It was morning and it's been two weeks since Commander Nico returned to Qalagon and informed the King about the incident.
In the royal palace of Nardodia, King Aryan Tripas was having his daily morning meeting with the officials. His nephew, the Crown Prince was also beside him.
Many of the officials in Nardodia were killed when power fell in the hands of the Qalagons five years ago. However, some managed to live and a few of those former officials joined the King when he claimed back the kingdom. Apart from them, most of the officials were important figures who helped him reclaim the kingdom.
The meeting goes on smoothly until... it was interrupted by the arrival of a General who came to report something to the King. Walking inside, he got down on one knee in front of King Aryan.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I apologize for interrupting," the General said to the King, respectfully.
"What's the matter?" Aryan Tripas asked. Everyone in the room also paid full attention to the General who was on the floor.
"I receive a report just a while ago, Your Majesty," the General started. "Two days ago, the soldiers of Qalagon attacked the Garwel and Monnor Province in the northwestern border. Many of our soldiers were killed and... the two provinces now fell in the hands of the Qalagons."
"What?!" Aryan Tripas growled and hardly slammed the table. "How can the two provinces be defeated that easy?!"
"The two provinces are connected. However, to reach the nearest city which is the Dreol city, at least half a day is needed. That's why... it was already too late when the news reached the Dreol city," the General replied.
"The two provinces might be small but they are located near our border with the Zoris Kingdom and they also serve as an important route for our trade with the kingdoms of the north-west, Your Majesty," one official said to the King. "Losing the two provinces will be a huge blow for us in the near future!"
"The Qalagons were quiet until a while ago, Your Majesty. Why did Arin Helev suddenly do this?" Another official exclaimed.
Hearing this, Emor Tripas darted his eyes to his uncle. What did he do this time?!
He knew Arin Helev quite well as he spent years in his army. He was never the type to make this kind of move unless there was a good reason.
Meanwhile, Aryan Tripas was fumed with anger. Not knowing what to do frustrated him even more than what happened!
The two provinces were now gone and it's not like he can do the same, right now. Each border of Qalagon had a firm defence, unlike Nardodia who only started to strengthen their defence and even now, some small provinces were still neglected.
When he thought of what the reason of the Qalagon King might be, his face darkened. "Seems like I underestimate Arin Helev," he muttered.
The young King managed to bring his soldiers all the way to the northwestern border without his spies noticing? Though a huge amount of soldiers won't be needed to claim the two provinces, being able to do it in secret was a huge feat!
Tormented and even suffocated by the feeling of being cornered, Aryan Tripas set one goal in mind and he vowed to achieve it no matter what.
*
Once the meeting was dismissed, the King and the Crown Prince were the only ones in the meeting hall. Staring at his uncle who was still struggling to keep his anger in check, Emor Tripas felt quite troubled. What's more, he knew that his uncle knows the reason behind the Qalagon King's action. He could feel that.
It's clear that his uncle did something.
The Crown Prince wanted to ask but he knew that it would be futile. Besides, the King was very angry right now. Considering his violent nature, it would bring him no good if he confronted him now. Then he rose from his seat and left the meeting hall without saying anything.
Emor Tripas walked inside his chamber and Theo quickly followed him inside.
"Sent someone to know the situation in Qalagon," the Crown Prince ordered his right-hand man but when one thing crossed his mind, he added, "Jerivia too. I have to know what is going on and make sure that my uncle doesn't know about this."
With that said, Theo quickly left to comply with the Crown Prince's order.
Emor Tripas took a seat on the chair behind his desk and look at some reports. However, he was distracted by his friend who made her way inside.
"Emor, is something going on?" Alena Varia asked him as she approached his desk.
"Seems like my uncle did something to offend the Qalagon King lately," Emor Tripas replied without much thinking. Then he looked up at his friend. "It's very hard to see you these days, Alena."
"My mother is ill. I spent some time with her," Alena Varia said to him.
Family. Emor Tripas refused to think further about it. Then he shifted his gaze back to the reports.
Alena's father was one of the Generals who used to support his uncle during the latter's conflict with his father. However, he was killed during the war with Qalagon and since then, his uncle continued training her and now, she was pretty skilled. Her mother resided alone in the family mansion and she was the only family that Alena Varia had.
"I think you are interested in Qalagon more than you should be, Emor," Alena pointed out. One thing which she always wanted to ask him but never did, crossed her mind. This time she didn't want to ponder around anymore. "Is it because of the Masked Commander? Do you like her?"
Emor Tripas put down the report he was reading and glanced up at his friend, confused. "What do you mean, Alena?" he asked.
What did she mean? Didn't he know?
"I can tolerate her touch and that's great news for me. You know that," Emor spoke up again. "At least, there is someone who can help me cope with this absurd illness."
"That's all? Are you saying that you don't have feelings for her?" It was obvious that she didn't exactly buy what he said.
Emor Tripas let out a sigh. "What feelings are you talking about? You should know better than to ask me that." Calming down himself a bit, he continued, "I don't even know what it means to like someone. I'm not capable of understanding such a complicated thing."
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