She seemed like a completely different person. Was it because he knew her identity now?
Crown Prince Arin wasn't sure but... she indeed appeared cold and distant.
For a split second, he shifted his gaze to the man whom he knew as Davian Canen. It turned out that he was a Jerivian too.
He was perfectly fooled.
Even when the Masked Commander was halting right opposite him but a few steps away, he couldn't utter anything for a while.
He always had his doubts and fears but... he didn't know that this day would come .
Iria Alewine stared at the man she loved. Though her heart can't be still, she put on a calm facade.
She thought that she would only meet him again on the battlefield but here he was... staring at her from just a few steps away.
"We haven't reach Jerivia but you are already out of Qalagon too. Let's both return to our kingdom without a conflict." It was Prince Orius who first spoke up.
When he heard Orius, the Crown Prince shifted his gaze back to him. "After fooling us for months, do you expect to be free of conflict? Do you take Qalagon as a joke?" Briefly glancing at Iria, he added, "I'm here to chase down some liars who pulled a great trick against my kingdom."
"You should be well aware of the one who started this mess, Crown Prince. We only do this to fend ourselves," Orius Aventine simply said. "We want to return quietly but if you insisted to stop us, we won't hesitate to fight back either."
Just when the Jerivian Prince was reaching for the handle of his sword, Commander Iria spoke up.
"Your Highness, I will handle this. Let's not lose our time fighting."
The way she addressed him... it immediately made Arin raised a brow.
Your Highness? He was the Prince of Jerivia?!
Was he the Crown Prince or the Second Prince?
Prince Orius thought for a while before he retreated his hand from the handle of his sword. Then he turned to the Commander. "Are you sure?" It's clear that the Qalagon Crown Prince was suppressing his rage!
"Yes," Iria Alewine replied. She could sense how the gaze of Arin Helev was on her all the time but... she ignored it. "Please go ahead to the place you mentioned. I will catch up with you soon."
"Commander," Rion muttered with concern but his Commander nodded at him. He was afraid that she would only be more tormented than she was now! He won't have to worry if anyone else was in the Crown Prince's place but... it's Arin Helev! He was someone special to his Commander.
"Fine," Prince Orius finally said. "Don't take too long. If not, we will have to come back."
"I understand," Iria replied and the three men made their way to the lake with a bit of hesitation.
Once Iria confirmed that the Prince and the others were out of her sight, she shifted her gaze back to Crown Prince Arin. "Are you here to stop us?" she asked and tilted her head as she observed the two Qalagons. "I doubt that would be the case. The Crown Prince of Qalagon can't be foolish enough to bring just one man if he really wants to stop or even catch us."
Arin Helev took out the letter from his pocket and raised it at his chest level. There was a slight change in the Commander's expression when she saw the letter.
"Was it fun to fool me?" Crown Prince Arin asked. Though he didn't raise his voice, it was more than clear that he was trying his best not to lose control.
"You're wrong, Crown Prince. I don't come to have fun in the very first place. It was to mend the mess that the Queen of your kingdom created," Iria Alewine replied. Her voice was pretty cold and it was the first time she ever talked to him that way!
"I told you many times that we are serious with the alliance marriage," Arin Helev snapped. "I know that the Queen is wrong. That's why I'm willing to clarify everything to the King and officials of Jerivia if they want me to but... this is what you chose?"
"It won't change anything," Iria Alewine promptly replied. "The alliance marriage already went wrong when a false rumor erupted from your side. Do you think -"
"So... " Arin Helev spoke up, making Iria fell silent. "Are you saying that everything was a lie?" For the first time, pain was evident in his eyes which the Commander didn't fail to notice. "I never mean anything to you?"
Iria Alewine narrowed her eyes as she struggled to give him an answer.
Though she knew that they can't be together, she was always frank whenever someone asked her how she thought of him. She never refused to admit that she liked him just like he did.
But now, he was the one who asked her. That added the pressure.
What if she said that he was special to her too but it wasn't possible? Won't that only make him more adamant and hold onto false hope?
She didn't want him to live that way. He deserved a lot better.
"You already read my letter, but I think you have to see it for yourself to know the reality," she said and took out a mask from the small bag which was hanged on the side of her horse. Then she wore the mask right in front of his eyes.
Silver mask with a sun curved in the right. Sun - the symbol of the Alewine Army.
Arin Helev observed the Masked Commander who was opposite him. Now that she was wearing the mask, her appearance was the same as a year ago when they fought a war against each other.
Why didn't he recognized her during those months?!
He was not one to blame. The fact that she wasn't Princess Iria didn't even cross his mind even once!
Antony who was beside him only knew that the Crown Princess was a fake and nothing about her real identity. But now that he looked at Iria, he knew her identity right away! As such, his eyes grew wide open in shock!
"The Masked Commander?" Antony muttered and shifted his gaze to the Crown Prince who was pretty compose compared to him. "Your Highness!"
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