“This is Nik…” She hesitated. “It was he who taught me not to give up and bring things to the end.”

Karina thought that even if Lis did something to Asa (and it looked like it was), she didn’t care about it. Surely this aggressive and arrogant creature itself asked for it. And yet, when they were alone in the room, she could not resist and asked:

“So what happened to Asa?”

And Lis looked at her, straight in the eyes, without a shadow of embarrassment or remorse, and answered with a challenge:

“I killed her.”

“Oh! Wow! But why?”

“She talked too much shit.”

“Yes, that's for sure. Well, since Tol has forgiven you, it means that he himself understands that Asa provoked you.”

“Yes. And so it was. She provoked me. I wouldn't do that now. I was just… at that moment acting under the influence of emotion.” Some unspoken bitterness was reflected on his face, and he stubbornly shook his head so sharply that the bells tinkled. “And this bitch… she laughed at me, she brought me out.”

He ran his hands over his face as if tired, and smoothed his hair.

“Dumb unclean! She messed up the banks of the river?” Karina said, repeating Arel’s expression. The prince spoke like this when one of his servants did not follow the order well. “There she goes! How did you kill her?”

“With a knife. In the chest.”

Karina came up, hugging him, embracing him:

“Let her go to hell! You did everything right.”

Lis hugged her too.

“Just, you know,” he said very frankly, “I felt so offended. Tol told everyone how you asked him about me. And how he told you about the fact that they humiliated me, put a shameful strip with bells on my face. I realized that you know about it. Imagined how you made fun of me with Tol.”

“Fun?! I was shocked by his story! It didn't make me laugh at all.”

“And they laughed. And Asa laughed. I asked them to stop, but they continued. I asked twice in an amicable way. I said, “Tol, tell her to shut up.” But he laughed and said: “She will do what she wants!”

Karina felt cold inside, because she knew, knew and felt that this conversation with Tol would sooner or later emerge and not end with good. She knew and still asked him about Lis. She shouldn't have asked about Lis! And she is indirectly to blame for Asa’s death.”

“Forgive me, please,” she whispered. “You always suffer because of me.”

She involuntarily squeezed his crippled right hand. Squeezing, she brought it to her face, pressing against her cheek. She began to kiss her fingers. He didn’t take it away.

“Why did they cut off your finger?”

Lis easily pulled his hand without the little finger out of her palm, looked indifferently at the crippled hand.

“I failed the whole military operation when you left me and ran away. I was tried. Military tribunal. Sentence.”

Karina cried:

“You will never forgive me!”

“Fuck, I have forgiven you long ago! A was a fool myself.” He smiled. “I shouldn't have fallen in love with you so much and then suffered so much.”

“I was not happy even for a minute when I ran away, I realized that I had made a terrible mistake and I couldn’t forget you! I love you!”

“I know. You didn’t love me, you loved the commander of the Reds, Sigmer. And now I'm a slave, a jerk for fun.”

“Are you really a fool?! You are the most beautiful in the world, I love you, I love you and will never stop loving you. You are not nothing! You are the smartest and the best!”

“Of course,” Lis shook his head.

“Do you think I love you because Nik promotes you and promised to make you king?”

“No.”

“I loved you when I knew nothing about it. I loved it anyway! I don't care if you are a commander or a slave.”