The new couple rode an open carriage to tour around the capital. They chat as they greeted the people who eagerly stood on the side, hoping to get a glimpse of the new Crown Princess.
They would also stop once in a while to chat with the people.
"I don't know that the capital is this vast, Your Highness," Ophelia pointed out. "In terms of capital alone, I think it's the same with Aederin."
"That's right," Crown Prince Andres nodded. "Aederin is bigger than Cedore but our capital is pretty much the same in size." He paused when one thing crossed his mind. "You don't know that? You're already here for more than a week even before you enter the palace."
"You know, I hurt my ankle that day. Gus won't let me go out until it's healed," the Crown Princess sighed.. "I was forced to stay in the inn for days."
When her brother won't budge no matter how much she pleaded, she only realized that it was a bad idea to trip on purpose.
"You were spying on me that day," Andres Francia pointed out. "Did you really trip by accident?"
She won't be foolish enough to sprain her ankle on purpose, right?
It's winter and that kind of injury was prone to cold weather.
Ophelia wondered if he saw through her. How did he even know to ask her that?
"It's not an accident," she honestly replied. "I wondered if the Crown Prince would be kind enough to help a stranger and I want to know the answer."
Suddenly, he was very quiet to the point where it made her uneasy. Then she finally shifted her gaze to him.
The look on his face was a mixture of shock and displeasure.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"How can you do that?" he snapped yet he didn't raise his voice at all. "It's not a small injury, Ophelia. You sprain your ankle and it's not an accident? That's not normal at all."
The Crown Princess sighed. That's two weeks ago.
Why did it matter now?
She said that because she didn't want to lie but... was she wrong?
Andres was reminded of what Crown Prince Augustus told him many times. He said that Ophelia can be very strange at times and he will need the patience to understand her.
Was this what the Aederin Crown Prince talked about?
"I think we should talk about this later," he said to his wife. "You shouldn't carelessly hurt yourself whatever the reason was. That's not good, Crown Princess."
"You're just like Augustus, Your Highness," Ophelia shrugged. "You are bothered by such a small matter."
Now, it was Andres's time to sigh. "It's not a small matter, Ophelia. Even if it's small for you, I don't agree." He briefly paused and asked, "Didn't you took more than three days to recover?"
"Four days."
"Exactly. Don't take such a risk again," he promptly said. "There are many ways to know me better if you're curious."
Many ways? This drew a smile from her lips.
What ways would it be?
Andres's mind was already back to what she said before.
Kind enough? Him?
He will never call himself a kind person.
* * *
After chatting with other royals in the palace, Arin and Iria decided to give the parents some time to talk about their children and with Arin's suggestion, they went to Orius's mansion.
Iria was with Lady Valerie while Arin trained with Orius in the training ground. After a few rounds of sword fighting, they decided to rest for a while before they pick up archery for the next round.
"Do you still remember how you fooled me by using a fake name and identity?" Arin Helev pointed out to his brother-in-law.
Thinking of that experience, there was a coy smile on Orius lips. "I remember."
"To be honest, I trusted you a lot. You were quite skilled and you even saved Iria's life. I was very grateful at that time," Arin Helev said.
"I bet you wish to kill me when you find out my identity," Orius Alewine pointed out with a light chuckle. This made the Qalagon King laughed.
"That's right. Just like Emor Tripas, I know that you were never loyal to me or Qalagon. That's why I didn't think of it as a betrayal," the King stated. "But it must be because I trusted you personally. It took a toll on me much more than what Emor Tripas did. But you indeed taught me a lesson."
Looking at his brother-in-law who sat on the ground beside him, he said, "A lesson that I shouldn't trust anyone easily."
Orius nodded several times. "I'm glad to hear that. But that's not really your fault. The plan I made with the former Queen was quite perfect. That's why."
Arin already knew that it was Queen Lorey who helped Orius at that time. So, he simply smiled.
"You should raise your guard even higher, Arin," Orius said. This time, his face turned a bit serious than before. "Remember this. If Zaro Aventine is really back to his sense, he will be even more dangerous than Aryan Tripas. I lived as his younger brother for 20 years. I know him well."
"I indeed think about that," Arin said as he narrowed his eyes. "When I met him in Vialand, I can tell that he still doesn't give up on Iria." Letting out a breath, Arin continued, "Aryan Tripas have anger management issues and he always struggles to deal with that. However, Zaro Aventine is different. He became a completely different man once he lost his mind.
"What happened a year ago makes everything clear. Back then, he didn't even hesitate to try killing Iria. He ended up killing Rion because of that."
"That's exactly why I want you to ensure my sister's safety," Orius muttered. "No matter what the reason is, don't let her get near him or Jerivia. She is skilled and she's stubborn but she will listen to you."
Hearing this, Arin thought of what he discussed with Iria last night. He hesitated for a while but after realizing that it was for the best, he said, "To be honest, Iria have an injury on her right shoulder. The doctor advised her not to use it too much as it will get worse. She can't use her right arm much for physical activities anymore."
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