Iria had reached Cedore and the first thing she did was greeting her uncle and aunt. After that, she rushed to her brother's mansion right away. Elian and two Enaerions escorted her while Zire returned to the camp.
The young Duke of Larica was very excited to meet his sister and the same goes for his wife. Once the greeting was finished, they settled in a pavilion to have a chat.
"When will your husband be here?" Orius asked and with a little frown, he added, "He's always busy. Just like Uncle."
"One is a King and one is an Emperor. It's only right for them to be busy," Valerie chimed in. "You're a Duke and a Commander and you rarely have free time either," she pointed out.
The Qalagon Queen chuckled at the remark of her sister-in-law.. "I think Arin will be here in two days. I was supposed to arrive yesterday but I ended up being late by a day," she replied to her brother.
"That's good. The wedding is in three days and at least he will be on time," Orius Alewine remarked and the Queen turned to her sister-in-law.
"Is my brother good to you? Though I'm not here, you can always send me a letter if you have a problem. I will be glad to help you out."
Lady Valerie instantly flashed a smile while Orius frowned.
"You are just like uncle, Iria. Uncle asks her that question all the time as if it is a reminder for me to behave," the Duke complained.
Valerie chuckled at his words. Then she looked at Iria and said, "Maybe because of the constant reminder, I have no problem. He is very good to me."
"How can you blame it on the reminder?" Orius sighed. "I'm not that kind of person."
"Then what kind of person are you?" Valerie asked. The look on her face showed her overflowing confidence.
"I... " Orius struggled for words to say.
Why did he have to explain himself?
He didn't even know.
Watching the scene which came off as surprising to her, Iria raised a brow and then chuckled. "It turns out that I wasn't wrong. You make a great couple."
"I'm glad you say that," Orius promptly said. Eyeing at his wife, he added, "She loves to hear that."
Hearing what her brother just said, Iria wondered if she was wrong about him.
He didn't seem to struggle in expressing himself or...
Maybe he was in love and that changed him.
No matter what, this was a good thing.
"We're so happy when we heard that you will be coming to Cedore," Valerie spoke up. "When we thought that a selection for the Crown Princess will be held, we tried to travel to Qalagon but... an alliance marriage proposal was received all of a sudden. That's why we couldn't come."
Iria nodded. "It's fine. You can come and visit me some other time. I'll be glad to have you and Orius."
"Your husband will surely complain again," Orius pointed out with a sigh. "The last time you came here, he was already displeased at me for not coming to visit you."
"He's right," Iria simply said. "You're my only brother but you don't come to visit me even once after our marriage. You're the one at fault here."
Orius remained quiet but it was brief as he soon nodded and said, "You're right. I will make sure to come after Andres's wedding."
"I can't wait to see Qalagon," Valerie chimed in. "I've never been there."
"I'm sure that you will love it," the Queen muttered. Her cousin's upcoming wedding crossed her mind and she asked, "How is the Princess of Aederin like? She and Andres aren't in the palace when I arrive."
"I think she is better than all those rumors about her being a spoiled Princess and all," Orius replied. "Besides, it seems like she is into Andres, a lot."
Iria's eyes turned a bit wide. "Then what about Andres?" she promptly asked.
"You know him," Orius sighed. "He is always a gentleman to everyone. It's hard to know how he really feels."
Iria knew that her brother was right. Andres was always good to everyone but... as the future Emperor of an empire as powerful as Cedore, he wasn't that simple.
He might smile all the time and even when he was talking to someone he loath, no one would know that because he won't show anything.
He was the type to kill with a smile.
The type whom Iria would dread to have as an enemy.
*
After a chat with her brother and sister-in-law, Iria returned to the palace and realized that Andres and his fiancee were back now. As such, she quickly made her way to her cousin's chamber.
Andres Francia was very happy when he heard that Iria had arrived. So, when he saw her walking inside his chamber, he quickly walked over to her.
"I heard that you visit Orius," he promptly said and asked, "How's your journey?"
Iria recalled how Aryan Tripas suddenly showed up before her and her face turned a bit dark. "I have an annoying intruder," she replied.
She never really hid anything from Andres anyway.
"Intruder?"
"Yeah. Aryan Tripas was waiting for me at the Merith Forest. He said he want to talk to me."
"What did he say?" The Crown Prince's voice hinted at displeasure which didn't go unnoticed by Iria.
"Just some nonsense," she shrugged and walked towards a couch. She settled on the couch and Andres followed suit.
"Did he cause you any problem?" he asked. He didn't regard it as a small matter. Not at all.
"No," she shook her head. "Don't worry. He won't dare to touch me."
"Of course, he won't. Crushing Nardodia is not much for me. He will have to pay if he makes any low move again," Andres Francia bluntly said, making Iria laughed.
"You should calm down. That's not the face someone should make while his wedding is just three days away," Iria pointed out in almost a teasing voice.
Knowing that there was more to her words, Andres narrowed his eyes before he eventually looked at her again. "Don't worry about me too. I'm sure of my decision."
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