The Lusitanian cavalry was routed from Daylam, and for the time being, peace was restored. After graciously accepting words of thanks and jugs of wine from the people of Daylam, Kubard now asked Maryam to fulfill their end of the deal. Since he had successfully wiped out the Lusitanian cavalry, it was only natural that this should be done.
The head maid feigned ignorance at first.
“Ah, what was that again? I often forget things in my old age.”
“Cunning old woman. It’s the reward we agreed on! If you forget, I wouldn’t mind reminding you.”
“Ah! It would have been so convenient if you’d died in battle with the Lusitanians.”
“I see no reason for me to martyr myself for some granny’s sake. Please fulfill your side of the agreement immediately!”
Thus, Kubard received five hundred Maryami gold coins and three boxes of luxurious lapis lazuli jewelry. Merlane, however, was a different story.
“I don’t accept rewards from people I’ve saved. The Zott Clan can only take things by theft.”
The Zott Clan seems to divide people into those who need help, and those who should be stolen from.
Dawn was approaching. A white light floated on the horizon of the inland sea. When Kubard was about to leave the ship after accepting the reward, another maid called to him. It turned out that Princess Irina was waiting in the cabin. After welcoming the one-eyed Parsian, Princess Irina began to speak.
“I have something to ask you. If you are willing to answer, I would be grateful.”
Kubard thought to himself, “It’s probably that kind of thing, right?” He liked women, and women liked him, but he never expected to be admired by a princess.
“I heard that you are a general of Pars, so you should know very well what goes on inside the palace?”
“More or less.”
Kubard’s answer was concise. To Kubard, the palace was full of luxury, grandeur and waste, which made him feel very uncomfortable. If not for important matters, he would not go near such places.
“So, you should know of Prince Hilmes, right?”
What? Whose name did the princess just mention? Even a bold man like Kubard was surprised by the suddenness, and he looked back at the princess’s face.
“Is the Prince Hilmes you mentioned the son of the late King Osroes?”
“So you do know him. Well, he is the prince whose father was killed by the brutal and lawless Andragoras. He is the true king of Pars.”
Kubard was unable to answer, and he looked back at the proud face of the princess, still covered by a veil.
“Why do you ask about Prince Hilmes, Your Highness?”
“Because he is very important to me.”
After speaking, Princess Irina reached her hand to the veil and slowly removed it. Kubard saw her face for the first time. She had fair skin, a slender face and bronze hair, but the color of her eyes was unclear. They were tightly closed. Noticing Kubard’s surprised reaction, she asked quietly.
“My maid did not tell you that I’m blind?”
“No, I was unaware.”
What a cunning old woman! Kubard could not help but inwardly curse the old maid.
“Then, you’ve never seen His Highness Hilmes’s face?”
“I know that his face has terrible burn scars. However, since I am blind, that kind of thing doesn’t matter to me.”
Prince Hilmes’ silver mask must be to hide the burn scars, Kubard finally understood. But if he really regained the throne, would he still have to wear the mask in the future as well?
“Lord Kubard, since I met Prince Hilmes ten years ago, he’s been the only one in my heart. I want to see him, please do me a favor.”
“Are you aware of Prince Hilmes’s temperament?”
“I know he has a rather fierce personality. However, he is very gentle to me. That is enough.”
Once again, Kubard was speechless. Although Hilmes was a man obsessed with vengeance, he had not done anything cruel to the blind princess of Maryam.
“I’m sorry to ask, but what would you do after meeting His Highness Hilmes? Let me put it this way, his only goal right now is obtaining the throne of Pars…”
“Isn’t Prince Hilmes the rightful heir? If he is not allowed to ascend the throne, then Pars is just the same as Lusitania and Maryam. Both have become countries devoid of justice and humanity. Isn’t that right?”
Kubard shrugged his broad shoulders, but of course, the princess could not see this.
“I’m sure that’s what Prince Hilmes thinks.”
