Looking for Hints

Damn it! How could they say that in front of a girl like Lathifa? thought Satya. Imagine if they knew that the girl was the Princess of the Artapurana Kingdom herself.

However, when the moonlight fell on the girl's face, Satya smiled. Well, they weren't completely wrong, who wouldn't want to marry a girl as beautiful as Lathifa? Not to mention her body shape is very tempting.

Good grief!

"You're okay?" Lathifa frowned when she realized that Satya was watching her face. "What is it?"

Satya cleared his throat and looked away, hiding his smile.

"Umm, no," he said a little nervously. "I'm, I'm okay. Hey, where else should we go?"

Latifa smiled. She was quite aware that Satya had something on his mind, but the man hid it and even deliberately diverted the conversation.

They continued to walk, the dirt road that was side by side with the southern wall of the Kingstown area looked quite clean and wide.

"Just keep going, Satya."

"Is it still far?"

"At the end of this southern wall," said Lathifa, pointing to the red brick wall to their left. "We'll still turn north, then through the woods on the east side."

"Hey, why don't we choose to just go down the same road like this?" said Satya. "If it was the South Gate earlier, then I guess at the East Gate later there will be a similar path, right?"

"Indeed," said Lathifa. She looked back, then at Satya. "But if our goal is to go to your ancestral home," she said in a half-whisper, "then we'd better avoid the main path or the soldiers wandering there will suspect us."

Satya took a deep breath. Well, that seems to be true and should be done.

Irritating!

Walking through the forest, in the middle of the night like this? Oh, the Great Gods… I want to return to my world where there are so many lights.

They were far enough along half the length of the southern wall, only then did they meet its end, and turn left, towards the north.

Since earlier, Satya has not seen the shadow of the main palace of Artapurana even though Lathifa said the palace building is in the middle of Kingstown. But maybe because the area inside the wall is very large, also because the wall is almost three meters high, making it difficult for him to see inside.

Meanwhile, Lathifa sharpened her vision, looking for a path that would lead them into the forest on the right, east side.

The girl smiled after a while finding the path, she looked back again, then noticed the condition of the East Gate which was seen dozens of steps ahead.

"Hey, come quick!" Lathifa pulled Satya's hand at the right moment when the four soldiers guarding the East Gate didn't see them.

Satya stepped quickly, out of the dirt road beside the wall fence, along a barely visible path, past the trees that were quite dense on the right side.

This condition can be created because the dirt road next to the wall fence is only lit by torches at certain points. The torches are made of bamboo sticks and coconut oil.

Back to Satya who had to tread very carefully because apart from he did not know the forest area, also because he was not used to walking in the dark. But fortunately, Lathifa always held his hand, leading him through the forest.

Satya felt that he had come a long way, even sweat was pouring all over his body, but their goal seemed far away.

And when the moon had reached its last third, then they arrived in front of a house made of red bricks. The house is quite large and also looks very dull.

"This is the house?" asked Satya with a slightly out of breath.

Latifa nodded. She looked back here and there to keep an eye on the situation around the house.

"Hey," said Satya. "We don't bring anything that can illuminate us. This house looks so dark."

"Shh!"

Lathifa approached the door of the house, and she slowly pushed the door. The door opened, and she pulled Satya to immediately enter the house.

Satya felt like he was doing a survival contest in the dark to win a big prize. His chest was pounding harder and harder, what's more, being in an empty house where all the doors and windows were closed, with no lighting at all. That alone was more than enough to make him feel stuffy.

"Wait here," said Lathifa, who even though it was dark, quite understood what made Satya nervous.

"Hey, don't leave me alone!"

"Stay calm! I will look for the lamp first."

Living alone in such darkness gave Satya the chills. Creepy images appeared in his head.

"Damn it!" he muttered half inaudibly. "Even I can't see my own hands. What if this house turns out to be haunted? Oh, the Great Goddess…"

A few moments later, Satya heard the sound of something rubbing, then sparks appeared in front, and it was dark again. Then it happened again and this time the light seemed to last.

Satya took a deep breath to reduce the pounding in his chest. Looks like it was Lathifa who lit a lamp, he thought.

Having received a little light in the other room, Satya immediately followed Lathifa without waiting for the girl first.

"Hey," he greeted when he saw Lathifa in the messy room.

Lathifa smiled, she could see the worry on Satya's face. It seems that in that man's world everything is bright, she thought.

"Then what are we going to do now?"

"This is the room where Kencana Ireng usually works," said Lathifa. "I think we'd better check this room now, looking for anything that could lead us to that bronze medal of yours. Hey!"

"What?"

"You didn't forget to bring your medal, did you?"

Satya smiled. He patted his right thigh as a sign that he had his bronze medal in the front pocket of his shorts.

Latifa smiled. "So that's why you put those weird pants back on, huh?"

"Well, you can say that," said Satya. Although the real reason is Satya who doesn't want to just wear the batik cloth.

It's ridiculous, my shaft will look swaying with only wearing batik cloth!

"Come on!" Latifa said.

They began to examine the room that was in disarray. Broken tables and chairs, or carvings that are no longer intact. All scattered on the floor. One by one they checked carefully so as not to invite the attention of others who might happen to be passing through the area near the house.