Jolene struggled to answer her Commander. Not to mention that the Masked Commander didn't take her gaze off her the whole time! However, maybe the Commander pitied her, she finally shifted her gaze to Zire.
"It seems like you have to try harder, Zire," was Iria Alewine's remarked.
As a soldier with overflowing energy, Zire immediately nodded a few times. "Don't worry, Commander. Trying harder is my specialty." In a split second, Zire's smile faded. "You look quite pale, Commander. Is your fever back?"
Iria Alewine placed her palm on her forehead and sighed. "It seems like it."
"Really?" Rion asked and quickly glanced down at his Commander. "I will prepare the medicine again." Not giving the Commander any time to speak, he stormed out of the chamber.
Zire stared at his friend until he was out of his sight and turned back to the Commander with a smile. "Seems like I don't have to worry anymore, Commander. Rion did a great job in taking care of you."
"That's true," Iria Alewine muttered and looked at the two Generals. "I trust in you two. So, you should also do a great job in looking after the army."
"Rest assured, Commander," Zire quickly said. "We won't disappoint you."
"You should focus on your health and recover soon, Commander," Jolene spoke up. "We look forward to your return."
*
Jolene and Zire just left but Rion hasn't returned. So, Commander Iria was alone in the chamber.
Still sitting on the back, she blankly stared at the outdoors through the windows that were located a few steps away on the left. With many things crossing her mind, the Masked Commander felt a sense of urgency and she tightly squeezed the blanket that covered her lower body.
Rion walked inside with a bowl of medicine and he was surprised to see his Commander that way. Quietly approaching her, he placed the medicine on top of the drawer.
"Rion."
He turned to his Commander when he heard her voice. He noticed that her gaze was still on the outdoors. "Yes, Commander."
Iria Alewine finally shifted her gaze to Rion but when she noticed his confused face, she changed her mind. "Never mind," she said in a low voice.
"That's not like you, Commander," Rion pointed out. "You almost scared me." He lifted the bowl of medicine and offered it to Iria. "Here. I already taste it and it's fine."
Iria Alewine took the medicine and though it was quite bitter, she finished it in one go. Then Rion put the bowl back to the top of the drawer and sat on the chair beside her bed. "Something troubled you, right? You act strange ever since you met that Qalagon Commander."
When one thing crossed Rion's mind, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is it about the King of Qalagon?"
He knew how his Commander felt about the Qalagon King and with the visit from Commander Nico Petrus just two days ago, Rion could only think of this possibility.
"No, not him," Commander Iria replied. After giving some thought, she takes out the letter from Arin Helev and showed the last paragraph to Rion.
Rion read it. He appeared quite confused at first but soon, he understood and his eyes grew wide. "This can't be," he muttered as an uneasy feeling surged through him.
"I hope for it to be wrong too," Iria Alewine said and put the letter away. "Don't tell this to anyone, Rion. And I want you to look into this matter. We won't make a move unless we're sure."
It took Rion a few seconds to finally get a grip of himself. Then he nodded. "I understand, Commander."
* * *
Commander Nico was finally back to Qalagon. After he met Commander Iria that night, he met King Tobias again and talked with him about Princess Iria's case. He also warned him to be careful with King Aryan Tripas.
It was evening when the Commander entered the palace to greet the King and to let him know of his arrival. He went straight there without even going home.
It turned out that Arin Helev had his normal inspection in the capital and he was just back too.
"You returned earlier than I thought, Commander Nico," King Arin said to the Commander who was sitting opposite him in his chamber. "You asked for two weeks and there's still two days left."
"I cut my journey short by a day and speed up my pace when I return, Your Majesty," the Commander replied. "I was in a hurry."
"Why? Is something going on?" Arin Helev was still calm but when one thing crossed his mind, his eyes widened a bit. "Is it about her?"
Commander Nico hesitated a bit and narrowed his eyes, only to make the patient King lost his patience. This wasn't a matter which he could be patient about.
"What happened to her?" he asked in a demanding voice.
"It's poison, Your Majesty," Nico Petrus uttered, knowing that he can't conceal from the King like the Masked Commander wanted him to. "Her life is not in danger and she already woke up after being in a coma for more than a week," he quickly added, hoping to calm the King even in the slightest bit.
Arin Helev clenched his fists so tight that his nails could dig his palms. Even for a calm and patient man like him, it was so hard to not act up!
"How did it happen?" he finally asked after almost a minute of silence. He tried to control himself and compared to other times, it was like a failure. He will never let it pass!
"During a hunting event," Nico Petrus replied. "I heard that she was attacked by an assassin and the poisoned arrow wound her palm. It's fortunate that she didn't consume the poison." With his late lover crossing his mind, he continued, "If that's the case, she won't make it."
"She will be fine after resting for a while, Your Majesty. Please don't worry too much," Nico Petrus added though he knew that he was pleading for the impossible.
"It's Aryan Tripas," Arin muttered. "I'm sure of it."
"We suspect that, but... we have no proof. The assassins are nowhere to be seen," Nico Petrus stated. His hatred for the Nardodian King was very obvious in his voice.
"So, this was the reason," Arin Helev muttered in a very low voice as he narrowed his eyes, making the Commander quite confused.
Concentrating on his thoughts, the King leaned a bit forward and entwined his fingers. "I try to wait for a while but... I won't do that anymore. It seems like Aryan Tripas wish to provoke me and I will grant him his wish. He will surely pay for this," he declared in a firm voice.....
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