Chapter 188: A Greedy Man’s Charity (1)

The past few days were a repeat of the same routine for Lloyd. After dinner, he hopped on the camel’s back and was rocked on and on as the animal trudged ahead. The similar desert scenery spanned before him all day. And when the moon went westward to give way to the morning, he got down from the camel, had breakfast half-asleep, and crept into the camp installed under the shade for sleep. And when the night came, he got on the camel’s back again. Just like that, every day was the same, and the pattern only broke a few days later when the regular desert scenery was replaced with a new one.

“We are now in Kandara, the central city of Kandahar.”

“…”

Lloyd’s ears perked up at Sheherazade’s words. She was the female bodyguard the sultan personally assigned to him.

“Have we now arrived at our destination?” asked Lloyd joyfully.

“You could say that,” replied Sheherazade.

“Woah.”

Lloyd drew in a breath. He was finally here. He welcomed the arrival and was happy.

Goodbye to riding on the camel for a while.

All of a sudden, his thoughts flew back to the events a few days ago. It must have been a day after he signed the construction contract with the sultan in Ahinsya. He received the people the sultan sent and hurried to leave for Kandahar. And along the way, he quickly explained the situation to the delegation, who was befuddled as to what was happening. Just like that, Lloyd hurried and left Ahinsya, and the days that followed made Lloyd feel as though he was undergoing an Antarctic expedition.

I did hear that the desert gets cold at night, but I never thought it’d be this bad.

Lloyd shivered. Desert. Camel. Anyone would associate those words with the searing heat. The same thing went on in Lloyd’s head when he was to leave for Kandahar and when he left the capital. He expected to traverse through the scorching desert and worried that he had no sunblock with him. But his worry turned out to be unnecessary and foolish. The journey unfolded in direct contrast to his expectations.

When it was boiling hot outside, we set up a camp under the shade. And when the sun set, we moved through the night.

When the sun disappeared from the sky, the temperature in the desert plummeted—and so did his happiness. It was cold. Terribly cold. How painful the gust of wind was! It was so biting that Lloyd was reminded of the winter training during his military years. He missed the old long padded coats he used to wear in South Korea.

Anyway, goodbye to such a cold for a while since I’ve safely arrived.

Lloyd never liked cold things to begin with. So, the mere fact that he could avoid being in it gladdened him.

“Then are we staying here for a while?”

Sheherazade nodded her head at Lloyd’s question.

“Yes,” she answered, “Over here. Allow me to escort you to our quarters”

“Oh, excuse me. Then…”

“Do you have any questions?”

“Even at the lodging, will Miss…” asked Lloyd.

“You can call me Sheherazade.”

“Oh, then Miss Sheherazade. Will you be guarding me in the lodging as well?”

“That is right,” she said plainly.

“Ack. Are we using the same room?”

“That is correct, too.”

“…”

“What is wrong?” asked Sheherazade. She was staring at Lloyd hard, and her dark-pearly eyes made him uncomfortable. Lloyd decided to be frank and expressed his sentiments to her as he smiled wryly.

“I feel slightly uncomfortable. In any case, you are a woman.”

“I am all right,” she said.

“I… don’t feel all right.”

His wry smile deepened.

“I wish to be comfortable in my room. I want to change in peace as well and be less self-conscious. But if you stay with me, then-”

“But the great and omnipotent sultan left your safety in my hands,” opposed Sheherazade adamantly.

“Sir Asrahan can protect me very well if you are concerned about my safety,” argued Lloyd as he glanced at Javier.

“…”

Sheherazade’s glance moved toward the silver-hair knight, Javier.

“As I introduced to you on the day of our departure,” Lloyd explained, “he has been protecting me since I was at the fiefdom. He is Sir Javier Asrahan. He may have his share of shortcomings, such as his snobby attitude, inclination to hurt people with his cold words, and a face that’s slightly more good-looking than mine, but he nonetheless is a useful guy when it comes to guarding.”

“I am aware,” replied Sheherazade. “It is an honor to be with the young sword master everyone talks about. But it appears that he is much more handsome than you, not a little.”

“Mhm… Okay. Anyway, Sir Asrahan is here,” Lloyd said, deciding not to dwell on that.

“So what?” she asked.

“Please leave my protection to Sir Asrahan in my room.”

“Are you forcing me to go against the order of the great and omnipotent sultan?” She stared at Lloyd hard as she said those words.

“Uhm, no. That’s not it.”

Lloyd was flustered. Was it because of Sheherazade’s adamant attitude? Surely, it was one reason. But there was a greater factor.

