THE TEARS OF KUMARI KANDAM
CHAPTRE 6

"You know I can pass the beheading on anyone as I please, don't you?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the head of the harem, Leyla Rahsheda, replied to Jihan.

"Then answer my question correctly, you lowly!" Jihan exclaimed as she threw her wooden fan towards Leyla.

"Puni servant, Your Majesty. But everything I say is the truth!-"

Jihan suddenly moved, making Leyla instantly lock her mouth tightly. The sound of Jihan's anklets getting louder was heard approaching Leyla as well as Laasya, Haala's younger sister. Since her arrival at the queen's palace a few hours ago, Laasya has continued to hide behind Leyla. The young girl disliked Jihan whom she considered more sinister than a nightmare.

Jihan then extended a hand to Laasya, but Laasya buried her face in Leyla's back. With a gentle smile, Leyla whispered to Laasya if everything would be fine as long as she obeyed Queen Kumari Kandam's orders. Feeling no lies implied in Leyla's face, Laasya slowly accepted Jihan's hand.

"I'll let you meet Haala if you answer my question correctly. How's it?"

Laasya nodded at Jihan. "Smart girl. So, is it true that you were given a healing potion by a wandering tribe?"

Laasya nodded back. "They gave it to you directly?" ask Jihan again.

"They left it at the door."

Jihan laughs. "Then, no one really met the wandering tribe."

"So I met them" said Laasya.

"What?"

"Sister chased the sender of the potion into the forest, and found a place that had a different time. That's where you met the wandering tribe" Laasya added.

Jihan laughed again. "And you trusted him be-"

"The ancestral vowser in our family would not dare to lie. If they do, their lifespan will be reduced by one year" Laasya told Jihan.

"intriguing. Then what else do you know?"

Laasya was silent for a moment. "Sister's interest is not erased."

Jihan, Leyla, and everyone else in the room compactly rounded her eyes. The desire to reject everything Laasya said was indeed very large, but the hesitation to refuse to believe the innocent look of the young girl was much greater. Even for the first time, the famous Queen Kumari Kandam was rationally made to doubt her own rationality.

On the one hand Jihan is happy because she can indirectly get back to pocketing Haala's weakness, but on the other hand Jihan is not calm because she feels sure there is something special to Haala so that her memory is not erased. Jihan began to make plans, having previously allowed Laasya and Leyla to leave with a smile pretending to be top class.

After solidifying her scheming, Jihan called out to her accomplices. The angelic woman in the guise of the heartless creature ordered some of her accomplices to follow Haala everywhere, and others to watch over the movements of Laasya and the Haala family. Jihan also asked her henchmen to beware of Murat who was no less cunning than her.

"If there really is a tribe of nomads, capture one of them and bring it before me that very second in life, death, or death."

"According to your orders, Her Majesty the Queen," replied the accomplices of Jihan simultaneously.

...¤○●¤○●¤○●¤...

Eventually Laasya was able to breathe a sigh of relief after exiting the Jihan palace. Although there was everything in that simple palace, somehow Laasya felt claustrophobic. Fortunately there was the head of the harem manager, Leyla, who was always beside Laasya. Along the way to the queen's palace, Leyla did not get tired of calming the frightened Laasya. Even now Leyla was happy to take Laasya to Haala's training ground.

"My daughter is your age too."

Laasya looked at Leyla. "really? Where did he learn to read and write?"

"Maybe it's the same place you're studying right now."

"Maybe? Why maybe?" ask Laasya again.

Leyla was silent for a moment. "Because he no longer exists in this world."

"I'm so sorry."

Leyla smile. "She looks a lot like you, always hiding behind me when she sees Her Majesty the Queen. He said if Her Majesty the Queen like **N*Dak*chir*."

Nishir Dak* is one of the ghosts in India. Not much is known about this ghost's true form, as anyone who sees its true form will not survive. This ghost attracts the attention of the victim by calling the victim in a voice similar to the closest person to the victim. 

"I agree" Laasya replied.

Leyla laughed in response to Laasya. "You must be more careful before Her Majesty the Queen. Keep your eyes down, don't forget to salute, and never interrupt again."

Laasya was still busy discussing many things with Leyla, until in the middle of the journey both were recorded by Bheim. Bheim who had just walked out of the meeting room immediately slowed his footsteps when he found Laasya's back from a distance. Bheim thought that Laasya was Haala, remembering her rare golden hair and always successfully diverting every pair of eyes.

