FIFTEEN
After waiting most of the afternoon, during which the muscled man still didn't leave, Bianca reluctantly climbed back on her horse and headed home. It wasn't until she reached the palace that she realised she hadn't given Kun any of the food. Tomorrow, she promised herself, for the man would have gone home by then, surely.
Yet when she returned on the morrow, he was still there, cutting trees and dragging them back to the cottage. He looked bigger and brawnier than she remembered, which only made her feel worse about forgetting to give Kun her basket the previous day. So today she watched and waited, telling herself she was looking for an opportunity to sneak into the cottage unseen so she could repay Kun for her kindness.
Once again, the man did not leave the yard for long en
