"Chief should have finished them both earlier. All this time, no one knows that there is life inside the forbidden forest. Outsiders only know it as a haunted forest. Anyone who dares to approach it will die," said the man."Let it be. The policy inside the forbidden forest is entirely in Chief Barnawa’s hands. As followers, we can only accept without objection. Perhaps their arrival went unnoticed by the Chief." The woman in yellow tried to ease the man’s worry."It’s impossible that the Chief didn’t know about their arrival. There are radars he placed at several points. Surely, anyone passing through would be detected."The woman chuckled softly at her own ignorance. "I don’t know anything about those radars. You know well that I only joined the Chief a little over ten years ago."The man smiled in understanding. It was true—Nyai Roro Kuning could still be considered new compared to him, who had joined decades earlier."Why are you smiling, Ki Bajang Awu?""Nothing, Nyai. I just adm

“Why are you all silent?” Arya glared sharply at the four soldiers in front of him. Their bodies trembled as though gripped by overwhelming fear, sweat pouring down heavily to the ground.“F-forgive us, Prince … Lord Regent Jaladara is currently at the royal palace. Perhaps in six or seven days, he will return,” one soldier finally dared to reply.Arya muttered softly, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face at being unable to meet Regent Jaladara.“Then here’s what you shall do … Convey my message to Regent Jaladara once he returns. Tell him there are villages where people live below the poverty line and have never received any aid—Sawangan Village is one such place. Say to him that if he cannot fulfill his duty as a leader, I will ask my father to strip him of his position and replace him with another. Do you understand?”“We understand, Prince,” one soldier answered.Without another word, Arya and Ratnasari returned to their horses and leapt onto their backs.The two ste

Queen Dyah Pitaloka could see the confusion on both of their faces. Yet she remained silent, allowing them time to think. Being kind to others did not mean ignoring one’s own most important interests—marriage, for example.Therefore, she pressed her youngest son to proceed with the marriage.“Can’t it be postponed until after the war, Mother?”“What if you die in the war? Have you not promised to marry Ratna after the war? How will you keep that promise if death comes first? Do you wish Ratna to suffer forever?” Queen Dyah Pitaloka bombarded him with words.Deep inside, Arya admitted that what his mother said was true. Yet in his heart, he was very certain he would not die in the war.As if reading his thoughts, Queen Dyah Pitaloka continued, “You may have abilities as high as the sky, my son. But no one knows the decree of the Divine. There may well be someone stronger than you, who could defeat you.”Her words shook his soul. Arya realized arrogance had taken root in his mind. It wa

After a long time of merely observing without doing anything, Arya finally began to move his pen. Line after line flowed across the map, guided by the thoughts in his mind as he planned out his war strategy.From time to time, Arya paused to reread what he had written. He understood that no strategy in the world could ever be perfect. Every plan must have its weaknesses, and its success depended entirely on the counter-strategy used by the enemy.After nearly four hours at his desk, Arya finally completed his battle plan. The final step was to visualize it in his mind. By doing so, he could better identify which points needed improvement.Half an hour later, his chamber door was knocked from outside. Arya was slightly surprised, for he had already instructed the guards not to allow anyone to disturb him that night until he came out himself.The handsome young man rose and walked toward the door, opening it. Standing there was Prince Bimalaksana, accompanied by their father.“No wonder

As the proverb says, experience is the best teacher, Arya proved it on their second night. This time he was more patient, no longer rushing with passionate attacks, but instead moving with gentle play that lifted his wife to the heavens.Unlike the previous night, they only had one round this time. But for Arya and Ratnasari, it felt far more beautiful than the first night. The two of them then drifted to sleep, wrapped in exhaustion that blended with satisfaction.The next morning, the newlyweds emerged with bright faces. They looked refreshed after bathing, showing no sign of fatigue.They had already agreed to return to the Purareksa Kingdom that very day. Before leaving, however, they needed to bid farewell to King Dharmalaksana and Queen Dyah Pitaloka.“Father, Mother, we cannot linger here. This morning we must return to the royal city of Purareksa. I worry that if we stay away too long, something undesirable may happen,” said Arya