Chapter 5

• As if a gi’z kicked his chest, Sui’s heart began to pump hard. He wondered why a woman was garbed in such dark robes that were typically used by noblemen. Women in the kingdom never wore dark-colored robes but colorful ones, as was tradition and belief. Dark ones, especially black, were said to make them look dull, unattractive, and unlucky; thus, no man would look their way.
• His interest was piqued for a reason. He was still gazing at the room across from where he was when his guard spoke.
• “Your—”
• His head snapped in his direction.
• “Lordship,” the guard added, bowing his head slightly. “Shall we continue to the Fronduro Border or…?” He paused, noticing his lordship’s gaze went back to the room across from theirs.
• “No, let’s stay here and keep watch.”
• “Huh?” The guard looked completely at a loss.
• He remained silent and casually sat on the nearby bench that was close to the safety wooden rail. The guard remained standing, watching their surroundings and his master, who was acting weird.
• Sui’s eyes narrowed upon seeing the proprietress leading a beautiful woman who was holding a small handbag. She was perhaps in her thirties, graceful, blonde, and eyes like moonless night. Her skin was like alabaster, smooth and flawless. She was slim, and her silk robes were embroidered with cattle’s ear-like lavender petals—the oreb flower. It was one of the highly toxic flowers in the kingdom. But its beauty was admired by several women. They had never touched such a flower by direct contact; thus, they were always handled with care.
• The owner of the inn showed the beautiful woman across the room. She knocked and the masked woman in a black garb opened the door wide upon seeing the beauty. With this, Sui scowled, confused. He thought the one dressed in black saw him, but he immediately rose from the bench and feigned going downstairs.
• He sneaked a peek while descending the stairs. The door was closed, and the owner of the inn went down as well, meeting him downstairs with a smile.
• “Sir, shall I have someone pack your things—” she began to inquire politely.
• “No. I will stay for another night or so,” Sui cut her off.
• The middle-aged proprietress chuckled sweetly. “Of course! Then, shall I send someone to bring your breakfast to your room, Sir?” she queried, looking up at the six-feet-five-inches tall man. Her height barely reached his chest.
• He glanced around. There were no other people at the lobby besides them. “May I ask you something?”
• “Of course, Sir,” she replied immediately.
• “Who’s that person in that room?” he asked conspiratorially, nodding in the direction across his room. His bodyguard, at the same time, gave her a few silvers.
• Her eyes slightly widened because of this, getting his purpose for doing so. “Ah, it’s this humble one’s patron, Sir. No one knows where he lives. He just pops up in the city now and then and asks for that beauty to stay with him for a couple of days.”
• Sui’s eyes almost bulged upon hearing it. “What?” His nose flared. He had no idea why he was so worked up. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “What are they doing there for a couple of days? Do you know?”
• The proprietress laughed, couldn’t hide her amusement by such questions. “Oh, forgive my manners,” she excused herself, trying to not laugh anymore. “Well, I asked the beauty not only once, but she’s mum about it, Sir, so I’m afraid I cannot tell you either. However, I can only guess. Between a beauty and a man like that…” She deliberately hung the sentence with a knowing look thrown in his way, after glancing at the room upstairs.
• Sui cleared his throat, biting his lower lip as his mannerism when he was agitated or in deep thought. He pursed his lips and went on to mount the stairs again to go back to his suite.
• “I will send the breakfast to your room, Sir!” the woman said, suppressing an amused smile. She had to put on a serious appearance when the guard gave her a sharp, warning look.
• ***
• Meanwhile, Ril’m began to undress both her outer and inner robes, while the beauty named Xedarri openly admired her slender but lean form. A smile was on her red-painted lips that matched her beautiful oreb-embroidered garb. Her long dark hair was loose but was filled with gleaming and colorful accessories.
• “My Lord, how many shall we do tonight?” she softly asked, never addressing Ril’m as a mistress, knowing what her identity was. Her smiling face faded upon seeing the new scars on the general’s body; thus, she reached out carefully to touch it.
