Kissing The Wind

The group of criminals who had ran away went inside a shabby inn. They were running like a madman without stopping for the fear that the guards would catch up with them.

It was also the place that the group agreed to meet with the lider of the spies in that night. The assassin looked around and only the old woman who was busy playing with the abacus was present inside the inn.

“Hey, old woman!” the assassin yelled. “Give us something to drink!”

The old woman paused and brought out a tray of cold drinks from the bottom of the counter. “Here. Twenty cents.”

The assassin brought out twenty cents and distributed the cold drinks on to his companions. He then motioned the one who was near to the door to check outside.

After a few minutes, the man came back and shook his head. The assassin grinned. Those slow royal guards could not catch up with them? Hah. What lame guards!

They planned to spend the night inside the shabby inn. The group just sprawled on the floor, wearied by the things that happened in that night. They did not worry about the old woman who was still playing with her abacus.

The clock striked midnight and there were light footsteps walking towards the shabby inn. The assassin was the first to wake up from his nap. He stood and looked at the old woman, but she was not there. He shrugged his shoulders and then faced the door. He also kicked his companions. They grumbled but the stood when they heard the light footsteps coming into their direction.

A creak sounded when the wooden door slowly opened. A figure wearing a cloak with the hood covering half of the woman’s face.

The assassin gulped. It was not the first time that he had met with the lider, but those red lips were tempting him to take a bite. If not for the sharp daggers dangling by the lider’s waist.

A clear and timid voice was heard. “A bunch of useless fools,” the woman standing by the doorway spat. “Just a girl and you did not kill her!”

He lowered his head. “I’m sorry, lider.”

“What else could we do but to wait for another great opportunity to kill that trash. If not for your past achievements, I just let my other spies to kill all of you!”

They all shuddered by the naked threat of the woman. They all kneeled and swore that they would never fail again.

“Hmmp!” The woman sneered. “How about your other mission? Did you put your men in the court?”

The spy with dark hair shook his head. “No. They were not promoted into the court. Instead, three country officials from ordinary background were promoted instead.”

“Arg! Useless fools! How can you not take advantage of the recent chaos? Now that trash has a good reputation, and I did not even reaped even a benefit? Say, what should I do with you fools?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Just then, a chuckling voice sounded from inside the shabby inn. “Why not just kill them off?”

The woman with hood froze upon hearing the voice. She immediately looked at the reception desk where the old woman was stationed earlier. “S-Sydnee?”

Sydnee smirked and played with the tip of her hair. She wore pants and tight long-sleeved shirt. It was one of the styles that the commoners in capital wore when doing hard work like climbing trees. The style was influence by the neighboring kingdom.

“W-What are you doing here?” The woman stuttered and took a step behind. But there was someone waiting behind her. When she turned around, the man named Knight was blocking her.

It turned out that the five bandits were Sydnee’s men whom she cultivated for four years under constant practice. She even deployed them to participate in the  ongoing war between the two neighboring countries, but of course, these men of hers had disguised themselves as ordinary citizens.

Now, she was proud to see them effectively lured the group of criminals onto the lider of the spies. She looked at the lider and gestured to Knight.

Knight took off the hood covering the lider’s face and Sydnee could not help but to smile widely. At last, her mission has ended.

“You!” Catarina yelled and tried hard to cover her face, but Knight easily tore off the hood from the cloak. Catarina shuddered in fright because of the man’s strength.

“My dear sister, just surrender. We had already traced the other spies lingering in Obando. Tonight, I will flush them out of the kingdom and onto the afterlife. As for you…” Sydnee pointed her finger on Catarina who was trembling. “… you will be sentenced to death.”

Then, Catarina laughed. “Go on! Let’s see if the King would spare that dam* father and mother of yours!”

Sydnee’s lips twitched. She frowned and looked beyond Catarina. Outside of the shabby inn, Duke Theodore and Lady Geneva was standing behind the King.

‘Oh, dear mother. Your daughter is naughty,’ she thought but did not voice it out.

Sydnee stood and curtseyed to the King. “Your Majesty, the lider of the spies is now found. The other group of spies were traced across the kingdom with your help. We are thankful for your help in tracing them. I, Sydnee Mondragon, the lider of Knight Warrior, will do my best to execute the last of the spies in your kingdom.”

Catarina slammed on the floor. She turned her head and her horrified face was there to see by the King. Duke Theodore’s face was stern with coldness into it, while Lady Geneva was crying quietly. She gaped in shock. Why are they here? Why are they standing behind her?

“It’s a m-misunderstanding!” Catarina denied in front of the King.

The bright lights from the hundred of torches made Catarina even bewildered. They were many royal guards behind the three people standing in front of her.

How? How did it all of these happened? The years of preparation was destroyed by just a girl who was once a commoner?

Catarina laughed.

The King frowned and ordered the guards to fetch Catarina. He would execute the lider of the spies tomorrow at noon, in the execution platform, for all the people to see.

