"Commander, please don't do this. I beg you."

Iria Alewine ignored the pleading of Rion though it wasn't easy for her. However, Prince Orius Aventine was more calm than she thought.

Standing still, the Second Prince glanced down at Commander Iria with an unreadable face.

Just what was he thinking?!

After what seemed to be forever, Prince Orius threw his sword to the side, surprising everyone inside the chamber. "We will talk later," he muttered and shifted his gaze to Rion. "Follow me."

With that said, the two men walked out of the chamber right away.

For a while, all Iria Alewine did was staring at the empty door while Vienna Mareyi looked at her. Then the Commander finally stood up and sat on the floor near the walls which was a few steps away from the Prime Minister's daughter.

What happened and what she did was repeatedly played in her mind... only to make her feel cornered. She didn't even notice that Vienna Mareyi never took her eyes off her the whole time.

"Why did you do that?" Lady Vienna finally asked Commander Iria, breaking the long-standing silence.

When Iria heard her voice, she slowly shifted her gaze to Vienna Mareyi. "You don't deserve to die. You do nothing wrong."

Vienna Mareyi shifted her gaze to the floor when she heard her. However, when the man before crossed her mind, she quickly shifted her gaze back to Iria. She remembered herself seeing the man once or twice before, but she never paid much attention to it.

"Who is that man?" she asked. He seemed like someone with high authority but it was clear that he wasn't from this kingdom.

"The Second Prince of Jerivia," Iria responded in a low voice.

Vienna Mareyi's eyes grew wide when she heard the response. The Prince of Jerivia?

Does that mean... she defied the Prince to save her life?!

"Aren't you afraid? You can easily lose your life if you defy a royal order," she muttered. Once again, her gaze was fixated on Iria who turned away from her.

"I never fear death," Commander Iria replied. "However, even if I'm to die, I refuse to die a meaningless death."

She was saying that even if she died defending her, she would deem meaningful and Vienna Mareyi knew it. However, she can't reply to her.

She regarded her as a friend, an only friend but... everything turned out to be a lie. The excruciating pain was invading her even now!

The pain of feeling betrayed.

"I understand even if you hate me. If I were you, I will feel the same," Iria Alewine said to her. "But I won't ask for forgiveness. I will be satisfied with it if you live... " She paused and murmured, "Though I can't guarantee anything. It's not up to me."

Vienna Mareyi blankly stared at the floor and maintained her silence. She recalled what she overheard at the top of the pavilion. The Crown Princess said that... she was the Commander of the Alewine Army?

She immediately shifted her gaze back to Iria with a flustered face. "If you are the Commander of the Alewine Army, does that mean... "

"Yes," Iria Alewine uttered before the Lady could finish the question. "I'm the Masked Commander."

All at once, their conversation in the tent crossed Lady Vienna's mind. Back then, Iria told her that even if she saw the Masked Commander, she won't realize it as only a few know the Masked Commander's face. When their other conversation crossed her mind...

"You're lying," Vienna Mareyi suddenly said and it made Iria raised a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Back then, when I asked you if the Masked Commander is ruthless like the rumors said, you told me that she is, especially towards her enemies," Vienna Mareyi promptly explained.

"I don't lie that time," Iria argued. "It's just that... I never considered you as an enemy. If any others were in your place today, I won't mind even if the Second Prince killed them. I might even do it myself."

"What if the Crown Prince is in my place?"

"..."

The Masked Commander was tight-lipped! Arin Helev to be in the situation where Lady Vienna was in? She didn't even want to think about it. As such, she turned away from Vienna Mareyi. She pressed her back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Why can't you give me an answer, Your Highness? You cared for the Crown Prince just like he cared for you. Why did you refuse to admit?" Vienna Mareyi asked. For someone like her who never experienced the duties and responsibilities that Iria bears since a young age, it was hard to understand her.

Why can't she just follow her heart?

"You're right," Iria Alewine muttered, still closing her eyes. "I cared for the Crown Prince but... whether I admit it or not, there is no difference."

"Why?" Vienna Mareyi promptly asked, confused.

"I already said it before," Iria Alewine replied patiently. "I'm the Masked Commander. I'm not someone who can put aside everything just to follow my heart.

"The moment I decided to become the Commander of the Alewine Army in my father's place, my fate is already set."

Iria Alewine finally opened her eyes and looked at Lady Vienna again. "If things go as planned, I will return to Jerivia in 3 days and everything will be over."

Vienna Mareyi met her gaze firmly and shook her head. "You don't know the Crown Prince well, Your Highness. If he is truly sincere about you, he will never give up on you. He will be more patient and persistent than you thought."

Iria Alewine slightly smiled when she heard her. "Things are not as simple as you thought, Lady Vienna. If I have a chance to return, I will become the enemy of your kingdom right away. Once I faced the Crown Prince again, it will be on the battlefield and... he will have no choice but to fight me."

"Are you saying that you're okay with fighting him?" Vienna Mareyi asked.

When she looked at Iria's eyes, she knew that whatever she said, it wasn't what she actually thought. She said such things because she can't say her true mind. However, the intention of the Prime Minister's daughter was to pressure the Commander with her questions.

Why didn't she think about herself at all?!

"I can do anything for my kingdom. Commander or not, I'm also a soldier," Iria Alewine firmly responded. "Most things are never up to me."