"Are you okay?" Felix confusedly asked Yelena who, according to him, was behaving very strangely.

She was a mess just an hour ago and when he thought about the content of the video, he was convinced that it was not something which one could easily overcome but... she behaved as nothing happened.

​​

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." She tightened her grip around his body while the side of her head still rest on his chest.

He dumbfoundedly lifted his hands and caressed her head. "If it's too hard, you can tell me. You don't have to act strong before me." He calmly said to her.

Hearing his words, she withdrew her hands from his body and lifted her head to look at him. "I'm really fine. From now on, I will only focus on getting better. I need to return to my work after a week anyway." She reassured him.

He examined her face but he couldn't read anything. It made him wondered what was going on in her mind.

He gave a quick thought and decided to give her time. Sawing such video must be too much for her.

"Okay." He nodded with a smile and glanced at his watch. "It's already one o'clock. Do you want to go downstairs and have some lunch?" He asked her.

She nodded her head and they went downstairs together.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that my cousin will be here in the evening. He might probably have dinner with us." Felix informed Yelena while they were having lunch.

"That's great. I feel bad for ruining your time with him." When a question popped up in her mind, she asked, "But what brings him here? Did he come just to meet you?"

"No. He's a very busy man. You will know when you meet him. He will be here soon. But... are you okay with meeting my cousin now? I can also tell him to come other time if -"

"It's okay. You said that he's special for you. That's why I can't wait to meet him." She forced a little smile.

"Wait!" He gave her a strange look. "My cousin said the same. Are you two connected or what?"

Was this the effect of having the same profession? Why were they so alike?!

"I didn't even know him." She scoffed at his wild speculation. But sawing him tried his best to act normal for her sake, it comforted her even in the slightest bit and at the same time, she was feeling guilty.

She didn't know why she called him at that time. When her heart crumbled due to the video, the only person whom she could think of was him. It made her realized how precious he was for her!

But one week and they will be apart. After having him by her side for almost two months, she was not sure if she would be okay without him.

Thinking about Felix and the video she received, she quietly continued her lunch while he did the same.

* * *

It was around 5 in the evening when Lexus finally arrived at the gate of the villa. He rode his own vehicle which was driven by a soldier while Felix's car was driven back by one soldier with another one soldier on the car.

Grabbing the Prince's car keys, he entered the villa while thinking about a little surprise for his cousin. Felix would have no idea about this and it made him smiled to himself.

He pressed the doorbell of the villa and Felix was very quick to open the door for him. After he informed him that he will reach in no time, his cousin was waiting for him on the ground floor.

"Hi, Lex! Do you have a safe ride?" Felix immediately asked his cousin. Two hours was never a short ride.

He threw the car keys to the Prince which the latter nicely catch. "Yes. But it was quite boring." He bluntly replied, maintaining his usual stern face.

Then Yelena appeared on the scene and the Brigadier didn't fail to notice her. He also noticed that she was giving him a keen look.

Felix turned around and saw Yelena who was walking towards them. "My dear, this is the cousin I mentioned. Come and meet him. He is -"

"Colonel Lexus Jivaro?" Yelena gasped with her eyes wide open. "Is that really you?" She walked towards them while staring at the cousin for the whole time.

The cousin smiled in response. "Captain Yelena Arista. It's nice to meet you again." He greeted her.

"I can't believe that you are the cousin in question." When she realized something, she deliberately cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for the mistake earlier, sir. For a moment, I forgot that you're already promoted to Brigadier. I may be a little late, but congratulations on your promotion."

"Thanks. But I came here as the cousin of your boyfriend. There's no need to be so courteous." He said to her with a smile.

"I'm not sure." She rubbed her temples and look at him. "After going through such tough and harsh training under your supervision, I think some part of me is still scared of you." Her words were followed by light laughter.

Judging from the actions of the two soldiers, one would have thought they were the only ones in that place! Maybe they had forgotten that the Prince was standing next to them with a puzzled face. Still, the chat goes on.

"If I had known that we will meet again this way, I will surely be a bit lenient with you." The Brigadier said jokingly.

