Lovers Beyond the Mirror - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Desert Bride (1)

People often think of ‘desert’ when they think of a dry land with only sand, but in reality, the desert was more of a wasteland made of rocks, gravel, and sand.

A land where plants grew in places where water could accumulate, and life rose and disappeared at once by sucking up water that had been temporarily stagnant in rocks and sand during the short rainy season…

Although the desert was dry, it was a place that harbored life that could sprout at any time.

And, Vaisha loved such a desert.

Vaisha’s face was sunken as he stood on the dune and scratched the horse’s ear eager to run.

Originally, he planned to welcome Ranua and return to the oasis with her. However, an urgent call came from the oasis, and he was unable to cross the desert with the bride.

“I don’t know if my Ranua will be doing well.”

Chiarin was beside Seriana.

He even left Kayan by her side, just in case. He has left two people by her side who can solve problems neatly, though the anxiety that lingered in the corner of his heart did not go away.

“I’ve lived my whole life without worrying about others, is it because it’s my Ranua?”

As if understanding his words, he tapped the neck of the horse and raised his head.

It was a day with no wind. On such days, the Uru tribe cannot make use of their tribe’s specialties.

Today was his chance to overpower it.

“Kudra, the warriors await your orders.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Everyone wants to run wild.”

Vaisha bowed his head and looked at the warrior, waiting for his next word. His heart went out to those who were heading to the oasis over that dune over there. However, there were things he had to do.

“If I go back with a wound, Kayan will be nagging you, no?”

“Who dares to hurt Kudra?”

“I said that too, but Kayan looked at me with a very suspicious look.”

“Because the servant of Kudra is very concerned.”

He, the one who ran wild ahead of Kayan when a battle broke out, received his telling with a worry-free face. Having wandered the battlefield together for a long time, they knew each other better than themselves.

“But, Kudra, wouldn’t it have been better to get the blessing from Ranua and move on?”

“Why? Are you afraid again?”

“Is it possible? I just wanted to be the first to receive the blessing of Ranua that no one had ever received before.”

“Arthur, I will be the first my Ranua will bless.”

At Vaisha’s mischievous words, the man burst into laughter.

Their King, who was not nervous even in the face of a great battle, was a man who gave more power beyond a blessing just by being there.

While the two of them exchanged words leisurely, after a brief break, the warriors who finished their preparation came up to them, and their eyes lit up.

Vaisha’s amber eyes, looking at his warriors who showed with their whole body that everything was ready, were also shining like them.

“Today is the day to clean up Uru.”

“Yes!”

“We return to the oasis where our new Ranua awaits, unscathed.”

“Yes!”

“You waited a long time. Now run wild as much as you want.”

“Uwwoooo!”

An unbelievable gust of wind began to blow on the sandy land where there was no wind.

And at the forefront of the gust was Vaisha, the greatest warrior in the desert, riding the biggest and fiercest horse, running towards the enemy with his dark hair fluttering.

*** 

A small carriage carrying Seriana was passing over the relatively hard sandy ground.

A small carriage pulled by an animal called a camel, that she had never seen before, had a wide roof to block out sunlight, although it had a hole in all directions to let the wind pass through.

Thanks to that, Seriana was able to look at the scenery around her, and she could keep glancing at the constantly changing sand dunes in the distance.

“Are you still amazed?”

“Hmm. I never imagined that the wind could move a mountain.”

“The wind in the desert sometimes even beats the sun. It is not surprising.”

Chiarin, sitting on the railing of the carriage with a curtain made of several layers of thin fabric in between, answered.

She smiled softly as she looked at Seriana, who still couldn’t take her eyes off the sandy mountain.

Seriana, at first, couldn’t even make eye contact properly and had a hard time speaking her words. But now, she was talking to herself quite comfortably.

‘I was worried because we didn’t meet under good circumstances, though she opened up her heart faster than I thought.’

It was a war that started from the beginning, aiming at the Princess of Rajen.

As though she had been stolen from the Rajen royal family like a war spoil, Chiarin, who was worried about what to do if Seriana was vigilant to the end, let out a sigh of relief without her knowing.

