Iria quietly stared at her husband for a while and his reaction was just as she expected.
"That's absurd, Iria!" Arin Helev exclaimed. "You barely escaped that place. Why must you go there again?"
"I know," Iria uttered. "That why I feel lost. I don't know what to do."
"Let's find another way," the King quickly said, his gaze asking for her opinion. "It's too dangerous, Iria. What if it's a trap? The Prime Minister might not be that trustworthy."
The Queen strongly believed that if Prime Minister Dallas wasn't trustworthy, then there will be no one in Jerivia who she could turn to.
"I believe in Prime Minister Dallas but not the King," she said. She recalled how Zaro behaved during the ball in Vialand and continued, "I doubt that he will change. If he gets any chance, he won't hesitate to do the same thing."
"Then let's wait," Arin suggested. "We might find a way to solve this."
*
The next morning, Arin depart to visit some provinces in the west and after breakfast, Iria prepared to visit the capital and see the condition of the people. She often did this since she became the Queen and the people were also grateful for this.
If Arin was here, they used to do this together but he had to travel a lot to inspect the other provinces. So, the administration and other duties fell to her hands whenever Arin was outside the capital. At times, she used to accompany him on the tour but there was still some provinces which she had never visited. However, she decided to take her time.
The Queen heard the sound of knocking on the door and when she responded, the one who walked inside was her attendant and personal guard, Elian.
"Everything is set, Your Majesty," Elian said to the Queen. He glanced at the right where a red cloak was placed. He picked it up and helped the Queen wore it.
"The weather today is quite cold, Your Majesty," Elian said. "Are you sure with this? It might not be good for your shoulder."
The Queen narrowed her eyes at the area just below her right shoulder where she was shot that day.
A year ago, she thought that she was recovering just fine but... when she arrived at Cedore, the pain resurfaced. The doctor said that a bit part of the vein was damaged and even now, that still caused her pain.
For someone like her who performed many physical activities, it was quite a problem but she was determined to not let it affect her. No one knew about this because she asked the doctor to keep it a secret. She didn't want to worry her new family.
Elian was her closest companion since she married Arin and it wasn't long since he find out about this. Even Arin had no idea.
With the help of medication, she was fine at most times and she can still train but there were a few times where she couldn't use her right hand properly, especially on a chilly day like today.
"It's been more than a month since I last visited the people and check how they're doing," she said to Elian. "I'll be fine."
"Then I'll prepare a carriage," Elian suggested. "That way, it will be less taxing for your shoulder."
Iria gave a quick thought and nodded. "Alright. Do that."
Elian left and the Queen pressed the area just below her right shoulder. She clenched her fist, thinking of the reason why she hated this pain more than anything else.
Whenever she felt the pain, she was reminded of that day.
The arrow that pierced through Rion's chest.
The arrow that was meant for her.
The pain in her shoulder was a constant reminder of that day.
How could she possibly move on?
Will Zaro Aventine ever know just what he took away from her?
Her skills used to be all she had... yet he took her right arm away from her.
If she was still a Commander, how will she even lead her soldiers to war with this arm? What if the pain resurfaced during critical times such as war?
It was the reason why she let her brother take over her place when they settled in Cedore. However, it was just before her marriage that she formally step down from her position.
Shaking her head, Iria Helev refused to think further. So, she walked out of her chamber and left the palace with Elian and the soldiers who were assigned to escort her.
*
The Qalagons were always happy when their Queen came to check on them. However, many of them were still amazed by the similarity between their current Queen and the Jerivian Princess who came for the alliance marriage. They even had the same first name!
Well, everyone didn't always know the truth.
They knew that their Queen was the one who used to be known as the Masked Commander. They knew that she was the niece of Emperor Kalos Francia of Cedore.
At times, a debate used to arise between the people. Some would say that their Queen and the Jerivian Princess who came for the alliance marriage were the same person but some denied saying that...
Why would the Masked Commander come to marry their King who was the Crown Prince at that time?
For them, that's nonsense.
It wasn't easy for commoners to know how the mind of the royals and the officials work. All they did was working hard to make ends meet.
Even today, the same old debate arise again when the people saw their Queen.
Just what was her identity?
It wasn't that Iria didn't know about the debate. It's just that she couldn't say anything, much more like she didn't want to.
Sometimes, it's better to conceal the truth for the better.
Besides, the topic will soon change to the kindness she had shown them like always. The debate would stop for a while but very soon, it will arise again once the Queen wasn't with them anymore.
Will they ever know the truth?
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