Low class peasant

Dusen's eyes bore into the blade that deftly sidestepped his own. A mere glance at the sword revealed that the blade was made from cheap steel, yet he knew it was the hand that was wielding it possessed the power to dodge his sword. His eyes narrowed, sweeping over the man, dressed in a shirt that lower-class people wore, yet, there was no denying the raw power coursing through the sinewy muscles concealed beneath that shirt. "Who are you to defy my sword with such audacity?"

"He did nothing but play a prank." Arazhan retorted. "Taking his life for such a petty act would be a grave mistake."

"He is right. Please lower your sword, Prince Dusen," Naimishi politely spoke. "Betaal captured me, but he never harmed me."

Betaal's beady eyes bulged like plump grapes on the brink of exploding.

This mad human and the nosy girl stood by his side, although he tried to hurt them? His eyes welled up with tears.

"Please, Dusen." Naimishi pleaded.

"Fine." Dusen sighed.

"Think that you are lucky today!" Dusen warned Betaal as he reluctantly sheathed his sword. Arazhan's lips curled into a devilish smirk, which didnot escape from Dusen's eyes, as he, too, lowered his sword.

"How did you manage to break free from the pond, Mishi? And did this Ghoul willingly give you those clothes?" Reezhel's questions tumbled forth as his eyes locked on his sister. An instant frown marred his face as he took in her unfamiliar clothes. "Whose clothes are these? Weren't you wearing a red gown in the morning?" He furrowed his brow, taking note of the oversized cloak that almost drowned her. He was so happy seeing his sister that he overlooked such small details.

Only one person had been there by Naimishi's side before. Dusen and Reezhel glanced at the stranger who was looking at them with a lack of interest. "Did he do something to you?" Dusen's tone was dangerously low.

"No!" Naimishi shook her head and explained the events after Betaal captured her. She purposefully excluded the adult conversations and the arrogant peacock seeing her naked. Her brother and Dusen are short-tempered. They would not hesitate to kill him. Although she was a stranger, he helped her. She would not let any harm come to him.

Reezhel trusted her sister's story since he had limited knowledge about this magical forest. However, Dusen's fingers tightened around the sword at her lies. If this stranger were indeed the one who ripped the gown from Betaal's body, he would have witnessed Naimishi naked, for he would have been by her side. Why did she omit this truth? Was she purposefully lying to protect him? The impulse to shed his blood trembled at the very precipice of Dusen's fingertips.

He stared at the stranger, his voice cutting through the air. "Which kingdom are you from?" Every person in Aashanti knew about the magical forest, a place that struck fear into the hearts of all. There was no way this stranger belonged to Aashanti.

"Nevari," Arazhan responded, fully aware of the interrogation he was under. When he made a choice to disguise himself as a commoner of this land, he had foreseen this very situation and laid the groundwork for this very moment.

"Nevari lies far to the north. Why did you travel so far?"

"To trade spices in the market." Arazhan's reply was curt. "Aashanti lacks the abundance of Nevari when it comes to spices. I saw an opportunity to profit from it. Since I was already here, I took the chance to explore the town in the evening. Unfortunately, my wanderings led me into this forest."

"What's your_"

"Dusen, he didnot harm me in any way_"

Dusen's hand rose, commanding silence from Naimishi. "He may not have harmed you yet, but what guarantees his intentions for the future? As the prince of Aashanti, your well-being is my shield. What do you do for a living?" He directed his gaze at the stranger.

"Farming." Came a one-word reply from Arazhan.

"Do farmers have powerful arms like a soldier? And how strange it is to see a farmer wielding a sword?"

"We farmers toil in the fields day in and day out, unlike you soldiers who immerse in military drills. It should come as no surprise that our labour has blessed us with robust arms. As for the sword, we are inhabitants of a tribal village cast aside by our kingdom. So, weapons are obligatory to protect ourselves from the perils posed by wild beasts that surround us." Replied Arazhan. "Anything else you need?"

Dusen's chuckle dripped with scorn, fully aware of the stranger's brazen lies, yet lacking the proof to expose him. He must admit he was very impressed by his deceiving skills. Setting the matter aside, he turned to Naimishi and declared, "I will give my clothes. Return the cloak to this peasant. Don't you know that a princess like you should never be caught wearing the rags of lowly men?"

Naimishi's grip tightened around the cloak, hurt palpable as Dusen's words stung at her heart. She didnot like the disrespectful way he spoke to the man who had rescued her. Just because he came from a lower class didn't mean he deserved to be treated as an untouchable.

"It seems she has taken a liking to this low-class peasant's clock than noble clothes," Arazhan remarked with a taunt.

How dare this low class provoke him? Dusen shot a glare at Naimishi. "Didn't you hear my_"

"Enough with your interrogation, Dusen," Reezhel interjected in a commanding tone. "My sister is safe, and that's all that matters. It is time to depart. The others we left behind at the tents must be panicking now." He turned to Arazhan, his tone filled with gratitude. "You didnot save just my sister, but the princess of Mithiyana. Should you ever need help, know that Mithiyana won't forget what you have done."

Princess of Mithiyana! Arazhan repeated in his mind as he met her eyes, and she immediately looked away.

"Let's go." Dusen ushered Naimishi. She waved goodbye to Betaal, whose lanky hand flopped playfully at her. She began walking, secretly stealing glances at Arazhan until his face was lost from her view.

Arazhan observed her as she walked alongside the prince, the oversized cloak enveloped her petite figure. She stumbled on a stone or a twig when she turned back to look at him. "Clumsy girl!" A chuckle escaped his lips.

Once she vanished from his view, Betaal willingly shouldered the task of guiding Arazhan through the forest, a debt owed for saving his life. With haunting melodies escaping his lips, Betaal devoured the borrowed bones from the Raven meat stall, leaping effortlessly from one tree to another while Arazhan steaded on the ground. Grinning like a misbehaving brat, Betaal couldn't resist taunting him, "Did you see her naked body?"

Arazhan paused his footsteps for a second before he resumed again.

"I know you saw her!" Betaal's laughter bounced off the trees as he hopped onto the ground, playfully racing alongside Arazhan. "Spill it! Does she have beautiful b_"

"Cross me with another word, and my sword will find its home on your neck."

Betaal shut his mouth at the threat. "Jealous much!" Betaal giggled, leading Arazhan to the forest's edge before returning to his shelter. He chanted a mantra, summoning the mulberry tree once more. Settling on its branches, he munched on the fruit, pondering when the next visitor would arrive.

Meanwhile, at the seashore, Hiraan emerged from the water, gasping for breath and clutching his aching back. "My poor back feels like a thousand cranky crabs pinching at it!" He spotted a boat that Arazhan had used and found an abandoned bag inside it.

"That lazy fool couldn't even bother to take his own bag of clothes and leave it here for me to carry? Did he think I was his personal donkey?" Hiraan delivered a powerful kick, only to wince in pain as his foot connected with the solid wood.

He turned around and found a forest. "Didn't he say I would find a market once I cross this forest? Is this it?" He grumbled and cautiously stepped inside. Oddly enough, it felt like he was going in circles. "Weird! I haven't even had a sip of wine today. Why does it feel like my life is stuck on repeat?" Hiraan complained as he soon spotted a mulberry tree, and it didnot take long for Hiraan to fall into Ghoul King's trap.