As Rion was too adamant, Commander Iria decided to give in just once and took the spoon. At this, Rion finally smiled. It's not every day that he got to persuade his Commander!
However, not even five minutes passed when the door was suddenly opened without even knocking. When Iria Alewine darted her eyes to it, she saw King Tobias rushing inside with a rare mixture of relief and concern on his face. Iria almost choked on her food as she really didn't expect to see the King right now.
Didn't they only say that he might be back before midnight? It's only dinner time!
As expected, Rion quickly bowed and walked out of the chamber to give them some space.
"Your Majesty," Iria muttered, unsure of what to do. Should she attempt to stand up? But she knew that would only worry him more, or even anger him.
Letting out a sigh, the King finally walked towards her. This time, his pace was very slow compared to the time he entered. Then he halted and sat beside her bed.
He just reached the palace a few minutes ago and he was informed about the good news. All he remembered after that was how he rushed here without even thinking of anything else!
"Did I startle you?" He calmly asked and glancing around, he poured some water from the jar which was placed near her bed. Then he put the water on her tray.
"It's fine," Iria muttered. With the tray of food still on her thighs, she wasn't even sure if she should continue eating.
King Tobias quietly glanced at her bandaged hand before he shifted his gaze up to her face. "Do you feel pain anywhere else?" he asked.
"No. Please don't worry, Your Majesty. I feel even better than when I first woke up in the evening," Iria replied.
Once again, the King fell silent yet his gaze was still on her. Iria Alewine was quite taken aback by this. Then after a few seconds, the King said, "I'm sorry, Iria. I shouldn't have asked you to participate in the hunting event."
The Commander could felt her jaw dropped to the floor! Did the King just... apologized to her? Though she grew up under his guidance and though they always have a good relationship, it's his first time apologizing to her!
No matter what, he was the King who was above everyone. He was never bound to apologize to anyone! She was just his subject and a Commander who ought to serve him with her life. As such, hearing him apologizing rendered her speechless and she ended up staring at him with a dumbfounded yet flustered face.
"Your Majesty... " These two words were all she could mumble.
"You don't know how much you mean to me, Iria," the King muttered. "Ever since you were young, I never thought of myself as having just one daughter but two. You have to risk your life and fight for the kingdom. Do you even know how hard it is for me to send you off to the battlefield all the time?"
She does know but... she never wanted to talk about it. No matter what, it still needs to happen and he was the King. He can't prioritize his feelings over the kingdom.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I worry you a lot, don't I?"
Hearing what she said, the King let out a sigh. "It's not your fault that you're attacked, Iria." His voice was a bit stern but his gaze was soft.
"You don't know that I will be attacked that day, Your Majesty," the Commander simply said. "It's not your fault either."
Finally, King Tobias's lips curved into a little smile. "You apologize just so you could say that, don't you?" he mused. "Though you were in a coma for more than a week, it seems like that smart brain of yours is still working just fine."
"I have no other way. I don't want you to make me feel more uncomfortable," Iria laughed, making the King helplessly shook his head. Then he glanced at the food on the tray.
"You should finish your dinner while it's warm," he pointed out.
Iria nodded and continued with her dinner while the King still sat beside her bed.
"Don't even dream of pushing yourself until you fully recover. I won't allow you to return to your mansion before you're healed as I think it will be better for you to stay here under my watch," King Tobias said to her. His voice was still calm in contrary to what he said.
The King knew her too well. She can't be in the camp for now and if she stayed in her mansion, she will surely try to push herself before she even recovered. Her soldiers won't be able to stop her, so it's better for her to stay here. He knew very well that in reality, he was the only one who can keep her in check.
Even Zaro always ended up giving in to her!
The King's voice must be calm but Iria knew that it was final. So, she didn't even bother to protest and only nodded.
*
After visiting Iria, King Tobias returned to his chamber and took a seat on the couch. He spent the whole day in the outskirts of the capital, observing the situation of the people there. He often did this, disguising himself, so that he will be able to see the real condition with his own eyes. Though it was quite tiring, he never gave up on this habit.
The King suddenly darted his eyes to one corner when he felt the presence of someone in his chamber. When a possibility crossed his mind, he shook his head.
There's no way for him to be here.
However, he couldn't be at ease. Then he finally stood up and walked towards the corner only to spot a shadow of someone behind a single yet thin wall.
Maybe it was indeed possible and in this case, only one person crossed his mind. The only one who ever dared to enter his chamber in secret.
"Nico Petrus," he muttered and let out a sigh. He was too tired to face this kind of unexpected intrusion!
His hunch was proved to be true as the young Commander finally showed himself. There was a small yet menacing smile on Nico Petrus's face as he said, "It's been a while, Your Majesty."
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