That sultan guy is more shameless than I pegged him to be. Seriously. How can he so boldly send his own daughter as my bodyguard?

Sheherazade. The sultan had told Lloyd that she was an excellent bodyguard. Though a woman, she was an unrivaled sword fighter. So, stay rest assured, the sultan urged Lloyd, adding that her acute sword skills and attention to detail would promise him the best protection. The sultan personally complimented her and assigned her to him. But Lloyd wasn’t fooled because he had already read The Knight of Blood and Iron, which detailed that the sultan had a daughter named Sheherazade. Not only that, she was one of the ones that tried to protect the captured tower right before the sultan took his own life. She was also the best female sword fighter in the desert. Thanks to her skills, she had the freedom to leave the palace at a young age compared to the rest of the princesses that had to stay within the palace their whole life. Her skills were honed and mastered under the special permission of the sultan. But according to the novel, no one aside from the sultan and his close cohorts knew that she was his daughter.

That must be why she’s using her real name. There’s no way for anyone to presume her real identity. More so for me as I’m a foreigner.

Generally speaking, the princesses in the desert were hidden behind a veil. Their faces and names were tightly kept a secret within the walls of the palace.

But too bad. I read the novel. I recognized that she was the sultan’s daughter from the moment he introduced her to me.

The sultan who assigned his own daughter to protect him. The daughter who insisted on staying in the same room as him. Lloyd could vaguely make out what was happening.

Oh, again. Again! I can feel it. l can sense what’s happening.

Lloyd Frontera! Be my son-in-law! Lloyd seemed to hear the sultan shout that at him. This wasn’t the first time Lloyd had gone through something like this.

This happened in Cremo. “Will you be my son-in-law?” And in Namaran. “Do marry my daughter.” I might have heard the same thing if the queen had a daughter. “You. Take my daughter.”Woah. And now, the enemy country’s sultan is one of my candidates for a father-in-law.

Lloyd couldn’t believe it. It looked like the daughters barely had any interest in him. And yet, he was wildly popular with his candidates for father-in-law.

Am I popular among elderly men?

As the epiphany hit him, his eyes started to well up with sad tears. But Lloyd laughed it off with resignation in secret and looked at Sheherazade.

“Yes. I’m asking you to go against his command,” said Lloyd.

“…”

“Don’t worry,” Lloyd added. “I can always fabricate that you did protect me when I go back to Ahinsya and tell the sultan. That you stayed by my side night and day.”

“Surely-”

“Please don’t say you can’t,” interrupted Lloyd.

“…”

“I am a mid-level sword expert. In other words, you don’t have to stick your neck out for me.”

“But I am-”

“Yes,” said Lloyd, cutting in again, “You are a high-level sword expert. So, your senses must be extremely heightened. But what to do? I told you. This knight over here is a sword master.”

“…”

“Here’s the thing. Once you prove that you can guard better than a sword master, then you and I can stay in the same room. But if that’s not the case, I want the right to be free in my lodging. And I don’t want to impose on you.”

“Are you serious about that?”

“Yes, every word,” said Lloyd without a hint of concession.

“…”

The dark pearly eyes of Sheherazade shook. Tears? No. They were embers of rage. That pleased Lloyd.

Good. Hate me more.

Sheherazade must hate me, Lloyd told himself. That was the best way to sabotage the sultan’s apparent plan to make Lloyd his son-in-law. Why? Lloyd had no interest in this princess and the sultan in the first place.

All I want is to laze around the rest of my life, enjoying the abundance and ordinariness of life.

Just like that, Lloyd grinned wide, his heart burning with a desire as hot as a cup of black coffee. He fixed his eyes on her, unabashedly receiving her glare. Lloyd shrugged and put an end to the matter.

“Then please take me to my room. Of course, you should look for your own room after.”

The princess wheeled around, saying nothing further, and she walked toward the lodging just like Lloyd asked. There was something rough about her gesture now, but Lloyd didn’t care. Just like that, he was led to his room, and he quickly unpacked his stuff and immediately tried to leave with Javier lest Sheherazade tag along. But he failed.

“Were you planning to leave me behind?” Sheherazade demanded.

“Uh… Um, hahaha.”

Sheherazade was standing in the corridor of his room. Could it be that she saw this coming? It appeared so.

Smiling awkwardly, Lloyd asked, “Have you been waiting here for long?”

“No, not really. I just arrived,” she replied.

“Do you plan on accompanying me from now on?”

“Yes, of course.”

That was exactly the problem, Lloyd thought to himself.

