Arin Helev brought back the unconscious Iria to his army camp on the border though it still took a few hours to reach there. The soldiers of the Alewine Army and Qalagon soldiers also followed them after they cleared the war scene. They had to retrieve the bodies of their fellow soldiers who passed away.

With Rion's death and their Commander being unconscious, the soldiers of the Alewine Army were feeling uneasy. However, when they met Zire in the camp of the Qalagon soldiers, they finally felt at ease.

Iria's wounds were immediately treated by the doctor in the camp and the soldiers also had their wounds treated. However, the camp was quite cold and the doctor suggested for her to be taken to the capital right away.

General Hanson stayed behind with the Qalagon soldiers and Arin Helev brought Iria back to the palace by carriage. Zire and the soldiers of the Alewine Army followed them.

Iria hasn't fully regained her consciousness yet. Sometimes, it seemed like she was awake but even when Arin talked to her, it seemed like she didn't hear anything. Then Arin realized that she was half-conscious. One doctor also left with them in case something happened to her on their way.

In the capital, the soldiers of the Cedore Empire were already there, waiting for Arin Helev to return. Once Arin reached the capital, they will make a plan and depart to join the Qalagon soldiers at the border. Then the war will start. The war to escort the left behind soldiers and their families out of Jerivia. Prince Orius was also in the capital, waiting for Iria to arrive.

After almost three days, Arin and Iria along with the soldiers were back to the royal palace of Qalagon. The soldiers were instantly provided with shelter and whatever necessities they needed. It turned out that Arin Helev had put in quite an effort for them.

Iria might never think that when she returned to the palace after leaving in secret months ago, she will be half-conscious. She vaguely knew that she was back but... her eyes were shut again right away. She was exhausted and she lost so much blood and that took a toll on her body.

Arin brought Iria to one of the chambers in the main palace and the royal doctor quickly arrived to check on her. The maids changed her clothes and washed her body once the doctor finished checking her wounds. Then the doctor finally applied some ointments and bandaged her wounds.

Orius also heard her situation and he quickly rushed to her chamber, only to find out that she was still in that half-conscious state. However, the doctor said that she will regain her consciousness soon and that she wasn't in a life-threatening condition. This relieved Arin Helev and Orius a lot, including the one from Cedore who lead his soldiers all the way to Qalagon.

*

For the first time since the day of that haunting war, Iria Alewine opened her eyes, fully conscious. Her eyes swept around the room and from the way the chamber was designed, she could tell right away that she was in the royal palace of Qalagon. However...

The one sitting on a chair beside her bed was someone whom she had never seen before. Feeling confused, she kept on staring at him with her eyes that were barely opened.

"Are you awake?" the man asked her. "How are you feeling now? It's been two days since you were brought to the royal palace of Qalagon."

"Who are you?" She could barely mutter the words. However, her voice was hoarse and the dryness of her throat was quite painful.

"I'm Andres Francia," the young man responded with a calm smile on his handsome face.

Andres Francia as in the Crown Prince of Cedore? That means...

The Crown Prince understood her reaction and nodded. "Your cousin," he said. "I always look forward to meeting you, Commander Iria." He narrowed his eyes at her wounds and the calm smile slipped. Instead, there was a hint of darkness in his eyes. "However, I don't know that our first encounter will be this way."

Before Iria could say anything, the Crown Prince turned his head to the door and called out, "Zane."

The door was immediately opened and one young man appeared. "Your Highness."

"Inform Arin and Orius that she is awake. They will be glad to hear the news."

With that said, the man bowed and quickly left to comply with the Crown Prince's order. Then Andres Francia turned back to Iria.

"You lost too much blood, so you will need some time to recover. You will feel weak but the doctor said that it will be better after a good rest," he said to Iria in a calm voice.

In a split second, everything that happened that day crossed Iria's mind. Thinking of Rion who died to protect her, she shut her eyes and a tear rolled down at the side of her face. She still couldn't believe that Rion wasn't with her anymore.

However, if he was still alive, he will already rush to her when he heard that she's awake. But he wasn't here and this reminded the Commander that it was real.

It wasn't just a nightmare.

That day, he told her that he will protect her no matter what. He said that he will follow her wherever she go. He indeed protected her but... he wasn't here to follow her anymore.

Andres Francia saw her tear and he knew how broken she was on the inside. However, they just met. He didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know her well. He only knew one thing.

That it was Zaro Aventine who broke her to this extent.

He used to hear about her friendship with the new King. It's their first meeting but he grew up hearing about her. Even when he became mature, he used to send his men to Jerivia just to get some news about her. As an only child, he was always curious about his cousin who was living in a faraway kingdom.

How could Zaro Aventine do this to her?

Though he didn't say anything and only stared at her, Andres Francia vowed to avenge her.

Zaro Aventine will surely pay for this.

Finally, the door was opened and Arin Helev appeared. Orius was with the soldiers of the Alewine Army and Zane will need a few more minutes to find him. So, the King walked in alone.

Seeing him again in a bit better situation, Iria Alewine recalled the things he patiently said to her that day. The words pulled her away from the insanity that almost swallowed her.

Despite the situation she was in, she was glad to see him again.....