"Does this ring a bell?" Iria Alewine asked the Crown Prince who only stared at her. "A year ago, we fight against each other in that war."
The Commander made a deliberate pause and continued by saying, "I'm the Commander of the Alewine Army, the Masked Commander. Do you really think I will be willing to spend my whole life in your kingdom, disguising as Princess Iria?"
Iria Alewine shook her head and added, "Then you're wrong, Crown Prince Arin Helev. For me, only my kingdom matters."
Arin Helev recalled all the things she said and did in the past week. What she said now didn't match his memory at all! But right now, she had no resemblance to the woman who lived with him for almost three months!
The woman who was opposite her right now appeared... cruel.
"After fooling me for months, I think that you would be a master at lying now but... you're still bad at that," Arin Helev remarked, much to the surprised of the Masked Commander.
"You can say anything you want," he firmly said and continued, "But you know, I always follow my heart."
Was it his way of declaring that he had no plan to give up on her?
Was he a fool?!
"Why?" Arin Helev asked when he noticed the change in her reaction. "You're convinced that it's impossible for us? But you forget this. I'm good at letting the impossible happen."
Iria Alewine tried to spoke up but when he noticed him staring at her hand, she narrowed her eyes and saw the braided bracelet on her wrist.
Was this the reason why he was so confident?!
Without even thinking, she removed the bracelet from her hand and tried to throw it away, but...
Arin Helev rushed to her and hold her back. Then he took the braided bracelet from her hand. "I will keep this. One day, I will return to its rightful owner."
Iria felt so hopeless on the inside!
Why can't he stop being delusional? He will only get hurt in the end!
"You should stop -"
"Iria," the Crown Prince calmly muttered, interrupting the Commander. "Wait for me. I will never give up on you."
Now that he was right beside her, he could sense how hard she tried to hold back herself too. He knew that he shouldn't be adamant considering her real identity and how she fooled him but... he couldn't. He wanted to believe that it wasn't over for them.
He should believe it and hold onto the hope.
"If you hold onto a false hope, you will only get hurt in the end, Crown Prince," Iria Alewine said to him in a rather stern voice.
"Do you want me to give up on you?" Arin Helev asked, and met her gaze. "But you should know this. The moment I give up on you, you will become my enemy. You will have to witness the sides in me which I always wished to keep hidden from you."
It's his way of telling her that there was no mercy when it comes to dealing with his enemy. She understood his message.
"I don't fell for you because you're Princess Iria and my feelings don't wither because you're the Masked Commander," Arin Helev firmly added and made a deliberate pause. "No matter how many lies you have told me, I believe that the smile and kindness I witnessed that day are real. The day when I first brought you out in the capital during my inspection."
He was talking about their first day together outside the palace.
Was he saying that he developed feelings for her starting that day?
She tried to say something but he outspoke her again. She even wondered if he was afraid of listening to her but... his words shook her to the core!
"Go," Crown Prince Arin suddenly said. "If you come back to Qalagon now, your life will be in danger. So, return to Jerivia."
In the past, he had heard many rumors about her and... one was her loyalty. He knew that she would never be happy if she gave up on her kingdom because of her feelings for him. He wanted her to be happy... so, he knew that he had to find a way. However, he had no idea for now. It was too sudden.
How could he forget that he already had a special place in her heart? She won't be happy without him too! Someone needs to remind him.
"No matter what happens, I will never allow you to stay out of my life forever. So, don't you dare die before I achieve my goal," Arin Helev earnestly said. "Even if we have to fight each other again, you shouldn't die. If not, I will never forgive you.
"Mark my words. If anything happens to you before I fulfil my promise, I will lead my soldiers to Jerivia and crush everything there. Your kingdom and the people that you love... I will wipe everything away."
The Masked Commander was stunned by his declaration. Was that his way of warning her to stay alive no matter what happened?!
She was well aware of how he was a man of his word. It wasn't an empty warning.
While she was absorbed in his bold declaration, he suddenly turned his horse around and started riding back while Antony followed suit.
The Masked Commander was snapped out of her stupor but... all she could do was watched him until he was out of her sight!
He didn't turn back at all... not even once.
It turned out that he can be quite cruel too.
For a while, the Commander stared at her wrist. The bracelet wasn't there anymore and... it made her felt empty.
Her purpose was to make him give up by being cruel to him but... he still won. If she was fighting a war with him, based on what happened just now, she would surely say that she suffered a crushing defeat!
Trying to clear her mind, the Masked Commander shook her head. She then blankly stared at the empty path before she made her way to the lake where others were waiting for her.....
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