As usual, the first competition of the annual tournament was sword fighting. It took place for half a day and it will be continued the next day.
Crown Prince Arin also had a match but he easily beat his opponent and advanced to the next stage. A few selected elites of the Royal Army also advanced to the next stage. However, Iria Alewine was surprised to find out that General Hanson Lorin didn't participate in the sword fighting.
Wasn't he the most elite General of the Royal Army and the second-in-command to the Crown Prince?
It was afternoon and the archery competition was about to start when Prince Morin came to Iria with a bow and arrow in his hands.
"Sister-in-law, the archery competition is about to start. Will you watch my performance?" the young Prince asked. It was his first time participating in a tournament and he couldn't hide his excitement.
Iria was about to respond to the Prince but...
"Shouldn't you say those words to me?"
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ It was Arin Helev who suddenly show up and stood next to his younger brother. He smiled and patted his brother's head. "I think I'll be more useful. I can also give you some advice."
"I know that but yesterday, sister-in-law helped me -"
Morin Helev paused when his promise crossed his mind. He almost broke that promise!
Awkwardly turning his head away, he muttered, "Never mind."
Iria was feeling flustered for a split second. However, she slightly smiled when she saw the young Prince's awkward expression. "I will come and watch you, Morin. Don't worry."
"Really?" Morin Helev's face instantly lit up again. Then he quickly turned to the Crown Prince. "You should come to the ground and watch too." Before his brother could say anything, Prince Morin ran towards the ground where the archery competition was supposed to be held.
The moment Morin ran off, Arin Helev shifted his gaze to Iria and eyed her suspiciously. "Did you and Morin hide something from me? What's with yesterday?"
Iria Alewine simply turned away from him and started walking towards the ground. "Don't talk nonsense. The archery competition is about to start."
Arin confusedly rubbed his temples and stared at Iria before he ran to match her pace. Soon, they walked up the platform for the royals and took a seat to watch Morin's performance.
The archery competition started after a while and all the seats surrounding the ground was occupied by the people. Some nobles were present and both the King and Queen were also there to watch their son's performance.
"Arin already excelled archery at the age of 12. I can't wait to see what Morin is capable of," King Regan paused and added, "I'm sure that he will be great just like his older brother. Do you agree with me, My Queen?"
"You're right, Your Majesty. Morin trained hard and practice a lot. So, I will be happy no matter what the result is," Queen Lorey responded.
Now, all her ugly nature was perfectly hidden by an elegant facade. It made Iria wondered what would be on the King's mind. He openly praised Arin before the Queen... was he not aware of the feud between his son and his wife or... he turned a blind eye and feign ignorance?
Her thoughts were still the same as when she first reached this Kingdom. The King was mysterious and the Crown Prince took after him a lot.
"What do you think of the annual tournament, Crown Princess? Do you enjoy it?" King Regan asked Iria which snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's grander than I thought," the Commander responded.
The King nodded with a smile. "That's good to hear but we just start. Things will become more and more interesting each day." Shifting his gaze to his son, he said, "I know you are busy but this annual tournament is the first time for the Crown Princess. Besides, we are away from the palace. You should accompany her more often."
Crown Prince Arin looked at the King and nodded. "Yes, Father."
Despite what happened to his mother and the pain he suffered because of it, Arin Helev never treated his father with disrespect and still listened to his words. This always flustered Iria Alewine. If she was him, she didn't think she would be able to do that.
"Morin is doing great," Queen Lorey remarked. All her attention was focused on her son who was on the ground, currently participating in a competition. The Prince also often looked up at his family and smiled.
"By the way, I heard that the Crown Princess is a free-spirited person," the Queen spoke up again with a smile and briefly glanced at her husband before she shifted her gaze back to the ongoing competition. "There are lots of gossips and rumours circling around the palace these days."
The Queen was hinting at the incident that happened the day before yesterday and Iria knew that. She wanted to ignore but... when she thought of how the Queen was the most possible mastermind behind that, she clenched her fist.
"I apologize for causing you concern, Your Majesty," she said to the Queen and faked a smile. "I should have known that as royals, our lives are always in danger. We never know when someone wanted to make a move against us. So, I should have been more careful."
Queen Lorey's fake smile slowly faded away at Iria's response. Though Iria didn't explain anything, it was clear for all the other royals that she was hinting at something danger and... it happened to her.
She thought that the Crown Princess was a shy and aloof one.
Was she wrong?
She glanced at Iria and continued clenching her fist in secret while the Crown Princess shifted her gaze to the competition again and smiled, trying to give an impression that she meant no harm.
King Regan narrowed his eyes with a troubled face. He kept on tightening his grip on the armrest of his throne.
Meanwhile, Arin connected what Iria said with the things he heard in Klaus Ermias tent. Did Iria suspect the Queen? He already told Antony to investigate the matter but it wasn't easy as they didn't even know where the assassination attempt took place.
If it was indeed the Queen's doing, maybe it's time for him to break his silence.....
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