After tossing about throughout the night, Asher decided to send a letter to Sapphira, informing her he would arrive the next day and he swiftly ordered for all the merchants with excellent jewelleries to line up in his castle.
Nimrim was a remote area in his county and even if people began to talk about his strange order or even link it to a woman, he would definitely get to Sapphira before word got to her.
Sitting on his throne, leaning against one hand, he exhaled.
“It’s almost noon, Kelvin.” Worn out from the continuous disappointments shown by the merchants, Asher sighed.
Kelvin kept his chin up. “Giving up means you don’t want to impress her and trust me my lord, it isn’t hard for a woman like that to attract even the second highness and that is even if you married her.”
Asher glanced at Kelvin. “Is that so?”
He scoffed right after.
Kelvin smiled as the next merchant, a familiar man walked into the hall.
It was Jon.
“My Lord.”
Jon and his daughter, Jane went on one knee. Asher’s eyes quickly settled on the box Jane held.
“What do you have?”
Jon smiled. “The assassin’s delight.”
The name made both Kelvin and Asher intrigued.
Clack! Clack!
Jane unlocked it and opened it, revealing a hair pin. A violet, hair pin with flowers at the head and from those flowers fell three tiny silver chains.
Each chain at the bottom had a luminous sapphire crystal.
Jon took it from Jane. He approached Asher with wide strides all while wearing a wide smile. “It’s just a beautiful hair pin infused with force to emit such otherworldly glow…”
Shing!
He grabbed the part where the flowers were like it was a hilt and pulled. To the shock of everyone in the room, a slender blade emerged from the other side which served as a sheath.
Asher’s eyes narrowed.
Jon smiled. “It’s a lady’s ultimate self defense. These flowers once injested are poisonous and these beautiful glowing gemstones can cause harmless but blinding explosions once thrown. It’s an accessory by one of Sacred Flames finest. I believe any woman would love the assassin’s delight.”
Kelvin looked at Asher.
Asher thought hard.
Would Sapphira love something like this?
Considering her profession as a priest, would she really poison people or stab that mini rapier into men’s throats.
The word “men” made him see the hair pin in a favourable light. At least, if she couldn’t reach out to her sword on time, the hair pin would be less than an arm’s length away.
And it was equipped with all the necessities that could aid a woman escape a critical situation.
In a way this jewelry was life saving.
“Name your price.”
Asher said with a calm tone.
“It’s just a hundred thousand gold coins, My Lord.”
Just?!
He barely spent 100 gold coins for the wind chimes bracelet he gave to Liya.
“… Or we could exchange it for 10 percent less of tax fees for all goods brought in by my merchant guild for the rest of the year.”
“I’ll give you the amount you called.”
Jon was startled. Clearly, such an astronomical amount would make even the wealthiest count in Sacred Flame falter.
Considering that the jewellery was expendable.
To Asher, he just wanted whatever he would give to Sapphira to cost him.
He couldn’t bargain over it.
Shortly after the trade was over, Jon noticed Jane’s expression as they walked through the grand castle’s hallway.
“You’re disturbed. Why?”
“He’s changed. I can’t even find a connection between him and the baron we met here over a year ago.”
Jon sighed. “I heard his growth is linked to his mysterious talent. Who knows, he might have awakened a powerful talent like those in the First Age.”
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Jane’s eyes widened. “But those with such talents are either emperors or relatives to past rulers of the empires.”
“He’s an odd one then.”
Their footsteps echoed until they were gone.
…
A raven haired woman whose barefeet almost touched the ground, calmly hovered before the massive evergreen olive tree watching workers move about.
There were hundreds of workers, most of them were pushing wooden wheelbarrows loaded with olives while few were in tree’s labyrinth of branches.
Some branches were so huge that a man could ride a carriage on them! The height of the tree was 600 meters!
The stunning sight of a 600 meters tall tree that seemingly pierced through the clouds was never normal neither would it ever become so for the people of Nimrim.
So far, although with an extremely small population, Nimrim produced a huge percentage of the county’s revenue and had the highest number of healthy folks.
Some said it was because of Sapphira’s talent that made the earth happy while some said it was because of her ability to heal.
“What happened to her?” Sapphira’s expression was solemn as she saw some folks pushing barrows filled with black olives!
Mia, also a beauty but with blonde hair sighed. She was the one in command if Sapphira wasn’t around and also the only human closest to Sapphira.
“We don’t know yet but her yields are turning bad.”
Sapphira flew to the tree. The moment she moved, the temple knights flew at a faster pace, ordering the workers to move aside.
“Stop.”
Sapphira said coldly. She glared at Joseph, their captain causing him to lower his head.
Then, she proceeded. The moment she laid hands on the tree, a green glow ran from the root to the top.
In the next moment, the flowers became greener and it began to rain olives. Sapphira turned back with a normal smile that was nothing short of mesmerising on her face.
Just as the people were clamouring for safety, some horsemen could be found galloping toward the scene.
Dust rose behind them.
Sapphira squinted.
As they got closer, her heart suddenly began to beat stronger and faster than before.
It started the moment her eyes met that burning golden eyes embedded into that well defined face.
The only time he gazed at her with such softness and intensity was after the fight in his tent.
Neigh!
Bezerk raised his forelimbs, tilting upward and neighing loudly before walking on all fours.
“Hop on.”
Asher stretched his hand.
But to his dismay, there were signs of fear in her eyes!