"Come here, Sumantri. Bathe with me," Dewi Citrawati calls out affectionately. Sumantri can't hold himself back anymore. His body feels stiflingly hot. Not because of the heat, but because of lust. He wants to jump into the lake at once, feel the pleasure of bathing nude with the Princess of Magada. Without another thought, he wants to take off what he is wearing immediately. However, as soon as he wants to remove what cover his body, he is surprised to hear a loud scream from Dewi Citrawati.
"Sumantri, help me!" screams Dewi Citrawati. Sumantri is surprised to see Dewi Citrawati trembling in fear.
"Don't just stand there, Sumantri! Look, there's a garangan [mongoose] frightening me!" Dewi Citrawati keeps screaming in fear, her hands pointing at a bush not far from the lake. Sumantri stops his intention to jump into the lake, he looks at the bush that Dewi Citrawati is pointing to. He doesn't see anything, but he rushes to get closer toclose. As soon as he is in front of the bush, he is surprised by what he sees.
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“Sukrosono!” he shouts in disbelief. Yes, it is Sukrosono, his younger brother. His younger brother is a demon, so of course he has sharp fangs. No wonder that at a distance, Dewi Citrawati thought he was a scary mongoose.
"Sukrosono, why are you here?" Sumantri says, almost snapping at his younger brother.
"I longed to see you, my older brother," replies Sukrosono. He is silent for a moment, holding back his emotions, then he continues. "After I gave Sriwedari Garden in wijayakusuma flowers to you, I returned to Jatisrana. All the way to Jatisrana, I tried to forget you, my older brother, because I know you don't want to see me. I thought I could erase my longing for you.
“However, when I was in the bamboo reed shower, my longing for you came to me again. It was in the bamboo reed shower that I met you for the first time. And in the bamboo reed shower, again I felt that I could no longer be apart from you. It was my longing for you that brought me to Sriwedari Garden to see you, my older brother."
Because he admits that, ever since he presented Sriwedari Garden to Dewi Citrawati, he really missed his younger brother again.
"My younger brother...," Sumantri cannot continue his words, after hearing what his younger brother has said. He is holding back his compassion, too. Because he admits that, ever since he presented Sriwedari Garden to Dewi Citrawati, he really missed his younger brother again.
It was then that he realized there was no hope for him to have Dewi Citrawati. The only hope he had was his younger brother, who loved him very much. He wanted to see him, but he didn't know where his younger brother was. Meanwhile, his service as a knight tied him to Maespati. But it has turned out that he can now have Dewi Citrawati. For some reason, he feels that Sukrosono, his younger brother who is an ugly demon, will only be a hindrance to his desire to have Dewi Citrawati.
“My older brother, I just miss you, let me be with you. I don't want to bother you at all," says Sukrosono.
In his confusion, Sumantri thinks that Sukrosono knows what is going on between him and Dewi
Citrawati. He wants to accept his younger brother just the way he is. However, if Dewi Citrawati finds out that his younger brother is a demon, won't the Princess of Magada also stay away from him, too? If that happens, it will really be a disaster. So far, he has always presented himself as a knight. It is a disgrace for a knight if he is known to have a demon brother. That's why he has always hidden his origins from everyone. Especially from Dewi Citrawati, who she believes she loves him because he is a handsome and charming knight.
"Sukrosono, I miss you too. But let us not meet now," stammers Sumantri, almost at a loss for words. He can't bear to see his younger brother. But he is afraid that his younger brother will be an obstacle to him, just when he is at the peak of his ideals of chivalry. Isn’t it a knight's dream to win a beautiful woman after proving his greatness and magical power? Is there anything more extraordinary than a knight who manages to win the heart of a king's wife after he has completed all his knightly duties?
The kepodang emit their last chirps and return to their nests, their flapping wings a swathe of yellow.
“My older brother, you have gotten everything. Why do you still reject me?” says Sukrosono, as if can read his older brother's anxiety. On top of the bushes, kemuning flowers fall. The dusk has turned golden. The kepodang emit their last chirps and return to their nests, their flapping wings a swathe of yellow.
"My older brother, do you see those kepodang? Will you sing ‘Look at that kepodang’ as you used to in Jatisrana when the day was about to end, when the kepodang were about to return to their nests?” says Sukrosono, changing the conversation.
"Sukrosono, I'll definitely sing ‘Look at that kepodang’ for you. But now is not the time, my younger brother," answers Sumantri, who is growing increasingly upset.
"You always say, ‘Not now.’ Then when can I really be with you, my older brother?" Sukrosono's words come from a feeling that he does not want to be betrayed anymore. His brother has repeatedly broken his promises, it is appropriate to say those words.
"Sukrosono, go away first, I will meet you later," says Sumantri. Tender words are no longer spoken. He is not asking again, but is ordering his younger brother to leave.
"I will go away, my older brother, as long as you are able to expel and eliminate my longing," replies Sukrosono, not wanting to hide the feelings in his heart anymore.
“Sukrosono, I am your brother. Won't you listen to me?" Sumantri says in a high voice. It seems he is starting to lose control of himself.
“My older brother, it seems as if this is the only time I can meet you. How could you have the heart to tell me to leave you?” Sukrosono's words sound as though he has not been given time to see his older brother, whom he loves so much. There is plenty of time, but very little time for love. Why does his older brother always reject him? When Sukrosono asks this, time seems so short and the end of time so near. Therefore, he doesn't want to delay his longing to be together with his older brother.
(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo)
