THE TEARS OF KUMARI KANDAM
CHAPTRE 11

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"Then my servant resigned, Your Majesty." Haala bowed as she walked quickly out of Braheim's room.

"Stop there, commander. Before I used my power out of place."

Bheim threw a roll of paper on the floor, then got up from the chair he had occupied since dawn. Haala guessed that Braheim's angry steps were directed at her who had dared to be presumptuous, but wrong. Bheim walked past Haala, out of his room, and in a loud voice said to everyone in the waiting room if the agenda of today's meeting was finished.

It was clear that a large group of people were out there voicing this and that protest, but Braheim paid no heed and re-elected to his study. Spontaneous Haala turned her head, when the door of the room was closed to make her ears buzz. Bheim again walked past Haala, and snorted in relief after previously dropping his body on the rocking chair.

Not a word came out of Braheim's mouth, not even Haala. Haala was still standing in her place with perfect reverence. Braheim, meanwhile, fell asleep in just a matter of seconds. Haala remained faithfully subdued, until Braheim's snoring made her unintentionally look up. The situation is currently quite difficult, but somehow Haala even offered gratitude repeatedly to God.

"Hamba resigned, Your Majesty." Haala bowed respectfully.

Haala stepped as slow as possible so as not to wake Braheim, but in vain because the king did not even move in the slightest even though the breeze slammed the window of the room. Haala looked back many times, satisfying her eyes on the peaceful face of Braheim which she could not see again on other occasions. Until time forced Haala to stop his sassy activities.

"Why not open?" ask Haala in my heart.

Yes, the door of the room did not want to open even though Haala had put in all her efforts. Haala then turned to the window, intending to make it the last crack. But the window was reluctant to open. There is no other way out, the room that now holds him with Braheim is really a room that is no less mysterious than its owner. Haala gave up, and waited until Braheim woke up. Yet.

"It looks like you're sleeping well."

Spontaneous Haala got up from the rocking chair. "Puni servant, Your Majesty."

"How can I forgive your innumerable delusions?"

Haala bowed. "Hamba is ready to accept punishment, Your Majesty."

"I've done it a long time ago if only this heart did not interfere often" Braheim replied.

"Yes?"

Bheim throws a roll of paper on the floor. "My excessive curiosity must have made you difficult and forced to lie. I heard your age will instantly decrease by a year if you deal with a lie. I fasted because I felt I had to take responsibility."

"Where do you know about that?"

Bheim was silent for a moment. "From my father. He once told me that the weakness of Yusef Bahadir's descendants lies not in his wounds, but in his tongue. Then I was also told that their age could be restored by fasting."

"But that's no ordinary fast, Your Majesty."

Braheim again threw the scroll he read. "Then?"

"That's Pavitr*."

*Pavitr* is a fast of penance that is done from sunset until the sun is right at the top of the head*.

"Where is the problem?" ask Brahim again.

"Pavitr can only be done by a family and someone who is in a marriage relationship with a servant."

Bheim looked at Haala. "Then if you don't think of me as your family, don't you just have to have a wedding?"

DEG! DEG! DEG!

...¤○●¤○●¤○●¤...

Jihan smiled with satisfaction at the reports from her personal servants. After responding to Jihan's crazy orders, they immediately made Shaant* in large quantities, and quickly circulated the deadly poison into the harem. They even dare to guarantee with their own lives if not a single concubine was missed consuming Shaant.

*Shaant* is honey from a rare flower that is believed to make a woman barren*.

Now there are only two women left in the Kumari Kingdom of Kandam who have not been touched by Shaant, namely Jihan, and Haala. The personal servants of Jihan admitted that it was difficult to get close to Haala because since the incident of her food being secretly mixed with the concoction of the conqueror, Haala had become increasingly vigilant. Haala no longer ate food from the royal kitchen, nor received food from anyone.

"Haala's commander cooks his own food, Your Majesty," said Jihan's first servant.

"It's very difficult to find a gap, Your Majesty. Commander Haala is too wary." The third servant Jihan added.

