After that shocking incident in which our diplomat, Dao Phong, suddenly passed away, the court meeting ended abruptly. While Ma La was allowed to stay in the capital for the meantime, the court of Sa was in scramble.
Still inside the abandoned room under the royal court, I heard the panic from above.
"What was that about!?" an official was still shocked.
"That last moment, what did they whisper to each other!?" another official yelled.
"Everyone be calm! Right now we have to think who will replace Dao Phong to face Ma La in the next meeting," a more level-headed official said.
…
"Enough," the low and warm voice filled the court. The king had spoken.
The officials stopped their chaos and turned to the king with their heads down.
"Sa Mi," he called.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the princess answered.
"Can you question Ma La?" the king asked.
"..." The princess gave some thoughts. "Even Dao Phong senior wasn't able to stand against him. But even if I am not experienced in diplomacy, I am confident that at least he won't be able to get the better in our exchange."
"That is good enough," the king replied. "You have all heard, I will let Crown Princess Sa Mi question Ly's chancellor."
"Your judgment is absolute!" the officials answered in unison.
"Dismiss," the king ordered.
After the officials left, the courtroom only had Princess Sa Mi, the king, and me.
The king got up from his throne and came down to the courtroom. The princess followed him. Only then did I see the face of the king of Sa. A pale-skinned man in his transition into old age. He looked sharp and full of energy. He was a head taller than Princess Sa Mi, and similar to her, his eyes were blue. He wore similar to the officials, a long, grey fur coat, with the difference being was that instead of snow decorations, his coat had gold and dragon patterns on them.
"What do you think about today's meeting?" the king asked. His tone now was more caring and affectionate than earlier.
"I am still in shock that Dao Phong has passed," Princess Sa Mi said. "But you don't seem to be affected by it."
"You learn to be able to handle anything unexpected when you become a ruler," he replied gently. "But in your case, they will call you Empress," he smiled.
The princess shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that now. We still have Ma La to deal with."
The king's smile dropped. "Alright," he sighed.
"We need to find his reasons for coming here. When did you know that he would come to Sa?"
"Only a few hours ago."
"The same time as me… There is no reason for Ly not announcing their chancellor's visit to us sooner."
"What is your guess?" the king probed, more to encourage the princess to find an answer for herself.
"It is highly probable that Ma La showed up by his own, not even letting the Ly know of his decision."
"That is possible," the king nodded. "But why wouldn't he want to let the Ly know?"
"... Because they will stop him from leaving? There is no way Ly would let their chancellor in the enemy's capital."
"Good job. But you also need to think, if Ma La desires so much to come here, why would he let his presence be known to us? He could silently go to Sa without all of this noise."
"... I couldn't think of a reason why he would do that? The closest I could think is that he wants to steal Ly Va's credit of this returning territory agreement. After all, it was Ly Va that proposed it."
"If that is true, then it would indicate that the internal affairs in Ly aren't peaceful after all."
"But even if it's true, it shouldn't be the primary reason. His reputation as Ly's chancellor is as high as one can get. There is no need for him to be petty and steal Ly Va's credit."
"We will see that soon enough."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I permitted Ma La to stay here for longer, not just because of Dao Phong's death. I want to see what fangs he will show us."
"... I can't believe you were able to use Dao Phong's death as an advantage that quickly."
The king shrugged. "The longer you stay in power, the less humane you are," he smiled playfully.
"Strangely, you sound human after uttering those words," Princess Sa Mi joked.
"Could it be because I am self-aware?" he asked.
The princess shrugged. She didn't know the answer either. "Anyway, should we send people to monitor him?"
The king nodded, "Have a few around where he stays. Don't make a big scene."
"I will go prepare then," she said quickly left the court room.
Now that the drama above had finished, I was prepared to leave the abandoned room, but I heard footsteps from above getting closer and closer to me.
"Hello there."
My entire body became stiff. "There is no way. Maybe there is someone in the courtroom that was out of my view that he is talking to?" I panic internally.
