Prince Ahmed's interpreter introduced himself as Mr. Abu Sharifa.

            "I will be acting as the game master for the competition between you and His Highness," he explained. "This competition aims to give equal footing to the competitors, so both of you will be formulating the rules of the game. I will toss this coin," he took out a large coin, "on one side, you can see the head of our hero, and on the other side the image of a crown. So, Mr. Kim, which side do you want? The hero or the crown?"

            "The hero," Sandara answered quickly. She was sure Prince Ahmed would choose the side with the crown image. And she didn't want to insult the prince at this time. She needed to bide some time so they could find a chance to rescue Jennie and Jisoo.

            Mr. Sharifa acknowledged her choice by a slight nod.

            "Then His Highness will choose the crown." Mr. Sharifa tossed the coin before catching it with his hand and placing it on his arm. The crown emerged the winner. "His Highness will be the first one to lay down the rules." He took out some pen and paper from his attaché case before turning to the prince.

            "What kind of competition will this be?" asked Mr. Sharifa.

            "A race using mounted animals," answered the prince.

            Mr. Sharifa wrote down the first rule on the paper before turning toward Sandara.

            "You have the choice of what animal to use, Mr. Kim."

            This region was a desert. And Sandara had heard that camel racing was quite popular in such a place. But the famous Arabian horse also came from the Middle East. It was said that an Arabian horse was among the best breed of horses in the world. Sandara had no idea or the skill in riding camels. But she knew horses. And since Prince Ahmed had a large bulk, he would be much more comfortable riding a camel than a horse. Using a horse during this competition could give Sandara an advantage.

            "A horse," answered Sandara.

            Mr. Sharifa's questions continued. The rules for the competition began to form.

            "How many miles will this race covers?"

            "Ten miles of desert," said the prince.

            "What are the provisions that the competitors can bring?"

            "As much food and water one wants," replied Sandara. She wanted the prince to bring as much food and water as he could. If the horse was burdened by too much weight, he wouldn't be able to run as fast as he could. If ever this competition would push through, Sandara would only bring water.

            "When will this competition be held?"

            "Three days from now," the prince declared.

            Three days. Maybe that would be enough for them to locate Jennie and Jisso and whisked them out of this region.

            "Competitors will not be allowed to bring any knives or guns," added the prince.

            Sandara felt disappointed by such rule.

            "Competitors may use everything in the desert to protect himself from danger," she amended the rule. She had a suspicion she would have to fight to win this race, and if she was going to fight, she needed to make sure that she could use a makeshift weapon. She didn't want the prince to win by default even if it was guaranteed he was going to cheat.

            Mr. Sharifa wrote down every minor detail regarding the rules for the competition. When the rules were finally finished, Mr. Sharifa made Sandara and the prince sign the paper to make the rules official.

            Despite the rules formed, Sandara remained skeptical whether the competition would remain fair. Based on the information she had read about the prince, the prince had never fought fair. He always found a way to cheat or change the interpretation of whatever rules stood before him to win and get what he wanted.

            "As we prepare for the competition, you and your mother will be our guests here," Mr. Sharifa informed Sandara.

            Sandara secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going according to their plans. Madame Hyori silently signaled her, reminding her that they needed to know first if the twins were all right.

            "We thank you for your hospitality." Sandara bowed to the prince. "But we hope that you would allow us to see Jennie and Jisoo. We have brought some of their things their mother had sent for them."

            Mr. Sharifa turned to the prince to inform him of their request. After a few minutes, the prince nodded.

            "You may see the women this evening, during dinner," said Mr. Sharifa.