King Tobias observed the young Commander standing in front of him. When he noticed the rage beneath his seemingly calm facade, he took a few steps towards him.

"Are you doing this on purpose, Commander Nico? You should know that I came all the way here to meet you," he said to Nico Petrus in a much calmer voice.

Hearing the Jerivian King's words, the Commander's face turned sour. His playful and menacing act just a while ago was completely gone. "How can you do this to me, Your Majesty?"

He walked towards the King and halted when he was just a step away. Clenching his fist, he glanced at King Tobias with fiery red eyes!

"How can you keep me in the dark when that thing happened?!"

Though the Commander from a rival kingdom was yelling at him and bravely meeting his gaze with hatred, King Tobias only stood still and glanced at the young man. He was too far from being offended! Then he spoke up again.

"Calm down, Nico. I know how you feel but -"

"You don't know anything," Commander Nico firmly said and brushed off the King. "The woman I love died and I don't know anything about it. Do you even know how excruciating the pain is?"

"Nico -"

"You know how much your daughter meant to me! I was willing to take any risk for her despite the relationship between our two kingdoms, but... " Nico Petrus paused and let out a breath. "Why didn't you inform me anything? Don't I deserve to know what happened to her? I'm the one she loved!"

"Listen to me, Nico," King Tobias muttered and reached out his hand to the Commander but...

Nico Petrus took a step backward. "When I can't reach Iria, I came to Jerivia and waited for more than a month there. I see the woman inside the carriage who left for the alliance marriage. Though she was wearing a veil, I knew right away that it wasn't Iria. So, I waited for weeks... only to know that she is dead."

King Tobias struggled for words to say! This young man was unwilling to listen to him no matter how much he tried. What was he supposed to do?!

"I won't forgive you, Your Majesty. I will destroy everyone who was involved in her death. Last time, I respect her decision to fulfil the alliance marriage though it kills me on the inside. I know she did it for her kingdom and I can't argue with her when it comes to her duty. I was willing to endure everything as long as she is safe but... " Commander Nico made a deliberate paused and shook his head.

"Not this time. Iria is dead and everything is over. Now, nothing can hold me back," he firmly added and turned his back at the King. Then he walked towards the door.

"Don't point your sword at the wrong people, Nico," King Tobias uttered which made the Commander halted. "The one who disguises herself as Iria is her best friend. If anything happens to her, my late daughter will never forgive you."

Nico Petrus heard what the Jerivian King said but he didn't respond or turn around. After standing still for a while, he left the King's chamber.

Staring at the empty door, King Tobias covered his eyes with his hand. What would be able to mend the young Commander's heart? He knew how much that man loved his late daughter and how his daughter felt the same. It was always a secret between him and the late Princess Iria.

What if Commander Nico was blinded by rage? There would surely be huge chaos!

*

Leaving the palace, Nico Petrus went straight to his home in the capital. Then he entered his large yet lonesome chamber.

On the table on the right, there was a scroll that was placed alone. Commander Nico slowly walked towards the table and picked up the scroll. Then the portrait of the Jerivian Princess was revealed.

Long black hair, enchanting amber eyes and a skin as white as snow; she was the woman whom he ever loved in his life. The Princess in the portrait was flashing a bright smile and it was his last memory of her in flesh.

Nico Petrus recalled the day he first met the Princess. It was half a year ago in a forest of Jerivia. The Princess lost her way in the forest as she part with her guards by accident when they crossed paths, coincidentally.

He didn't know that she was the Princess of Jerivia. She didn't know that he was a Commander from Qalagon but they fell for each other right away. He was supposed to just be passing by but he ended up staying in Jerivia for a while despite knowing how dangerous it was for him to be spotted.

The Commander visited the forest each day, hoping to meet the lady again. However, he never saw her again until a week passed. After their second encounter, they agreed to meet for the third time and their story continues.

They spend a few months that way and they only knew each other's identity when King Tobias get involved. It turned out that the King realized how his daughter used to meet a man in secret. He investigated the stranger only to find out that he was a Commander of the Petrus Army in Qalagon. An enemy.

King Tobias tried hard to solve the matter quietly but... his daughter was too stubborn! What's more, the Commander of the Petrus Army was more than persistent. As such, they ended up winning over the King's heart. After all, he was a father who deeply loved his children and wished for their happiness.

However, everything became a mess when the alliance marriage was proposed by the Qalagons. As expected, the kind-hearted Princess chose her kingdom and the people over the man she loved and prepared to fulfil the alliance marriage. Then she was poisoned and it was followed by a lonesome death.

Nico Petrus gently touched the portrait of his late lover when his promise to her crossed his mind. While they were in the forest together, he had once promised to give her a carefree life.

He was willing to give up everything and went together to a faraway place where no one would be able to find them. They agreed to live a simple life, free of their two kingdoms conflicts and wars. He promised to give her that kind of life and he still couldn't forget the excitement on her face when he brought that up.

"You should wait for me," he murmured with his gaze never leaving the portrait. "I will come to you once I avenge you."