The situation in the tent became awkward the moment Crown Prince Arin left. Iria stood still without saying anything and Klaus Ermias never took his eyes off her while sitting on the bed.
"You want to visit me. Is this true, Your Highness?" he finally asked as the Crown Princess didn't make any attempt to strike up the conversation.
Iria darted her eyes to him when she suddenly heard his voice. "That's right. You get injured because of me and I just can't neglect the fact."
Klaus Ermias slightly smiled and she looked at him with a confused face. "Why are you smiling? I don't remember myself joking."
"I think I misjudged you, Your Highness. You're actually a kind person."
His remark stunned Iria! Misjudge? Kind? What was he talking about?!
"I thought that you want to kill me yesterday."
"..."
He knew?!
"But judging from the aftermath of that assassination attempt, I realized that I was wrong. If you really wish to kill me, you will already do it. You have many chances yesterday. Your skills are way better than mine."
Iria just stared at the Captain as she struggled for words to say! Just what was in this Captain's mind?!
"I apologize for misjudging you, Your Highness. I shouldn't judge you that easy."
"Why did you come if you have such a feeling?" Iria finally broke her silence. Her gaze was fixated on the mysterious man sitting on the bed.
"Who am I to ignore the Crown Princess invitation? I'm just a soldier," Klaus Ermias responded without even thinking twice.
Iria observed him, trying to read what he was thinking but... it's futile. Was he hiding something or was this his true nature? She didn't know but she was curious.
"Then what if your instincts were right?" she asked. "What will you do if I really called you there to kill you?"
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1·сoМ Klaus Ermias narrowed his eyes and fell silent as if he was thinking of something. Lifting his head again to look at Iria, he said, "Do I have a choice? If the Crown Princess wants me dead, then that's it."
Iria turned away but she quickly turned back to the strange man again. "You are talking nonsense."
Hearing this, there was a subtle smile on the Captain's face. "It's been a long time since I don't value my life anymore, Your Highness. Whether I die in your hands or in a war; it's the same for me.
"Please don't worry, Your Highness. I won't tell anyone about what I saw that day. I give you my word." He made a deliberate paused and continued by saying, "However if you can't trust me, you can tell me anytime. I will come to you and offer my life if it will make you feel at ease."
Will any sane person bravely say such a word? Iria didn't think so. If any other person was in his place, they will surely vow to keep their mouth shut and beg her to spare their lives and trust them but... this Captain did the opposite!
"Aren't you curious at all?" she inquired the strange Captain. "Why is the so-called well-sheltered Princess of Jerivia skilled in such a thing? You already know that my skills are above average."
"Yes." The response came faster than ever. "I'm curious but I won't ask anything. I will just try to understand why you want to keep it a secret. I also have many things which I wish to keep a secret. I won't be please if someone made an effort to know those secrets."
Iria narrowed her eyes and thought of what he just said. It seemed like he was also someone with many secrets, just like her. However, was he trustworthy? She wasn't sure. Somehow, she finds him fake.
Was this his true face? She thought that he was similar to a complicated puzzle! The more she tried to solve him, the more she felt lost!
Then she looked at the wound on his shoulder which he obtained for saving her life. He didn't think twice when he tried to shield her from those arrows. Why did her instincts and what happened couldn't match?
"I heard you return to the base last night. Why didn't you go home? It would be better than staying in the camp," she said to him.
"I don't have a family and even if I went home, I will be alone. It's better for me to recuperate here," Klaus Ermias simply said with a small smile.
"You don't have to feel responsible for my injury, Your Highness. As I said last night, I'm a soldier and I'm only doing my job. However, please be careful of another possible assassination attempt in the future. Your life is precious," he quickly added.
No family? Iria recalled how she always chose to recuperate in the camp rather than going home whenever she gets injured. Their reason was the same. Even if she went home, there would be no one for her as she had no family. At those times, Crown Prince Zaro Aventine was the one who was always there for her.
She quickly darted her eyes to the entrance when Crown Prince Arin walked inside the tent again. "Are you done?" She asked with a faint smile.
"Yes," Arin replied and stood beside her. "I hope you recover soon, Captain Klaus. Our Royal Army needs you."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. It's just a single wound. I'll be completely fine after a few days," the Captain promptly responded.
"That's great," Arin muttered and shifted his gaze to Iria. "Let's go. I will show you around the camp."
Then they both walked out of the tent.
* * *
In the royal palace of Jerivia, King Tobias was in his daughter's room with Crown Prince Zaro and the royal doctor. The look on their faces was enough to know that the situation wasn't good.
Standing beside Princess Iria's bed, the father and son glanced back and forth between the Princess on the bed and the doctor who was checking on her. Their faces were pale and anxiety was written all over them.
Then the royal doctor slowly withdrew his hands from the Princess and turned to the King with his head lowered before he dropped to his knees. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I did everything I can but... Her Highness is gone. I failed to save her life," he informed the King with grief.....
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