"Do you trust Arin Helev that much?"

Iria Alewine was about to release the fire arrow in the air but Prince Orius question made her halted. With a dumbfounded face, she turned to the second Prince who was sitting on her left.

"What do you mean?" she asked Orius.

The second Prince pointed his chin at her arrow and said, "That idea. I think you're willing to do it because you have confidence in the Qalagon Crown Prince."

Iria Alewine narrowed her eyes and briefly thought about it before she said, "Don't you said it so yourself, Your Highness? In this kingdom, the Crown Prince is the only one we can count on, especially in this situation."

When Prince Orius blankly stared at the fire without saying anything, Iria released the arrow in the air.

* * *

Crown Prince Arin and his men were still looking for Iria and Orius. As it was getting darker, it became hard to spot the trace and all they saw were the bodies of some men whom they thought to be the assassins.

"Your Highness, I think it will be hard to locate them tonight. It's getting darker and it's possible for us to lose our way in the darkness," General Hanson said to the Crown Prince who was getting more and more anxious as time passed.

"I don't understand, Hanson," Arin promptly said and glanced around their surroundings. "If they can fight back the assassins, why don't they return?"

Did they suffer a serious injury? Was that why they couldn't return? He truly hoped that it wasn't the case.

When Rion who was a few steps behind heard the Crown Prince, he rode his horse forward with a bit of reluctance. "Your Highness."

"What is it, Rion?"

"Her Highness didn't know the way around this forest but... I also heard that Davian isn't familiar with it either," Rion informed the Crown Prince.

"What do you mean?" Crown Prince Arin quickly asked.

Davian wasn't familiar with the way around this Brinet Forest? Was that even possible?

"He told me that he had only been here once," Rion replied. "I studied the paths of this forest when I heard that Her Highness will be joining the hunting competition but... we get separated like that."

That means they don't know how to return to the camp and this troubled Arin even more. What was he supposed to do?! While he was fixated on wondering where they would be...

"It's a fire arrow," Hanson Lorin uttered, glancing up at the sky.

Arin Helev quickly looked at the sky and noticed the second arrow. Soon, it was followed by the third one in a similar way.

"It's a signal," he muttered and quickly looked around. "We should go there. Be it the doing of the assassins or the Crown Princess, let's go and check it out."

* * *

"Why do you released three arrows?" Orius Aventine asked Iria the moment the latter released the third arrow.

"Just to be certain," Iria simply responded as she sat down. "Now, Your Highness, all we can do is wait."

Prince Orius glanced at their dark surroundings. "If this was Jerivia, what we can do won't be this limit. Don't you think so?"

Iria slightly smiled when she heard the Prince. "Are you trying to brag about your great knowledge of the forests in our kingdom?"

"I spent most of my time in the forests. Having great knowledge is only natural," the Prince simply said.

"I don't visit the forest often but Iria always loved to visit one... " The Commander's voice trailed off when she realized what she was saying. She was reminded how her friend was already gone and she narrowed her eyes as she nervously pressed her fingers together.

"I also used to think that she is still with us but whenever I realize that she is gone, the pain resurfaces," Orius murmured when he saw the change in her expression.

Iria Alewine lifted her head and glanced at the Prince with a flustered face. Did he really say that?!

"Iria always like you the most, Your Highness. But you're always cold to her." She made a deliberate paused and continued by saying, "I used to believe that you don't care about her. Am I wrong?"

Prince Orius fell silent as if he was lost in his thoughts. For a while, he did nothing but glanced up at the sky. "She is one of the very few people whom I truly care about in this world."

"Then why? She will be so happy if she knows that." Iria stared at the second Prince with a confused face. Why was it so hard to understand him?

"Because she will only get hurt if she is close to me. I don't want that."

For the many times in a while, Iria didn't understand what the second Prince was saying. She wondered will there ever come a day when she would understand him. Somehow, she doubted but... she truly wished to understand him.

He didn't seem like a bad person.

"Don't try to know too much about me, Commander Iria. You might regret when you achieve what you want," Orius Aventine calmly added.

Iria decided to not ask him more and then shifted her gaze to the dark forest. She wondered if Arin would spot her signal. Will he know that it was her? Or will he just turn a blind eye to it?

The Commander was distracted from her thoughts when she noticed a movement at a distance. Someone was here?

She quickly turned her head to the Prince who also shifted his gaze to her when he sensed her gaze on him. When the Prince observed her gaze, he understood what was going on. He slowly grabbed the handle of his sword and stay alert while Iria grabbed her bow.

"If they are the assassins, I will fight them and assist me by your bow and arrow. Don't move your legs too much," Prince Orius whispered and the Commander nodded.

All at once, three arrows were shot in their direction but the Prince strike down two while Iria caught one arrow just before it landed on her body.

Iria Alewine narrowed her eyes at the arrow in her hand before she darted her eyes back to the enemies who were more than hard to spot. "They witnessed too much. None of them must survive," she firmly said.....