Palace.
Kandita arrived late at night, and still find The King on the veranda sitting looking up at the night sky while occasionally taking a sip of wine.
“… Gusti Prabu?”
The King was called, turned around and find Kandita carrying a basket full of dried fish.
“Oh, you're back. What are you carrying?”
“Dried fish, there is a fisherman came to the village and gave these as a souvenir from the beach.”
“Mhm, that means we will have a fish breakfast tomorrow. I hope our cook knows how to serve seafood.”
Kandita stood still, wondering why The King was still awake from sleep this late at night.
“… Kandita, come here.”
The King patted the chair beside him, Kandita put down her fish basket and came to sit on it.
“How is the survey?”
“Everything is going well, I'm sure the market will be even more crowded when the food we have surveyed goes on sale.”
“Hmm, thank goodness the survey went well. Did you get food for us?”
“Yes, the guards brought it.”
“Good work.”
“My pleasure, Gusti Prabu.”
For a moment, the conversation paused as the King looked up at the night sky.
“What do you think of the sky tonight?”
Kandita also looked up at the sky after that question, finding the panorama of the night sky decorated with the twinkling stars and the expanse of the milky way and the moonlight illuminating the night sky, not much more beautiful than what she had seen earlier but also not ceasing to amaze Kandita.
“… Beautiful~”
“So ….”
From The King's eyes, he saw only a portion of the stars in the sky and the brightest visible was the moon, thin clouds covered the sky making the night sky didn't look so beautiful.
“I see. Truly beautiful ….”
The King looked at how Kandita reacted to the beauty of the sky seen through her eyes, gave her a lively, wistful gaze, and then noticed her beautiful, lustrous appearance.
The King wanted to lift his lips, wanted to praise Kandita for being as beautiful as her late mother, but he held back because that would only make Kandita's longing even more poignant.
“You can go to sleep.”
“Understood. How about Gusti Prabu?”
“I still have a little more to drink.”
“Please take good care of your body, Gusti Prabu.”
After that conversation, Kandita get up from the chair.
“Kandita.”
“Yes. What is it, Gusti Prabu?”
Just about to move to another room, Kandita stopped her steps as she was called by The King.
“… Next time, just call me Abah.”
※ Abah is a call for father in Sundanese.
✵
“Wow~ This is fish~?”
Breakfast this morning was salted fish.
“A fisherman visited the countryside village yesterday, he gave it as a souvenir to Gusti Prabu.” Kandita explain.
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
Nyai Rara Kidul
Ficción históricaᮑᮤ ᮛᮛ ᮊᮤᮓᮥᮜ᮪ Penulis: JoeTIC Ilustrator: JoeTIC ⚠️English available⚠️ Kandita, seorang gadis dengan kulit cerah mempesona, putri tunggal dari Raja Munding Wangi, pemimpin Kerajaan Galuh. Walaupun kecantikannya melimpah, Kandita tidak mewarisi takhta...