• “It’s fine. They’re healing,” Ril’m said, shying away from the other woman’s touch.
• “Lie down, My Lord,” Xedarri gently ordered her with concern on her face.
• Ril’m scoffed. “Has your taste changed over the years, Xedarri?” she mocked but obeyed. She lay face down on the comfortable bed that was covered with light gold. The cover was embroidered with birds and trees and butterflies. The amount of work in a single bedcover must have been tough but was worth praising. The pillowcases also matched the cover, so they were outstanding.
• “Bah! You have the audacity to jest me like this, My Lord?” Xedarri replied, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline. “Now, stay still. Good that I always carry the medicines with me. Is there no one taking care of you in that—place?” She almost slipped.
• Ril’m just gave her a lazy gaze and remained silent.
• There were already a few dozen flower tattoos on Ril’m’s back, when there was no more space on both her arms and forearms. Now, she would add a few flowers on her back that already had some tattoos of blue and lavender colors. Every one of them represented a hundred enemies she slayed, to remind her in future how many lives she had taken to get King Kixik’s head in the end and thus honor her late family.
• “Aren’t you going to tell me?” Xedarri almost blared.
• “No worries. These are not serious ones because of my armor,” she replied lazily, closing her eyes.
• “How many hundreds have you killed this time, My Lord?” she asked in almost a whisper while applying ointment on Ril’m’s wounds. They were almost scabbing, but since no one put medicine on her but herself, there were wounds that she couldn’t reach, so she’d just left them alone. However, her concerned tattooist gently treated them, and her medicines were always the best, as far as the young female warrior could tell through experience.
• “I don’t know if it would count as me killing them or the veinneux flowers. But if it’s the latter, it’s approximately twenty thousand, and I’ve cut down maybe five hundred or so. I lost count, to be honest,” she answered nonchalantly.
• The other woman’s jaw slackened. “T-that’s more…” She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling.
• Ril’m turned her head to look at her. “Hey, hey. Just do your work, alright? You have to finish fast, because I’ll be leaving soon.”
• “Where are you going?” Xedarri wanted to know.
• “Must I tell you that?” she replied.
• “No, of course not. It’s safer that way,” she mumbled to herself, slightly frowning.
• Ril’m smiled tightly at her. “Are you done treating me, beautiful miss?” she asked in a jesting tone. Her voice was husky.
• The way they talked was always like this.
• “Yes, yes, My Lord.”
• “Alright, now work on me,” she ordered.
• Now and then, Ril’m had to muffle her groans as Xedarri’s needles pricked her skin, inking her. They were both sweaty, but the latter was careful to not make any mistake. She also retouched the parts where there were old scars. As for the new ones, she wouldn’t touch them yet, only next time when they were better. Everytime, she improved the look of those flowers, so that the scars were not visible.
• “Hang on, My Lord. We’re almost finished,” Xedarri said, trying to not groan.
• It had been hours and hours since they started inking. They paused only for about half an hour or so to eat and drink and avoid more strain on both of them. Xedarri’s eyes needed to be focused for the details, and to avoid fatigue on her hand and wrist muscles, as well as on her back, shoulder, neck, and forearms.
• She watched as the young general dozed off after taking the sweet pill for the pain. It was one of Xedarri’s best medicines, so that her client would feel at ease during the final touches. Ril’m had always preferred it this way. She wanted to feel the prick and only relax when it was drawing close to finishing.
• Usually, the tattoo artist would watch Ril’m sleep, alert to anything unusual in their surroundings. It was something she learned throughout the years after meeting her. If it wasn’t for this “young lord,” she would’ve been long sold to the brothel. But now, she had one in the city as an owner, which was ironic. So, she wasn’t proud of it, but it was one business that she could get by, with strict rules implemented for their clients, especially. She wouldn’t tolerate anyone mishandling any of her girls. With the “young lord’s” influence, Xedarri was close to the city’s magistrate, so she could rely on him if there was any problem.
• She heard a few steps receding, exactly from the doorway of the suite. A cold thing ran down her straightened spine, her eyes darting to the sleeping form on the bed.