Armad and Nostalgia made their way out of the hall. They both kept silent. Nostalgia waited for him to tell her what happened in there with her father but Armad insisted on remaining silent.

When they reached the room, Armad went inside without saying so much as a word and slammed the door on her face. Nostalgia opened her mouth in shock but she closed it, unable to speak. Annoyed, she turned and walked away.

"Give him everything he requests," she told a maid tending to the flowers. "If he wants to leave, show him the way out." And she walked away.

Armad listened to her footsteps echoed across the corridor as she left. He needed time to think about what Bihanzin told him. It was easier for him to just run away and never look back since he got what he wanted and his mother would be healthy again. He would go somewhere else to live his new life in peace. But would he ever be in peace without abolishing the slave trade? The kind of life you married and gave birth to five or ten children, and then lived in peace until old age and death seemed so far away now.

Armad didn't focus on abolishing the slave trade because of his mother's illness. But now that was over. He could start implementing his plans.

Now, considering what Nostalgia told him when she saved him from the slave auction about Bihanzin wanting to destroy the jinzidal... He didn't believe it. Of course, Nostalgia was likely telling the truth and that must be what her father told her. And Bihanzin likely believed it himself. But it begged the question: did Bihanzin want to abolish the slave trade or did he just want to destroy the other jinzidal Kings so he could have all the power to himself? It was possible that Bihanzin supported the slave trade (or at least it didn't bother him considering he participated in it for so long), but conflicted with the other jinzidal Kings over something else. In that situation, Armad and Bihanzin would have the same target but different objectives. Still, if the jinzidal Kings fall then it would be much easier to abolish the entire thing.

Armad closed his eyes in thought. He shouldn't inquire too much into the King's affairs. But if Bihanzin agreed to help him destroy the slave trade then he would also help him defeat the jinzidal Kings. And the only way to make sure he got everything he needed from the King was through his daughter. The King was already one step ahead of him by giving the princess to another man. But what if what the people said about her was true? What if she liked him? Could he turn the tides and marry her instead of the prince? It seemed like an impossible task. But marrying Nostalgia would surely elevate his prestige in the eyes of the world and would make Bihanzin even a better ally, hopefully.

However, Nostalgia had helped him several times when no one else could. Not even his family. She helped him irrespective of the consequences and she'd never asked for something in return. He shouldn't hurt her feelings. If he was doing that then he'd to make sure he liked her. Otherwise, he stood to lose everything.

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So the question was: did he like her? Armad frowned. For some reason, he didn't want to think about it anymore.

He reached into the ring and brought Inara out. By now, Inara was mostly healed and was just about to recover. Armad splashed water on him and he woke up. He told him what happened after he lost consciousness. The boy congratulated him on his mother's recovery.

In the morning, they went to the pool and cleaned up. When they returned to the room, Armad waited for Nostalgia to show up but she didn't. In the evening, Armad sent one of the maids to call her. She answered but didn't come. He waited until dawn. That night he didn't sleep. He didn't know why but he kept thinking about slamming the door on her face. It was quite rude, now that he thought about it.

The next day, Armad sent another maid to call the princess, and this time, he added a little message of gratitude about all the help she'd given him. She answered just like yesterday but she didn't show up as well. Armad got frustrated because he knew the real reason why Nostalgia didn't answer his call.

The following morning came and he decided to go to her himself. He found his student Inara standing guard at the door. Armad asked if he could escort him.

"Let's go to the princess," Armad ordered one of the maids.

"My lord," the maid said. "Only the princess and her maids are allowed to enter the princess quarters."

Unsatisfied, Armad paused and then turned back to his room. When he reached the door, a plan came to him. He turned to the maid again, and now with a smile, he said, "Let's just go and see the quarters from a distance."

"My lord..."

"Young lady," Armad interrupted her. "It's just for the sake of it."

The maid was a tall, white-haired girl wearing a long dress. She narrowed her eyes in confusion. What did he mean by 'for the sake of it'? But it wasn't her place as a maid to ask Armad, so she went ahead and started walking. Armad followed her behind.

She took them to a door that led to a large open space. After being in the place for two days, Armad was still unaware of that part. They followed the maid to the end of the field and then headed north to a plateau full of palm trees.

The palm trees formed something of an awning that hid the buildings beneath it. As they moved closer, Armad saw three large houses beneath the palm trees. The houses sat behind another wall plastered green and with golden ornaments. Armad wondered about the kind of wealth that was wasting in the palace. How could an entire wall have ornaments of gold?

The maid stopped there and pointed to the building in the middle of the three buildings. "The princess lived in that one. Prince Kiru lived on the right and the commander lived on the left. But then no one has the right to go in there except the three siblings so they might have changed the arrangement."

Armad had already made up his mind to sneak at night, but halfway through his thoughts, he saw a flash in his eyes. He recognized it immediately, so he quickly turned around and checked. When he couldn't find the culprit, he sighed. It must have been his eyes.

But then another flash hit him and the source appeared from behind a tree. Armad was right. It was the white blade, prince Kiru's sword. The same sword he fought years ago.

Kiru chuckled as he saw Armad. "Even if you don't come looking for me, I will find you. We didn't finish our match last time. You will soon realize the power of my sword."

Armad didn't come to fight with Kiru but there was no way to back out now. The contest must happen.

Armad spoke while simultaneously stealing a glance at the central building, hoping to somehow see the princess. "I'm glad to see you, old friend. I've been looking for something to sharpen my sword on."