When the clear blue sky slowly turned tangerine and the golden rays of the sunset hit the land of Rikhill, Joaquin found himself lost. He was so immersed in walking as a common person, trying out some food from the stalls, dodging careless children, and haggling with merchants, that he didn't know which part of the capital he was now in.
He looked around, noticing the people in this district were unlike the bustling capital where he came from. There were barely any people, and the atmosphere was a little gloomy. He tilted his head to the side, scratching his temple, before chuckling to himself. This was so unlike him. Joaquin had always been keen and he would never get lost.
No amount of distraction could truly distract him ever since he was crowned the crown prince. But here he was, lost in such a small place, and drifted from his planned route.
How amusing.
Joaquin chuckled to himself, still calm despite that the night was about to fall and he didn't know where he was. His people would take some time to find him because he didn't tell anyone where he would go. Yet, he wasn't terrified of his situation.
He might be an alien to this land, but at least he studied the map. Joaquin idled on the same spot, recalling how he drifted from the capital. He rocked his head in understanding as soon as he recalled he was munching peanuts when he noticed a group of suspicious people.
Out of plain curiosity, Joaquin followed their trail but ended up losing them for his lack of urgency. And now, here he was, in the middle of nowhere, which he believed a part of the slums, where peasants lived. It was no surprise that this kingdom had such a place that differed from the lively capital since slums would always exist. Even in Maganti, they had those poor districts.
'Well.' Joaquin shrugged as he disembarked to return to the inn he would settle for the time being. The royalties of this land didn't know he had already arrived. Although they knew a royalty would visit the land after the Maganti delegation they sent, they didn't know Joaquin already tagged along with them.
Joaquin simply followed the tracks he had taken previously. But alas, on his way, the sun had already gone down and the narrow street where he followed the group was already dark. As soon as he hit another narrow dark alley, he stopped.
He raised his silvery eyes, which seemed to shine in the darkness. His eyes instantly met with at least five pairs of eyes idling in the narrow alley, looking in his direction as soon as they felt his presence.
"He's the one who had been following us," said one of the men in the alley, sneering. "He might be one of that pig's men."
Joaquin kept his straight face, sizing up the men, camouflaging in the darkness. Just with the men's tone, he could tell they were looking for trouble. His intention by following them was out of pure curiosity, so Joaquin didn't exert effort in not getting found out by them.
Another reason he was amused about. Ever since he came to this land, he had been out of his character.
His lips stretched into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. And just like how he had embraced his unusual actions, Joaquin raised his hands to his shoulder level.
"I don't plan to fight," he surrendered even before they state their intentions. "Mercy."
The men snorted as they sized him up from head to toe. Joaquin didn't look armed, nor did he look familiar with the group of bandits they were having problems with. Still, they couldn't just lower their guards since the group was frequently recruiting people and hence, catching the attention of the monarch.
"Take him and let's bring him to Boss," said one man, spitting out to the side whilst keeping his eyes on Joaquin. The other men looked at each other and grinned. When their eyes fell on Joaquin, their lips stretched from ear to ear as they advanced in his direction.
The closer they were, the more Joaquin was able to study their physique and their polished daggers. A shallow breath slipped past his lips. Even though he was unarmed, he had slaughtered people more than these men could have combined.
Being the crown prince, assassinations weren't new to him.
Therefore, Joaquin could easily fight these men without exerting effort. He waited for the men to enter his vicinity, and planned to knock them all unconscious. He didn't want to get attention on him and create conflict on his agenda.
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Joaquin blinked twice, a little taken aback at the turn of events. His eyes fell on the petite figure standing atop the man's back. Because of the shawl over her head that crawled down her neck, and then across her lower face, Joaquin automatically discerned her as a man. Although she was rather petite and slightly smaller than a man's stature, her clothing and the machete in her hand proved he was a man.
But that wasn't what was important to Joaquin. What truly mattered was whether this person was a foe or a friend. Just by her stance, Joaquin was certain this person was skilled, especially carrying such a large machete.
"Oy!" Joaquin snapped out of his trance when one of the men who was about to assault him yelled. When he glanced at them, his brows furrowed, noticing the caution in their initially bloodthirsty eyes while taking careful steps back.
"Oy?" A woman's voice followed, causing Joaquin to narrow his eyes as he searched the source. When his eyes fell on the newcomer's figure, Joaquin realized his guess was wrong to think the person was a man when her voice undoubtedly sounded good… and sexy.
The woman swung the machete over her shoulder and tapped it lightly, facing the group of bandits fearlessly.
"Oy?" she repeated, chuckling in amusement. "Aish… you people had been giving me a hard time lately, but the first thing you'll tell me is, oy? Come on… you're making my machete tremble."
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