27 Losing Sleep

Karium Maselli couldn't sleep at all.

Was it because the woman he met turned out to be the Avarian Princess? He was sure it was as he couldn't stop thinking of her.

Why was the Princess so different from the rumors? Just what more was she hiding? He was curious about the answers to these two questions. Unlike his nosy friend, he was never curious to this extent.

Little did he know the Avarian Princess couldn't sleep too! However, their reasons were too different. What made the Princess still up was his sudden cancellation of the meeting in the afternoon!

Yara Amiel never cope well with a rejection of any forms yet... her nemesis actually dared to stand her up! How could she possibly sleep well after experiencing that?

That's impossible!

For a split second, she even thought of sneaking inside the camp of the Welahan and end the so-called God of War for good! However, she refrained as it was such a stupid idea!

If he was that easy to kill, people won't praise him and call him the God of War!

Meanwhile, Karium was thinking of a way to solve the issue. What will he do? It's not like he can just postpone the meeting forever.

What will happen if he meets her? Won't that only turn the situation sour? However, if he didn't schedule the meeting soon, more problems might arise. His kingdom had always deemed this east border as the most crucial one due to their rocky past with the Avarians.

This situation was such a headache for a Commander like him who never got fazed by even the most complicated situation!

*

The Welahan Prince had a noisy morning. However, it wasn't unexpected of his best friend, General Lena Parish. For a split second, he even regretted telling her to wait till today.

He should have known that she would start bugging her from early in the morning! As always, her curiosity reached the sky.

"Once I return to the capital, I will first meet Commander Nicklaus and ask him how he managed to keep you under control," Karium said to the female General with displeasure written all over his face.

It hasn't been long since he woke up with a heavy head, all thanks to his lack of sleep last night! And now, he had to deal with his best friend who was so full of energy!

Was there a way to send her back to the capital right now?!

"Why would you ask him that?" Lena Parish asked him with an annoyed face. Why must he always bring up her Commander?!

"It will be good to learn from him," Karium simply said and took a seat on one of the chairs inside his tent. "I don't think I can deal with your overflowing energy anymore. This is too much for me."

General Lena laughed at his response. "Are you back to being a weak kid?" she asked with a tone more menacing than ever. She sat opposite him and added, "Besides, no matter what you learn from my Commander, it won't be useful."

"Why is that?"

"Simple. You're not him."

Prince Karium let out a sigh. "You will surely regret saying that."

General Lena's smile slipped when she heard him. Recalling an embarrassing incident in the past, she said, "If you ever try something in front of Commander Niklaus again, I will kill you."

"We will know that," Karium Maselli simply said. However, his smart brain already figured out a plan which his friend would surely dislike. Then he looked at her and added, "Besides, I'm not a weak kid anymore."

He still remembered how he first met this energetic friend of his. When he first came to live in the palace, he was 8. He was just a little and 'weak' kid with no skills and he was often looked down on by other kids who hailed from noble and powerful families. In one of those times, she was the first one who came to his defence apart from his brother.

Lena was trained by her father ever since she was young and though they were the same age, she had the ability and status to stand against others unlike him, a weak and illegitimate child who was new to the capital and the palace. She was the first one to offer her hand to him and they became best friends since then.

Though his skills and abilities had way surpassed hers by now, he was still grateful to her. His life will be too dull and colorless if it wasn't for her!

"Alright," Lena simply agreed with him as she was too eager to hear his story now. "It's your turn to tell me your reason now. Just why did you run away yesterday? And who is the woman you're talking about?"

The woman who made him lost his sleep last night. The Avarian Princess. Just the thought of it made the God of War tired. However, when he noticed his friend's curious expression, he decided to not torture her anymore.

"As I said yesterday, I met a woman while I was on Avaria," he started. He waited for a while but... there was no noisy interruption this time. Maybe his friend had learned from yesterday's lesson!

"I watched her practising her swordsmanship in the forest and she was alone. When she first noticed me, she pointed her sword at me," he continued which made the General gasped.

"She did that to you?!"

Karium blankly nodded. Then he explained everything to his friend - the way she sent her men after him, how he managed to persuade her, the day they spent together and... the confession he made that day.

Lena Parish gaped as she stared at her friend, unable to say anything!

He did what? Talking about himself to a stranger?!

He never did that before!

She was an exception but he didn't have to talk about himself to her as she witnessed how he grew up ever since he came to live in the palace.

What had gotten into him?!

"What about the cancellation of the meeting?" she finally asked. She still couldn't figure out how it was connected with him meeting the woman he talked about.

Karium Maselli thought of the woman's identity that only made him feel more troubled. "This is the main problem," he muttered.

"I was supposed to have a meeting with the Princess of Avaria yesterday but... that woman I met turned out to be her." He informed his friend with a barely noticeable nervousness which was rare coming from the infamous God of War.....