Iria Alewine flinched at the sudden touch she felt on her shoulder. Almost panicked, she turned around... only to see Zaro's surprised face.
"What are you doing here?" the Crown Prince asked. She didn't even hear his footsteps with that sharp ears of hers!
Squeezing her clothes, the Commander instantly felt the pressure.
As he was a bit taken aback by her silence and the strange look on her face, Zaro glanced around their surroundings.
They were standing next to the door of the King's chamber but... why was there no guards?
Did his father send them away... again?
It had been a while since they left the Alewine Army camp and they decided to visit the King. However, he told her to go ahead as he had something to do briefly.
Why did she still didn't enter and stood frozen here?
Still confused, Zaro stretched out his hand to knock on the door but...
Iria held him back. "Let's meet His Majesty some other time," she muttered and added, "I'm not feeling well."
The confusion on Zaro's face was instantly replaced by concern. "What's wrong? Would you like to rest?" he quickly asked.
"I will return to the camp and rest there," Iria Alewine said and without even waiting for the Crown Prince's response, she turned around and walked away.
Crown Prince Zaro followed her till she mounted on her horse. "Iria, should I come with you?" Standing beside the horse, he hold the rein and looked up at her with concern.
Wasn't she fine just a while ago?!
Iria Alewine narrowed her eyes at the Crown Prince's hands and put it down gently. "I'll be fine, Your Highness. I'll see you later," she said, trying her best to sound convincing.
With that said, she started riding her horse and left the palace in a hurry.
*
Once she walked inside her tent, all the calm facade of the Masked Commander was gone! Bending down a bit, she placed her palms on her desk and clenched her fists as hard as she could!
What did she just hear?
What did the King and the Second Prince discuss?!
As her nails dug her palms so hard, it started to bleed yet she didn't care about it at all. Her eyes were now all red due to suppressed anger!
Nevertheless, the most excruciating pain was the one she felt in her heart. The pain was nothing like she had ever experienced before!
She looked up at the King as her father.
He was the one whom she respected from the bottom of her heart.
She was even willing to give up on herself just to stay loyal to him but...
It turned out that he was just a monster who killed her father!
What's more, Prince Orius knew everything! She trusted him but... everything turned out to be lies!
Why? Why must things be like this?!
Though she heard how the King admitted his crime, she still finds it hard to believe and that's what she hated the most.
The more the trust was, the more the pain became and right now, the exact pain was swallowing the Commander from the inside. She felt too suffocated that she even wished to die.
Keeping herself under control became so hard to the point where the Masked Commander felt like she was going crazy. She glanced around her tent as if she was some hungry wild beast searching for prey. Then she narrowed her eyes at her waist and her gaze landed on her sword. Without thinking twice, she rushed to the training ground which was reserved for the high ranking Generals.
Whenever she wanted to concentrate, she would rest in a quiet place. But today, it was different. She need to get rid of the pressure that tormented her.
Once she reached the empty training ground, she unsheathed her sword and started practicing. Whenever she did this, she would imagine as if she was fighting with an enemy and that always helped her a lot.
As she wielded her sword, the conversation she happened to overhear, repeatedly echoed in her ears. It became more and more tormenting and the way she wielded her sword became more and more intense!
Yet she won't stop.
Two hours passed and as of now, her whole body was covered with sweat. It was the rainy season and judging from the skies, it seemed like it will rain soon but... nothing else crossed her mind.
That conversation was the only thing she could think or heard. It won't stop echoing in her ears even after two hours!
No sane person would be able to stay put after realizing that everything they believed in was just a fake!
The weather became dark but she wasn't even aware of that. The rain that started pouring heavily wasn't enough to faze her while she completely lost her way!
What would she do now?
The King whom she believed in... if he was just a monster who killed her father, what was she supposed to do?
All those years of sacrifice... were they all futile?
The belief she held onto for years started crumbling and nothing else will be more painful than that. Death itself might even be better than experiencing this!
When Rion saw his Commander practicing like crazy under the heavy rain, he couldn't believe his eyes!
The Commander he knew would never do such a crazy thing unless... something really big happened.
"Commander," he called out and rushed towards the training ground but...
It seemed like she didn't hear him at all.
With her wielding her sword tremendously, it was obvious that she will surely manage to slash him if he walked closer! What's more, it really looked like she didn't hear him, let alone sensing his presence!
What was going on? She was fine even in the afternoon!
"Commander," he called out once again but still... it was futile.
Her clothes were drenched in the rain and he wondered how long had she been like this. It's almost time for dinner now.
Much to Rion's surprise, his Commander suddenly halted all her movement and the sword slipped from her hand. The sword clashed with the hard ground, creating a loud sound.
"Commander," Rion muttered for the third time and finally walked closer with confusion written all over his face. When he finally stood a step behind her, Commander Iria turned around and face him. He tried to ask her what's wrong but...
"Later," she spoke up, making him shut his mouth. "Let's talk later."
With that said, she walked away from the training ground, leaving behind the stupefied General who stared at her until she was out of his sight.....
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