"Sa Mi's friend, please stop for a moment."
"Shit! That's me!"
I stiffly turned around and looked up. As expected, the king is looking straight down through the floor's cracks and into my eyes. "You don't need to be afraid. I trust my daughter's judgement. Despite the reports I've read about you, I am still appreciated that you and your companions befriended her."
"Y… Your Majesty. You know about me?" I asked while extremely anxious.
"You are Do, also known as 'Grass' by others, right?"
"Yes, that is right…" I couldn't believe that even the king of Sa knew about 'Grass'.
"That is your reputation in Ly, but your actions here speak differently. I've read reports about your journey from South City to here. That's why I am still happy that Sa Mi is friends with you."
"Your Majesty… If you already know that I'm here. Why did you allow me to listen to your conversation with the princess…?"
"That small discussion is trivial. It is nothing worth keeping a secret. I have no doubt Ma La already knows we would think this far before stepping foot on Sa's soil."
"Ha ha… Wow…" I couldn't believe that there were people this smart.
The king smiled at my naiveness. I think he prefers that than me being cunning. "Please visit her from time to time. Sa Mi… is lonely."
"I understand," I nodded. "My companions and I will visit the princess often."
The king smiled, "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Just as our conversation ended, the door opened and the princess's called out for me, "You can come out."
I looked up again, but the king had already walked away, so I left the room to meet Princess Sa Mi.
"Could you see and hear things down here?" the princess asked as we walked.
"Yes. I was able to attend everything."
"How are you feeling? You were shaking a lot before coming here."
"I am still afraid. Ma La is intimidating."
"I can see that. Look at how Dao Phong died after speaking with him. I still want to know what they whispered to each other at the end."
"About that…" I began telling her what I heard.
"I see. From what you said, Ma La is not a regular chancellor." She paused and asked. "So then, did you find out the reason you urged me to see him?"
I shook my head and honestly replied, "I don't know. All I know is that he is dangerous."
"We all know that."
"No," I said. "You don't know," words came out of my mouth that even I couldn't understand.
Princess Sa Mi looked at me with many questions in her eyes.
Just then, when we turned a corner, we walked into him, Ma La. Behind him were his people he brought from Ly. But compared to him, they were just shadows to emphasize how grand Ma La was. I instinctively hid behind Princess Sa Mi.
"Ah Your Highness! Please forgive me for blocking your way," he politely apologized.
"It's okay, Chancellor," she said and continued walking.
"I am truly sorry for what happened today," he continued.
Princess Sa Mi ignored him and kept walking. When he passed him, Ma La suddenly grabbed my shoulders.
"This friend right here. I have a very familiar sense upon seeing you. Can you turn around?"
Then, faster than one can bat an eye, Princess Sa Mi swept his arm away from me. The speed was terrifying. "Please don't touch my people," she calmly warned him.
Ma La, still half-shocked, responded, "I sincerely apologize. That was not right of me."
With the princess's help, we walked out without incident. When we were finally outside his sight, the princess said, "You must be very scared right now."
"If I'm not holding on to you, I would have already collapsed," I admitted.
The princess smiled, "How are you supposed to be the head of a family being so weak-minded?"
"Of course I will never let Ly Giai or Si see me like this."
"And you are comfortable showing yourself to me?"
"That's because… Your Highness is stronger than me."
The princess suddenly swung her right elbow, trying to hit me. I raised my arm to block her and swept my leg, trying to make her fall. But she was too stern, so I hurt myself instead.
"Ouch!" I hugged my leg. "How could someone who looks like a maiden be so strong?" I complained internally.
Princess Sa Mi turned around. "You are not too weak, after all," she laughed while looking at me. "From here, you can get back on your own."
"T… Thank you for bringing me out this far."
She then remembered something, "About Si's illness. I will have a doctor visit him periodically to monitor his health."
I nodded. "Thank you so much."