I really can’t be bothered with this.

Lloyd wished to lose her if that was an option. It was particularly so as he had to get cracking with the surveying.

I don’t want to have her glued to me like this. It’s uncomfortable.

It didn’t matter whether she was really trying to protect him or simply using the sultan’s order to get close to him. Either way, she made Lloyd uncomfortable. He didn’t have any plans to be friends with her in the first place. Moreover, her presence would only disturb him when he was surveying the site.

I’m used to Javier because he’s been with me for a long time. He makes sure that he doesn’t stand in my way when he senses that I’m surveying the area after meticulously sensing my gaze.

But Sheherazade was inexperienced. She would barely know what surveying would be like. So, it was better for him to expect nothing from her.

That’s not happening.

Lloyd yearned to quickly finish the construction so that the negotiation would happen between the sultan and the envoys. That way, he could return to the Frontera fiefdom, the place where the second chapter of life would truly begin.

So, I have to construct Qanat quickly. Surveying? I have to finish it up, pronto.

But what would happen if someone hovered around him and bothered his work? It would cause a delay, His return to the Frontera fiefdom and life of prosperity would be equally delayed.

Never. I refuse.

Lloyd shook his head in his heart and put his brain to work. What would be the best excuse to leave her here? Order Javier to knock her out? Lock her up?

No. No, that’s too harsh. What if she tells her father? Son-in-law and construction whatnot, he might kill me without a second thought.

Lloyd shivered as his shoulders felt cold. At last, he came up with a brilliant idea.

“Miss Sheherazade, may we have a word?” suggested Lloyd.

“What about?”

“Something that must be discussed indoors. Would you mind coming in for a minute?”

Lloyd grinned as he led her inside her room. Curiosity appeared in her eyes because she remembered how he loathed being in the same room with her. But now, he suggested that she enter as there was something to discuss.

“…”

She entered, and along the way, she saw. She saw Lloyd hinting at Javier with his gaze to stay outside and wait.

Hmm…

As she was led inside the room and sat on the sofa at Lloyd’s urge, she furrowed a little. Just then, the sultan’s order hit her. He had wanted to have this man as his son-in-law. So, she was to resort to any means possible to make him hers. Even foul play was allowed.

“…”

The opportunity to make it happen came earlier than expected. This was the moment to have a private conversation without interruption or disruption. Sensing it in her bones, Sheherazade resolved to her that the chance to prove to his father was now here. And now, she could make up for the resentment of not being born as a prince.

Only if I could make that man mine.

She would accept any friendly conversations. Thinking so, she looked at Lloyd, her gaze and expression ready to respond to him amiably, to break the ice, and to earn his favor. She was all set. Just then…

“For concrete, we will use high-strength concrete with high compressive strength to improve adhesion with PSC materials and reduce cross-sectional dimensions, and to this end, do preferably reduce the water-cement ratio (W/C) and improve workability.”

Eh…?

Lloyd spoke, but what came out of his mouth was some unexpected, incomprehensible gibberish in her ears.

What is this… She wanted to ask. What are you doing?! But she couldn’t.

“Maximum dimensions of the thick aggregate used during the production of PSCs will be determined by the tight concrete filling around PS steel, sheath, rebars, etc., and should average around 20 mm or 25 mm.”

“…”

Dazed. Sheherazade suddenly felt blank, light. She was definitely listening to his words, but strangely, her eyes felt heavy.

It’s strange.

Could it be because she lacked sleep? She had been struggling with severe insomnia since becoming a high-level sword expert. Her senses grew too sensitive toward all the sounds around her. She had endured solely with her willpower. Could it be the reason why? Could it be that she forgot what it felt like to have a good night’s sleep? Could it be why this unexpected drowsiness felt so welcoming?

I shouldn’t… fall asleep now…

Her body felt light. And her ears continued to enjoy the strange spell, which sounded like music from heaven.

“It is recommended that the compressive strength of concrete when pre-stress is introduced into the secondary material is 350 kgf/cm squared or higher in pretension and 300 kgf/cm squared in port tension. In both ways… What the… Must be at least 1.7 times the maximum introduction stress… Blah blah blah The compressive strength on the 28th… Yada yada yada… It must be 350 kgf/cm squared in the pre-tensioning member… Blah blah…” And with that, she passed out. She was now soundly sleeping after being unable to fight against sleep no more. A smile of satisfaction appeared on Lloyd’s mouth.

Operation Lose the Princess? Success! Hope you have a long, sweet dream. I’ll come back soon!