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"I was so happy when I heard that you invite me to chat, Your Majesty," Lady Valerie Avia said to the Qalagon Queen with a pleasant smile on her face.

As the only daughter of Duke Manea, she was a well-mannered lady. Hailing from a military family with both her father and brother serving in the Cedore Army, she was quite skilled herself and Iria had seen her practicing once.

Though there were a few women who could be considered beautiful than Lady Valerie, Iria finds her unique. Maybe because this lady always exudes confidence. Not to mention that she was an honest person who was always brave enough to speak her mind.

"It's my pleasure," Iria said to the Lady with a little smile. "I want to chat with you during the party that night but as you know, it was quite buzzy. Everyone enjoyed themselves so much."

"The party prepared by His Majesty the Emperor is always blissful in a pleasant way," Lady Valerie remarked. "It's always more enjoyable than other parties."

The Queen nodded. "As you know, I was here for just 8 months." With a light chuckle, she added, "I don't even have time to know things well."

As she observed the Lady, Iria realized that it would be best to be honest rather than hiding her intention. That way, she will be able to know what she wanted.

"You said that you are happy to hear my invitation," she started. "Can you tell me why?"

It was evident that Lady Valerie was confused. Maybe she didn't expect such a question.

"Every subject of this empire are happy to have you here, Your Majesty," she said with a little smile when she regained her composure. "Who won't wish for a chance to see you?"

"Is that the only reason?" Iria Helev inquired.

That night, she observed this lady as much as she could. She saw the way she looked at her brother and she knew right away that the Empress was right.

She indeed like Orius but...

That's not enough. If one couldn't accept her feelings or was too much of a coward to do that, how would she believe that the person will be able to make commitments for that feeling to work out?

Iria knew her brother well. He wasn't the type to easily open to someone first. That's his nature and it was the same reason why he was willing to have an arranged marriage. So, she knew that the woman she chose must be brave and patient enough, just like Lady Vienna.

It's a good thing that Orius was patient, at least.

Lady Valerie Avia quietly stared at the Qalagon Queen. She was pretty confused and maybe she wanted to know her intention. After maintaining her silence for a while, she finally said, "No, Your Majesty. I'm happy to meet you also because you're the sister of Duke Larica."

Her response drew a little smile from Iria's lips. It seemed like her judgement wasn't wrong.

"I heard that you like my brother," she said and witnessed the lady narrowing her eyes with a small yet genuine smile. Maybe she was feeling embarrassed.

It took a lot of courage to accept one's feelings.

"That's right," Valerie Avia said. "His Grace is an admirable warrior. I don't think it will be a miracle if many other ladies also feel the same as me."

"Is that the only reason?" Iria asked for the second time. This time, the lady didn't take too long to respond to her.

"His Grace is a member of the imperial family. I'm in no position to talk about him." She paused and continued, "If you want me to be honest with you, can I speak my true mind freely, Your Majesty?"

"Go ahead."

"It feels like he doesn't belong to this world," Valerie Avia frankly said. Iria was surprised but she didn't show anything. Then the lady continued.

"His Grace rarely flash a genuine smile. He is happy when he is with the members of the imperial family and his soldiers. However, his smile is always the brightest when he is with you," she explained. "He always appears to be lonely and somewhat cold. But he is still kind despite all that."

Making a deliberate pause, Lady Valerie looked at Iria and said, "It's hard to understand His Grace, Your Majesty. He's like a challenging puzzle. That's why I said it feels like he doesn't belong to this world. He's too different."

How Valerie compared Orius to a puzzle reminded Iria of the time she used to think of Orius as a puzzle too. She had quite a hard time trying to solve that puzzle and now, she had solved it.

"He's different," she said with a nod. With a small smile, she asked, "And what make you like my puzzle brother?"

"I'm not sure, Your Majesty," Valerie Avia replied. "When I first saw His Grace a year ago, it was here in the palace. He was standing near the pond and he looked so hollow. He seemed to be very cold-hearted but when he feeds the fish in the pond, I saw him smiling for the first time.

"That scene amazed me. I wondered if he was cold or warm but that always remain a mystery to me. You know, Your Majesty. Not every kind-hearted people are warm."

Thinking of her last sentence, Iria realized that it was true. Even when Orius was the Second Prince, she knew that he was kind but... he was never warm. Instead, he was blunt even when he showed that he cared about her. Though he had changed a lot, that still remained in his blood.

"You know that we are twins, right?" Iria asked and continued, "We are the same age but... my brother spent all his life for me. He never live for himself and instead, he grew up with many scars which he could never reveal to anyone. He is so used to dealing with everything on his own without anyone to rely on. That's why he's different."

Noticing the confusion on Lady Valerie's face, "Iria said, "I won't say the details but... you might know it one day base on your decision."

"Decision?" the lady asked, confused.

The Qalagon Queen nodded. "My brother wants me to find a wife for him.. He's okay with an arranged marriage. That's why I asked to chat with you," she confessed and asked, "Will you be willing to marry him?"