Chapter 5: Siddhant and The King

The roses bloomed in the grand expanse of the garden, going as far as the eyes could see, two children went through the flowers laughing and laughing with no sense of the future that was waiting for them.

"Brother George, what do you want to be, when you grow?" The girl child asked the other child whose steps halted at the question and his brows arched, pondering about the question which was proposed to him.

"Me? I want to be free, Sister Querelia. That's all." George answered her, all while kneeling down with his back facing her and then he started to carefully pluck some of the roses to pass it to his sister.

Querelia stared with confusion and a slight frown directed towards her brother. Free? Why would he want freedom? Wasn't he already free, after all he was the next clan head of Saintian Clan, so why would he feel the need to say such a thing?

She needed to ask and that she did. "Brother George, I don't understand. You're already fr--" Before she could continue, her brother placed the roses on her palm and stopped her from saying anything further, but then, suddenly she let a yelp of pain for a thorn had pricked her digits making a small trail of blood escape. "Oww." She muttered in slight pain and this made the brother chuckle, causing her to give him a sharp glare.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just.... You asked me why I wanted freedom right? But instead of me needing to say anything, it was nature itself who graced your idiotic brain with some depth." The confusion only increased and this made the boy sigh, so he elaborated further. "The position of clan head is like the roses you carry, beautiful and pleasing from the surface level, but when you grab it—The thorns of responsibility and expectations pierce, and steal away your freedom of choosing the way you want to live. Slowly the excitement drips away just like the blood trickling down your fingers.... This is why I want to be free, away from the expectations and the burden, doing something which allows me to be free from the shackles. But I know you won't understand, since you're still not that much experienced in life, idiot."

George released a sigh, before he smiled again and gazed back at his sister whose eyes spoke of the realisation that went through her.

---

The eyes of George opened with a snap, as blood flew from his mouth in a vomit that painted the road black and he stumbled up. Looking behind him, he saw that he had crashed into a tree—broken in half which explained the blood flowing and the pain going on his back. His robe was tattered at many corners due to the sudden attack and the crash yet he could still stand, thanks to his strong physical foundation.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Can you hear us?"

"Sir, do you need some healing potions?"

Such question penetrated the ears of George, who grunted as he was swarmed by his men—they had all abandoned their position, to tend to him, also another reason was, their fear of Siddhant—for he could easily defeat their leader George who had mana and was more powerful than all of the peasant bandits around, so then that meant he could easily crush them too.

"Shut your trap for a second. Let my brain get a moment of peace, before the answers are given." George grunted with a glare, making the other bandits present stiffen with fear, as they all they felt his overwhelming aura which caused their bodies to react on pure instincts.

But one bandit couldn't hide his curiosity, and like a true cat whose curiosity got it killed, he spoke his mind. "Sir, who was that man? I mean he absolutely destroyed you in just a single hit! Our eyes couldn't even catch his movements." He didn't mean to praise the unknown figure, but he did that unconsciously, for the man truly was awesome—emerging from nowhere like a mist and producing destruction like a storm.

"He will die."

"Oh yes he will, indeed."

Suddenly only the man who spoke out was left standing in front of George, while the others quickly took large steps back and started to place bets on the outcome that would happen.

The locks fell in front of George's face, drawing the shadows to cover the expression on his village, yet, the bloodlust couldn't be contained as it crashed right on to the man.

"Oh... Shit."

That was the only thing he could say, before a kick enhanced by the wind was launched, and he too met the same darkness which had greeted the bandit leader prior.

---

The carriage and the carts moved with a swift speed, as the other villagers stared at Siddhant—driving the carriage, with clear suspicion and some specks of respect, as his presence seemed to enrich their animals—the bulls and the horses who moved with a much swift pace than usual.

The animals not only were energized but also seemed more happy and calm, as Siddhant's gaze remained steady towards the gate of Kingdom Maria, which was approaching bit by bit.

"We're close to the gates, I trust that you can talk with the guards patrolling the gates, Sefir? So that they allow us entry Inside the kingdom." The carriage driver asked, as he gradually made the horses slow down their pace, and turned his head back just a little, to get a proper glance at the father-daughter duo from the small rectangular window behind him, located on the body of the carriage.

The priest who was zoned out, his mind still reeling from revealing everything to Dianne—who too kept to herself deep in her thoughts, spoke out with a slight hurried tone due to sudden exit from the depths of his mind "Hm? Oh yes. Yes I can deal with them.... Siddhant." As the carriage came closer to the open gates, two heavily armored guards—covered from neck to toe in silver metal, ran to the front, stopping the carriage from going any further.

"Halt! What business do you lots have here?!" The younger of the guards, with a much more enthusiastic hot blood, yelled as he quickly took a glance at the injured villagers, with his eyes briefly stopping on Siddhant, before continuing with his analysis.

Dianne popped her head out of the window, and her father exited the carriage with a calm swagger accompanying him, striding over to the two guards. All while Siddhant observed the interaction with a smile, continuing to rub the backs of two horses—they seemed to have lots of affection for him, judging by the sounds they were making and the way they leaned more into his compassionate touches.

This interaction was not missed by the eyes of Dianne, who had kept her head out of the window to observe her father, yet it now focused on Siddhant, smiling at the beautiful scene in front of her.

After a while, Sefir stepped back from the guards who went back to their station, and he went to Siddhant speaking in a eerily calm voice—still not used to Siddhant and will probably never be due to the lingering resentment in his old heart.

"It's done. They have allowed us all entry and they were kind enough to send a messenger to inform the king, so that we wouldn't have to wait, once I revealed who I was." At the words, Siddhant chuckled and nodded, gesturing for the father to get back into the carriage. Which the priest eagerly did.

Then the carriage and the carts began to move again, as Siddhant's eyes remained on the castle, and the smile never left his face. The women, who were on the streets of the kingdom, both noble and peasants, all blushed once they caught a glimpse of Siddhant.

They all thought of him as a prince of some powerful kingdom such as Magadha, but the lowly carriage and the carts accompanying told a different story, yet their admiration filled gaze never left Siddhant.

For even if the lion settled with the wolves and the sheeps, he would still remain majestic and a sight to behold.

---

Maria stepped out of the chambers, finally dressed in some loose robes that still revealed much of her skin, and traversed the corridors. She was about to enter her potion room, yet her eyes caught something that made her pause, in the throne room standing among lowly peasants was the former royal healer Sefir, a girl who seemed to be his daughter and a man—that could even make her blush yet something about him felt off—as if she knew him from somewhere.....

But she couldn't recall anything about him, no matter how hard she tried, and thus she decided to keep close to the door leading towards the throne room. All because she wanted to know what was going on that warranted the return of Sefir from his self-imposed retirement, and figure out the identity of the man too that felt familiar.