Herald of Steel

When Pasha Farzah virtually accepted Alexander’s proposal in that low, mellow voice, the latter’s heart danced with a kind of joy he had rarely felt in his life.

And it was not just because of Azura and Azira’s breathtaking beauty, or the naive yet cute way they talked and interacted with him or even their great status as the princess of a superpower and the political implications that came with that- those were of course all valid factors as in terms of status, wealth and lineage, there was currently perhaps no one in the whole country who could match them.. not even Mikaya.

But perhaps more than that, it was the fact how rare and untouchable they were to Alexander till now that really tickled his manly side.

The allure of finally having those two black beauties in his bed was something Alexander had been dreaming for ages, and finally, he seemed just inches away from closing the deal.

It was possibly because of this that he struggled to keep his voice as he replied to Pasha Farzah regarding the dowry, asking the old man to name his price.

As long as it was written the realm of reason, Alexander was of the mind to agree to it.

However Pasha Farzah first lightly smirked at Alexander’s words, possibly because he could sense his nervousness and excitement, and then, instead of quoting any number at all, simply stated, “…Just say that you will make them happy!”

“…???….” The words stunned Alexander for a second.

He almost felt like a man who was just about to be mugged at gunpoint, but just as he was about to hand over his wallet wadded with cash, the robber, seemingly out of no reason decided to let him go.

He subconsciously produced a puzzled countenance, but fortunately, managed to quickly regain control of himself.

Then following this, the man did not foolishly go to ask Pasha Farzah why he said this, but with a solemn nod, seriously promised,

“Of course… that goes without saying. They will be my wife. I would never do anything to intentionally inconvenience. I admit I cannot promise they will have no sorrows in life. Or that my attention will not be momentarily distracted by other women. The time I said spend with them might be found to be a bit lacking.”

“But I believe my lord already knows how I treat my women. Rest assured, no matter what happens, they and their children will never lack proper food, clothes and a comfortable shelter. This is my absolute promise.”

“….” Pasha Farzah turned to give Alexander a sort of scowling glare at this seemingly less than ideal answer, like he was questioning the gall of the boy.

Yet, Alexander did not flinch an eyelid.

And this was not because this was any part of a grand scheme, but because he believed someone as old and experienced as Pasha Farzah would not be believed by the usual honeyed words.

What he said were the actual terms with which he intended to treat Azura and Azira- not as some princess he would carry on his shoulder every day and ignore everything and everyone else, but as someone he had mutual respect and love for.

Pasha Farzah too seemed to detect this determination, thus suddenly, out of nowhere, his fair face broke into a frank grin as he loudly chuckled,

“Hahaha, good, good, you are the first to say something this honest, brat. Everyone else just promises to kiss my ass. Bah! Lying snakes each and every one of them. They just have the girls for power. I can see it in their eyes.”

And although Pasha Farzah sounded quite jovial discussing this, Alexander thought he detected quite a bit of hidden anger within by the end. He just did not know whether this was detected towards the twin’s suitors or perhaps actually toward himself- for failing to see the consequences of marrying off his eldest daughter.

“Ahhh… Forgive me for asking, but why the sudden generosity, Pasha Farzah?” Then, watching the old man sort of turn gloomy from the side, could not help but ask this pointing question, raising his eyebrows almost provocatively.

And fortunately, it had the desired effect, as instantly pulling himself out of the glum, Pasha Farzah glared with flared nostrils, sneering, “What? You don’t like my offers? Wish me to tear a few bits of flesh off you, brat?”

“You know I did not mean it like that, Lord Farzah.” Alexander kept his pleasant voice and cool facade at the attack and patiently elucidated his point,

“I am simply wondering the reason behind such a cordial reception. You know before I proposed to you, I asked for advice regarding this to both Lady Nanazin and Lady Inayah. And they both predicted it would be possible but would require some effort. That you would certainly try to get the best deal for your beloved granddaughters. So I am simply curious how two ladies so familiar with you got it so wrong?”

“*Snort*, what do you mean ‘similar with me’, brat? Have some respect for your elders!” Pasha Farzah did not readily answer Alexander’s question, but nick picked with an imperious hum. And then in a very uncharacteristic way, with flamed nostrils shifted his head to avoid adding anything else.

“… Are things are court not going that well?” This was the only reason Alexander could guess behind this suspicious act, and so posed with slanted eyes. Just like he predicted, it seemed Pasha Farzah had also deemed the best hedge for this beloved granddaughters’ future.

And understanding he had been mostly found out, Pasha Farzah visibly flinched.

“….” Yet despite the provocation, he did not take the bait.

Seeing this, Alexander also cleverly backed off.

Why poke around unnecessarily when things were going so well? And why look a gift horse in the mouth anyway?

Since he had gotten his prize, he was happy to cash it in as slowly getting up, he announced,

“Well, even if my lord does not want anything… here is a little something I got you as a present. Hope you will like it.” Saying this he brought out a small beautifully made custom envelope from his luggage, before gently placing it in front of the old man.

This was a sight that drew curious gazes from all those present, including the three nearby sisters as they could not help but take sneaking glances.

They had never seen anything like this before… in fact nobody in Adhania had till then had received anything like this before… because paper had been only just invented and this was the only writing material suitably soft yet durable enough to be made into an effective envelope.

Thus this sort of envelope was the first of its kind of marvel.

The trio hence bravely approached the site without worry and found the packet to be roughly the dimension of a standard book, partly painted with bright red and blue strikes, and then adorned with golden and silver stars and stags, thus resembling Pasha Farzah’s family emblem.

It was sealed at the top using wax, bearing Alexander’s seal and in the middle, it was written using golden threads the very simple words-

‘To Lord Farzah from the Pasha of Zanzan wishing a never ending tide of wealth and prosperity.’

With one hand, Pasha Farzah picked up the envelope with almost as much interest as the three sisters, his eyes quickly widening to find just how small yet heavy it felt.

He wondered what could it possibly be… because judging by the extremely confident demeanor Alexander was pulling, the old man could easily guess that it was something very, very impressive.

Yet for the life of him, he could not guess what it could be.

From moving the envelope around, the best he could say was that this something solid, small and round, perhaps even a bit cylindrical, and small enough to easily fit in his hand.

However this did not fit any item description he knew, which was certainly saying something.

As the pasha of the most prosperous territory of a superpower, was there any kind of present he had not seen?

All kinds of huge and precious jewellry, exquisite works of wood and metal on furniture and weapons, clothes of every type known to man, food and spices from exotic parts of the world and women beautiful enough to stun the eyes… the old man had seen and tasted it all.

But Pasha Farzah had never received anything in an envelope. So really had no idea what to expect.

Thus the mysterious shape of the unknown object quickly caused a surge of curiosity to burst into his chest as grabbing a nearby fruit knife, he expectly cut the wax seal at the seam without damaging the envelope and slowly brought out the item.

Placing it under the soft, autumn, afternoon sun, he found the circular base of it be made of pure gold, with a thick, clear glass encasing the top.

Inside that glass sat a base plate made of silver, and on it, there was a black needle like thing where its two points stayed on the words North and South, while the directions East and West on either side remained vacant.

Yes, it was a compass.

Alexander had made it with the intention of using it to bargain with Lady Linda. But after judging their bellicose attitude quickly refrained. He figured he would simply be giving his valuable invention away.

Thus when the matter of Azura and Azira’s marriage came, he thought this would be quite the apt gift.

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