Yelena was about to respond but she was interrupted by the Prince.

"I want to inform you two that a person is still standing here, right beside you." Felix sarcastically informed them. When he noticed that the two soldiers had paid attention to him, he continued.

"What is this?" He eyed his cousin who seemed to be ignoring him. "Captain Yelena Arista? I'm sure that I didn't tell you her name." He gave his cousin a suspicious look.

"You two know each other? Why didn't you tell me? You even said that you can't wait to meet her. I never thought that my perfect cousin is capable of lying."

"I'm not lying. When I said that, I still don't know your girlfriend's identity. I only figure out when you said that your girlfriend is the General's granddaughter." Lexus simply replied.

"Then why don't you tell me?" Felix inquired.

"Am I obliged to say that?" Lexus retorted. In fact, he was quite amused by his cousin's behaviour. He had truly changed so much in such a short time. The most important fact was that he seemed to be happy.

"You also said that you didn't know the General have such a granddaughter. Don't try to feign ignorance." Felix said again.

"Umm... just a small surprise?" Lexus replied while maintaining an innocent smile.

Felix looked at Lexus and sighed. He really got him this time. Then he shifted his gaze to Yelena who was very quick to clarify herself.

"Don't drag me into this. You didn't even tell me your cousin's name." Yelena said right away.

"I didn't say anything." He scoffed. "Fine. Let's have dinner. I'm afraid that it might be so late for you to return, so I told them to prepare dinner earlier than usual." Felix informed Lexus.

He was okay with his cousin spending the night in the villa but he was more than sure that no matter how much he asked him, he would refuse. It was beyond his perfect cousin's principles.

With that said, they went to the dining room and started having dinner. But just like before, the Prince was left out in almost all the conversations. It was as if he didn't belong there! But maybe... it might true. He didn't belong to the world of soldiers.

He might also be true about soldiers having a magic bond between them! He listened to their conversation and noticed how well they get along.

Curiosity got the best of him and finally speak up, interrupting the smooth conversation once again. "How do you know each other?" He asked them and just like before, they shifted their attention to him.

"We participate in the same training a year ago. You might know that each year, joint training for a few selected elite officers is held for maintaining the peace between our two countries."

Felix nodded his head at Yelena's response. As the future King, he knows all the event of the country.

"I joined the training last year and Brigadier Lexus was one of our instructors. He was such a tough superior and every one of us feared him." Yelena continued with a little laugh.

"Really?" A seemingly shocked expression appeared on the Brigadier's face. "I didn't know I was that fearsome."

"You are. But everyone praised you for your perfection. During the training, you were the role model of every officer, including me." She confessed.

"You can't say that." Felix immediately opposed her. "Then tell me. Whom do you admire more? Me or my cousin?" He asked her with an appealing smile.

"Of course, it would be Brigadier Lexus." She answered without even thinking twice.

The Prince's smile instantly dropped when he heard her unexpected response. Did he really hear her right? His face turned gloomy until he hears her next words.

"I admire Brigadier Lexus as a superior and a fellow soldier but..." She shifted her gaze to look at the Prince's displeased face. "I love you as my boyfriend."

When she saw Felix who was grinning from ear to ear, she smiled. "Why? Do you think that your place in my heart is that easy to replace? Are you that foolish?" She asked.

"No. I'm not foolish. It's just that..." He made a deliberate paused and gazed at her affectionately. "I'm lovestruck. In a serious way on top of that." He continued to smile at her widely.

Hearing his cousin's response almost made Lexus choke on his food! He looked at his cousin who had changed so much to the point where it gave him the chills!

Do people change this much when they met the right one? If that's the case, then maybe his stubborn cousin had finally found his perfect match.

Giving a serious thought, he also realized that Yelena was also very different compared to the time he last saw her. Maybe because they were outside the army, he somehow felt like she doesn't resemble the tough and elite Captain he once knew.

He shook his head as he quietly stared at the admirable couple opposite to him. Based on what he saw, his cousin was not the only one who was lovestruck. It was mutual.....