After trying to avoid any reason that could lead me to meet this man, i am myself walking in his den, just hope I won't meet you, your highness.

"stop the carriage" ordered Isia while sitting on the carriage and leaning on her one hand with closed eyes.

"miss, it's still quite far from here"

"prime ministers carriage beside the prince's barrack would lead to attention from court, the spies are everywhere, we need to be careful"

"yes, specially with the prince who is despised by the king, even if your majesty doesn't show hostility towards him above front now but he, makes sure to keep him in check, it's better to avoid such a person" blurted Jia with her hands moving all around in the air as she spoke.

her coachman and maid understood the lady's concern but who knew deep down there was another reason, much bigger than this.

take the carriage near his barrack and get noticed, i want to live a long life, he is far more dangerous than the king himself.

"wait here" instructed Isia and went on with a small bamboo basket in her back, dressed in her usual white hanfu but without and designs or patterns.

As Isia walked closer to the ground where the herbs usually grew, the barracks began to come into her sight.

it covered a large area, there were huge fences around it and large number of tents in the vicinity with a huge training ground around the center part but the one stood out was the one in center, it was huge and grand, although in same color as other but the entrance was different.

"so the devil lives here....." spoke Isia and then got busy finding the herb, her mother can't wait for long and she will not stay here to be caught by the devil incarnate, the herb needs to be found urgently.

"found you...." said Isia as her eyes sparked, the herb lied under the tree almost at the edge of the raised land beneath which after going a few meters down one would reach the male lead's current adobe.

Isia ran towards the plant and bent down to pick it up, as she extended her hand to grab the herb she felt a sharp object coming closer to her, the chances of running into Valiac's men was eminent but she did not want to be killed but also did not want to show her martial art so she pretended to fall, letting out a 'ah' sound and then held her knees and the small sharp knife hit the tree infront of her.

"who are you?" asked the man from behind, his voice was devoid of any kind of emotion, but it was enough to send a chill down the spine of the person being addressed.

so intimidating....

"I....I am a healer....sir"

"what's a healer doing near military camp, turn around and speak!?"

Isia slowly picked herself up with the help of the tress beside her and turned towards the man as she slowly looked up the voices in her head rang.

"mia look at this description of the male lead......dressed in all black outfit devoid of any design and decorative, the man scaled the land, the fox mask covered any trace of his identity, he went out to seek revenge, no corrupt person escaped once under his watch, the dark eyes which looked out of the fox mask held no emotions in them, one stoke and they were down on the floor.......such a cool description, right!"

"yeah, i can even imagine him fully, if he comes in front of me one day I will recognize him immediately"

"huh I did recognize him" spoke Isia to herself.

This is the man who sent Isia to her final breath, he threw her to the wolves, the day he discovered she was the person behind scheming against his beloved woman he did not even think of anything before he ordered for the woman to be tortured and thrown in the jungle full of blood thirsty wolves, 

the screams of a woman were heard throughout the jungle and since then no one dared to just a hair of the woman the now emperor cherished so much was the sentence in the book.

Isia's body felt a chill her hands were sweating but she knew she has to think rationally of there will be a slip and it could cost her her life so she composed herself and straitened her back with her eyes down and then continued to respond to the person's question.

"sir.....my mother is extremely ill, and the herbs that can cure her are found here and nowhere else so i did not think and just came here....forgive me please sir, I am just a normal woma......"

"stop! get out of here" spoke the man, the once emotionless eyes flared with anger, his body became stif as he ordered Isia to go away pointing the sword in the other direction.

"yes...." replied isia and ran away from there cluthing her dress from both her hands on the side. As soon as she felt that the man was out of sight, she halted, her hands left her dress, her face turned to its normal proportions, her hands and feet relaxed as she looked in the direction she came from.

I don't only remember your style but also each detail about you......... and then she went towards her people.

Valiac's mother was a well learned woman both in martial arts and literature, a well known woman and not like the ones acting naïve and innocent but was framed and killed by these types only, since then Valiac has hated these kind of woman and stays away from them as far as possible and who know this better that Isia, Using this tactic against him, made a perfect plan for her escape.

"let's go"

"miss you found the herb"

"hmm" replied Isia as she stepped n the stool lifting her dress and got on the carriage followed by Jia.

*******************

outside the main tent in the barrack, sounds of clashing swords were heard and the person inside immediately got up and went straight out, the flaps of the tent door cloth hurling behind him.

Infront of him was a women in a yellow white dress with a sword in her hand, her sword clashed with a man's  sword, he was Valiac's right hand man and only second to him in combat, as she leaped towards him straight with huge force, the man almost bent down completely on his right leg, if not for the other leg supporting him he would have already fallen hard, the fight went on for almost five minutes before the girl backed down a bit. Seeing her loosing, Valiac called out her, this time the most faint light touched his eyes as he called her out.

"who are you girl?"

"i am....."

"sir! sir!, a message from the emperor her asked you to go back!" anonced the informer.

"Valiac turned towards the informer and took the formal call from the emperor, all the soldiers who were just few seconds before were enjoying a fight, started their own fight in their hearts, what was the emperors purpose in calling them back.

"go everyone get ready, we are leaving" announced Valiac as he turned and went inside his tent.

"yes!" shouted the soldiers in unison and then got to their work.

"girl you can go, we will compensate you with another horse"

"who cares for your horse" replied Reika as she stomped and left the place.

*************

it was almost a year since the incident, Isia's mother was now cured and living a healthy life and Isia has completed her training under her master and was now living with her mother in the estate, her father also visits them often even though he can't be with them all the time.

life was going smooth for Isia, she was living her dream life, the weight in heart that something might happen and she would need to return to the capital and face the male lead was fading away.

"MOM! what are you doing?" Isia asked her mother as she sat next to her and hugged her.

"i am embroidering our family's crest for your father"

"mom if your missing him so much why don't you send him message, hmm, instead of worrying here" 

"Who said I am missing him" spoke her mother as she looker up from her embroidery and faced Isia, seeing her knowing smile and raised eyebrows she gave in, "ok,  ok I am missing him but i know he works so hard, i am sure there must be some problems at court that held him in the capital of this long, so even if i miss him, i don't want to increase his worries by telling him that"

hearing that there might be some problem at court her mind went back to the book she read..........

"my lady letter from the capital!!!" shouted her maid as the entered where the lady and the madam of the house sat.