Arslan Senki: Legend of the Twins

31. The Prodigy Meets the Artist

When Asa had fully opened her eyes, she wasn't expecting to meet Daryun's stoic face and feel his robust arms brushing against her back and the crook of her knees. It was obvious to her he was carrying her bridal-style, but she couldn't figure where he was taking her to and for what reason. "Umm, Daryun?"

The black knight didn't stop on his track when his sharp yet gentle eyes met with the princess' questioning look. "Ah, good afternoon, Hime-sama. How are you feeling?" he smiled casually in return.

"Much better, I guess..." she replied, averting her haze away from him to take a good look at her surroundings. "More importantly, are we in the middle of the march right now?"

"Yes we are," Daryun nodded, lifting his gaze from her to look at where he was going, "Currently, we are moving separately from Rajendra-ouji's army with the help of a guide he sent."

"We are moving separately? Why?" Asa's eyes slightly widened as she looked at him in disbelief. "What happened while I was sleeping, exactly?"

"This is the result of Denka's earlier discussion with him. We agreed to take separate way from his army so we can confuse Gadhevi's army by ambushing it from two directions."

"But that's ridiculous," Asa groaned, earning a glance from Daryun, "We can't trust him... confusing Gadhevi? Aren't we just being used as a decoy?"

Daryun smiled softly at the princess' comment, glad that her mind aligned with his. He heard her murmur a second later, complaining, "And he had promised me he wouldn't let that man do as he pleased, too..."

"Don't worry, Hime-sama. This is part of Narsus' plan."

"Part of Narsus-kyou's plan? How so?"

"Yes, everyone in our camp thinks just like you: Rajendra-ouji can't be trusted. But that's exactly why it's better for us to operate at a safe distance from him." Daryun explained.

"I see... I, too, wouldn't want to be around someone I don't like," Asa let out a sigh, agreeing with Narsus. She looked at Daryun again, now smiling, "Anyway Daryun, you can put me down now. It must be tiresome to carry me, right?"

"I would have to refuse that request, Hime-sama," Daryun smiled back apologetically, earning a curious look in response, "We are amidst the foot soldiers march right now. Doing that would mean to break our formation and we can't afford that."

"But..."

"Rest assured; I am fine and it's not tiresome to carry you. This is also what Denka had wished."

Asa averted her gaze in shame. Daryun didn't elaborate it, but she actually understood the situation quite well. When the time for them to move came, she must be still sleeping in her tent and knowing her twin, he wouldn't have the heart to wake her. But they couldn't possibly waste their time waiting for her to wake up, and that's when Daryun offered himself to carry her to their destination alongside the foot soldiers, leaving her twin's side to look after her like this. "Sorry... I'm just being a burden, aren't I?"

"Now why are you thinking like that?" Daryun frowned a bit before showing another smile for Asa, "I'm doing this voluntarily, so please don't feel guilty over it, Hime-sama."

"I see... thank you. I won't, then," Asa smiled thinly, "...but what happened to Shabrang?"

"He's ridden by Bahar-dono. We switched places."

"That makes sense." Asa nodded to herself. She had been wondering about her personal attendant's whereabouts and now was glad to have confirmed it. "Now, you should be leaving this matter to me and rest. You are still looking a bit pale, actually."