"Is everything alright?"
King Regan glanced at his son who seemed to be quite distracted. Though he had summoned him to ask him about the competition schedule for the next day, the Crown Prince often zoned out and it had become harder and harder to get his attention.
Arin Helev was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his father. He quickly turned to him and noticed that his father was staring at him. "Yes," he promptly muttered with his head lowered a bit. "I apologize, Father."
The King worriedly glanced at his son who was always very aloof around him. "Arin, this is not like you. What matter is big enough to make you this distracted?"
When Arin Helev looked at his father's face, he was reminded of his conversation with the Queen that he overheard. It made him reluctant to speak up.
"There's no such thing," he finally responded yet he maintained a formal tone.
The unusual demeanor of his son made the King curious. He wanted to confront him despite the answer that he gave him. However, he couldn't.
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ For King Regan Helev, his older son was his biggest weakness. He might be a powerful king but... he always felt weak before his son.
It was him who separated Arin from his mother whom he loved the most.
It was because of his incompetence that his son lost his carefree smile.
It was him who turned Arin into an aloof person who rarely expressed himself.
And now... his son can't even share his concern with him though he was his father. He knew that he was paying for what he did but... that didn't stop him from feeling hurt. He wished to be a reliable father for him but he failed.
"Is the Crown Princess doing fine?" King Regan finally spoke up. He put away the scrolls and other things, knowing that his son wasn't in a condition to talk about the administration of the annual tournament.
Arin Helev struggled to answer his father. Was Iria doing fine? He didn't know and he was curious too.
When he didn't receive any response, King Regan asked his son another question. "You agreed to the alliance marriage. Do you regret it?"
"No."
The Crown Prince response came too fast to the point where it even surprised his father. The latter ended up staring at him with a flustered face.
"Then what do you think of Princess Iria?"
"What do you mean?" Arin asked his father back. What did his father want to know?
"I'm just worried," King Regan calmly said. "I never expect you to accept the proposal of an alliance marriage when the Ministers brought it up... but you did. It's more than a month since Princess Iria came here and I want to know what you feel about her."
Arin Helev narrowed his eyes and recalled what just happened. Shifting his gaze back to his father, he said, "I like Iria and she's special to me. That's why... " He made a deliberate paused and observed his father's expression. "I don't intend to sit back if her life is threatened by the power struggle."
Power struggle. King Regan couldn't believe that these two words escaped his son's lips. He had never heard him say it before! And... he liked the Jerivian Princess? He thought that it was just his assumption but... it's for real?!
The King felt relief but... what his son's last sentence pointed at... he thought he understood. "Arin -"
"You know that I hold back all this time for Morin's sake, right? However, I'm willing to make a move too if my wife is in danger," Arin firmly said, interrupting his father who was trying to say something.
The King let out a breath and briefly narrowed his eyes. "I know. Don't worry, Arin. I'm the only one who can mend things. I don't want power struggle to prevail in my family."
* * *
Though Iria Alewine didn't leave the camp, the place where she sat was a quiet one surrounded by trees and grass. The sun had long set and the only things that provided lightness were the enchanting moon and the sparkling stars that scattered in the vast sky.
It was already time for dinner yet the Commander had no appetite. She sat on the bench alone and the day she decided to go to Qalagon in the Princess place crossed her mind.
The alliance marriage surrounded by many mysteries. When did things went wrong?
When she declared that she will fulfil the alliance marriage in the royal court, in the presence of the King, she never once thought that this night would come. The night when she would sit all alone, being troubled by her blossoming feelings for the Qalagon Crown Prince.
Since when did it start? She had no idea and she still struggled to accept it.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps that was approaching her. When she darted her eyes to the direction where she heard the footsteps, she saw Prince Orius.
How did he come here?
"What are you doing here?" the second Prince asked him. As of now, he was standing right before her and he glanced down at her.
"Just to get some fresh air," Iria replied and looked up at the Prince. "What about you, Your Highness?"
"I came to check on you. Is it because this is Qalagon that you often make trouble?" Orius Aventine simply said.
Iria tried to rose from her seat but the Prince stopped her and instead, he sat next to her.
"I don't think I make troubles that often," Iria replied the moment the second Prince took a seat.
"It might not be often but in Jerivia, you were perfect. You always act mature in contrast to your age."
The Prince's face was just blank yet his voice was calm. It made Iria wondered how the man beside her was quite different from the indifferent Prince she knew in Jerivia. Maybe this was his true self all along.
"I used to think that you weren't interested in others. But it didn't seem like the case, Your Highness," Iria responded, forcing a little smile.
When Prince Orius noticed, according to him, her rare smile, he fell silent for a while. Then he said, "I also used to think that apart from your most trusted soldiers, you only know how to smile in front of my brother and sister. It turns out that I was wrong."
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