When Arin woke up, it was still early in the morning. He pushed himself up and sitting on the bed, he stared at Iria who was still sleeping soundly.
The King recalled how his wife was often haunted by nightmares but that didn't seem to be the case this time and he was happy because of that. However, it seemed like she was quite tired as she always managed to wake up first than him each morning. They both never get up late anyway.
He heard the sound of knocking on the door and when he responded, Antony walked inside. "Your Majesty."
"Keep your voice low," Arin muttered and get off the bed. "How is it going?"
"I apologize, Your Majesty," Antony promptly said. "The assassins won't talk. If we continued with the torture, they might die.."
"Did anything happen last night?"
"No, Your Majesty. As you ordered, I tightened the security but no one came. The guards don't see anyone suspicious either."
The King finds it hard to keep his anger in check. However, he knew very well that anger won't solve anything. As such, he barely managed to be still.
"The assassins won't talk and it seems like the one behind them is confident in them," he muttered. "He didn't even bother to eliminate them in case they open their mouth."
"Will you come to the dungeon?" Antony asked.
Arin Helev maintained his silence and then looked at Iria who was still sleeping. "Later. I will stay with her first. It's still early anyway."
"I understand."
With that said, the guard bowed and left right away.
Once the door was shut, Arin Helev turned to Iria and noticed that she was about to wake up. He quickly sat down on the bed as she opened her eyes. "Do you have a good sleep?"
Looking at him, Iria nodded with a little smile. "What about you?"
"I have. I woke up just a while ago," he replied as he caressed her hair. Though he maintained a calm face, his heart still hurt at the thought of her illness.
Even he couldn't imagine himself not be able to use his sword or fight. He knew that it will be more tormenting for her who was once a well-known warrior.
"Are you hungry? You even skip dinner last night," he asked her in a calm voice.
"How do you know that?" she asked as she closed her eyes again. "I bet you skip too."
"I'm sorry," Arin muttered. "I was so angry at myself and when I heard of your illness, I realized how incompetent I am. That suffocates me and I end up taking it out on you. I'm sorry."
"It's my fault too," Iria said. "I keep it from you while knowing how much you want me safe. I thought that it's the best way but... I was wrong. I'm sorry."
Despite her words, how sleepy she still sounded amused the King. "You can sleep more. We still have around an hour before breakfast."
Iria simply nodded. "What about you?"
"I have something to take care of," he said. "But don't worry. I'll be back in half an hour."
Iria nodded once again.
With a little smile, Arin leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. Then he left the chamber and made his way to the dungeon.
Antony was right. The two assassins already suffered too much and they won't survive if the torture goes on.
"Your Majesty, what will we do with them?" Antony asked the King who just stared at the assassins with a blank face.
"Kill them."
The Captain of the guards nodded as this was already expected. However...
"And hang their corpses near the gate so that everyone could see. That way, the one behind this will know what will happen if he dares to come after Iria again. It will also serve as a warning for everyone who even has the same plan in mind."
It's the first time the King ever made such an order and it rendered Antony tight-lipped. However, he quickly lowered his head when the King turned his head to him. "I understand, Your Majesty."
Then the King left without even sparing the assassins a single glance. Just like the King ordered, Antony instantly commanded the killing of the two assassins.
* * *
While the two corpses were hanged near the gate of the palace for everyone to see, Arin was simply having breakfast with Iria. He didn't even look like someone who just ordered such a merciless act and instead, he was already back to being a loving husband.
Iria had no idea of what happened and she was just glad that the problem between them was solved.
"What will you do today?" she asked Arin.
"I will have a meeting with the officials after this," Arin replied and added, "I won't go out today. I will just spend my time with you."
"But you have many things to do," the Queen argued. "The missing cases and yesterday's incident... don't neglect your work just for my sake."
"You don't have to worry," Arin calmly said. "I talked with Elian yesterday and I'm sure that the two cases are connected. Antony and Elian will help Officer Dillon."
At the mention of Elian, one thing crossed Iria's mind. "Where is Elian?" she inquired.
During the alliance marriage, she already realized how strict he was with the rules. When it came to the royal guards, he rarely tolerate any mistake.
"Did you punish him?" she asked when he didn't respond.
"No," Arin replied with a sigh. "If I'm to follow the rules, he should be punished. But I don't. I know he tried his best."
Iria sighed in relief. "What happen to the assassins?" she inquired. She still remembered how the guards managed to catch two of them.
"They're dead," he replied. "They won't speak."
Iria knew that it was a normal thing, so she didn't say anything and quietly continued with her breakfast.
Arin glanced at her with a calm face but his mind was still occupied by the incident. Now, his biggest goal was to find out the mastermind behind the incident and eliminate everyone who was involved.....
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