I am not suicidal!”

It was quite a ruckus to get the Mountain Frog Poison and convince the two guards that he wasn’t going to kill himself.