Chapter 15. I'll do anything you ask
***
After Ihedia left, Kayan snatched the satchel off the doorknob.
He tossed it haphazardly on the nightstand and returned to his bed and stretched out.
Now, the lingering scent of aloche from the nameless little pouch had invaded his bed.
Kayan turned his head and stared at it.
‘You're annoying me in more ways than one.’
He didn't know that itesol was a narcotic.
But now his insomnia had reached such a peak that he was afraid to get in bed without it.
Only by using large doses of Itesol could he get a light sleep.
The side effect was that memories he had hoped to forget were vividly replayed in his dreams.
The girl, always pearly white in those torturous nightmares, was ridiculously beautiful and terrifying.
He forced his eyes shut, the faint scent of aloche tantalizing his nostrils.
As soon as it was light, the envoys were back on the road.
The distance from the Gebelkato Rainforest to Anut, in the far north, was at least ten days.
Along the way, the envoys rested and fed their horses.
They'd stay in their lodgings until nightfall, then set off at dawn and repeat the process.
Many days passed before they crossed the Black Plain near the border of Anut.
There were no inns to stay in, not even a hut to rest in the parched and desolate land.
At the same time, the weather grew hotter and hotter.
It was only a little chilly for the northern Anut, but Ihedia, who had never left Elmir in her life, was shivering with a cold she had never experienced before.
Her entire body had turned to ice early on, and her lips had turned blue.
Her breathing, as precarious as a dying candle, mingled with fog-white breath.
Doa had already wrapped her in several thick blankets, but it was not enough to ward off the vicious chill that pierced her skin.
Nothing about the journey was easy, but Ihedia gritted her teeth, fearing that she would be treated like a worthless piece of baggage.
But against her will, her eyes kept closing.
'I shouldn't be sleeping.......'
Ihedia lost herself in a drowsiness as sweet and dangerous as a demon's whisper.
Some time passed, and then, the carriage stopped.
Ihedia's eyelids fluttered open again after a long moment.
A mountainous figure entered her vision.
It was out of focus, but it was easy to see who it was.
Kayan spoke in a whisper.
"Wake up."
"..."
"Unless you followed me here with the intention of freezing to death in a foreign land."
Ihedia realized that Kayan's words made it sound like he would abandon her without mercy if her presence was the slightest hindrance.
‘I’ve come this far, I can't afford to fall apart.’
Ihedia nodded slowly.
Still, her resentful eyelids closed over her vision once more.
A moment later, Ihedia felt her body collapse.
For a brief moment, a fiery energy washed over her.
When she opened her eyes again, she was on a horse and in Kayan's arms.
Startled, Ihedia reflexively pushed him away, and he blurted out,
"Stay put, you said you'd do anything I asked."
Unable to argue otherwise, Ihedia did as Kayan said and stayed still.
With Kayan in the lead, his horse moved, and the rest of the Anuts followed suit.
The tight confines of the space meant that every movement of their rigid muscles was palpable.
It made Ihedia's body tense with effort.
Sensing the excessive stiffness, Kayan glanced down at the woman in his arms with a strange look.
"I'm not exactly thrilled with what we're doing here, either, so don't make a big deal out of it."
"I didn't mean it like that."
Kayan didn't respond to Ihedia's clarification.
Gradually, Ihedia's blood color returned to normal, as if the extreme cold hadn't knocked her out earlier.
Her mind was clearer than ever, even in the fierce winds.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt strange.
The warmth of Kayan on her body was hot enough to make her think he was not human.
How can a human body be this hot?’ she wondered.
An absurd question flashed through her mind: do northerners have an innate body temperature that is completely different?
In any case, the devilishly cruel weather no longer bothered her because of Kayan.
Her body was warmer than it had been under the layers of fur blankets.
Still, Ihedia did not believe that Kayan was being generous because he had an ulterior motive, as Lena had said.
He was right, she was a trophy, a possession, and he didn't want to be a hassle with so little time left before Anut, but she could only assume that.
The streets were deserted as the approached Anut capital in the early morning hours.
Ihedia kept her eyes on the road as she rode, taking in the sights and sounds.
There was graffiti on the walls of houses of all sizes and heights that looked like they were written by children.
Smoke billowed from the chimneys of some of the houses as they prepared for the morning that would soon dawn.
'This place is not so different from Elmir.’
It was such a peaceful scene that the word "barbarian" did not come to mind.
However, it was a little strange to see windows that were so small that you could barely see out of them, perhaps due to the climate.
It was different from Elmir’s architecture, where the windows were so large to fully enjoy the fresh scenery of flowers and trees.
Ihedia explored every inch of Anut with curiosity, oblivious to the blue eyes that had been staring at her for some time now.
A couple more hours passed.
Finally, the procession stopped.
They had reached their destination.
Kayan disengaged himself from Ihedia and dismounted first.
Ihedia's entire body relaxed in relief at finally being out of that awkward position with him.
As soon as she was away from him, the fierce wind whipped at her flesh again, but it was bearable after holding Kayan's heat for so long.
Ihedia turned her head and looked up at the massive mansion that had come into view.
'This is the Bayate’s.......'
As she stepped inside, a woman's voice, fresh as a lark, rang out from somewhere.
"Kayan!"
The stranger fell into Kayan's arms, her jet-black hair fluttering like the night sky.
The woman's cherry-red eyes shone with affection for him.
Kayan smiled back and stroked her hair lightly.
"Netira, how are you?"
A quick glance told her they were pretty close.
She wondered how the seemingly cold Kayan Bayate could smile so benevolently.
The man in front of her felt foreign, as if she were looking at someone else entirely.
The woman, Netira, casually wrapped her arms around Kayan's waist and leaned closer to him.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"
Netira was long-limbed and much taller than most women, like a perfectly proportioned doll come to life.
Her exotic, almond-shaped eyes with thin eyelids and long dimples that formed when she smiled were equally impressive.
"You were three days behind schedule, and I was worried something was wrong."
"No problem. I’ll come when I come, you just go about your business."
"If you can't talk!"
Netira playfully slammed her fist into Kayan's shoulder.
She turned her head absentmindedly and noticed the strange woman's presence.
Her eyes narrowed in curiosity, and she turned back to Kayan.
"Who is that?"
Kayan's head snapped toward Ihedia at Netira's question.
"Princess of Elmir."
He replied nonchalantly.
"A slave?"
Netira asked, as if it were natural to see royalty from another country.
It was only a word, but it was enough for Ihedia to realize how royalty from other lands were treated here.
Netira circled around Ihedia like she was looking at an interesting object.
"But Elmir is still a friendly nation, did you just take her?"
"Of course not."
"Hmph, I see. So they just sent their princess as a bribe, like the king of the Northeast Kingdom. Those pathetic royal men think of women as nothing more than gift silk."
Netira stepped a little closer, grabbed Ihedia's chin, and turned her face to the side.
"But what are you using this for?"
Netira asked as she tried to unmask Ihedia.
"Netira."
Kayan called out to her.
***
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