“If the terrain keeps changing like this, how do we find a way?”

Seriana, who had been having a hard time putting her words comfortably, now asks questions like this.

She then responded calmly, trying hard to press the lips rising from an unknown pride.

“In the desert, you don’t see the path of the land.”

“Then…?”

“You have to look at the sky.”

“Sky?”

Chiarin, who eventually burst into laughter at her with her eyes wide open, pushed her torso into the carriage.

She heard that Seriana was the same age as herself, but it was as if she was staring at a helpless little sister, so her laughter did not stop. It had been a long time since the feeble reluctance when she heard that Vaisha would make the Princess of Rajen as his Ranua disappeared.

It wasn’t just because she was the Master to serve.

She was beautiful, pure, and smart. Chiarin checked it out while she was crossing the desert, and she could be sure that Seriana would be a great Ranua.

She, above all, could not continue to be cruel to those who could not hide her pure curiosity and goodwill for the deserts, oasis, and people she loved.

“The earth is easily changed by the wind, but the sky is not. You see the sun during the day, and you see the stars at night.”

“Ah…”

“Later, I will show you how to see the sky path.”

“Really?”

“The servant of Ranua never lies.”

Chiarin, who winked one eye towards Seriana, who was nodding her head like a little child, pulled back out again.

The sun rising in the middle of the cloudless blue sky was showing off its power.

It was a common sky in deserts where water was scarce, although, for Seriana who grew up in an affluent land, this must also be a part of a mysterious desert.

“Well… Chiarin?”

“Yes, Ranua.”

“How far must we go to Kudra’s oasis?”

“At this rate, we will arrive in two days.”

“I see…”

Seriana gazed at Kayan’s back, who was at the forefront of the party.

Originally, Vaisha was supposed to be there, but it was after he left Rajen first to clean up one of the rebellious tribes.

Seriana was so drunk with the afterglow of her hot first kiss right after the wedding she couldn’t even say a simple goodbye to him. With that regret still lingering in her heart, she hoped that she would get to Chaitun as soon as possible and meet him again.

“Will Kudra be okay?”

“Don’t worry, Ranua. He is a strong and excellent warrior. There is no one stronger than him in this desert.”

“I thought so.”

“Yes?”

“Ugh, no. Nothing…”

Seriana was the one who looked at him through the mirror. So, of course, she could nod her head in agreement at her words.

Ignoring Chiarin’s eyes, who looked at her with a puzzled look, Seriana glanced at the chariot that followed her carriage. It was a cart loaded with wedding items that the Princess of Rajen carried.

Most of the bridal items prepared simply on the pretext of a hasty marriage were overly glamorous and useless.

Seriana remembered her magic mirror that would be mixed between the objects.

It was also the only thing she had brought herself.

‘I may not need it now, but…’

The unknown first love reflected in the mirror was now her husband…

She knew his name and voice, and she was able to feel his body temperature firsthand. Nevertheless, Seriana could not leave the mirror. She was also grateful for the mirror that reflected him, and it was also the object she first accepted as ‘her own’ since she was born.

‘Should I cover it with cloth in Chaitun’s palace?’

It would be a big deal if the mirror even reflected his figure when she was with Vaisha.

She thought that far, and Seriana shook her head, blushing at the moment. Seriana then remembered that the time the mirror reflected him was the evening when the moon was high.

If she got married again in Chaitun’s way at oasis, she would be a ‘real’ couple and not a ‘temporary’ and she would spend her nights with him.

However, that natural thing was still too heavy for Seriana.

How can she spend the night together when she can’t raise her head in shame just thinking about it…!

“Are you okay Ranua?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Huh. It’s just a little hot…”

Seriana, who started fanning herself with her palm, avoided Chiarin’s worried eyes, and began to try her best to erase Vaisha’s face from her head.

Strangely, when she thought of him, not only her skin but also somewhere inside her body became hot together, making it difficult for her to cool her body.

“Ku, Kudra then… he’s strong, right? Well, strong and—uhm…”

“Haha.”

