Taking with them the bandit leader as a prisoner, the group headed back to Leoniva City. But throughout their trip, Ely was bothered because she was still repeatedly hearing the whispers of the old woman, and she felt like a ghost was following her.
"Your husband is waiting for you at the Temple of Destiny…"
It was as if she wouldn't stop until she decided to go and see for herself. But if her husband is at the Temple of Destiny, who was the King who looked like her husband? There was only one way to know: to go there directly.
"I've decided. I will go there."
"Where?" The King asked as they walked side by side.
"Ah… in the… city…" Ely replied, "I want to tour the city."
"Alright. I will send some mercenaries to guard you."
"No, I'll go on my own-"
"Ely."
The King's serious gaze and his deep voice made Ely nod in agreement. Observing her change in attitude, he actually thought that she would be more obedient to him in the following days.
But two days later…
"Find her!" General Lum ordered the mercenaries to find Ely around the city. Some used their horses while some walked by foot.
After returning from Ancil Mountains, Ely managed to sneak out and run away from the Old Palace by pretending to be one of the maidservants. She put her hair in a bun and covered it with a gartered cloth. Using the traditional make-up of powder dyes, she made herself look very different by putting fake freckles and dark circles under her eyes. Of course, some of the maids asked her who she was, and she immediately responded with "I am Bethy. I am new."
Because they go to the market in a group, it was easy for Ely to walk with them, and when they parted ways, she discreetly walked away.
The first thing she did was sell some jewelry. She acquired two small bags of gold coins because of that, and she went to the inn to rent a room. "How can I go to the war site…" she uttered.
The whisper of the old woman had disappeared from her head ever since she decided to go to the Temple of Destiny. But all she knew was, it was beside the war site, but she had no means of going there. Should she buy a horse? Unfortunately, she didn't know how to ride a horse. Well, she had one music video wherein she rode a horse, but it was a fake horse and it was edited thoroughly.
She wondered if she could afford to hire a coachman with a carriage, but when she asked how much it was, she realized that her gold coins were not enough.
Ely sighed as she flopped on her hard bed. She stared at the ceiling as she kept on thinking if she would really see her husband in that temple, and she wished it was not a scam caused by some sort of evil magic.
'If Adam is really in the Temple of Destiny, then I don't have any reason to stay with Maro anymore... I need to confirm it with my own eyes,' she thought.
…
The next day, Ely decided to travel outside the city. She wore a commoners' outfit of boots made of old leather, and a dull ankle-long brown linen dress. After making sure that she wore her disguise make-up, she covered herself with a dark green linen hooded cloak, checked out of the inn, and started to walk towards the city border.
Unfortunately, there was a very long line of travelers.
"Take off your hood!"
She heard one of the mercenaries. The armored men were making sure that everyone would be inspected before getting out of the city.
General Lum suddenly arrived on a brown horse. "Have you seen her yet?"
"Not yet, sir… Do you think she already escaped the city?"
"There are no reports from the mercenaries assigned in the outposts yet, so I think she is still in the city," he told him, "We need to find her. The King has been in a very bad mood recently. He couldn't sleep, and he kept on breaking things inside the palace."
When Ely heard this, she got worried for the King. But she knew that parting ways may be for the best.
She then slowly stepped back and hid in the dark alley...
Night fell, but the city border was still guarded. She walked around to find a place to stay, careful not to stumble upon the King's men. Unfortunately, the inns were full. Her feet got sore as she was tired of walking, so she decided to rest for a while.
In front of her was a tavern. She went inside, and she was assisted by a server, leading her to a seat near the stage.
"Welcome to Akali's Tavern. The music show will start soon," the female server said, "We serve potatoes and meat, and you can also order booze. What would you like?"
"Uhh… Meat, please."
"Would you like it grilled, sauteed, or fried?"
"Uhh… Grilled."
"How about some drinks?"
"Do you have cold water?"
"Okay, got it, madam… That will be 250 gold all in all. Including the performance fee."
After giving the payment, the server excused herself. The room suddenly dimmed, and the stage was lit.
The platform of the stage was wooden, and the red and white curtains behind were draped neatly. The audience cheered when the band went upstage.
The band was composed of young people, around three or four years younger than Ely. A young man sat in front of two congo drums, and another young man sat as he strummed some chords using his lute. And on the other side, a young woman was preparing herself to play the harp.
"Where's Karla?" the young woman asked her bandmate. "It's time for her to sing."
"She said she'll go to the comfort room…" the guy who would play the lute said with a worried expression, "But it's been a while."
"Oh no… Should I check?" she asked him.
A little while later, the tavern manager went up to the stage, "I apologize for the delay… But our top singer Karla is not in a good condition… She has stomachache, so-"
"What do you mean she has a stomachache!?" one man from the audience yelled.
"Bring our money back! We also paid the performance fee!"
The audience was too mad for them to calm down.
"What should we do? They might report us to the Ministry of Culture."
"Just perform anything!"
But even though the band did a great song without a singer, the audience did not appreciate it and could not settle down. Some even started throwing plates and cups on the stage. It was a big disaster!
Ely couldn't take it anymore. She stood up from her seat and went up on stage.