When Augustus Arille arrived, the atmosphere wasn't much different from what Ophelia expected as her brother immediately rushed to her chamber to check on her.
"Ophel!" the Crown Prince shouted as he entered the chamber.
"Gus." Ophelia calmly greeted her brother with a little smile on her face.
Crown Prince Augustus rushed towards his sister and placed both of his hands on her shoulders as he observed her. "Do you have any wounds?" he asked with concern written all over his face.
"I'm fine," Ophelia replied and hugged her brother. "I miss you so much."
Though the guards informed him that Ophelia was fine, the Aederin Crown Prince was only convinced now. "Do you plan to turn the situation around by doing this?" he asked his sister who was still hugging him and let out a sigh. "I was worried to death when I heard the news. Why must you even go there? It's dangerous."
He wasn't a fool to not know the bad blood between Cedore and Jerivia. As such, he was stupefied when he heard that his sister went to Helsia with her husband and the Duke and Duchess of Larica.
"I have a lot of fun and that incident was just an accident," Ophelia replied as she pulled back. "They captured me without even knowing my identity. They thought that I'm Valerie's companion."
"Still... I won't forgive the King of Jerivia," Crown Prince Augustus declared. "I will make sure that he pays for this."
Ophelia didn't say anything. Maybe because she knew the hatred her husband have for that Jerivian King. She also heard everything Orius said when he came for their rescue. So, this might be better.
With her brother's help, everything will become easier.
*
After a long chat with his younger sister, Crown Prince Augustus went to the working chamber of Crown Prince Andres. He had many things to talk about with the latter.
Andres Francia greeted the Aederin Crown Prince with a smile and they both took a seat on the couch opposite each other. When Augustus maintained his silence for a while, Andrus took the initiative to speak up first.
"You must be disappointed in me. You can say anything. I will listen."
Augustus Arille seemed to be taken aback but he was very quick to regain his composure. "What happened has already happened and there's nothing we can do about that. However, I hope you can be more careful in the future, Your Highness. We are family now and I said these as your brother-in-law. Please make sure that Ophelia isn't in danger again."
Andres was always taken aback by the demeanor of this Aederin Crown Prince.
Aederin was the most powerful empire of the continent and though Cedore was powerful too, Aederin was still above Cedore in every aspect. Nevertheless, Augustus Arille was never rude or disrespectful towards him, in terms of words or action. He always treated him as equal and with respect which always surprised Andres.
Even now, it's obvious that Crown Prince Augustus was disappointed but... he still remained respectful.
"I was expecting you to be angry, yell at me or even threaten me," Andres pointed out as he was confused.
Augustus Arille gave a quick thought and said, "You're Ophelia's husband and that means her happiness depends on you. If I do what you said, the one who will suffer is Ophel. Misunderstandings between us will only torment my sister and that's the last thing I want."
Staring at the expression on Crown Prince Andres's face, Augustus Arille continued, "You are an only child and you might not understand how I feel but for me, Ophelia is my life. She's my only sibling whom I used to protect since I was a child but now, the one who can do that is you. I hope you understand that."
The Aederin Crown Prince's words reminded Andres of Iria. This drew a little smile from his lips. "Though I might not understand you completely, you know that I also have cousins. So, I can understand some part of it too."
"Are you talking about the former Masked Commander?" Augustus Arille asked. "I also heard about the war."
"Orius and I will aid her," Andres replied. "It will be a huge war but I'm confident."
"I heard about the possibility of Jerivia joining the war," Crown Prince Augustus promptly said. "As long as Jerivia plan to enter the war, I'm willing to intervene and stop them."
Andres raised a brow. He was really willing to go that far?!
"When it comes to Ophelia, I'm not that forgiving," the Aederin Crown Prince explained. "At least, the Jerivians didn't lay a hand on her. If it happens even once, I will surely wipe out the whole Jerivia."
Andres Francia recalled the anxiety he suffered during Ophelia was in Zaro Aventine's hands. "You're not alone in that matter, Your Highness," he said to Augustus. "If needed, we will do that together. I'm Ophelia's husband and that's only right."
Feeling satisfied, there was a subtle smile on Crown Prince Augustus lips. "I'm grateful for that."
Meanwhile, in the Alewine family mansion, Orius was with his wife, talking about the upcoming war.
"When will you depart for Qalagon?" Valerie asked her husband who was sitting beside her.
"Uncle said that everything will be decided at tomorrow's court meeting. That means I can depart the day after tomorrow with the soldiers," Orius replied. "The war can start anytime and if the soldiers don't arrive soon, Iria will be in trouble."
"I know that," Valerie muttered. "I just want you to be careful."
"Don't worry. I will come back soon."
Valerie narrowed her eyes when she heard him. "What you just said... do you know that it's the words my father could never say to my mother whenever he leaves to fight a war? The same goes for my older brother. They believe that it will only bring more pain in case they can't return alive."
Orius thought about it and nodded. "I understand them."
"Then how can you say that easily?" Valerie asked him with confusion written all over her face.
"Because I want to stay positive," the Duke promptly said. "I want to believe that I will return alive as long as I have faith.. Besides, I will know that you're waiting for me and I will give my all not to fail you."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l