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He doesn\'t have much choice.

"That will be hard," he muttered.

Why did she talk as if she was sure that something would happen to her while he was away? He thought of many possibilities but... her real reason for saying this had never once crossed his mind!

It\'s that hard to guess.

Iria Alewine remembered him saying that he didn\'t make an empty promise. So, it would be useless to pressure him to give her his word.

"Then promise me that you will try. You will try your best to stay focused no matter what. If you give your all but still failed, I won\'t blame you," she said, cautiously observing his reaction.

Arin Helev thought about it for a while before he finally nodded. "Alright. I will try. You have my word."

Commander Iria smiled in relief. "I wish for your victory." She paused and added, "I have confidence in you."

"That\'s all I need." The Crown Prince\'s response came faster than ever. With a genuine smile, he stared at her smile which finally appeared real since he returned to meet her.

* * *

Crown Prince Arin returned to the camp after having dinner with Iria and after that, the Commander was alone in her chamber again. Her conversation with Arin repeatedly echoed in her ears and... she knew that it might be the last.

There might not be next time for them anymore.

When she heard the sound of knocking on her door, she responded and Vienna Mareyi walked inside. Despite her reason for staying here, the Prime Minister\'s daughter still appeared fine.

Did she have no idea of her current situation? If things go wrong, she won\'t be safe either!

"It\'s getting late. Why don\'t you sleep?" Iria asked with her gaze fixated on the Lady.

"It\'s my first time spending the night in the palace," Vienna Mareyi replied as she took a seat on one of the chairs. "Besides, I can\'t sleep due to everything that happened today."

"You must be in shock," Commander Iria uttered. For a normal lady like her, it must be too much of an experience!

Vienna Mareyi nodded her head. "Everything is beyond my imagination."

"You surprised me too," Iria quickly said. "I don\'t expect you to be that brave when dealing with the Second Prince. You seemed like a different person."

There was a subtle smile on the Prime Minister\'s daughter lips when she heard the Commander. "I was scared at first but... after chatting with you, I\'m not scared anymore. I have faith in you." She made a deliberate paused when she noticed Iria raising a brow. Then she added, "Besides, I\'m from Qalagon. I have no reason to fear or obey the Jerivian Prince."

"You\'re right," Iria Alewine muttered but what Vienna just said lingered in her mind. "You still consider me as a friend?" she finally asked.

Vienna Mareyi raised a brow as she wasn\'t expecting such a question. "You don\'t?"

When the Commander\'s face hinted at confusion, Lady Vienna continued by saying, "I never know that friendship has boundaries. What if you are Princess Iria or Commander Iria? From the beginning, you\'re the same person."

Much to Lady Vienna\'s surprise, the Masked Commander kept on staring at her. She even wondered if she said something wrong!

"You\'re truly unique," Iria Alewine finally remarked. For the first time since she was exposed, there was an amusing smile on her face.

For a while, the two women remained quiet but... their thoughts were pretty much the same. They were both thinking of the future.

"Will you be okay with leaving the Crown Prince?"

When Vienna Mareyi\'s broke the silence by asking her a question, it was like an eye-opener for the Masked Commander!

All this time, she thought of how her departure would affect Arin Helev but... she never thought about what would become of her!

For the first time, she finally gave a sincere thought. "If I\'m to be honest, I doubt I will be fine but... I will bear with it. When time passed, maybe it will be better."

She had asked her many questions since she knew her real identity and the Masked Commander\'s responses were always quite similar, but... Vienna Mareyi still finds it hard to understand her.

It\'s understandable. Lady Vienna wasn\'t a warrior. She was a normal young woman who never once fought for her kingdom.

"Why? I\'m sure that His Highness will be able to forgive you, but why can\'t -"

"Lady Vienna."

The Prime Minister\'s daughter fell silent when she heard Iria calling her name.

"Throughout the twenty years of my life, I have never once made a decision to prioritize my interest. To be more precise, I have never spent a day for myself alone. My interest is always the last thing I considered whenever I\'m to make a decision. That\'s the kind of life I\'m living."

Commander Iria forced a little smile when she looked at the face of Vienna Mareyi. "Your world is the opposite of mine. You\'re carefree, full of passion, have a strong sense of freedom and... you want to be the master of your own life.

"For a warrior like me, even if I have those traits in me, I have to keep it hidden forever." She paused and added, "You won\'t understand me and I don\'t want you to do that either because if you were to understand my life, you will have to lose yourself.

"Why would you lose your most charming traits just to understand my life?" The Masked Commander slightly smiled when she continued, "Your true nature is a gem which someone like me could never have. You should cherish it and protect it forever."