Jihan turned to her personal servants as she exhaled Shisha* smoke into their faces. "Then you want me to intervene? In this beautiful weather? Just to meet that lowly woman in person, is it?"

*Shisha* is a Middle Eastern smoking method using water-filled tubes, bowls, pipes, and hoses. In the tube there is a special tobacco that is heated and added flavorings or aromas, such as fruits*.

"Punish our shortcomings, Your Majesty. We'll find another way," replied the fourth servant Jihan.

"My time is too precious to hear nonsense, so don't you dare face me if it doesn't bring me what I want."

"Okay, Your Majesty." The four maids bowed compactly to Jihan as she passed.

Four female servants had just walked out of Jihan's palace. The four went hand in hand before finally splitting into two groups. One group of people walked half-run towards Haala's training ground. While another group of three turned towards the warrior palace with cautious steps.

The four maids were unthinkable any other way than to force Haala to ingest the poison of the Shaant flower in the amount that felt enough to make Haala's uterus become deformed. One of them was in charge of ascertaining when Haala would finish training. Then the remaining three of them, infiltrate Haala's room, prepare to make Haala faint and then poke him with poison.

"Why are you guys hanging around here?"

"Greetings, Counselor." Jihan's personal servants bowed to Murat.

"We are carrying out the duties of Her Majesty the Queen."

Murat sighed in response to one of Jihan's servants. "Otherwise that crazy lady is planning this time?"

"Sorry, Counselor. Her Majesty the Queen asked us to keep it a secret especially from you," replied the maid Jihan.

"Don't bother King Kumari Kandam's favorite woman if you don't want to go back to feeling the coldness of the dungeon. Tell that to your master." Murat passed by with quick steps.

But in the midst of his journey towards the royal library, Murat stopped his quick steps. A feeling of uneasiness and uneasiness suddenly engulfed Murat. Murat looked towards Haala's training ground, then turned to look at the three Jihan's servants who were now walking toward Haala's bedroom on the ninth floor.

"Well, that crazy woman. It would be better if he played with the men from the brothel than to play with his life of only one" Murat murmured as he turned his steps towards the warrior palace.

...¤○●¤○●¤○●¤...

Haala looked at the two small glasses of memory-removing herbs in front of her. Occasionally Haala also looked at Daxraj, following the beautiful eye movements to solidify her sense of trust. The pale-white herb is the first memory-removing herb made specifically by Daxraj.

The disbelief that spread within Haala was defeated by her fear. Haala was afraid that her memories with Braheim would be erased. Although more painful than happy memories, inexplicably Haala still wanted to retain all those memories, even intending to take her to death.

But inevitably Haala must dare to take risks, in order to repay his life debt to Daxraj. Haala took a deep breath, before finally reaching for the small glass in front of her. However, someone who suddenly entered his bedroom made Haala put the glass back to its original place.

"Your Majesty? How did you get in here?"

"Is your curiosity more important than greeting me?" Bheim asked Haala.

Spontaneous Haala bowed respectfully. "Long live, and be bound always, the sun of Kumari Kandam."

Bheim glanced at Daxraj. "He is the leader of the wandering tribe that I often tell you about, Your Majesty," Haala added.

"I knew. We've met before."

Haala was silent for a moment. "Have you met? But why aren't your memories erased?"

"Eitherway. I think he knows the answer better." Bheim walked closer to Haala and Daxraj.

Spontaneous Daxraj got up, making Braheim's steps instantly stop. "Yes, I know."

A silent atmosphere suddenly burst into the bedroom without the fireplace. Neither Braheim, nor Haala, nor Daxraj, returned to voice. Bheim and Haala were patiently waiting for Daxraj to tell them the answer they were waiting for, but there was no sign that Daxraj would open his mouth.

Braheim drew his sword, because Daxraj was suddenly about to touch Haala's shoulder. The atmosphere of silence in an instant turned tense, as two men were now staring at each other intently. Braheim's sword steadily increased towards Daxraj's neck, when Daxraj finally opened his mouth.

"There are three classes whose memories I can't erase. Those who were faithful servants of the God in his previous life, those who were obedient to his religion, and women who carried half my heart" Daxraj said, turning to Haala.