Then he looked at Sydnee who was bowing her head in his front. His expression softened and placed his palm on the girl’s shoulder. “You have done well, child. I will reward you generously.”

When tomorrow came, as what the king had promised, Catarina’s execution was held in the execution platform where hundreds of people were watching. After Catarina’s execution, over a hundred spies who were caught across the kingdom followed their lider in the afterlife.

There was a big celebration in the capital and in the neighboring country.

Sydnee had requested the King to not reveal to everyone her name as the one who caught the lider of the spies. Even though the neighboring teritories were celebrating, the teritory of Obando was silent.

Their young miss was the lider of the spies, and they were afraid that the wrath of the king would fall upon them. The whole teritory was tense and nobody dared to celebrate the fact that the kingdom was freed from the clutches of the spies.

“Young Lady, do you want some tea?” Katliya asked.

Sydnee was once again resting in the garden. She did not go out after the tiring night and did not ask what happened to Catarina who was being executed in the capital.

Lady Geneva was mourning for Catarina and the Duke locked the Lady in their room. She did not care what the Lady would do after Catarina’s death. She knew that the Lady loved Catarina so much.

“No. Water would do. Give me some pancakes also.”

“Yes.” Then Katliya walked away to get what she asked.

But while she was enjoying the fresh air in the garden, a maid hurriedly walked towards her and lowered her head. “Young Lady, an eunuch from the palace is here. There is an edict for you and for the Duke.”

She frowned and asked the maid to tell the Duke. She then walked towards the living room where the eunuch was waiting. Duke Theodore was also there.

Both she and the duke bowed their head on the edict. The eunuch opened the scroll and read it out loud.

“The wise Duke Mondragon of Obando, I the king, bestowed you the title of Grand Tutor. Beside the King and the Queen of the Kingdom, you are above all else in nobility and status. A hundred chests of gold, a thousand metre of silk, the tiger insignia bearing the title of Grand Tutor are hereby given to Duke Mondragon!”

Duke Theodore accepted the edict.

The eunuch then opened the second edict. “The intelligent and brave Obando Heiress Sydnee Mondragon did a great favor to the kingdom, defeating the leader of the spies and attaining the favor and approval of the king. Therefore, Sydnee Mondragon is given the title of Grand Princess and hereby awarded with five hundred chests of gold and a peacock insignia bearing the power and authority of the Kingdom’s Grand Princess.”

Sydnee accepted the edict in a daze. The eunuch big goodbye and the whole household was in silence for awhile.

The Grand Princess was a title with equal status as the Crown Prince. It was the highest rank a princess can get. She could not believe that the King granted her with that title even though she had no blood relation with the royals.

“Congratulations, Duke. Congratulations, Young Lady!” the maids and butlers said.

Sydnee’s lips twitched and just nodded at the smiling faces around her.

Just as she was about to go back to the garden, Anthony came to visit her. When Duke Theodore saw Anthony, a profound look was reflected in his eyes.

“Duke Mondragon, Heiress Sydnee,” Anthony greeted.

She was surprised that the duke motioned her to go back to the garden. She took a peek at Anthony before she walked away.

Sydnee did not know what the Duke and Anthony had talked about, but when she was almost bored sitting in the garden, she saw in the corner of her eye the man whom she was waiting for.

She immediately stood and beamed at him. “Hey,” she greeted.

Anthony smiled at her. They sat face to face with each other but there was only silence hovering around them. Sydnee felt awkward.

“Uhm… what brings you here?” she asked in hope to open up a topic.

“I want to say goodbye.”

“Huh?”

Anthony took her hand in his. “I would represent the kingdom during the three kingdoms convention next week. I will be away for a month.”

Sydnee blinked and then looked away. “Is the war still ongoing?”

The war between the two neighboring kingdoms had started five years ago, but up to that moment, there was no clear sign when it would soon end. So the three kingdoms including the kingdom she was living into decided to have a convention in hope that the two neighboring kingdoms would reach a bilateral agreement to end the war.

“I will send you letters while I’m away,” Anthony said.

Her cheeks turned red and she glared at him. “Who needs your letter?”

Anthony chuckled. After a while, he spoke again. “You are at the right age to marry. Wait for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I will ask for your hand in marriage once I’ve returned from the convention.”

Sydnee gaped in shock. “W-What?”

Anthony tucked the stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Be a good girl and wait for me.”

She blinked her eyes and watched as Anthony walked away from her. Sydnee bit her lip and looked away. Her cheeks burned red.

Marry her?

A rare smile appeared on her lips as she tipped her head back to watch the white clouds rolled by in the blue sky above.

She remembered the first time she and Anthony had met. She was a naive girl back then and he was an insensitive man who accused her of killing a kitten.

The years had gone by and they both grew up separately. The once naive girl could now rule a teritory and the insensitive man understood what it means to live for his loved ones.

She and Anthony were fated to meet in that one fine afternoon. One who was longing for kindness, and one who was full of kindness from people around him.

The wind blew and dandelions flew in the air. The feelings lingered and the memories brought warmth and peace.

Just like a kiss in the wind…