At that, Chiarin burst out a small laugh as she watched Seriana begin to gibberish.

Seriana, startled by the sound of her laughter, turned her gaze to her. It was a refreshing and healthy-looking smile that could not be found in the people of Rajen. Like a woman in the desert, with dark skin, she had a very healthy body compared to her.

Chiarin’s body, clad in clothes that exposed her shoulders, arms, and belly, was made of strong muscles, and fat could not be seen.

“I’m sorry, Ranua. You are cute.”

“Yes…?”

“Since we started running through the desert, Ranua’s last question has always been about Kudra.”

“Di, Did I?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Ah…!”

Watching Seriana’s white skin turn red again, Chiarin burst into laughter again.

Seriana, who can’t hide her feelings for Vaisha, was really cute. Her fidgety look was lovely as she tried to hide her heart somehow.

This feeling wasn’t just because Seriana was the Ranua she had been waiting for. No matter who she was in this position now must have thought the same as Chiarin. Who can hate this beautiful master?

Had Kudra not specifically ordered her to be taken care of ‘appropriately well,’ she would have looked after her master with all her heart.

Of course, not all of Chaitun’s party had the same thoughts as Chiarin.

The warriors, who had to serve the Princess of Rajen, who had not experienced the desert, were more worried about Seriana that they had to escort than the bitter sand wind.

The nobles of Rajen they knew were weak and strict. They thought that she would be whining because it was too hot to take ten steps, and complaining about it before she even took the ten steps.

However, contrary to their beliefs, their new Ranua did not reveal any prejudice against the desert and did not complain.

Rather, she showed interest in everything in the desert and did not hide her fondness for Vaisha.

Their faster-than-expected movement speed was all thanks to Seriana’s attitude.

Of course, there were also small questions.

It was a fact that everyone in Chaitun knew all too well that Rajen’s nobles and royals were denigrating themselves as barbarians.

But, why was the Princess of Rajen so gently showing her fondness for Kudra and not revealing her dislike for the desert?

Even more puzzling than the lack of repulsion was that Seriana was not afraid of them.

‘Is it time to send back all the maids and attendants before we crossed the border?’

It was Chiarin who directly expelled those who had endured with a lukewarm attitude, saying that it was impossible to do so because it was King Rajen’s order.

It must have been harsh for the Princess of Rajen, who had to leave her hometown and start her new life in a new place.

But, in the desert, Kudra’s orders were absolute, and Seriana has yet to formally say hello to Helaim… She was a Ranua with no power.

‘It must be normal to be anxious… Though was she rather happy?’

At the moment when it was natural to reflect her fear, Seriana was smiling lightly.

Just like a person who was glad that the maids and attendants who followed her were leaving. And, those who left also quickly turned their backs without showing any sign of regret as they sent away the Princess they had to risk their lives to protect.

Like people waiting to be kicked out.

‘Strange. I don’t know what it is… It’s strange and uncomfortable.’

Chiarin decided to keep that awkwardness in a corner of her mind.

After all, until the day she died, she was a servant of Ranua. If she stayed by Seriana’s side, the day would come naturally to end this question.

So, let’s focus on ‘Ranua’ she finally met.

With that thought, Chiarin wiped the smile off her face and calling Seriana in a serious voice.

“Ranua. Kudra’s oasis is a beautiful place, though it is also a dangerous place.”

“Ah…”

“If you walk down Helaim’s red road, the danger will disappear naturally, but you have to be careful until then.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“There is no need to be so nervous. This Chiarin will protect Ranua.”

“…Thank you.”

Seriana bowed her head a bit dazed and said her thanks in a small voice.

She has a hard and secure fence that even her mother has never given her.

She was so moved that she couldn’t look straight into Chiarin’s face for some reason.

“Ranua. Don’t lower your head like that.”

“Chiain…….”

“You must not bow your head to anyone other than Kudra. You are Ranua, the daughter of Helaim and the goddess of the desert.”

“I…….”

“And you don’t have to thank each and every one of them. Enjoy it for granted and command it as if you were breathing. You are the one who deserves it.”

“……Yes.”