When Iria opened her eyes, she just realized that she had fallen asleep in the small garden. What's more, it was already dark. Just how long did she sleep?
"You're awake."
She almost flinched when she heard a familiar voice. Arin Helev? She quickly withdrew her upper body from the table and sat straight. Then she finds the Crown Prince sitting opposite her. He was staring at her and when he saw her flustered face, there was a subtle smile on his lips.
"You look tired." Arin calmly remarked.
"Just a bit." She muttered and glanced around. "How long did I sleep here?"
"I'm not sure but it's been a while since I came here. You were missing and there was quite a chaos. I even thought that you sneak out again." He let out a peal of light laughter, thinking of what crossed his mind before he thought of this place.
He had been here for a while? Why didn't he just wake her up? She didn't say anything and narrowed her eyes at the table until... she saw her hands. Almost panicked, Iria was more than quick to withdraw her hands from the table. She squeezed the gloves which were still on her thighs.
Did he saw her palms? She truly hoped that it wasn't the case. She convinced herself that he won't see it. She placed her upper body on her arms and that must block his view.
Feeling flustered by her reaction, Arin narrowed his eyes at the gloves on her thighs. "I always wondered why you always wear the gloves. Is there some story behind it?" he asked.
Iria squeezed the gloves even harder as she felt tight-lipped. What would she say? She struggled to come up with something as she was never good at lying. It wasn't her forte. After a while, she said, "I have a scar on my hand. It's quite big and I always wore gloves to cover them. I don't want to feel uneasy by letting people see it."
Arin nodded his head in understanding. "That's the case? But you don't have to feel uneasy around me as I won't judge you by just a single scar. We all have our own story, right?"
Iria only forced an awkward smile and nodded her head once. What would she possibly say when she was telling a total lie? She indeed had some scars in her hands but not as big as she said and her real reason for wearing gloves was her calloused hands. No one would be free of suspicions if whom they thought was a well-sheltered Princess, had calloused hands which were similar to warriors!
"Do you enjoy your day outside the palace? You came back earlier than I thought." Arin spoke up again when she maintained her silence.
"It's great," Iria replied. Then that young man named Klaus Ermias crossed her mind again. He was in the Royal Army and the Crown Prince was the Commander of the same. Should she ask him about it?
After pondering for a while, Iria decided not to. If that man was indeed an average soldier, there's no way for Arin to know him. Besides, she thought that it was a risky move. What if he wasn't an average soldier? How will she explain to Arin Helev?
"That's good. You can go out as often as you like as long as you bring Rion and Davian with you. I already feel bad for forcing you to accept another guard. So, this is the least I can do." Arin said and glanced around. "It's quite late now and we still have to eat dinner. Let's return."
* * *
It was an afternoon in the next day when Iria had a guest who was none other than Lady Vienna Mareyi. Iria's original intention was not to get close to any Qalagons but somehow she finds this woman interesting. She had a nature that always made her feel calm and less pressured whenever they spent time together.
Was it because of her kind and unharmful nature? She wasn't sure but she had a feeling that she didn't have to raise her guard or feel the tormenting pressure while she was with her.
"I heard that you returned the day before yesterday. I plan to come yesterday but I thought that you might want to rest. So, I decided to come today." Vienna Mareyi said to Iria with her usual elegant smile. The two women were sitting in the pavilion on the left of the Crown Prince's palace.
"I'm glad that you came," Iria said. "I was feeling quite annoyed thinking that I have to spend all day alone in my chamber. It's boring."
Lady Vienna chuckled at Iria's response. "You're quite unique among the royals, Your Highness. Who would have thought that the Crown Princess of our Kingdom loves to spend more time outside the palace? If I don't see it for myself, I won't believe it."
'Maybe because she was never a royal.' That's what Iria thought to herself. However, she fainted a smile. "Royal or not, we all have different personalities."
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ "That's true," Vienna Mareyi said. "I'm also tired of staying indoors all day long but I'm just a noble. Maybe because I used to think that royals will be different."
Iria thought of what Lady Vienna said and she realized that she never thought that way. Maybe because she grew up with the royals. Her mother passed away early and her father was always busy fighting wars. She spent most of her time in the palace, being trained and taught with the royal children.
While she was busy thinking of this, she was interrupted by the appearance of someone. She turned to the left and saw Arin and Hanson Lorin walking towards them. She briefly turned to Lady Vienna and noticed how her face brightened up at the appearance of the two men.
She was more than sure that it wasn't Arin who made her smile. It made her wondered why the two didn't just marry if they truly liked each other. They were both from affluent families and there would be no problem for them.
"You came, Lady Vienna," Arin said in his usual calm voice when he saw the only daughter of the Prime Minister. He stood beside Iria who was still sitting.
Vienna Mareyi who already rose from her seat bowed before the Crown Prince. "I came to visit Her Highness." She formally replied.
"That's great to hear. The Crown Princess easily gets bored when she is inside the palace. It would be great if you can come more often," Arin said. Giving Iria a side glance, his lips curved into a slight smile when he noticed her frowning a bit.
The Crown Prince just smile? It was enough to put Vienna Mareyi in a daze! Seeing the Crown Prince smile was such a rare occurrence and she was so taken aback that she even forgot to respond to him. Since when did he change this much?
"You came on time," Iria spoke up when her friend didn't say anything. Then she turned to General Hanson Lorin who was still standing a step behind the Crown Prince. "Lady Vienna is about to return home. Can you escort her back? I think it would be rude to let my guest leave alone."
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