Bheim asked Murat to rest his very active mouth for a moment, while he reasoned to seek fresh air. Murat bowed respectfully, and walked in the opposite direction to Braheim towards his study. Braheim's spirit steps slowed down, when he found himself the wrong person. But Braheim believes that the golden-haired girl in front of him must be the Haala family.

Braheim cleared his throat, making Laasya and Leyla turn and bow respectfully to him. Leyla, perceptive with an eye-catching look, quickly explained who Laasya was and why he had come to the kingdom. Bheim nods his head at Leyla, then unexpectedly asks Leyla to return to work, as she is the one who will take Laasya to meet Haala.

"So you came here because you missed your sister so much?"

"Right, Your Majesty," Laasya replied to Braheim.

"Sister and sister are just as bad at lying" Braheim said in his heart. "Some thing I want to ask you."

"Please, Your Majesty."

Laasya was silent for a moment. "Our family has not made any match, Your Majesty. And yes, it seems like brother has a lover."

Spontaneous Braheim stopped his steps. "Who? Murat?"

"No, Your Majesty. Actually I'm not sure who. But my brother obviously likes someone. Although it seems like only one-sided love."

"Unilateral love?" ask Brahim again.

"Hamba is not sure either. That's just a presumption of the servant, Your Majesty."

Bheim continued his steps. "Your brother told you a story or have you ever seen a man he likes in person?"

"Not both, Your Grace. I accidentally found my sister's diary in the barn and read it."

Bheim stopped his steps again. "Give it to me."

"Yes?"

"Your brother's diary, I want to read it for the sake of the kingdom" Braheim replied.

...¤○●¤○●¤○●¤...

A DUG!

The sound of someone's head was heard violently hitting the wall of Haala's room. A person believed to be a male Haala entered secretly into his room with feathery footsteps. If it wasn't for the lighting in Haala's room that suddenly died, until the sun greeted him, Haala would never have noticed any intruders hiding in her room.

Feeling annoyed that again there was a pair of eyes that saw her wearing a nightgown, Haala immediately pulled the sword. Although in a pitch-black atmosphere, that melee fight was inevitable. There was no resistance from the intruder that was not heard the sound of his breathing, he was just trying to avoid Haala's attack with a balanced agility.

While continuing to swing the sword, Haala thought hard about who the intruder was. Clearly not Murat considering the other day his head was almost slashed due to his inaction in dodging attacks. Pun is not Braheim who only has strong stamina when struggling on the bed. Haala kept thinking, until the light of the night moon gave her a clue.

"You?"

"So your memory is not erased" retorted the wandering tribe leader, Daxraj Natesh.

Haala lowered her sword. "You came just to make sure of that?"

"And to erase your memory again."

"Alright, do it quickly, then get out of here immediately," Haala replied to Daxraj with a sigh.

Daxraj did not reply, only touched Haala's forehead with his palm, and began performing a memory-removal ritual. The ritual that takes no more than three seconds should be able to erase the memories of all living things, especially if done directly by the leader of a wandering tribe. All the bad memories will be erased instantly.

Yet strangely it did not react to Haala. This is what makes Daxraj not calm silence, until finally decided to meet Haala and confirm it directly. Rituals of memory removal have not failed for several hundred years of use on living beings. Haala was the first, and it left the nomadic tribe bewildered with worry.

Haala opened her eyes, as slowly her forehead began to feel cold. "I still remember everything."

"It's hard to believe" Daxraj told Haala.

Haala turned around, about to light a candle in her room. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about your punishment anymore. So now go."

"Again?"

"I told my mother and sister, as well as the Murat Counselor. It's just them" Haala replied.

Daxraj turned around. "You made me have no choice but to erase their memories."

"Just a memory of your tribe, isn't it?"

Daxraj stepped towards the window. "Of course."

GECK... GECK... GECK...

"Commander, did something happen? The guards heard a commotion coming from inside your room. You okay?" Braheim's breath sounded.

Spontan Haala turned to Daxraj who was also looking at him. Seeing Daxraj flinch, indicating that there is no way to escape. The sound of the entrance of her room that began to be opened forcibly made Haala for the first time feel thumping even though she was not in the middle of the battlefield. And when the door to his room was opened, Daxraj disappeared.

BRUK!

"Commander?" Bheim ran over to Haala who fell on the floor.

"Hamba is fine, Your Majesty."

"That sounds the opposite in my ear" Braheim told Haala.

"Please don't kotori your clothes ha-"

"Night in my palace, or let me accompany you until dawn. Choose," Braheim.

DEG! DEG! DEG!