Walking past through the vast corridors in the forest Mansion, Darryl walked with haste. He turned to one corner and saw a doctor giving instructions to the nurses who was with him.

"How is he?" Darryl asked the doctor whom he had his patient on custody.

​​

"He is doing pretty well physically," He answered as he signed something on the paperboard and gave it to the nurse beside him. "But he seemed disturbed or confused when he woke up. I'll have Dr. Claro checked on him right away"

"Can I see him?" Darryl requested but his voice sounded like the doctor had no choice.

"Okay. I'll have you see him before Dr. Claro comes," He agreed and allowed Darryl in the room.

Darryl entered the room and saw the boy lying with raging eyes. He looked at Darryl heavily and ready to grope him if only his other arm wasn't tied to the side of his bed.

"sbdkjbf vfjbvcj vcnmvn mdflknlg!" He screamed and spit in front of Darryl as if he despised him.

"He had a language of his own," The doctor said casually as if the view wasn't as disturbing as Darryl find it.

"Why was he tied?" Darryl frowned.

"You see Young Master, he tried to escape twice. The other time, he had injured one nurse who was attending him" The doctor explained.

"But he is not my prisoner!" Darryl gave the doctor a hard look.

"If we untie him, chances are he's going to hurt us. Even if you are the one who saved his life, he won't recognize it" The doctor warned.

As if he had not heard the doctor's words, Darryl moved forward to the patient. The one he saved was a young boy, younger than he was by few years. He was spectacularly built like a regular athlete, his complexion was dark brown and hair was somewhat golden as if he had been spending so much days under the sun.

"What are you afraid of my friend?" Darryl looked at him in the eye, trying to see through him. Right then he saw the boy relaxed in his bed as if he was tired fighting over and just wanted to rest. The boy withdrew his gaze voluntarily from the Lagdameo heir and fixed it to the huge window at the other side of his bed.

There was silence after that and few minutes more the doctor turned to the door, leaving the boy and Darryl alone to tend to themselves.

Darryl make long strides to the window and opened it full. Like the boy, he fixed his eyes to the trees and birds that were flying around outside.

"I know you can't understand me but I know, despite your angry eyes that you are afraid' He tilted his head to looked at the boy whose gaze was still fixated at the outside scenery. "I wondered what happened to you and I know the moment I saw you at the par line that you aren't from here. But trust me, I meant no harm. I saw that you were still breathing so I brought you here to recover. I just hope you can understand my —"

"I understand," The boy to Darryl's shock, replied in English. He had a deep voice like of a full grown man.

"You can speak eng­–"

"I am a blue blood. I can speak English fluently" He cut in, trying to dismiss Darryl's doubts.

****

Several days had passed and Xhemin was running Princess Song's household smoothly. Every other day, she goes searching for something useful in the woods, while the other days she spent in the mud room making something out from the plants she gathered.

This particular day, Xhemin was trying to dry some leaves to make some spices. She was not good at making spices but she learned a handful from Dr. Miles who was overly obsessed on making them.

"Lady, I'm really impressed that you know this plant produces oil" Handmaid Lin was chatting with her in the mud room as she was trying to squeeze something in her wooden pail "Now I won't be worried of running out of candles, since we can use this oil to fuel the oil lantern you made"

"The villagers from Baruk Tsu's village was using oil lanterns and they taught me where to get the oil" Xhemin said. For few days that she lived with the professor, she learned a lot from their neighbors who was very kind enough to fulfill her interest over new things.

"The princess was really happy you came. At least, even in her last days—"

"Handmaid Lin do not say words like that," Xhemin chided the girl.

"Lady what can I do? I cannot help but prepare myself for what's to come. Princess Song's illness seemed to be incurable. The old physician tried too many ways to cure her but never succeeded. Now that he's gone, what can we do with it?"

"We can ask some help," Xhemin declared. She already thought of ways to make sure Princess Song recovers and be able to get back to the central village. A young child shouldn't be away from home for so long "I'm planning to go to Baruk Tsu's village tomorrow to ask some help"

"Oh no you must not lady, the way down the mountain isn't safe" Handmaid Lin flushed a horrified face as she recalled what happened to her one time when she attempted to go back to the central village.

"Why handmaid Lin? You seemed to be very afraid,"

"Lady, I don't want to scare you but I told you before I went to the central village to ask some help in Princess Song behalf" She narrated right away, "because I wasn't successful on getting some help the first time, I tried to go back again out of desperateness and on my way bandits halted me, threatened me and chaste me back here!"

"I never saw bandits on my way here," Xhemin assured her and thought "It must only be a coincidence that they saw you"

"Regardless it is still no safe" Handmaid Lin protested on her plans "I know you might not understand because you are just new but the reason I already give up seeking help for princess Song is because I know that there was no more hope for her. Somebody was determined to keep her here and wait for her to die. So no matter how much we try, we as only handmaid's can do nothing but just watched our princess suffer and pray that she'll have a peaceful death"

"Handmaid Lin!" Xhemin covered her mouth in incredulity. Now all her suspicions were confirmed. Indeed, Princess Song was sent here to die. "What a terrible fate awaits us then watching only a little girl succumb to her death!"

"We can do nothing, we are not Gods" The handmaid responded, tearful.

"I'm going down the village, even bandits cannot stop me" Xhemin breathe those words with finality and handmaid Lin could do nothing but just plead the Highest God for her safety.