Klaus Ermias?!
Hearing the name made Arin recalled how he was the one who saved Iria during the first assassination attempt. It wasn't that he didn't wonder why the Captain didn't inform him anything about it, but Iria had told him how she asked the Captain to keep a secret. That refrained him from confronting the Captain.
So... he was the traitor?!
"Is he a Nardodian?" Crown Prince Arin finally asked his friend, breaking his silence.
"I still can't confirm anything, Your Highness. Besides, all we know about him is that he is an orphan. During those years, I never hear him mentioning his family and no one had ever come to visit him either," General Hanson replied and added, "What will we do?"
The Crown Prince gave a quick thought and said, "He is in Nardodia and I doubt that he will come back. There's nothing we can do right now." He made a deliberate paused and added, "The war took quite a toll on us. First and foremost, we must recover first."
"I understand. I will work on that," the General responded.
"Now that the Nardodians are back, I bet we won't have peaceful time again and with Alora backing them, they will be more than hard to tackle this time," Arin stated. "However, once we recovered, I will make sure to end them. I will never forgive them for this betrayal and trick they played on us," he firmly added.
Hanson Lorin stared at his friend who had a lot on his plate. He went through many things in the past weeks and it will be hard, but... he never showed anything.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.
This question again.
It put Arin Helev in a daze. However, he soon shifted his gaze to his friend who looked at him with concern. He had answered the same question many times and it was always the same. He would say that he was fine but...
"I'm not fine but don't worry about me, Hanson," he muttered, refusing to lie to his best friend since childhood. "I believe that things will be better soon."
"I heard that the Jerivian soldiers set out two days ago," Hanson Lorin promptly said. "She will fight a war soon."
Arin Helev glanced around their surroundings before he narrowed his eyes at the braided bracelets on his wrist. "Have the Masked Commander ever lose a war before?" he muttered and then looked at his friend. "I don't have to worry. I'm sure that she will do great again."
* * *
Crown Prince Arin was right. After 5 days, the victory of Jerivia covered every kingdom in the area like a wildfire. Soon, it also reached the Qalagon Crown Prince's ears.
"Arin, did you hear the news? The combined forces of the Alewine Army and Royal Army of Jerivia defeated Helsia just within half a day! They conquered the capital, forcing King Rozalez to surrender in just a few hours!" General Hanson Lorin exclaimed to his Crown Prince friend who was sitting alone in his tent.
"I heard about it," Arin Helev simply replied.
The whole kingdom talked about it. There's no way for him not to know this!
"Rumors have it that the Masked Commander leads just 3000 soldiers and crossed the Celia Forest while the main troops fought against the Helsian Army in the border. She infiltrates the capital in no time," Hanson Lorin paused as he was troubled by something. "Do you really think it's possible to cross the Celia Forest? I think it's suspicious."
Arin Helev recalled how the broken alliance marriage was announced just a day ago. Though how they were fooled was not revealed, it was already considered big news as people couldn't stop talking about it. However, the success of the Jerivian soldiers completely changed the conversation of every people.
As of now, one name covered every place - the Masked Commander. Everyone talked about how she achieved a miracle 'again.'
All the buzz going on made the Crown Prince wondered how his people would react if they knew that the lady who was once their Crown Princess was none other than the Masked Commander whom everyone talked about.
"I also used to think that it's impossible but... maybe I'm wrong," Arin replied to his friend.
He maintained a calm demeanor but... he was feeling happy and relieved on the inside. She not only survived the war but also achieved a great feat. For him, she was never an enemy despite what she did to him. Instead, he was happy, thinking of the fact that the woman he loved was an amazing woman.
General Hanson looked at his friend for a while before he took a seat opposite him. "What did His Majesty say about the 4 officials who are still in the hands of the Nardodians?" he asked, curious.
It's about the fate of 4 officials and it could never be a small matter!
"I don't know. The Duke of Borland already proclaimed himself as the King of Nardodia and he is busy trying to establish some ties with other powerful kingdoms. He also refused to negotiate with us but we know that our four officials are still alive. He still doesn't kill them and that means he is still planning something."
When Arin recalled one thing, he quickly shifted his gaze to his friend and asked, "Do you have any information on the new Crown Prince of Nardodia?"
General Hanson nodded. "We don't have any proof but we heard that the new Crown Prince is the younger son of the late King. That means he is the nephew of the Duke."
Arin Helev recalled how the mentioned Prince was already recorded as dead. Does that mean... the Duke of Borland looked after him since that war? But... where was the Nardodian Prince during all those years? There was never a single news about him.
"I think I have to know more about this Crown Prince," he said to General Hanson and added, "He is still young and there is a possibility for him to be a bigger threat to us than the Duke who already past his prime."
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