Raibod's voice cut through the air, a mix of anger and disbelief. "Who said that I have a special someone? Why would you assume such nonsense? Is there something I’m unaware of?” His words punched his companion's face, meeting an unwavering stillness.

Prince's demeanor suddenly blazed with fury, finding himself struck by a realization while he was reprimanding Dara for the seemingly trivial comment. “Wait a minute! Did you do all this on purpose? The proposal for the trip, the competitive temptation over climbing the tree, all of it! Was it all a ruse?”

Dara caught off guard, fumbled with his words. “You were the one who suggested we venture together and find that herbal medicine, your Highness!” His defense appeared plain, almost as if he was not denying an underlying agenda.

The prince's rage continued to boil. “When we had that scuffle at the court doctor’s office, and even afterward, with the fruit shop owner, what did he blab about me? Wow! You even suggested we climb that tree to trap me? Unbelievable!” The prince screamed, his anger showing no signs of abating.

“You’re getting it all wrong! Your Highness! I would never…” Dara's attempt to remedy the situation faltered as the rampant royal roared intensely: “Who set you up for this!”

Amidst the escalating tension, Dara bowed down on his knees, placing his forehead on the ground and facing his prince, uttered, “Please, in your magnanimity, forgive the wrongdoing of this ignorant and lowly servant.”

For some reason, the prince's frustration heightened, as if Dara's act of servitude was uncalled for and pretentious, infuriating Raibod even further. “Stop that already! Don’t flatter yourself, Dara! I had never considered you, my servant! You were just but a playmate or a comrade at best, and now with these shenanigans!” The young prince's voice shattered: “You killed my spirit…”

Dara lifted his head, defying the expected norms by drawing closer, still on his knees. With solemnity, he earnestly addressed the prince, “It was all out of concern for your wellness, Your Excellency! I never intended to hurt your pride or morals in any way! Please, your Highness! Just hear me out! I beg of you! I’m on my knees pleading for another chance!” Dara's desperation was palpable, and there was no turning back.

He had anticipated a difficult time after being discovered, but the touching reaction he received was unexpectedly unforeseen. Perhaps the little passionate boy he had once shared memorable moments with was still somewhere within the prince.

“Okay! I’ll give you one shot to explain yourself! Just don’t make me regret it, Officer.” The prince's tenacious tone sent an alarming signal, troubling the defiance reviving inside Dara, trapping him in a corner. Dealing with this sudden outburst wasn’t part of his ultimate plan.

An awareness struck him, recalling the lad he once knew. As he grew up, a wall of debauchery and treachery divided them. Now, he found that unruly kid again in this strange, dark cave.

The prince, possessing a sharp mind, harbored intact passions deep inside. He seemed to be pursuing a valuable and meaningful existence, an existence so puzzling and unreal that it had become an enigma to all nobles and courtiers, even to himself, a commoner.

In a situation where a collapsed wall revealed years of struggle, Dara found himself with no choice but to be truthful. “I confess everything to you, my old friend!”

…

“So, that’s the whole story?” The prince remained motionless as Dara rose to throw some pieces of wood into the fire.

“Yes, Your Highness! The four of them were gathered inside the big gazebo, seeking a solution. To put it bluntly, it was a hell of confusion and panic. I told them exactly what they wanted to hear. You know how I operate, my liege! To be honest, like many others, I found these behaviors of yours a bit alarming and inexplicable. And I am ashamed of myself,” Dara informed.

The prince consoled Dara with an innocent gesture, "You’re different from that lot! They’re all anxious about endangering their playground and leisure. You, on the other hand, are worried about me! These two concerns are not the same!"

"But, my liege...!" The prince jumped to retract his heartfelt confession, "Of course, I haven't forgiven you yet! Don't let your imagination run wild!"

Dara replied with an appreciative chuckle, "You’re entirely right, Your Excellency! We are all guilty, and it is not my first time annoying you with unnecessary interference. Recall when I followed you to the waterfall.”

“Well, if you hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be here in the first place!” Raibod laughed freely, expressing overall absolution for Dara’s last crime.

The young officer then cautiously inquired, "Now that you’re in a forgiving mood, can you honor me with the truth?”

The prince teased him with a bizarre and wicked comment, "You’re dying to know, huh? Wow! Still?!”

