The Alliance Marriage Went Wrong

"You too, Vance. Take good care of Uncle Feric. I will try to come and visit him again." Arin said to the Crown Prince of Zoris. She was very worried about the sick King but there was nothing he could do. It\'s not like he can stay in Zoris and neglect his Kingdom.

Vance nodded and shifted his gaze to Iria. "I hope to see you soon again, Iria. I also want to apologize again for that incident. My mistake almost claims your life."

"He can\'t stop thinking about that," Crown Princess Zena spoke up. "Vance is afraid that it might be too big of a mistake."

"It\'s in the past and I\'m fine. Don\'t blame yourself anymore," Iria said to Vance Amias with a little smile.

"Life is full of mistake, Vance," Arin said. "Iria is fine and that\'s good enough."

Vance smiled and nodded. "Then what if something really happened? Will you shoot me too?" He asked his friend with a teasing smile.

"I can\'t say that I won\'t," Arin Helev simply responded and Vance sighed.

"If that\'s the case, I will gladly let you do that to pay for my mistake," he said and helplessly shook his head. Though it was just a few days, he noticed how much his friend cared for his wife. However, it seemed like Arin was too dumb to even know his feelings. What a fool!

"I wish we can meet again soon. It was nice to have a companion though it\'s just for a few days." Zena Amias said to Iria with her usual soft voice.

Being the only female in the royal family wasn\'t easy. With the King being bedridden for months now, her husband the Crown Prince served as a regent and he was always so busy administrating the Kingdom. As such, her days were lonelier than before.

"I enjoy it too," Iria uttered, ignoring the first sentence of the Zoris Crown Princess. Deep inside, she was convinced that there won\'t be next time.

After bidding farewell to the royal couple once again, Arin Helev and Iria left for Qalagon along with the guards.

* * *

The journey back to Qalagon was pretty smooth and after riding for four days, they entered the capital of Qalagon on the noon of the fifth day.

When they reached their home which was the Crown Prince\'s palace, Arin told Iria that they will meet with the King and Queen and have dinner together with them in the main palace while talking of their visit to Zoris. She can rest until then.

Just like Arin told her, all Iria did was taking a rest in her chamber. She was lying on her bed but she didn\'t sleep at all as her mind was occupied by many different things. She was feeling a strange thing - a sense of urgency.

She really wanted to wrap up things here and return to Jerivia soon. She always felt that way but not as much as she did now! Was she feeling scared? Maybe... but right now, what she scared the most was herself! She experienced so many strange feelings in the last few days and it made her feel scared. She must return to Jerivia soon to put an end to all these unfamiliar feelings!

She spent a few hours tossing and turning around in her bed and she didn\'t even notice it as she was so caught up in her thoughts. When Rion walked inside her chamber to meet her, the sun already set.

"Your Highness." Rion bowed to greet her.

"Is something going on, Rion?" Iria asked her right-hand man and get up to sit on the bed.

"Prince Orius told me that he received a letter from His Majesty. He wants to discuss with you." Rion informed her.

Prince Orius. Iria still couldn\'t understand this second Prince. Ever since he came to Qalagon, he only did things that amazed her and it seemed like he didn\'t plan to cease it soon. It made her worried a bit. "The Crown Prince told me that we will be having dinner with the King and Queen. I can\'t leave for now and I think it\'s too big of a risk to meet inside the palace." She said to Rion.

"His Highness also said that. However, he said not to worry. There will be a chance to meet soon. A safe chance in exact." Rion delivered the Prince\'s message.

"A safe chance?" Iria asked, perplexed. What plan did he have in mind again?!

Rion nodded and they were instantly interrupted by the sound of the knocking on her door. This time, it was Crown Prince Arin who made his way inside the chamber. At the sight of him, Rion bowed and quickly left.

"Do you rest enough?" Arin asked, standing beside her bed. He stared down at her as if he was observing her. He always did this and Iria had already gotten used to it.

"Yes." She said and when she met his gaze, she noticed how tired he looked. "What about you? Didn\'t you take a rest at all?"

"I\'m fine. I briefly went out to meet the soldiers on duty in the capital. I have to check their situation every now and then." Arin simply replied to her with his usual calm voice. "It\'s almost time for dinner. You should get ready." He added.

"Alright, but I think that it won\'t be a problem for you to rest once in a while too. You should also take care of your health." Iria said, earnestly.

Did she just express her concern for him? Arin was flustered. He was always the one doing that and he didn\'t recall hearing it from her. It was the first! He was too taken aback that to even say anything and only stared down at her for a while.

"What\'s wrong?" Iria asked, perplexed. Why did he keep on staring at her like that?!

Much to her surprise, Arin\'s lips curved into a slight smile. "Nothing," he finally broke his silence and said, "I will keep that in mind."

Before Iria could say anything, Arin said, "You should prepare for dinner. I will come back to get you after a while." Then he left Iria\'s chamber right away.....