Iria Alewine abruptly stood up with her gaze never leaving the person she saw.
Wasn't he miles away? She was thinking of him since dawn and here he was... making his way to her.
Crown Prince Arin's gaze was somewhere between indifference and longing.
He missed her.
He loved her.
But still, she was the one who hurt him the most. Then he finally finds himself right in front of her and halted. For a while, all he did was staring at her stupefied face.
It was evident that she didn't expect him here. Well, a few days ago, he didn't know that he will be here either but... this was the fruit of him losing control.
The Crown Prince recalled how he rushed to this 'enemy' kingdom five days ago despite his father's strong protest. He mostly listened to his father, but... not in this matter. It can't be helped.
Ever since she left him, he couldn't be himself anymore.
Iria Alewine finally confirmed that he was real. It wasn't just her hallucination this time!
She missed him but... in a split second, guilt invaded her whole body, swallowing her from the inside as the day she left him was repeatedly played in her mind.
Will she be facing his sour face again? The thought made her nervously clenched her fingers. She wasn't ready for that.
Not to mention that he shouldn't come here. It's too dangerous.
"Why are you here?" The Commander barely brought herself to ask him the question. She couldn't stand his gaze which was a mixture of cold and yearning.
In the past, his gaze was always calm but... she didn't want to think much. No matter what, she was the reason behind everything.
"I come here to check how you're doing but... this isn't what I expected," Arin Helev pointed out. The calmness in his voice was gone but... he seemed like he was having a casual chat. It was as if he was simply greeting a friend whom he hasn't met for years.
Was he mocking her? The assumption caused a pain in the Commander's heart that was already broken.
She left him but she spent her time missing him. Was this what he was trying to say?
"Please return. Jerivia is not safe for you," she said, nervously clenching her fist. If only she wasn't the one at fault... only King Tobias can make her this nervous in the past!
"Are you afraid that your soldiers might catch me?" Arin Helev asked. "I'm not one who can be easily caught and even if I happen to be caught, I hope you will be the one who ends me." He paused when he noticed her raising a brow. Then he added, "In this Jerivia, only you can do that."
He was wrong.
Every soldier in Jerivia won't hesitate to kill the Qalagon Crown Prince but... only she couldn't do that.
"Don't misunderstand me," Arin Helev spoke up again as if he could read her mind. "I'm saying that only you are allowed to do that to me. If you can't, then you can forget about it."
He was having a point. With his skills, it will never be easy to catch him.
"Even the Second Prince of Jerivia entered my kingdom and disguised himself as a guard in the palace for months," Arin Helev pointed out when she didn't say anything. "I don't think it's so wrong of me to stay here for a few days."
"What do you want?" Iria Alewine promptly asked. "Are you here to torment me for what I did?"
Arin Helev observed her from head to toe. "Do I have to do that? According to me, that's currently happening. Even the gods act fair this time. You don't seem like one who just achieved a huge victory," he stated in a rather cold voice.
It's his first time talking to her in such a manner and... it pained her. What she feared had finally come true but... she deserved it.
She couldn't utter anything as he was telling the truth. As such, she ended up standing still with her eyes glued to the ground. Ever since he suddenly showed up, all the confidence she had as the Masked Commander was gone as if they never existed!
When Arin Helev saw her defeated face, it had become too much for him. He hated her for what she did to him but... he still loved her. He doubted that would ever change.
It would be so hard for her to be here alone with no one to rely on. He even wondered how cold her soul must be.
Would she miss the warmth which he used to provide her while they were in Qalagon? No... did his presence ever make her feel warm, for even once?
Failing to resist the temptation, he took a step towards her and pulled her in to a warm embrace. His action indeed took her by surprise but... she didn't struggle this time.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Iria," he said in a warm voice which she missed more than anything else. "I'm hurt and that's the truth. However, I understand your situation. It's not your fault."
He put himself in her shoes. Will he be able to betray his kingdom for her sake? He didn't think he could and... he knew how hard it must be for her to be in such a situation.
It's not her fault? It's not like she had never heard that before but... hearing it from him, the main victim, surely hits different. He didn't blame her for what happened?
Iria Alewine knew that she shouldn't be doing this. She should break free and distance herself like she always did but... why was it so hard to get the energy this time?!
She hasn't seen him for weeks and those days were more than hard to get through. Now, she was in his embrace, his arms wrapping around her upper body and his hand gently caressing her hair; the Commander was sure that she won't care even if time stopped now.
At least, they won't have to part again that way.
However, that's just her wishful thinking as this was real and not a fantasy.
Just when she gathered her strength to push him away...
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ "If you struggle... "
She stayed still, waiting for him to finish what he was trying to say.
"You will regret it," Arin Helev continued.
Iria Alewine didn't know what he meant or what kind of regret he was talking about but she knew one thing.
She didn't want that.
Once again, all the energy she gathered to push him away was drained in a blink of an eye.....
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