Then he got serious, though his voice remained amusing, "Why not!... You were true to me! Now it's my turn! But I am absolutely sure that when you hear this peculiar yet comical story, you’ll burst out laughing. The matter is so mundane and unworthy of all the fuss and exaggeration, I can’t wait to see your face… Haha

…

“I’m not gonna bore you with unnecessary details. The dreary account is self-explanatory, as you can see! Ha Ha!” Prince Raibod concluded his tale.

Dara's face displayed a wide range of emotions, mostly disbelief and perplexity. The young prince couldn't draw a concrete conclusion from the officer's uncertainty and blankness, adding a finishing tone, “That is all to it! As you can see! Outright rubbish and a baffling narrative commenced with an unremarkable misunderstanding! To tell you the truth, I decided to ignore the whole mishap in the first place. I mean, what they were doing in the holy land of the King was indefensible and insolent, to say the least, but I just couldn’t act vicious over such pitiful creatures, you know!?” Raibod kept talking, unaware of his own prolonged chatter against Dara’s stillness.

Bewildered by his friend’s unbothered quiet, the prince grew frustrated. Eventually, he lost his patience and, to get a clear reaction, forced Dara into the conversation, suggesting, “What’s your thoughts? Do you believe I should’ve commanded them to be arrested at once and got it over with? Don't you think that may be reinterpreted as a cruel act!?”

Dara, not expecting the prince's bold gesture and recognizing his own annoying silence, swiftly spoke: “Of course not, Your Majesty! You did your best in a tricky situation! A bunch of unfortunate slaves who probably hadn’t had a bath in ages! You have shown compassion and benevolence. Above all! You prevented the secret way from being revealed. Well done!”

“You flatter me! And that woman is no meager slave… I mean, she is, but she sneaks out to the farthest part of the jungle to soak; she is bold, I’ll tell you!" The young man was unconsciously unable to stop talking about her.

"So, you even had to taste their dry and stale bread… That must have been the more frightening part…” Dara laughed at his own joke, and the prince wasn’t any less amused: “You couldn’t be more right! The loaf was horrendous! I vomited right after.”

“I can imagine!” Dara’s voice transformed into a deep serene ambiance.

"I thought we had passed the state of being dubious to each other! I expect full honesty from now on, Dara!" The prince faced his friend, who seemed not to have expressed all on his mind.

"Nothing, my liege! It means... you required the fruits for this woman who offered you her stale and inedible loaf. Understandable! Mainly since she admitted in front of her little son that she is fond of fruits. And you also had to discover a fruit that can be acquired inside the forest and... The tale is comprehensible. And herbal remedy...”

"For the wounds and bruises I noticed on her face and upper body... Which part is still puzzling for you?" The prince asked.

"I just... Are you sure you don't have any feelings for this woman? I mean Sor!" Dara finally came out with it.

Bursting into unstoppable laughter, the prince mocked: "Feelings? Me? To whom? A poor slave woman who is not even sparkly like some lustrous ones you see in festivities? Are you kidding?"

"So why do all that, Your Highness?" Solicited Dara, slightly upset by the mockery.

"I'm just playing around! I'm having fun! You see! She is unpredictable, and it is perfectly amusing messing with her little sad existence… Ha Ha …”

Although apathetic, an ecstatic concern bloomed in Dara's eyes that he didn't dare divulge at that point. Today, a promiscuous womanizing prince, in the habit of unclothing numerous gorgeous girls in bed, climbed a tree to collect fruits for a slave woman. And ventured into the rainy forest to find a remedy for her…

“What’s going on? Even a blind person can see it!” An audacious thunderous booming pounded inside his mind.

"Poor baby! He still doesn't know it!” A heart-aching yet amazingly lovely thought followed with an unsettling cautionary: “Those nobles should never know about this!”

The half-burnt logs fell into the almost extinguished fire, and the rain had almost subsided. However, it didn't matter to them anyhow considering their path no longer crossed the dreadful forest as Dara had another thought in mind. "That's so great, Your Highness! I am relieved!" He disclosed. And a courageous happy smile covered his face. Then he put his hand in his leather pouch and took out a handful of shriveled leaves: "The herbal medicine as promised, Your Highness! It works wonders!"