Once the feast was over, Andres Francia returned to his room right away and Iria could only stare at the disappearing form of her cousin.
"Is Andres close with Crown Princess Maria?" she asked Arin who was still sitting beside her.
"Cedore and Vialand have a close relationship just like our Qalagon and Zoris. So, I bet they will be close," Arin replied without much thought.
Speaking of Zoris, Iria was reminded of Vance Amias and Zena Amias who were now the King and Queen. King Feric passed away not long after she went to Cedore.
"Why didn't Vance and Zena attend this gathering?"
"I'm not sure," Arin said. "We can ask them later."
"Alright."
Now that the feast was over, the guests spent their time chatting with each other and many royals approached the couple, mostly to congratulate them for their wedding. The same goes for Zaro and Athena.
Once almost everyone finished congratulating them, Iria saw Emor Tripas making his way to them. She wondered how Arin would react but... much to her surprise, Arin was the one who first reached out his hand to Crown Prince Emor. The latter hold it with a smile and they greeted each other.
"I'm glad that we finally meet again," Arin said to the Crown Prince. "I'm really grateful for all your help in the past year."
"You don't have to thank me," Emor Tripas promptly said. "After all, I'm the one who offers to help you."
Arin nodded and Emor turned to Iria. "We finally meet again, Your Majesty. I know it's late but I want to congratulate you on your wedding."
"Thank you," Iria muttered but she was still feeling lost. She didn't know that Arin was in touch with him.
Wasn't he supposed to loath him?
"The last time we met, you said that once we meet again, you hope that it will be under better circumstances," Emor Tripas pointed out. "It seems like that happened. You look better than before."
He heard everything that happened to her. How she left Qalagon, her ties with Cedore and how she married Arin Helev. No matter what, he was glad that she finally lived for herself.
It wasn't easy and he was the one who knew that the most.
"We should have a good chat one time," Iria said. "I have many things to ask you."
"Alright," the Crown Prince replied and shifted his gaze to the King. "Let's talk some other time. There are so many eyes here."
Arin Helev understood what he was saying. After all, Aryan Tripas still had power over so many people and... the one standing before him was no exception. So, he nodded and Emor Tripas left the hall.
"You don't tell me that you're in touch with him," Iria promptly said once Emor left. Until a while ago, she thought that the two men were still on bad terms!
"You never ask me," Arin simply said with a smile. "Besides, I don't know that you're still close to him."
"That's not the case," Iria argued. "It's been more than a year since I last saw him."
"Really?" Arin asked, giving her a suspicious look. This made Iria frowned.
"What are you assuming, Arin?"
Arin observed her for a while before he finally chuckled. "I'm just kidding, Iria. I know your schedule in the past year just like I know mine."
"That's not something to brag about," Iria bluntly said. "It's a violation of privacy."
"I know," he simply admitted. "I don't do it anymore."
Iria let out a sigh but Arin still smiled. "Let's go. It's late."
The Queen briefly recalled what happened and said, "I think I should visit Andres."
"What's the matter?"
"I'm not sure but something's wrong with him," she muttered. "I will go and talk to him."
The King gave a quick thought and nodded. "Fine then."
*
Arin returned to their chamber while Iria made her way to her cousin's chamber. However, just before she could reach the hallway where the door to Andres's chamber was located, she crossed path with a familiar face.
Zaro Aventine.
It's him.
They both halted and she saw his eyes flickered but... she refused to show anything.
Now that she saw him closer, she realized that she was wrong before. His eyes, his thin face and body; he didn't resemble someone who was happy.
20 years.
She shared memories with him that spanned for 20 years but... it's funny how the incident that day overshadowed everything. It felt like those memories never existed.
It's been a year but she refused to talk to him. At the sight of him, the pain in her heart doubled and she didn't want to lose control. So, she walked past him.
After a year, they were even worse than strangers now.
Who would have thought that they used to be best friends?
Once upon a time, she used to call him her everything with pride.
She indeed walked past him but...
"Iria."
She halted when she heard him calling her name.
The same voice, the same person and the same tone, but... why did it felt so bothering to hear that?
Maybe because the most important thing had changed - the heart.
"Don't call my name," she coldly said. "It's disgusting."
Zaro Aventine turned around but he could only stare at her back. "I'm sorry. I don't... "
His voice trailed off when she turned around and saw the hatred in her eyes.
When he killed Rion a year ago, she still remembered how his face was devoid of any expression. That scene was curved in her heart and now... he said he's sorry?
How laughable!
"I'm not here to listen to your apology," she said. "Who are you to think that you're worth my time?"
She had changed and he wasn't foolish enough to understand that. How could she talk in such a calm yet cold voice at the same time?
The Iria Alewine he knew was never this patient!
He thought that once she saw him, she would be fumed with rage and lost her cool but... was he wrong?
"If you are talking about how we used to be like, then I'm sorry. I don't remember those anymore," she continued. "But if you are talking about what you did that day, know that I still engrave that in my heart. I will never forget the pain from the Serene Valley."
He opened his mouth to say something but she didn't give him the chance. Instead, she turned her back at him and walked away. Then he realized that they will always be this way now......
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