Commander Iria dumbfoundedly looked at Crown Prince Emor who didn't seem to be in a good situation. She called him many times but there was no reaction, let alone a response. She wasn't even sure if he heard her!
She noticed how cold sweat was still forming on his forehead nonstop. He was struggling. It was clear. She knew that she must do something but... what would she do? She didn't understand this situation.
When she felt like she had no other choice, she grabbed his hands and tried to remove them from his ears, hoping to make him focused on her, but... the moment he felt her touch, he flinched and his eyes suddenly flew open as he distanced himself from her!
Fear and pain. That's what the Masked Commander saw in his eyes. "Your Highness... " she muttered, confused yet somewhat anxious. She kept on staring at him as her mind went blank.
Emor Tripas glanced down at him with horror on his face. However, slowly, the fear faded when he noticed the anxiety in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Iria Alewine asked when she realized that he was slowly back to being normal. Still crouching down beside him, she looked up at him with concern.
"I'm fine," he finally murmured. However, he was still squeezing his clothes out of nervousness.
One glance at him and even a fool would know that he wasn't! It even made Commander Iria wondered if he said those two words out of habit! However, when she tried to speak up again...
"I'm sorry but shall we return now?" Emor Tripas suddenly said. "I need a rest."
Feeling perplexed, Iria Alewine maintained her silence for a while. However, she quickly nodded when she noticed how pale his face was. Then Emor Tripas quickly stood up and walked back to the place where they left their horses. Iria Alewine could only follow him with an uneasy mind.
*
"Do you have fun?"
Iria Alewine was surprised when she saw Zaro Aventine waiting for her in her chamber.
"Kind of," she mumbled and made her way to him. "Is the meeting done?"
Crown Prince Zaro nodded with a little smile. "But what do you mean by 'kind of'? I thought that you will enjoy it a lot. You always love to explore new places or things."
Iria Alewine recalled what happened but she shook her head. "It's nothing. We will be leaving tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," Zaro said and observed her. "Why? Do you still have something to do?"
"No. We should leave soon," Iria Alewine quickly said, making her friend smiled.
"There is still some time before dinner. You can take a rest. You must be tired," he said and then left the chamber.
Once her friend left, Iria Alewine took a seat on the chair. When her gaze landed on her wrist, she slightly smiled at the sight of the bracelet. It made her wondered where he would be right now. He still won't reach the capital of Qalagon and he will still be on his way there.
"I hope he reach safe and sound," she muttered, thinking of the bracelet which she gave him.
* * *
Crown Prince Arin and his troops decided to rest as the sun had set. Collecting some fodders, they decided to spend the night in the forest where they were currently staying.
While Arin was sitting beside the fire with his mind somewhere else, Hanson Lorin sat beside him and placed his hand on his back.
"What are you thinking?" the General asked his friend though he already had an assumption on that matter.
Letting out a sigh, Hanson Lorin looked at his friend with a smile and said, "Once I meet the Masked Commander again, I will ask her what kind of spell she used on you. How come she managed to make you this lovestruck? I will ask her that."
"I thought that your sword will be ready if you meet her," Arin Helev jokingly argued.
"I don't want to risk my life," Hanson said with a playful smile.
Arin Helev laughed at his words. "Are you that scared of her?"
The General quickly shook his head. "No. I'm not ready to face your wrath," he dryly said. "Even when King Aryan played that trick, I was scared for his life."
The Crown Prince smirked at the thought of the scheming King. "That will happen sooner or later," he firmly said. "For now, I want to ensure the safety of my people first. I won't allow them to live under the rule of that selfish King. After that, we can take our time to destroy him with the minimum price."
Hanson Lorin nodded, approving the Crown Prince's idea. "That fake soldier... what's his name again? Ah! Emor Tripas. I struggled to maintain my composure when I saw him."
At the mention of Emor Tripas, Crown Prince Arin was reminded of the conversation he had with him last night. "Things aren't always what they appeared to be, Hanson," he suddenly said, making his friend confused. "I'm sure that there will be more to know about him."
"He's just a traitor," Hanson Lorin uttered, feeling disgusted.
"A spy is a right term," Arin Helev corrected him. "He is the Prince of Nardodia, a royal by blood. So, his loyalty was never with Qalagon since the beginning. That means there was no betrayal. We only failed to see through him."
General Hanson thought of what the Crown Prince said. It made him recalled his memories of Emor Tripas as Captain Klaus Ermias. He felt like something wasn't right.
"You know how much I trust him," he said to Arin. "But you also know that trust didn't exist all of a sudden. All the things he did during those years, his impressive actions on a battlefield... " He paused and glanced at his friend.
"He never seemed like one who has ill intentions against us. On the contrary, he always put his life on the line and never hesitate to fight. I even used to wonder how someone can be so unfazed by a life and death situation," he concluded.
If he wished to see the revival of his fallen kingdom, shouldn't he felt reluctant to die before that? On top of that, while wearing a uniform of the Qalagon Royal Army! These were what Arin Helev thought.
He hate it when he had unsolved questions on his mind. So, he was determined to find out the answer soon.....
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