When all attention was on him, Nico Petrus looked at the Queen who nodded at him. Then he lowered his gaze. "Yes, Your Majesty."
The Commander unsheathed his sword and gets off his horse. Then he walked towards Aryan Tripas who was looking at him but... not a hint of fear was seen on the Nardodian King's face!
It seemed like he really wasn't a coward.
As he stood before Aryan Tripas, the face of his deceased lover flashed in Nico's mind and his vow to avenge her. He already made her wait for so long but... the time had finally come.
Finally, Nico Petrus wielded his sword and planted on the left abdomen of Aryan Tripas with a force! He swiftly withdrew his sword at once right away and took a step back.
Watching their King who was about to collapse before the Qalagon Commander, the Generals of the Nardodian Army tightly clenched the hilts of their swords as they gritted their teeth in anger! However, the last order of their King held them back.
The order was not to do anything.
When Aryan Tripas dropped to his knees and collapsed on the ground, Iria saw some people riding their horses at a distance. There were a few of them and they were coming in their direction. Those people were closer and closer to them but... when Iria saw the face of the one in the middle, her eyes grew wide in shock!
Emor Tripas?!
When Crown Prince Emor saw his uncle lying on the ground, breathing his last breath, he quickened his pace despite his wounds. He immediately gets off his horse when he was just a few steps away and rushed towards Aryan Tripas. By this time, Nico Petrus was already on his horse again.
Iria watched as Emor Tripas dropped to his knees and held Aryan Tripas up. "Uncle! Please... I'm here!"
Theo, Alena, General Randal, and other soldiers who came with the Crown Prince stood at the side, unable to do anything.
Though Aryan Tripas was barely awake now, his face still brightened up at the sight of his nephew, his only blood-related family. Not to mention that he spent months having no idea if he was alive!
"Emor... "
"I'm here, please! Don't leave me, uncle," Emor Tripas begged as he held his uncle's hand. "I'm sorry... "
The King murmured something but Emor couldn't hear him. As such, he leaned down and put his ear closer.
"N -Nardodia is n -now y -yours," was Aryan Tripas's last words before he finally succumbed to his wounds.
"Uncle," Emor Tripas called out but there was no response.
With his eyes that were all teary red now, he brushed his uncle's eyes and made him shut them. Then he hugged the lifeless body for one last time. Even when he pressed his uncle's corpse against his body, Emor Tripas felt no pain. Not at all.
The only pain that existed right now was in his heart. He felt like his heart was shredded to a thousand pieces!
After all, he just lost his only family!
With a command from Iria, everyone took several steps back and she was the only one who was right in front of Emor Tripas now.
Without saying anything or making a movement, Iria glanced down at Emor who was still hugging his uncle's corpse. She waited and waited and after what felt like hours, the young Crown Prince finally laid the corpse on the ground, gently. Then he stood up and turned to Iria.
"What agreement do you have with my uncle?" he asked.
"He offered his life," Iria replied. "So that my soldiers won't fight and conquer your kingdom. So that I won't come for you. He promised that his soldiers won't do anything."
Clenching his fists, Emor Tripas narrowed his eyes when he heard Iria. "Will you kill me too then?" he asked as he looked up at Iria again.
"Why would I do that?" Iria asked him back. "I never plan to conquer Qalagon and I never plan to kill you either. All I want is Aryan Tripas's life. No more bloodshed."
"Don't listen to her, Your Highness!" General Arnet who was still standing a few steps behind with the crown and the King's sword shouted. Then he handed the sword and the crown to another General and walked towards the Crown Prince. He halted just a step behind him.
"She waited till the last minute so that His Majesty can't do anything! She made use of her cousin and broke our ally with Alora and Azamet!" General Arnet grunted. "Now, His Majesty is dead and we shouldn't accept more humiliation! No matter what, we should fight till the end and kill her!"
"Shut up," Emor Tripas warned the General in a deadly low voice but the latter was too blinded by rage.
"Your Highness, we can't let -"
Losing his mind, Emor Tripas swiftly unsheathed his sword and stabbed General Arnet who was right behind him! The Crown Prince pulled back his sword right away and the General collapsed on the ground, succumbing to his wounds in no time!
The action of the young Crown Prince shocked everyone, including Iria. Nevertheless, the Qalagon Queen remained on her horse and maintained a blank face.
Staring down at the corpse of the General, there was a hint of disdain on Emor's face. "If you want to complain, why don't you say it before my uncle died? You should have stopped him from doing that instead of complaining to me!"
Emor Tripas glanced around but no one dared to say anything. Even the Generals stood still on their places with their gaze on the ground. Then he briefly looked at his uncle's corpse before he turned back to Iria. "Allow me to retrieve his corpse, Your Majesty. I promise you that I will respect the agreement you made with my uncle. My soldiers won't do anything."
"Emor," Iria called out and observed the expression on the face of the Crown Prince.
She was expecting him to be angry at her and to even fight her but.... he won't?