“Are you of a different opinion?”
“There are all kinds of people in this world.”
To avoid any further discussion, Kubard replied curtly. The blind princess fell into deep thought. It was not appropriate for an outsider to express too many opinions.
Of course, Kubard’s thoughts were different from hers.
“I eat beef and lamb even though the cow and sheep have done nothing wrong.” Kubard thought. It is not always clear which side is the one of justice. If Hilmes and Irina meet again and get married, she would surely give birth to a righteous and just prince, right?
Kubard knew where Hilmes was. He should be in the western fortress of Zabul fighting with the Temple Knights. However, to reach there, Prince Irina would have to pass through occupied land of the Lusitanian army.
For Kubard, being caught in the middle of trouble is something he resents. In other words, the most troublesome thing in this world is someone else’s lovelife. What’s more, one side is Prince Hilmes, and the other is the princess of Maryam, and getting entangled with them is like swimming in fish oil with a torch.
“Let me think about it.”
The bold and decisive Kubard gave an uncharacteristically vague reply, then left the cabin. He felt that if he went on like this, he would eventually agree to the other party’s request.
Once on the deck, Kubard met the head maid Jovana. When she saw Kubard, she gave a warm smile. This attentive old woman must have known about his conversation with the princess, right? Kubard once again suppressed his anger.
He was about to leave when he realized that Merlane was gazing at him.
“What is it? Do you have something to say?”
Being asked by Kubard, Merlane said something unexpected with an usually uneven expression and voice.
“Just give me the task of getting the princess to that Hilmes guy!”
“Oh ……”
Kubard looked at the young man of the Zott Clan. Although Merlane tried to hide his expression, his cheeks suddenly looked extremely red and his eyes didn’t dare look directly at Kubard. It was obvious that the young man of the Zott Clan had also been entrusted with the same request as Kubard.
“What about your sister? Don’t you have to look for her?”
“At least my sister’s eyes are functional.”
“Hmm. That’s a good point.”
Kubard did not say the words “you must be in love with the princess”. Merlane was taking this unpleasant task in place of Kubard, so any further mockery would be punished by the god Mithra. He was not clairvoyant, and had no way of knowing that the murderer of Merlane’s father was Prince Hilmes.
“Then you can do it. Everyone has a home to go back to, or a path to take.”
After saying this, Kubard added another sentence.
“With Prince Hilmes is a man named Sam. He is an old acquaintance of mine, and a reasonable man. Find him first and give him my name. He should not act against you in any way.”
“You don’t want to meet him again?”
“…Another meeting between him and I would be complicated. But if you see him, please give him my regards and tell him that Kubard is still off being Kubard.”
Kubard told Merlane that Prince Hilmes was probably in the vicinity of the fortress of Zabul. Merlane nodded, his eyes shining.
“What does Prince Hilmes look like?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve never seen him?”
“I’ve met him, but I haven’t seen his face.”
He felt that there was an unusual meaning implied in Kubard’s words. Merlane frowned speechlessly, so Kubard added.
“You’ll know when you see him. He always wears a silver mask to hide his face.”
Merlane sniffed and frowned more tightly. To him, his doubts seemed to be increasing.
“Why would he do that? People only hide their face if they’re doing something wrong. The Zott Clan still show our faces when we plunder and set fire!”
“I heard that he has severe burn scars.”
Merlane accepted Kubard’s brief explanation.
“That’s really unfortunate!”
Merlane murmured, but his tone implied that a man should not care so much about his appearance.
Kubard threw the leather pouch to Merlane, which contained five hundred Maryami gold coins. The weight of the bag startled Merlane. He seemed to want to say something, but was stopped by Kubard with a smile.
“Take it! It’s a thief’s job to help people with too much money, right?”
So, Kubard and Merlane went their separate ways, according to their own ideals. This was at the end of April.
Rukhnabad Translations 