Later that night, when our troop made a temporary camp::
"Hey! Can someone call the army doctor?" I yelled when walking back to the camp while carrying Van Kiep on my back.
"Brother, who is that?" one of the soldiers asked me.
"I found her when walking out to take a p*ss. She was laying on the ground. I called her but there was no response so I thought to bring her here," I answered and entered a tent to put Van Kiep down on a bed.
"What is happening here!" As expected, army doctors are always quick to respond.
"Over here, doctor!" I waved my hand to get his attention. The doctor saw and ran to us. "This is the person, doctor. I found her fainting outside so I carried her here."
The doctor quickly bent down and checked Van Kiep pulse on her wrist.
"She's fine, just over-exhausted herself. Some rest for two to three days and that is enough for her to recover," the doctor said.
"Uhm… are you sure? You conclude her condition with only checking her pulse," I was skeptical.
"I have been an army doctor for ten years now. In battles, we doctors have to be quick because soldiers get injured constantly. Also, stuff like exhaustion is all familiar to us. Don't worry too much, give her some rest and you'll see," the doctor calmly reassured me. And here I thought he would get his butt hurt when I was doubting him.
"What is with all the fuss?" a voice behind my back.
"General," the doctor bowed. "This soldier here just found someone passing out outsids of our camp."
"Oh no!" I thought to myself. "Isn't she supposed to be in the front right now? How the hell did she come back here?" I was too scared to turn and look at Long Dao. At that time I was praying that she wouldn't recognize Van Kiep.
"Alright. You can leave now," Long Dao ordered the doctor.
"I will leave then," the army doctor bowed again and got out of the tent. It was when we heard his footsteps further that Long Dao spoke again.
"Din," she called me.
"Yes, general?" I tried to sound calm.
"Why is she here?"
"THAT ONE! THAT QUESTION IS WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR!" I was yelling internally but still had to smile. "What do you mean by that?" I asked back.
"She was the assassin that tried to kill me the other night. Don't you remember?" Long Dao was more relaxed than I thought.
"Really?" I played dumb. "It was so dark that night. I couldn't see the assassin's face. Are you sure she is the assassin?" you need to ask back a question to look like you know nothing in these situations.
"That is her. Didn't you see her also during the slave trade?" I felt like Long Dao was interrogating me.
"The girl's face back then was dirty so I don't know for sure," lying now was the only option.
Long Dao didn't say anything more. Her silent observation always put my nerves to wreck. A few minutes passed but to me back then, I had enough time to plan my funeral.
"Right now let her rest. I can not ignore an ill person anyway," Long Dao finally said something and walked out the tent. My ears were concentrating so hard until her footsteps faded.
"Phew. That was so intense," I thought. "You can open your eyes now," I lowered myself and whispered to Van Kiep's ears.
Slowly, Van Kiep opened her eyes slowly. She turned to look at me and smiled, "Everything was just as you planned my prince."
"Now that everyone knows of your existence, you can stay here and recover," I smiled back at her. "Thank god Long Dao is a good person to let you stay. I didn't expect her presence at all," I admitted.
"Don't worry my prince. Even if she wants to kill me then, I won't tell her that I know you."
"Stupid. What I was afraid of is she killing YOU," I don't know what to say about Van Kiep anymore. She always thinks about me and never has any consideration for her own good.
"So you DO know her," a cold voice that shivered my spine appeared out of nowhere.
"General!" I quickly turned back and saw Long Dao walking into the tent again. "How is she here? Didn't I hear her walking off?" I thought.
"I faked the footsteps if that is what you are wondering about," she was reading me like a book. "When I saw this girl here, I knew that this was just too convenient to be a coincidence," she started walking toward us. My and Van Kiep's perspective when seeing Long Dao approaching then was like a wolf playing with its prey.
"Now… You better explain yourself before you cut your heads off," Long Dao smiled like a psychopath. And her eyes, her eyes man! I swear the reason for my death in this new life will not be a slash in battle but the stress from Long Dao eyes.
Trembling, I slowly put my hands behind my back and gave Van Kiep a signal for plan B.