For a split second, Arin Helev thought that he heard the Emperor wrong.
How could she be his niece? He never heard...
One thing suddenly crossed his mind. He never knew a thing about her mother. She had never talked about it either and only said that she didn't even know how her mother looked like.
Was this why?
"I have a late sister," Emperor Kalos explained, looking at the King's confused expression. "The current Commander of the Alewine Army is the daughter of my late sister."
Arin Helev now understood how Iria became the niece of the Emperor but... he still have many questions.
Iria might want to leave Jerivia? He doubted that.
"This is a very huge secret of mine, Your Majesty," the Emperor spoke up once again. "Only a very few people in Jerivia and Cedore knows this. So, it's not easy for me to reveal but... I trust in you. Even if you refused to help me, I understand. However, I hope you can keep this secret safe for me."
With a little sigh, Kalos Francia added, "Just because she is my niece, she already went through a lot. I know that the officials in Jerivia are always indifferent to her. I offered her to come to me many times but... she always chose to stay loyal to the King who doesn't deserve even an ounce of her loyalty."
"Why do you believe that she will change her mind?" Arin Helev promptly asked. She was one of the most loyal people he ever knew and he believed that she won't turn her back on her kingdom.
"There are many things going on but we don't always know them," Kalos Francia stated. "I met her right before I came here and if she decided to take my advice and open her eyes for once, I believe that everything will change."
He met her?
Slightly raising a brow, Arin was reminded of what the King said earlier.
He was out to settle a special matter and though he travel with just a single soldier, even the Empress agreed to it.
Arin Helev recalled the past days he spent worrying about her. He heard about what happened, including the betrayal of her trusted General. He wished to see her but... it was never easy for a King to leave his kingdom for that long. Besides, he had no one to take care of the court matters if he were to be absent.
This made Arin Helev realized one thing. For the Emperor to travel such a distance just to meet her, he must really care about her.
Seeing Arin Helev zoning out, Emperor Kalos was bewildered. It's rare to see the usually composed King that way! He also realized one more thing. Arin Helev he knew was always pretty aloof but... he had changed a lot.
When he thought of the possible reason which caused such a change to the young King, the broken alliance marriage crossed his mind.
Could that be the reason? But... the Jerivian Princess already passed away.
Was it the reason why he was still patient with the Jerivians? Did he ask for a difficult favor?
"About the broken alliance marriage... " Emperor Kalos cautiously said. "Do you still not sever ties with the Jerivians?"
With the past flashing in his mind, Arin Helev said, "The Jerivians are the ones who sever ties with my kingdom. I bet King Tobias know that I'm open to new terms but... " Making a deliberate pause, he recalled one of the many things which Commander Nico told him when he returned from Jerivia.
"It seems like King Tobias doesn't want me around. Maybe he's scared," he finally added.
"Why must he be scared?" Emperor Kalos asked, having no idea of what the young King was saying.
"He knows that I take the alliance marriage seriously and that I don't plan to give up," Arin Helev stated. There was a hint of suppressed anger and determination in his voice.
The Emperor felt even more confused. The Princess of Jerivia already passed away! What's the use of the alliance marriage now?
"The Jerivians played a huge game on my kingdom through that alliance marriage," Arin Helev explained. "The one who came to fulfil the alliance marriage wasn't the Princess but... the Masked Commander whom you mentioned."
Emperor Kalos's eyes grew wide in shock! Was that even possible? That's too much of a risk!
"For sure? Iria did that?" he asked as disbelief was written all over his face.
Arin Helev nodded.
"Was she exposed? Was it why the alliance marriage was broken?" the Emperor promptly asked. He was surprised to even know that Iria agreed to such a thing!
"No. I only find out her identity when she left," Arin Helev confessed. "She is the Masked Commander. It's not an easy feat to expose her."
Kalos Francia thought that the young King had a point. Then what the latter said before echoed in his ears. "What do you mean when you say that you take the alliance marriage seriously? Does that mean... " He raised a brow and glanced at the King.
That's not possible!
"I think you get it right," Arin Helev admitted without thinking twice. "I don't plan to give up on her."
He love her and he just admitted that. However, the Emperor was still in a daze. This had never once crossed his mind.
After what seemed to be forever, he finally met the gaze of the young King who stared at him throughout the time he maintained his silence. "Did she feel the same?" he asked. After all, this question was the only thing that mattered to him.
There was a subtle smile on Arin's lips when he narrowed his eyes at the braided bracelet on his wrist. "You said you met her right before you came here, right? Did she still have that braided bracelet with her? The one with a mixture of gold and yellow in colour."
Emperor Kalos recalled his time in Jerivia. As it had been three years since he last saw Iria, he took quite a time observing her and... he realized that he saw her wearing the exact bracelet on her left wrist. "I indeed saw one," he said.
"I choose that for her when we travelled to Zoris," Arin Helev told the Emperor. "She told me that it is a custom in Jerivia to give a braided bracelet to the ones we love." Then he shifted his gaze to the King. "I'm an enemy of her kingdom. She always refused to admit that she love me."
Still staring at the Emperor's troubled yet bewildered face, Arin Helev concluded by saying, "About your proposal... I will help you as long as she wishes to leave. But if not, I won't go against her wish."
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