Pandawa - Chapter 3(1) - a Bet

The cheers and roars grew louder in the main courtyard of the Majapahit Kingdom as each contestant took their position.

Some shouted encouragement, others jeered and laughed. Bets were made, while the rest simply watched with anticipation.

The man dressed entirely in Black cloth with red strips stepped forward first, after the lots were drawn using burning embers.

“Care to make a wager?”

A voice whispered behind my ear—so close it sent a shiver crawling down my spine.

“A wager?” I replied, turning slightly.

The man who whispered to me is Ra Tanca—more precisely, Rakrian Tanca.

The man who now served as the head of medicine and chemical development for the kingdom.

He was older than me—perhaps already in his end of thirties.

“Guess whether their arrows will hit the target or not,” he said.

I glanced toward the archers in the field.

“Sure. Why not?”

I could feel Ra Tanca’s smile widening.

“But that’s not interesting enough.”

“Not interesting?”

“How about guessing where the arrows will land.”

“. . .”

“Will they pierce the very center of the target? Or strike the second ring . . . the third . . . or miss entirely? Will they even hit the mark at all?”

I lifted my gaze toward the sky.

“And what do we wager then?” I asked.

The man smiled again—then leaned in closer, his breath brushing against my ear.

It made me cringe with disgust.

“A night. With you,” he whispered.

“To play with every inch of your body . . . to ensure every pore of the Al-Ma’lakh’s flesh is touched and tested—each experiment I perform shall be the finest in all the archipelagos.”

I bit my lower lip—not from shock, but from the thought forming quietly in my mind.

“I accept . . . but under one condition.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

.

.

.

Though I could not see his face, nor cared to turn toward him, I knew that the man looked as if struck by lightning the moment my condition left my lips.

“You know?” he murmured.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, smirking faintly.

“No one escapes my inspection, Ra Tanca.”

“And I suggest, . . . ” I continued, “. . .  you refrain from getting too close to the princess.”

“Well then,” I smiled thinly, “let’s begin our little wager.”