Orius was riding his horse alone as he was on his way to the address the guard gave him.
Zaro Aventine wanted him to go there and though he knew how dangerous it was, he will never allow anything to happen to his wife or the Crown Princess, no matter what the price was.
The woods which wasn't far from the river where they were captured was around an hour away from the inn but because he was in such a hurry, he only took 45 minutes to reach there.
When he halted his horse, he didn't see a single person at the place and he was quite worried. However, once he gets off his horse, four men suddenly appeared and pointed their swords at him. Though he had his sword with him, he chose to not wield it. After all, the lives of two women were on the line.
While one of the men pointed his sword at him, the other three observed their surroundings to know if anyone came with him or follow him. After a long observation, they nodded.
"Come with us," one of the men promptly said and blindfolded him. They tied his hands together too.
Orius realized that they will be taking him to another place and no matter what plan he made with Andres, he knew right away that the success rate instantly dropped very low. However, he could only go to where they led him.
He didn't know how many minutes had passed but it will surely be less than half an hour. Finally, he was made to halt and the blindfold was removed.
He was still in the woods but he didn't know at which part and... the one standing a few steps before him was Zaro Aventine. A few soldiers were with him, including General Trevor but... what caught his attention the most were Valerie and Ophelia who were on the ground on the left. Their hands and legs were tied and they were gagged too.
The Duke didn't see any wounds on their faces or any visible parts of their body and it was a huge relief for him. However, his concern for them was more than evident in his face.
Just when the soldiers tried to force him to kneel, the King lifted his right palm to stop them.
"He's once my younger brother," Zaro Aventine said. "Show some respect."
Orius didn't know what that mean. Was he mocking him?
"I'm the one you want," he said to the Jerivian King. "Let them go. They're innocent." He briefly looked at Valerie who shook her head as the gag prevented her from speaking up. Seeing this, he clenched his fists.
The fact that he had to hold back torment him and the pain was nothing like he had experienced in the past!
Not to mention that he was scared too. He didn't want anything to happen to them.
"Your wife and her companion were at a place where they shouldn't be," Zaro Aventine pointed out. "As the one who owns the territory, don't you think I'm doing the right thing by capturing them?"
"If you touch even a strand of her hair, I will kill you," Orius warned the man who was once his older brother. "You know me well, Zaro. I never make empty promises."
Once again, he looked at the two women. Like before, Valerie was shaking her head and it pained him. "Don't worry," he muttered. "I'm here."
This side of Orius... it was new to Zaro Aventine and he was quite fascinated by it.
"I don't know that you love your wife this much, Orius. I never thought that you are capable of loving someone," he remarked. He really thought that it was just an empty arrange marriage but he still gave a try by using the wife as a bait.
"Someone like you should not talk about love," Orius stated in a stern voice. "You used to claim that you love Iria. Do you still remember what you did to her?"
Mentioning his sister only made Orius struggled more!
How he wished to kill the despicable man before him!
That day in the Serene Valley resurfaced in Zaro Aventine's mind. His life completely changed that day too.
"You attempt to kill her and even kill Rion. You shed so much blood that day," Orius continued in a firm tone. When he thought of Iria's illness, he added, "You will never understand what you take away from her. Ever."
"Is that why you're playing this game on me?" Zaro Aventine inquired. "Taking away King Rozalez and the ex-officials... " He briefly paused and continued, "I was hoping for Arin Helev to be the one behind this. I would love to play some games with him. I don't want to clash with you. After all, we were brothers for years."
Orius scoffed when he realized how shameless Zaro Aventine still was!
How could he say that after kidnapping his wife?!
"Let them go," he said once again.
"If you want something from me, shouldn't you do what I want first?" Zaro Aventine simply asked him and said, "You must return King Rozalez and the ex-officials first. Of course, you must also give up on whatever plan you make against me."
Orius Alewine finds himself in a different situation. He wasn't even sure of where he was anymore and that put him at a disadvantage.
Should he try to stall some time?
Will that work?
"If you keep on standing in my way, I will forget that we were once brothers," Zaro Aventine said to him in a loud and firm voice. "You're already an Alewine and not an Aventine. So, I won't hesitate to end you if you insisted."
Hearing him talking about an Aventine or an Alewine... Orius finds it so laughable.
One thing crossed his mind and he met Zaro's gaze. "You talked as if me being an Aventine or an Alewine have a difference to you. Then tell me, Zaro.
"If you don't want to harm an Aventine, why did you kill your father? He was an Aventine just like you, right?"
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