Why can't I stay angry with you?

Zoban said nothing, even when he noticed us from the distance.

He only glared at my hand, which was holding on to Mart's hand.

The stare and glare were so hot, it made me feel guilty.

"He's your partner. You don't need to enrage him for my sake, Dynma."

"Who told you he's enraged? Come on, let's go." I dragged him towards Zoban who was trying so hard to keep his attention on the path he was walking through.

And that was how we journeyed throughout the day.

None of us stopped to rest, even when the sun was high up in the sky.

It was just out of luck to see a stream. Had that not been the case, I'm afraid we would have died from not only the hot sun but from thirst.

Zoban didn't turn to look at me even when I gasped loudly, to get his attention.

"What a petty man." I scoffed at him, hoping to get a rise from him, but I got the opposite.

He didn't even turn, to spare us a glance.

"Aren't you tired? Do you want me to piggyback you?" Mart asked when he noticed how hard my breathing was.

"Tired? You jest."

"Why? Aren't you tired?" He furrowed his brows at me.

"No, I'm not."

"Then…."

"We will only rest when he's doing the same. Come on, let's keep up pace with him."

I will make sure I infuriate Zoban until he gets no choice but to pay attention to me.

That's what I'm going to do to him.

He can't ignore me for long, I will make sure of that.

"If you are tired, you can let me know. I won't mind piggybacking you."

"Aren't I a man? Why are you treating me as if I'm not one?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound that way, okay? If you don't mind—"

"I do mind."

After that, Mart didn't say a word.

We tirelessly followed Zoban down the hills until sunset.

And only then did Zoban decide he has had enough of the day.

He sat next to a tree, and leaned on it, while Mart and I sat a little distance from him.

I watched Zoban as he rummaged through his back, obviously searching for the dried food we came with.

Seeing him acting as if I don't exist, made me want to knock him on the head, and request he pays attention to me.

"I'm going over there." I rose from the ground and headed straight to where Zoban was sitting on.

"Let's see what I can get from this part," Mart said before he disappeared into the forest, leaving Zoban and me alone.

"What do you want? Won't you follow your new partner?" He didn't raise his face to look at me, as he asked the question.

He kept his attention on the bag he was tirelessly rummaging through.

"Can you stop acting like a bitch, Zoban?" I snapped at him.

"A bitch?" He raised his head, "who's the bitch among us, Dynma? Weren't you the one who was eager to take a stranger with us when I disagreed with that?

What kind of points are you trying to score with this?"

"With what, Zoban? You are the one who's acting like a bitch! Mart saved us from those hoodlums who would have killed us had he—"

"Killed us? Last I checked, I was the one who defeated the majority of them. And I would have helped you had he not come to your rescue earlier than I did.

Why are you now taking his sides!"

"Taking whose sides? You are the one who's trying to get me to take sides! What's wrong with you, Zoban? This wasn't how we started our journey." I felt like tugging my hair in frustration.

"You were the one who brought this to rise, Dynma. Had you not insisted that we take a stranger on this confidential journey, I wouldn't have bothered about it!"

"What's so wrong is taking Mart with us when he's obviously going through the same lane as us?"

"You are asking for what's wrong?" He rose from the ground and faced me.

With his height towering over me, I had to strain my head, to look into his eyes.

"Do you what's wrong, Dynma? It's taking a stranger with us on a confidential mission."

"He's not a stranger, Zoban. He has been with us for two days now, calling him a stranger doesn't seem fitting at all."

"What do you know about him aside from his name, and the few things he told you about?"

"What of me? You don't consider me a stranger yet, you don't know much about me. What if I'm the one you should be wary of?"

He doesn't know that I came from a world quite different from his.

"You are no stranger to me, Dyn. And unlike him, I know you won't do anything to hurt me.

But the same can't be said for a line traveller."

The prince's expression made it seem as if he was eager to beat some sense into me.

"Just give him the chance, Zoban. Don't conclude yet about him when you don't know anything about him."

"He's Still a stranger, Dyn. We don't need him." The prince took my hand in his, "I would rather not quarrel with you, but you seem to want that."

"How?"

"By trying to get close to him!"

"He's a friend just the same way you are. I can't—"

"Yes, we are friends." The prince let go of my hand, and turned his back to me. "I will allow him to travel with us."

"Thank you!"

"But know this, Dynma, should anything happen, know that I warned you."

"I will take the whole blame should anything happen!" I smiled at him.

Zoban sighed, "why can't I stay mad at you for long? Why must I always give in to you?"

"Because I'm cute!" I chuckled.

The prince mumbled under his breath, and when I asked what it was he said, he pretended as if he didn't hear my question.

Hmph.

What an arrogant prince.