7 Now, It's Not The Time

"Li Jili? Merchant?" She muttered. Who the heck is he?! She thought inwardly. She didn't know this guy, why did he say he knew her? And why he called her Queen Tereza? What Queen?! Ah, her heart couldn't calm down.

She held her head, feeling painful and didn't respond to him. She was in depression state, tomorrow morning she would die, she didn't know what to plan besides trying to talk with the chief. But, she didn't know if she could win the bet or not. What if she failed? She would die! She curled her knee again and buried her face on it.

The man who called himself Li Jili looked at her weirdly. He felt something strange. Where was the fierce and strong confident woman he usually encountered to? Snickering, 'Interesting...' He felt amused how this woman attitude changed suddenly. He said, "Yes, I'm a merchant, are you okay?"

"Can you please leave me alone for a while?" Sarah asked her as she peeked from her arms. The man smiled as he nodded to her words. She sobbed in silent and let her lips trembled terrified and pale. She was exhausted, she wished to go home.

After a couple of hours, they were silent and didn't say any words to each other. Sarah regained her calmness, she felt sleepy, but she didn't want to sleep where a stranger resided inside the same place as her. What if he did something to her? She was just being cautious. Feeling her eyelids trying to close up, she distracted her sleepiness by talking to him again.

She apologized with a calm voice, "I'm sorry for my rude talk. I was just being emotional." As she slightly lifted her head to look at him.

Her voice reached his ears, he opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side to see Sarah. Stunned to see her apologizing looks. She was like a harmless puppy. Choking in his throat, he commented with his face darkened, "Did you just apologized to me?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" She asked confusingly.

Shaking his head, "Uhh... nothing, nevermind. Can I ask you something? Do you really lost your memories?" He asked her with a serious face. His smile dissipated along with his playful tone. He was really confused to see this side of her. It was too unexpected.

Sarah tried to think fastly, but she didn't know what to say besides answering the possibility, "If I said I really am lost my memories, what would you do?"

He chuckled from her wary looks when she faced him. Did he wear that serious face again? And did Tereza scared at him? Her? He changed his face quickly and curved his lips, "Nothing, I'm only asking." Now, this was a new discovery. What would he do after this? Taking advantage of her?

Feeling something was off, Sarah had a hunch, this guy was up to something not good. So she answered quickly, "I don't lose my memories. I just chose to erase it." Sweating from lying. She scolded herself, she needed to train her white lie. He should found about it, right? That she was, in fact, lying.

"Hmm... alright." He answered short.

"Eh? You believe me?" She asked him with wide eyes.

Shaking his head once again, he said, "Nope. I know you have a good reason why do you lose your memories or why do you want to trick me or something. I don't particularly care. But, It's quite hurt you forget about me, Tereza."

Shocked when he could read her easily, she countered, "As I said, I'm not-" Tereza! Stopping her words, she changed her question immediately. She gazed at him closely, his clothes, his hair, and his featured face. He looks like Japanese or Chinese or something. She heard him saying from the Haocun Kingdom. Was it possible? "Yes, I do have a reason that I can't tell you. Now, it's my turn to ask you, how is the Haocun Kingdom situation, I mean like politic or others? And Is it true almost all of the people have black hair and black eyes? Do they wear that type of clothes often?" As she gazed at his clothes.

Why did she suddenly asked his kingdom? He thought inwardly. He wondered, "Haocun Kingdom? Why are you asking that?"

She begged him, "I'm curious. Please tell me, anything will do!"

He snorted, "You truly forget all of it, huh" He mumbled quietly so she couldn't overhear his voice. Should he answer her question about the current situation changed drastically since she was accused as a witch and a wanted person? In the end, he didn't tell her. He reluctantly replied, "Yes, just like everything you said is true. About the situation of the kingdom, well, it's quite good I guess. Sorry, I'm only into business, not politic."

Li Jili told her about Haocun Kingdom's condition, from the culture like how the Haocun people like to worship spirits and legends until their living style. The kingdom was the source of art and knowledge for people to learn as well as their knowledge was always compared to the Gerald Kingdom. It was a conservative country but it didn't mean they didn't welcome the people from other kingdoms, as long as they followed the rule and custom of the country. He told her others stories as she kept throwing questions. Gradually, he answered it one by one. Glancing at her attentive gaze, it brought him shivering, he didn't recognize this woman, he felt bizarre. He finished telling her and stated, "That's pretty much about it."

...

So, if she connected about all of her speculations, she concluded this was really not her place! She was nowhere in her country nor world! She got up and walked to the wooden bar. She touched it and knocked it. "What are you going to do?" He asked her while looking at her back.

Pack! Pack! She tried to break through the wooden bar roughly with her shoulder. She needed to get out from here! Her eyes turned to red and she felt irritated. But, If Li Jili's stories were true, then was it possible that she could find a clue or help in the Haocun Kingdom?

Stopping her action, she deep exhaled and tried to calm her down. She squatted and looked down. One minute ago, she had a question related to magic or supernatural things. He said if she could find a particular spirit in the Haocun Kingdom, that spirit could granted all of the things she wanted. Yes, she could do that. Her goal was to go home. She needed to come back to her own world! She needed to find that spirit and for that, she must go to the Haocun Kingdom.

Li Jili while sitting cross-legged and arms in front of his chest, was gazing at her weirdly. Why she became like this? He thought. He told her, "As I said, it's useless. I knew that type of wood, that wood is made from one of the strongest trees in this forest."

"I'm just trying. I know it's useless." She answered without looking at him. Li Jili founded that this Tereza was almost like the usual her. Strong, fierce and domineering. But, her difference right now was, she could show her crying expression. What he knew about Tereza that she never liked to show her weak side like this. This made him nostalgic but in the same hate it. The fact he once like this side of her.

He stood up from his sitting position and walked to her side slowly. He wanted to embrace her listless shoulder. But when he tried to do that, the prison's door was opened and Berno intruded the place. "It's time." Berno grabbed Li Jili and pushed him to the side, it left him staggeringly fell. He grunted from an impact.

Sarah's body was being lifted up by Berno and brought her onto his shoulder. She shouted, "Let me go!"

"Tereza!" Li Jili screamed her name. The door was shut tightly and he went to the door, pushing it, and shouted her name. Ah, damn! Why did he experience this type of feeling again? Was it because of her changing attitude? Or was it due to her familiar beautiful face?

He recalled the time when he met younger Tereza in early thirteen years old while he was sixteen. This little girl could exceed his business in only three years, this girl was talented so he tried to recruit her, but she rejected it and expand her business on her own with her team.

Although he and she were rival in business, their relationship was more than that, it was slightly complicated or rather only him who thought like that? He was wondering if she ever thought of him more than business rival? He guessed not.

When he got news about Tereza's death and Tereza's accusation as a witch. He didn't do anything to save her because he hated her at that time, he was still hovering about her 'betrayal' to choose that stupid king rather than him. He convinced himself not to think about her again and focus on his mission to find that 'thing'. That 'thing' was more important than her.

Later did he know, when he encountered to her again tonight, his old dying flame started to spark once more. He should not lose his temper right now. Stopping his action, he sharply gazed at Sarah's body who was being carried by Berno. In the dark cell, his eyes were gleaming red. "Don't be like this... now it's not the time. Don't fail your mission and identity. Find that item." A black shadow whispered to him.