When Theo was finally back to his sense, he was more than quick to grab the hilt of his sword. "How dare you!"
He was about to unsheathe his sword but... seeing Crown Prince Emor lifting his right palm was enough to make him halt! This made him even more shocked than before. "Your Highness."
"Leave us," Emor Tripas commanded. Still, his gaze was fixated on the fake Crown Princess of Qalagon who turned out to be the Masked Commander.
Theo was too surprised to even make a movement, but...
"Don't you hear me?"
Once again, he was back to his sense when he heard the voice of the Crown Prince. Having no choice, he withdrew his hand from the hilt of his sword and bowed before he walked out of the chamber.
"Emor." It was the young woman who spoke up for the first time. Confusion and amazement were still written all over her face when she looked at the Crown Prince.
For the first time, Emor Tripas turned his head away from Iria to look at his friend. "I'm fine, Alena," he muttered. "Please... I won't take long."
Alena Varia briefly glanced at the Masked Commander before she turned back to her friend and nodded. Then she walked out of the room.
Now that they were the only ones in the huge chamber, Emor Tripas kept on staring at the Commander again. Though his gaze was between calm and troubled, he noticed the hatred in her eyes and somehow, it created a stinging pain in his heart.
"I heard that you returned but... " He narrowed his eyes as if he was observing her. "I never thought that you will be the Masked Commander," he continued in a low voice.
"You talked like you know that I'm not the real Princess Iria," the Commander pointed out in a cold voice.
She knew that how her story started with this man wasn't that rosy. However, there were times when she considered him as someone reliable. There really was.
He kept his word and didn't say anything about that incident to anyone. She was grateful for that and her impression of him changed a lot. She knew he was strange and quite fake but... at some point, he seemed like one she could trust.
They used to say that we are disappointed when our expectations are let down. That's what the Masked Commander was feeling - betrayed.
"I can explain," Crown Prince Emor said but... her dismissive gesture made him fell silent once again.
He didn't know what to do as the woman standing before him was even cruel than the one in Qalagon. But... that's normal.
She was the Masked Commander right now and not the Crown Princess of Qalagon.
Emor Tripas indeed used to think about what will happen once people realized his true identity. He didn't care about any of that until... she arrived in his world. He used to be quite nervous and now... the way she looked at him proved that his fear had come true.
When he last met her in the royal palace of Qalagon, everything was still fine. But now, the smile she showed him that day was gone.
"Please hear me out. I can explain," he pleaded with her but...
"Don't tell me that you're the one who poisoned Princess Iria."
Emor Tripas eyes grew wide when he heard her. "No! I never do that," he quickly retorted. "I indeed heard about the incident but I know nothing about it."
Her expression. It was clear that she didn't believe him completely. After all, she was fooled once and... she didn't want to let it happen twice. Then all of a sudden, his strange illness crossed her mind.
Why did the Prince of Nardodia develop such an illness?
When Iria Alewine finally took a clear glance at him, she noticed that he appeared a lot different than the last time she saw him. Putting aside the change in title, his life seemed even dull than before. His gaze hinted at desperation when he looked at her, but... she ignored it.
"Please don't hate me too much," the Crown Prince pleaded in a low voice once again. "My life isn't much different than yours. If it was up to me, none of this won't happen. I'm telling the truth."
What was he trying to say?
Was it his way of telling her that he had no control over his life?
Iria Alewine couldn't understand. Just like when they were in Qalagon, he was still hard to understand, like a puzzle.
In the past, he had often told her that he really had no value over his life. He said that it had been a long time since he didn't value his life anymore. Those were strange coming from a Prince of a fallen kingdom who spent his time trying to revive his kingdom.
"You don't have to explain yourself," she finally spoke up. "Everything is in the past and like you, I was just a fake too. Besides, I'm the Masked Commander and not the Princess. I have nothing to do with the Crown Prince of Nardodia."
"Are you behaving this way because of Arin Helev?" Emor Tripas asked which made the Commander clenched her fist. "I know you care about him as he did."
"You and I have no right to talk about him," the Commander said, sternly. After they both fooled him, how would they dare to do that?!
"I will take my leave if you have nothing more to say," she promptly uttered and added, "I hope you can put aside everything else and act like you don't know me. That is for the best."
Without even waiting for his response, she turned her back at him and took a few steps towards the door but...
"That slap..."
She halted her steps when she heard his voice.
Emor Tripas stared at her back and braced himself when he continued by saying, "If it's the price for fooling you, I will let it slide. I'm willing to endure many more if it will make you feel satisfied but... if it's for Arin Helev, you will have to pay for it."
Iria Alewine stood still for a while but she never once turned around to face him again. His words repeatedly echoed in her ears to the point where she felt suffocated.
When she entered this chamber, she failed to resist the temptation and slapped him before she could even realize it. He might deserve it but... she should have held back. After all, he was the most important guest of her kingdom, for now.
Did she really do that for Arin Helev?!
Refusing to think further, Iria Alewine walked out of the chamber and the gaze of Crown Prince Emor trailed on her until she was out of his sight.....
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