King Tarquinus became slightly irritated. He frowned and clenched his fists but relaxed seconds later after pondering and thinking that perhaps he should listen to what she had to say.
"Speak, my queen, and I shall listen."
She sat on the bed and looked at him, smiling.
"My king… You know that the alchemists are still working on a way to prevent pregnancy, but nothing has been done yet. So, what I have to say is simple."
He sat to her left while wrapping his right arm around her shoulder.
"Listen… Think that, if a pregnancy arises, you are fully aware that our recent marriage will become distant, far, and remote. After all, I will have to dedicate my time to caring for an heir and preparing him under your and my guidance."
Tarquinus shivered and froze for a few seconds after hearing her. His black eyes, deep like an infinite abyss, were like those of someone recalling bad memories. However, it wasn't Violet's argument—it was terrible for Tarquinus—that scared him, but rather the possibility of an heir.
He took her hand and kissed it affectionately with a slightly forced smile.
"Y-you're right, my queen. Prudence above all, isn't it?" he said uncertainly.
Violet noticed the insecurity in the king's voice and was surprised; after all, she had never seen any moment of 'weakness' from the king, but even more, she was surprised that her terrible argument had worked.
Tarquinus got up and left the room with his hands slightly trembling; however, his face became expressionless and cold once he left his wife's presence.
He walked through some corridors until he reached one with a white staircase with golden-lined details.
From the top, he saw in the hall below some soldiers in segmented armor—low-ranking soldiers—and two in muscle armor—high-ranking soldiers—and let out excruciating screams. "Why are you standing around!? I know you haven't caught the boy yet! And now he even has an ally! CATCH THEM, OR I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW FOR TREASON!!"
The two high-ranking soldiers hurried the others and left through the back of the hall.
Tarquinus descended the stairs in order to find one of the commanders he had ordered to kill Alexander.
'Alexander and Evandro… Hmm… Evandro… That name doesn't sound unfamiliar.'
…
…
"Evandro, we need to rest…"
Alexander was more tired than Evandro, but not because Evandro was more resistant; rather, it was because Alexander already had accumulated exhaustion from several days, and even though he had rested, it had always been for short periods of time.
"Alright… The sun is already setting anyway; we need to save our energy. After all, you never know; we could get a surprise attack…"
"Are you talking about soldiers or animals?"
"Both."
They walked for a few more minutes and arrived near a large tree unlike the others. It was twice the size of the common kastanós—which averaged 25–30 meters in adulthood—and had a light color like birch wood, in addition to being thicker, having a diameter similar to 3 common kastanós, which were already very thick; it also had long roots that extended 2 or 3 meters.
The sun set, casting orange filaments like fire over the soft grass of Dásos All-Earth.
Alexander threw himself on the grass, gasping in relief, and then leaned back against part of the tree's root.
"You keep watch and wake me up… Is that okay like this?"
Evandro nodded in agreement, but Alexander had already fallen asleep.
Evandro then went to a bush a few meters away and looked for a branch that was softer, dead, and leafless to break off. However, while trying to break the branch, he noticed that between the bushes there were two trees with a vine tied from one side to the other.
'Could someone have passed through here before… Well… Either way, I can't complain about my protagonist's luck.'
He climbed the kastanós-common on the left side, which was lower and had fewer leaves, and untied it. However, he noticed that it had been tied with a sailor's knot. If it weren't for his uncle, he wouldn't know that this type of knot is only used by foreigners…
With a jump, he descended and climbed the other tree, which was taller, using the vine itself to climb.
When he reached the top, he noticed the same thing: the sailor's knot.
After descending, he took his xiphos and cut a third of the vine. Then, wrapping it around his waist and tying a knot, he fastened the vine discreetly around his waist, hidden under his pants.
He took his sword and placed it on the right side of his waist, testing to see if the vine held it properly.
'This is exactly what I wanted. Without something to at least lower the sword, it's ridiculous.'
He sat at the base of the tree and calmly observed the moonlight.
Evandro listened to the sweet sound of little birds singing beautiful melodies as they do all day; the breeze of the night had just arrived.
'I hope all this is worth it… I… I need a real-life purpose. Yes! That's it! I'm on the right path…
'Who knows, maybe I'll even become a hero?' He smiled slightly.
However, his thoughts shifted to something dark that disturbed him for hours on end: he had killed two men.
'Was it worth it? To take the lives of two men? I think it was in self-defense, besides… Besides, I-I was defending my home, ri–'
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he heard the sound of a strange song approaching.
He stood up in fright and ran to Alexander.
"Wake up!" Evandro drew his sword while hurriedly tapping Alexander's shoulder.
"Huh!?" Alexander shouted suddenly upon waking but was quickly interrupted by Evandro covering his mouth.
"Quiet…" he whispered as he removed his hand from Alexander's mouth.
In the distance, a humming sound was slowly approaching.
It only took Evandro hearing a few fragmented words to freeze, and of course, with good reason—after all, he had heard the words 'protect,' 'forest,' and 'death.'