You’ve completed your search. But Cole didn’t move. His face had shifted from confusion to something darker. Pain, betrayal. Was it all a test? his voice trembled. I was a test. No, Naya exclaimed, trying to approach him, but Cole backed away. Cole, please let me explain. Explain what?
Cole’s voice now sounded bitter. “That you played me, that while I shared my last penny with you, you had riches waiting for you, that every time I gave you my food, my jacket, my time, did you know I was a fool?” “You’re not a fool!” Naya shouted, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks.
You are the noblest man I have ever known. That’s why I did this, to find you. The village crowd murmured intensely. Rosa and the other women who had mistreated Naya now looked terrified, fearing reprisals. The merchants who had refused her service hid behind others. Tacoda watched the scene with interest.
She approached Cole, studying him with piercing eyes. “You are the man who helped my daughter.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Cole looked at her with dignity despite his pain. He didn’t know who she was; it was simply the right thing to do. “Exactly,” Tacoda said approvingly. The wealthiest warriors from three tribes came to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage.
They offered her horses, furs, jewels. But none shared their last meal with her. None gave her their only jacket, none defended her when she was humiliated. Cole remained silent, processing the chief’s words. “My daughter chose you, Cole,” Tacoda continued. “And I respect her choice. You have proven to have the heart of a true warrior, even without the riches of one.”
“I don’t want her wealth,” Cole said firmly, finally looking at Naya. “I never wanted it, but I did want her honesty.” Naya took a step forward, her voice desperate but honest. “You’re right. I should have told you the truth sooner. But I was afraid, Cole. Afraid that if you knew who I really was, you’d change. Afraid you’d treat me differently.”
All the men who knew my true identity only saw my wealth. I am not all men, Koua replied. I know, Naya whispered. That’s why I fell in love with you. Silence fell over the plaza. Even the murmurs of the crowd ceased at this confession. Cole closed his eyes, struggling with his emotions.
He had been hurt, betrayed, but he had also found something real, something he had unknowingly searched for his entire life. “Do you really love me?” he finally asked, his voice barely audible. “Or is this also part of your test?” Naya removed a simple necklace she had been wearing, hidden beneath her threadbare dress. It was the only thing of value she had brought with her, a family locket that had belonged to her grandmother.
