The Butterfly Girl

Chapter 8: The end of Balbadd

The mood in the city got worse day by day. Alone in my cabin I waited fo the last candle to burn out and stared bored to the ceiling, which had not changed much in the last 30 minutes. I was given a curfew for the next time which more than displeased me. Supposedly the nightly thefts had continued and the once peaceful city transformed more and more into a fragile and dire one . The situation became inscrutable.There was something going in here, I could feel it. Annoyed I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and landed on my feet. I needed fresh air before I become claustrophobic here! However, before I could get out to the deck someone called me from behind. The captain came slightly out of breath from the interior to me.- "Hey, girl. Where are you going? "
- "Just get out on the deck."
- "Fine. But not alone." And so he followed me outside, where the cold air blew lightly through my hair. The sky was cloudy, only a few lights were burning in some houses. The rather chubby sailor seesaw up and down on his feet and seemed to want to go below deck again. I didn't think so. Unlike him, I had something to do. Well then let's go.
-"Captain?" - "Uh yes?" - "I'm getting a little cold. Could I have a blanket? "
- "S-sure. I'll be right back." With clumsy steps he ran down the small stairs while I moved to the boat side and slowly let the rope down. One of the sailors had forgotten to pack it away, which was only to my benefit. Carefully but quickly I roped off and ran straight to the nearest lane, hiding behind a half-fallen wall before moving on toward the center. At some point I stopped, something was wrong. Why is there so much fog here? The further I ventured inside, the stronger the fog seemed to be. I stopped for a moment, completely lost my orientation when I started to hear voices from a little further away. Quickly I hid behind stacked boxes that had been leaned against an outside wall. In fact, several people were on a large area, with most of them wearing rather simpler clothes. Residents of the slums maybe? But, who is this man over there? Not far away I saw familiar hair. The purple strands went in the back up to his butt and he obviously had more clothes on than the last time I saw him. With him was also a heavy-built man in golden chest armor and an almost graceful little man with silver hair. Across from them was a boy with a rope around his neck. I have no idea what's going on, but that could be very interesting.

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And in fact I was proved to be right. My thoughts were consumed with the man with the lilac hair - wrong, to this face now belonged a name- Sinbad. King of Sindria and Lord of 7 Djinns. Never would I have thought to meet such a person by chance just here. Granted, Kougyoku probably didn't either. Kouen's younger sister was sitting with red cheeks and dreamy expression in front of a freshly brewed cup of tea in one of the many smaller garden pavilions of the local garden. Several days had passed since the successful invasion of Balbadd and I too had returned to my homeland. As my master had to stay in Balbadd for the time being, I was brought back to Rakushou together with his little sister with the next best ship. The princess still seemed to live in her own world and did not even notice that the tea was slowly cooling. I sighed slightly annoyed.
- "Your Highness, your tea is getting cold." Startled Kougyoku turned her anxious look to me before she began to hide her face behind the long sleeves of her dress.
- "Y-yes. I'm sorry Michiru. I just ... thought very hard. That was all. "
 - "I would also think hard about all what has happened lately. Most importantly, about what your father thinks about it. He just did not seem to be thrilled if I should believe what I heard. "
Kougyoku sagged in meekly. Of course her father is not enthusiastic about it. She should have married the king and not bring another one to us! Koutoku was obviously not thrilled to learn that his youngest daughter not only could not achieve her only and most important task, but also has invited a potential opponent of the empire to discuss the matter here. The result would not change, but the procedure is noticeably controversial.
- "Do you think father and brother Kouen are disappointed with me? I realize what I did, but if it was the only way? "
- "I do not judge you, Your Highness. Your father is certainly not pleased about it. That is beyond question. And your brother ... To be honest, I'm not so sure. Even if, how could he be disappointed with you? "The midday sun was constantly shining in my face and made sure that strange little dots accumulated in my mind. Where was this pompous ass of assistant Ka Koubun? He only wanted to leave for a moment. Surely he was saying something stupid again out loud. No wonder no one really liked him.Fortunately, he came back at some point and I was finally able to return to my actual work: searching for Koumei and waking him up again. That redhead had been ordered back home the day before and my master would stay in the newly conquered territory for a little while longer. I walked down the path next to a smaller garden in the inner part of the palace when I heard someone run after me. It was Kindo.- "Puuh, finally I caught up with you. Since when do you run through the corridors like that? " Kindo seemed to be out of breath and had to get some air first. I raised my eyebrow slightly as I stared at him questioningly. - "What does running mean here? What can I do if you are too slow for a soldier ~? How did you get this job again? "
 -"Haha very funny. I'm a guard on the gate, not an errand boy. You don't need soldier training. Anyway, I'm coming for something else. Someone wants to see you right now. "

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Heyo!

A new chapter for you like promised. I think I will keep my updates to one for each month just for you to know. I really have to think where to go next with this story because I have the feeling that there needs to be more dynamic. so I will keep going!

Thanks for reading so far and hopefully till next time ☺