Ratih’s heart raced with a cold dread that coiled tight in her chest, every nerve ending sharp and alert as she watched the massive host draw closer to the Kadipaten gates. If these soldiers swore allegiance to Prince Dananjaya, all hope would be lost—Aji’s strength was all but spent, and he lay defenseless in the midst of his meditation, his body still and vulnerable beneath the dappled forest light. Her gaze fixed on the iron-banded gates nearly fifty meters away, her eyes narrowing as she tracked every movement through the swirling dust. Should their presence be discovered, she knew not how she would protect him—not with her own reserves stretched thin from the earlier skirmish, and not against numbers so great.Within the Kadipaten walls, the arrival of thousands of fresh troops had sent a wave of terror through Prince Dananjaya’s remaining soldiers. Whispers spread like wildfire through their ranks—Cakrabuana, they murmured, their voices trembling with fear. The great kingdom’s a

"I know not the full reason, Aji," Rangga replied, his voice carrying the weight of a truth none wished to acknowledge. "Even Duke Hanggareksa himself dared not question the command of Wikrama—such is the gulf between their stations in the imperial hierarchy.""It should have been His Grace who held the right to convey Prince Dananjaya to the Imperial Palace, not Wikrama," Ratih interjected, her tone sharp with indignation. Her eyes blazed with a fire that mirrored the passion she felt for justice in the Duchy of Tanjung Rejo. "The prince’s rebellion was waged upon our soil, against our people—we deserve to see that justice is meted out with our own eyes."With deliberate grace, Aji rose from where he had been seated, his movements fluid despite the lingering weariness in his limbs. He strode forward until he stood mere paces from his three companions, his gaze sweeping across their faces with the keen perception of one who could sense shadows lurking beneath the surface of events. "T

The night air of the Duchy of Tanjung Rejo hung soft and still around them, scented with the perfume of night-blooming frangipani and the cool breath of the distant mountains. Ratih leaned against Aji’s side, her fingers tracing gentle patterns on his palm as she spoke, her voice a whisper woven into the fabric of the dark.“It is the way you hold me—like a precious jewel you would shield from every storm, yet also like a partner whose warmth brings light to your own heart—that binds me to you so tightly I could never bear to let go. You are, truly, the kind of husband every woman in all the realms might dare to dream of, Aji,” she said, her dark eyes shining with a love so pure it seemed to glow in the moonlight.Aji’s gaze lifted from her face to the heavens above, where the moon hung like a polished disc of pearl and the stars scattered across the velvet canopy like shards of crystal. His expression was thoughtful, shadowed by memories that still clung to him like morning mist. “I

Fifty strides beyond the village’s outer edge—where the fields of golden rice gave way to wild grasses and scattered shrubs—they found the path the innkeeper had described. Two ancient banyan trees stood like sentinels at its entrance, their massive trunks twisted together in a embrace as old as the land itself, their roots spreading across the earth like gnarled fingers. After a brief conference, they urged their horses into a swift gallop, leaving a thick cloud of dust to dance and swirl in their wake as they vanished into the green distance. Time slipped away like water through their fingers, and two hours passed before the trees began to crowd closer, forming the dark mouth of a forest that seemed to drink the light around it. From the road outside, the woods looked impenetrable—their canopies so dense that only thin shafts of sunlight managed to pierce through, painting shifting patterns of gold and shadow on the ground below. Bargowo’s brow furrowed with d

“They move with impossible speed!” Bayu shouted, his voice strained as he parried yet another flying sword that came whistling toward his head. The blades seemed endless, arcing through the air in a relentless storm of steel that forced him to stay on constant guard. But defending against the projectiles was only half his burden—two masked figures pressed him from either side, their own swords flashing in quick, precise thrusts that left him with barely a moment to breathe.Across the clearing, Aji pushed his body to its limits, his feet barely touching the ground as he darted between the flying blades that pursued him like vengeful spirits. Each time he evaded a strike, he spun to deliver a counterblow to the two assassins who had closed in on him, their movements coordinated so perfectly they seemed to share a single mind. His muscles burned with exertion, but he did not slow—not when failure would mean death for himself and those he held dear.With a sudden burst of strength, Aji u