It had been a few hours since Arin and Iria left Vialand.
Crown Prince Andres was also about to leave with Zane and a few soldiers who escorted him to Vialand. As it was their neighbouring kingdom, he didn't need as much time as the Qalagon royal couple did. So, he waited till the sunrise.
As he was standing beside his horse, patting and brushing his horse with his palm, Crown Princess Maria came to see him off.
Andres observed the lady beside him and realized that she seemed to be quite composed than that day. It's like the one in his memory was back.
"Cedore is just five days away," Maria Kareno started. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I shouldn't let my father handle all the work alone for long, right?" Andres Francia responded with a little smile.
"How is Uncle Kalos?" the Crown Princess asked. "It's been a while since I last saw him. Aunt Amina too."
"They're doing fine these days." With a light chuckle, he added, "Maybe too fine. They finally get a niece-in-law and they are still crazy about that."
His way with words was what always entertained her and even now, it's still the same. He was still great at making her smile.
"That's so like them," she remarked. "With your cousin around, you don't seem to be too lonely anymore. It's a relief."
"Thank you for relieving my loneliness during all those years, Maria," he muttered. "No matter what, I'll still be your friend. If you need me, all you have to do is ask for me."
She was right. With Orius around, he wasn't that lonely like he used to be, but... what about her?
Will her fiance be able to fill the void in her life?
She won't be too lonely, right?
Even if she was, he won't be able to do much for her anymore. That's not right.
No matter what, he wanted to believe that she will be happy with her fiance. Even an arranged marriage can turn into love.
"I will remember that," Maria Kareno replied. "I'm sorry for that day, Andres. I realized that I was giving you a hard time."
"Don't be," he promptly said. "Compared to how I pestered you and make things difficult for you all those years, that was nothing. I'm not like you, Maria. I'm not that good at controlling myself."
People always say that he was a composed person but she was way more composed than him. Besides, love could change a person to a great extent.
When she maintained her silence and narrowed her eyes, he walked closer to her and embraced her for one last time before he leave. His action took her by surprise.
"Take care, Maria," he said in a low voice. "I wish you happiness and don't forget that I'll always be open if you ever need me. You're my only friend."
For the first time, his words drew a tear from her eyes but she was very quick to wipe it away. "You should remember that too," she murmured. "Have a safe journey, Andres."
* * *
After more than a week, Arin and Iria were finally back to Qalagon. As of now, there was nothing in their schedule that would require travelling to another kingdom again soon, so they were feeling quite relieved.
Despite the long and tiring journey, Arin had to resume work again and like always, Iria helped him in every way possible. In the past, she hated participating in administration but since she left Jerivia, she spent time with her uncle a lot and helped him with his work. So, she didn't hate that much anymore and instead, she was quite skilled and capable in administration by now.
A day had passed since they were back to Qalagon and Arin was discussing some matters with Prime Minister Casar Mareyi. While the King was away, the Prime Minister had to take care of everything in his place and when Arin was back, he always had many affairs to discuss with him.
Meanwhile, in the pavilion on the left of the main palace, Iria was having a chat with Commander Nico who came to see the King. Two months ago, the Commander had successfully shifted his Petrus army camp to the province which was the nearest to their border with Nardodia. He spent most of his time in that province and now, he came to report some matters to the King.
"How is your journey, Your Majesty?" Commander Nico asked the Queen. "I heard that the royals from Alora, Nardodia and even Jerivia agreed to attend the gathering."
"That's right," Iria responded. "But the atmosphere was peaceful than I assumed. King Richard controlled the situation well."
"King Richard is always intelligent," the Commander remarked. "I'm glad that it went well."
Iria nodded. "Shifting a camp is not easy. Did you adapt well to the new camp?"
"The place is better than I thought and I don't face many problems. I think the soldiers are also doing well."
"That's a relief." With a little smile, Iria continued, "With your army in the Jela Province, I bet Aryan Tripas will be fuming with anger. He will have to pass your soldiers first if he wants to launch even just a small attack against us."
"That's right, Your Majesty," Nico Petrus said. "I heard that he currently work on strengthening the security of the border. I bet he's afraid that he will lose some of his provinces easily as he did a year ago."
Iria recalled the attack which the Commander mentioned. She still remembered how she was the reason behind that attack.
"If we were to make a move," she started. "Just a small attack won't be enough anymore. Aryan Tripas is planning big."
Nico Petrus really wished to eliminate the whole Nardodia. He was yet to fulfil his goal of avenging his death lover but... he tried his best to be reasonable. He didn't want a war unless it's completely unavoidable.
His plan was to find a way to get rid of Aryan Tripas alone. That's all.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," he said.. "We won't be the first one to wage a war but if needed, we are prepared all the time."
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