What A Strange Family

"Rion, if Crown Prince Arin have an internal enemy to be wary of, who do you think it might be?" Iria was sitting on her bed, staring at her right-hand man who was standing a few steps away.

It was quite late now but... maybe because she was in the territory of an enemy, she could rarely sleep. The same goes for Rion. After all, they were soldiers who spent most of their time on the battlefield. Being alert had become a habit.

"The Crown Prince is more powerful than one could imagine, Your Highness. If we don't witness it in person, we will surely think that it's just a rumor. Who would be able to make him wary? I doubt it's among the Ministers." Rion opined.

"Then, among the royal family members... " Iria trailed off, wondering some possibilities. "The Queen?"

Rion slightly raised a brow. "It's possible. After all, Queen Lorey Helev is his stepmother."

"Queen Lorey Helev is the Princess of Nathania and the younger sister of the current King of Nathania. What's more, she is the birth mother of Prince Morin Helev. Maybe she wants the throne for her son. If that's the case, Crown Prince Arin will be a thorn in her flesh." Iria stated.

Rion nodded but soon, he looked at his Commander with a confused face. "Are you interested in the royal family conflicts?"

"No. I only want to lay low but... if the Queen wants to play dirty, she might even target me to slander the Crown Prince. Do you want that to happen?" Iria Alewine mused.

"No. I don't care about what's going on with the Crown Prince. I only care about your safety." Rion promptly said.

Iria slightly smiled. "We will lay low but... we must be alert all the time. I don't want us to get tangled up in their power struggle. I'm not interested."

"I understand, Your Highness. But... " Rion paused, looking at his Commander with a nervous face. "What is your opinion on the Crown Prince?"

Iria narrowed her eyes and recalled all the things Arin had done so far. "He's a bit strange but I can never read his intentions."

"Should we be wary of him?" Rion asked right away.

"That's a given," Iria said. "He's quite admirable. It's a pity that he is an enemy and not a friend."

* * *

The Next Day

"I hope you don't find it too hard to adjust, Crown Princess. Don't hesitate to tell us if you have any problem." King Regan Helev said to Iria with a friendly smile.

It was noon and the royal family members all gathered at the dining hall of the main palace to have lunch all together. This type of gathering was often arranged.

"I'm fine, Your Majesty. The Crown Prince take good care of me, so I don't have any problem." Iria formally said to the King.

"Sister-in-law, you're so beautiful! I only get to see you on your wedding day and it's from afar. Now that I see you clearly, you look more beautiful than that day!" Prince Morin Helev exclaimed with a wide grin.

Iria observed the little boy and no matter how much she looked at him, everything about him screamed one word - innocence. He was just a young boy with a pure heart.

"Thank you, Prince Morin. I'm sure that you will also grow up to be a handsome Prince." She finally spoke up with a little smile on her face.

Prince Morin nodded and said, "Not as handsome as my brother." He laughed and glanced at his brother who didn't seem to be entertained by his words.

"Morin, you talk too much." Though the Crown Prince's face was stern, his voice said otherwise.

Morin only smiled but when he realized one thing, he quickly rose from his seat and stood beside his brother. "Brother, the annual tournament is coming soon. Will you teach me archery so that I will be able to go hunting with you?" He pleaded, grabbing the Crown Prince's arm.

"Morin, your brother is busy with his official duties. Don't disturb him. You have your own instructor." Queen Lorey spoke up, giving her son a stern look.

"But Arin have the best archery skills in our Kingdom. It will be different if he teach me." Morin argued.

The Crown Prince finally looked up at his brother and gently patted him on the back. "Alright. I will teach you when I have the time but you have to brace yourself. I won't go easy on you."

"Yes! I will be well prepared!" Prince Morin exclaimed, jumping due to excitement.

Crown Prince Arin smiled at his brother's reaction. "Fine. Go back to your seat now."

Prince Morin nodded and return to his seat right away.

"Morin, your brother agreed to teach you despite being so busy. You should learn diligently. Don't let your brother down." King Regan calmly said to his younger son.

"Don't worry, Father." Prince Morin said and started eating the dishes. A smile never leaves his face as he was unable to hide his excitement.

Iria could sense how the Queen felt uncomfortable. Once in a while, Lorey Helev would glance at the Crown Prince but the latter wasn't bothered. He focused on eating the dishes and at times, he would briefly glance at his younger brother. Then his lips would curve into a slight smile.

Just what was this atmosphere?! And like always, the King acted as if nothing happened! What a strange family!

*

After lunch, Iria briefly visited the royal garden due to the Queen's suggestion. The latter said that the royal garden had the best collections of flowers in the kingdom and told Iria to check it out.

The Crown Prince said that he will join her later. However, she only spent a minute or two in the garden as she wasn't entertained at all.

She was on her way back to the room where the other royal family members were supposed to be. However, before she could reach the room, she heard a familiar voice coming out of one room which caught her attention.

After standing still and debating her own thoughts, she finally decided to check it out and walked towards the door which was slightly opened.

She took a peek of the room and saw the Queen and the Crown Prince standing opposite to each other. Judging from the looks on their faces, Arin was quite calm like always but the Queen seemed to be losing her cool. She seemed quite angry.

Were they having an argument?