Chapter 13 : Safety first

"Please do not forget to think about my grandfather's safety. General," Isagani said at the General, and then he looked next at the prince, "Prince."

"Would you truly protect him even if your life is involved?" Isagani inquired cautiously.

"Absolutely," Julius said heroically. "I will not just be a General if I let them attack me while my eyes are open. After all those years of being inactive in the field, I can still help anyone who looked for my defense in these circumstances in this example."

Zhang Wei considered the matter. "We will send your grandfather a promotion so that the benefits of it will automatically take effect, Isagani. Tomorrow morning, I will send four guards to your place, and you should choose wisely when to use those guards. In this way, at the least, you have my protection already."

"What does that supposed to mean, Prince?"

"It seems my words are not as simple as I thought. I am saying that after your grandfather receives the promotion letter, which I will sign personally. I supposed that you both would be just fine because of the assistance. Someone like you, Isagani, would have no absence in keeping an eye on your grandfather nor fail him."

"Who are the guards that you are going to send, Prince?" General questioned in curiosity. He had no one in mind, or he would not have asked about it.

"Of course, the people on your team, General."

Julius' eyebrows raised. "The people on my team?" he repeated.

"Why are you questioning me again, General? Who else should I send to their place when they can do the job well?"

"And making them do it would be their time off from the field," Julius said, understanding the problem immediately.

Zhang Wei smiled at Isagani, but Isagani's appearance was shaded with desolation. "General, the fields help protect thousands of people, so it would not be hard to protect two. Your team should help Isagani, who will be in danger because of my plan. As the Prince, I feel bad. However, I made a choice. Even though it will be hard for us, I will protect their lives."

"Don't you feel bad about me too?" Julius inserted another question with an obvious answer, so Zhang Wei shrugged his shoulders off.

Perhaps it would be better if Julius could visit Isagani's house if stuff there starts taking place at the juncture of an emergency. Relating people's lives was a tricky thing, regardless of how smooth his plan could go. The idea of wearing a fake face would, no doubt, cause turmoil, and it keeps Zhang Wei recapping in his mind that death would happen at any time.

"You are the prince, but you still have to convince my team to agree and go willingly," Julius said, touching his mask gently.

They had been out of the current room when Isagani talked about the safety of his grandfather, and now they are indeed blocking the pathway. General Julius turned to the opposite side while Prince Zhang Wei glanced back at the door where Zina was resting. His expression changed –from smiling to being inquisitive. "The Princess is not a good match for me? Well, let's see it then."

"It is a challenge for you, Prince," Julius asked while he was still observing the opposite side.

"And I am blessed to take that challenge all the way," Zhang Wei said, leaving Isagani to Julius' side.

"General, the prince is about to do it," Isagani told Julius.

Zhang Wei also touched his fake face gently and wanted to be more comfortable using it. He was uneasy and worried about the moves he had not thought about. He had no experience approaching an ordinary woman, not even a princess. No one can help him with his problem. The innocent prince must try new things for their good and break that innocence apart. Plus, he found it hard to believe that even without seeing the princess's face, he had allowed himself to exchange places to see her and take the damn risk without the display of humiliation. He must try to change his character as Julius, even if it was a little much since, at some period, he was constantly with him.

***

"You should know the prince cooperated in marrying you because he thinks you can be his form of happiness." Zhang Wei acted almost the way Julius would. His face was still frowning while he had just finished cleaning his apple.

"You want me to believe that kind of mindset, General?" Zina asked skeptically. "I have to remind you that you harshly touch my body,"

"I did not touch it without any reason, and I already told you about what happens next if I did not do it,"

"Plus, I could not even leave now because of my injury; the people who tried to kill me are still looking for me. Dead or alive."

"You change the subject quickly, or you counted my and the prince's fault? Cause as the princess, and you talk a lot."

"I told you already, and I am not the princess. I am the princess's slave. Have you forgotten about it?"

"It cannot be. You told me you are the Princess." Zhang Wei said quickly as if he knew what the real General talked about with the woman in front of him.

Was there a misunderstanding? General Julius would not trick him, and he was sure the Princess was supposed to be her. She was injured. She was resting in the same room as the Princess. "Then General, you remembered wrong."

Zina said, trying her best to make the General confused. If he was smart enough, he should take her bait instead of trying to push through the detail that she was indeed the Princess. Besides, she told him the truth about her side. Did he forget about it? If so, then she succeeded in playing trickery over his mind. Or was he trying to test her?