"This is strange," Arin Helev stated as he observed the Emperor of Cedore who was sitting on his right. "Did the Empress really allow you to travel with just a single guard?"
Kalos Francia laughed at the remark of the young King. "Of course. It's a special matter."
"Special matter?" Arin Helev asked and said, "I really wish to know where you go to be coined as a special matter. Even Her Majesty the Empress agrees to it. I still remember how she always tends to over worry whenever it concerns your safety."
"I travel, hoping to solve a matter which my family really wish to settle for two decades. So, no one objects to it," Emperor Kalos simply replied.
Arin Helev nodded and asked, "Is that matter settled then?"
Letting out a sigh, the Emperor shook his head. "Seems like I have to give in more effort."
"It's my first time knowing that you can also struggle with something," Arin Helev pointed out jokingly. "You make me quite curious."
Emperor Kalos chuckled at Arin's remark. "Be patient. You will know it soon." He glanced around the chamber where they sat and said, "It will be tough. Running a kingdom is not easy. When I succeeded my father thirteen years ago, I was 30 but I still thought that I was lacking."
He shifted his gaze back to the Qalagon King and said, "But you're always different. Even if it's tough, I'm sure that you will do an excellent job." With a peal of light laughter, he added, "You're the same age as my son. I think he should learn from you."
Arin Helev chuckled and said, "Crown Prince Andres beats me often in many fields, Your Majesty. I don't think he will be happy if he was to hear that."
"Speaking of him, it's been a year since your last visit to our empire, right? He often expressed his desire to visit you, especially since you took over the throne," the Emperor said to Arin.
The King nodded. "Please tell him to come whenever he likes. Andres is my friend and he will always be welcomed here." With a little smile, he added, "I bet the Empress will still be feeling uneasy. So, I will arrange soldiers to escort you to your empire once you wish to return."
* * *
It was afternoon when Emperor Kalos arrived in the Qalagon royal palace and after chatting with the King, he took a rest on the chamber prepared for him. However, dinner time soon arrived and he was set to have dinner with Arin Helev. He wanted to discuss something with him.
Right now, the Emperor was sitting in the dining hall with Arin Helev.
"I heard that you decide to trade with Vialand. I think that's a good decision," he said to the young King.
Vialand was one of the neighbouring kingdoms of his Cedore empire and he knew very well that the King was making the right choice.
"The Crown Princess of Vialand came and she left just a day ago," Arin Helev replied. "Qalagon lacks ties in the south and throughout the past years, your Cedore is our only ally there. So, I think it will help the people if I concentrate a bit more on the south."
Emperor Kalos nodded. "That's right. The King of Vialand is a good friend of mine and I can assure you that he is a reliable man." He put down the cup of wine he was holding and turned to the King with a more serious face. "I also want to discuss some serious matters with you."
"Please go ahead," Arin Helev responded. He was pretty calm and it seemed like he was expecting this but... he had no idea of what the Emperor was trying to say.
Kalos Francia put his hands on the dining table and his fingers gently tapped the table repeatedly. Then he finally turned to Arin Helev and asked, "If I were to attack Jerivia, will you be willing to help me?"
The question made Arin halted all his movement.
Jerivia? He wasn't expecting that!
A few seconds passed with no movement and a pin-drop silence in the huge dining hall until the young King turned his head to the Emperor and observed him. The Emperor was serious. That's what he saw.
"Why all of a sudden?" he asked, hiding his uneasiness with a calm facade.
Emperor Kalos briefly narrowed his eyes and there was a faint smile on his lips. "There is someone precious to me in that kingdom. Somehow, I have a feeling that she will want to leave very soon but... the people there surely won't let her do that. I want to pave a way for her."
He recalled how King Tobias was in such a hurry to make him leave. Maybe the King was afraid that he would take away his most capable warrior.
"I don't get what you're saying, Emperor Kalos," Arin Helev replied, confused. Was it even possible for the Emperor to have ties in Jerivia? Someone precious on top of that?!
Didn't he already have a wife?
"It's a secret of my family for two decades now," the Emperor said. "Though I'm bound to not tell anyone, I will let you know if that would help you understand."
With a nod from the young King, Emperor Kalos said, "My niece is in that kingdom. To be more precise, she was born and raised there."
Niece? Arin Helev raised a brow as he didn't even know that the Emperor had a sibling!
"I can't be certain but... I somehow believe that she will want a way out of that kingdom. Even if she didn't come to me, I want to pave a way for her if she indeed wishes to leave but... I don't think King Tobias will let her. So, just in case, I want to ask for your help," Kalos Francia explained.
"My empire is in the south and to attack Jerivia, I have to station my troops somewhere nearby. Qalagon is the only neighbouring kingdom of Jerivia whom I can seek for help," he added.
Arin Helev thought about it and finds that it was quite strange. Just who was his niece? Why would King Tobias forbid her from leaving? As a King himself, he believed that it wasn't that hard for a single person to leave a kingdom if they wished to.
"Attacking Jerivia is not simple, Your Majesty," he said to the Emperor. "With the Alewine Army on the opposing side, it's never easy to make a move. Believe me, I have fought them once."
He didn't wish to fight them again, especially with their Commander being 'her'. He meant it.
Much to Arin's surprise, his response drew a little smile from the Emperor's lips and he was left bewildered.
What does that smile mean?
"I still haven't told you the identity of my niece," Emperor Kalos mused. He was glad that even someone as capable as Arin Helev spoke highly of the Army which his niece commanded. She was really one of a kind.
"She is the Commander of the Army you just mentioned," he continued. With a little smile, he added, "The one who is called the Masked Commander."
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