Bianca and Ariana entered the tent. Lucas was inside, sitting on the bed. He looked at Bianca and Ariana who went inside the tent. He was cleaning his sword. On the hilt of the sword was a blue tassel attached to it.

“Lucas, I have brought Ariana,” said Bianca.

Lucas placed the sword down, leaning against the bed. “Thank you, you may leave.” Bianca then left Ariana and Lucas alone in the tent.

Ariana stood to attention. She knew she had done something wrong and was ready to be scolded by Lucas.

“It looks good on you, the hairpin,” said Lucas. Ariana always wore the hairpin he gave her.

Ariana blushed. “T-thank you… for the gift.”

“Sure... You must know why I called you here.”

“I… have a guess, yes,” Ariana spoke in a soft voice.

Lucas' expression turned sour. “I expected more from the top-of-the-class officer graduates of Imperial Guard Academy. Didn’t they teach you how to properly follow orders?”

“Yes, they did.”

“Then, do you have excuses for what you did?”

Ariana went silent for a while before answering. “I… felt like we were losing.”

“Did you have a plan for abandoning the area?”

“I did not.”

“You’re lying to me.” Lucas stepped closer to Ariana, he looked her in her eyes. “I heard you made friends. Two of them died in that battle.”

“My friends are not your concern,” said Ariana, sternly.

“Of course, I don’t care who your friends are. But, I can’t just let it go when they were the ones who made you take the decision to retreat.”

Ariana was surprised; how did he know that? “You’re wron–”

“Stop lying, Lieutenant! There was no other reason to retreat from that place.”

Ariana raised her voice in anger. “Yes! That was the reason. Do you know how it felt when you saw your friends die right in front of you”–Tears started to come out from her eyes–” and you could not do anything? I just watched their bodies turn lifeless and there was nothing I could do.”

Lucas' expression was nonchalant. Ariana cried in front of him and he did not even care. “If you ask me whether I have experienced it. Then, yes, I have.”

“T-then you understand the feeling of losing them.”

“So what? They have died and there is nothing we can do.”

“What? why– You’re a horrible person, how could you be so heartless? Did you even cry when your twin sister die?!” said Ariana with an angry tone.

Lucas was triggered by her statement. Lucy–his twin sister–died 3 years ago. Her death haunted Lucas since then, it was a memory he wished he could forget. He grabbed Ariana by her collar. ”What do you know about her?! What right do you have to comment on my feelings about her death?! Do you even remember her?!” Lucas laughed. “Of course, you don’t remember her or even know her. After all, we made all of you forget about her.”

Ariana was surprised by his reaction. She did not know his late twin sister was this important to him. Even more, she did not know he had a twin–she only knew after Bianca told her. It was strange that a daughter from the Duchy of Lorien would not be known to her, especially when she was from the main family. Who is she and how did she die, thought Ariana.

“I-im sorry.” Ariana apologised, she felt guilty for bringing up his late twin sister. Lucas let go of her clutch and moved a few steps away from her.

"I don't want to talk about her right now. You must have known her when Bianca told you about the owner of the hairpin I gave you… Because there is no way you have a memory of her," said Lucas.

"Yes, she told me." Ariana wanted to know more about Lucy, but she knew it would make him more angry.

"Heh, of course." Lucas looked at the hairpin on Ariana's hair with a longing expression. "Let's go back to the topic. What you did was wrong."

"I understand."

"Your insubordination could make the whole plan fail and result in the death of thousands of people. Yeah, just like your grandfather."

Ariana looked at him and sternly said, "I'm not like him! I'm different."

"You are! You acted with your feelings and failed to execute the order properly."

Ariana felt hurt. Lucas saw the soldiers only as pieces that could be thrown and replaced. "Why? Didn’t you feel worried when you sent me there?"

"What?"

"Don't you love me?! Don't you hesitate to send the person you love to a place where she could die?" Ariana finally said it. She wanted to confirm his feelings for her. She hoped he said 'Yes, I hesitated. Yes, I wish I had not sent you there.'

"What if I do? I calculated all my decisions precisely and predicted outcomes that might have resulted from them. I have never considered my feelings when making decisions, it is a liability. Weakness."

"So you don't even care if I died there?"

"If you were to die, then it was an unfortunate event."

Ariana could not believe what she heard. He spoke as if he did not care about her. "What if it was Princess Sophie?"

"The same."

"Yo-you really doesn't care about your love, don't you?"

"Love, huh… It's easy to replace," said Lucas.

Ariana slapped him in the face. She could not believe words like that came out of his mouth. She knew him as a man who was devoted and doted on his partner. She thought he was a man who was perfect.

"Replace?! Do you think it is that easy to forget someone you love and move on to love others?"

Lucas did not answer her question, he stood silent in front of her. Ariana's eyes were swollen from crying, her cheeks were rivers of tears. "No answer huh? Where is Lucas who was loving and kind? What would Princess Sophie say when she learned the Lucas she knew was no longer here?"

"She won't say anything. After all, there was a little hope of us going back."

"You have changed"

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"What do you know of me? I have never changed, this is what I always like. I am a noble, a Lorien, love is something I should not have. My life is dedicated to furthering our house's goal. Yes, my betrothal with Sophie was political, it was meant to strengthen our position. It was a coincidence that I fell in love with her."

Ariana then understood him. His family taught him to serve them, to be their piece. She wondered why he did not break away from their teaching in this new world, there was no need for him to follow his family’s order. "I see, you are a horrible and twisted person from the beginning. I don't care anymore. Tell me my punishment," said Ariana. She was disappointed in him.

“Fine, you are to be relieved from your position as a commander of the regiment and return to your duty as my aide. I hope you learn from your mistakes. If you don’t have anything else to say, you may leave.”

“Understood.” She immediately left the tent and ran back into her tent. In her tent, she tried to hold back her crying. But, she could not do it, she cried in silence at her bed until she fell asleep.

The next day, the army continued to march towards the Capital. Along the way, Duke August convinced nobles who were still neutral to join him and reinforcements from those who were late were coming; he also gave a second chance to the captured soldiers to fight for him and in exchange for their freedom. The army now had 13.000 soldiers–more than the Aristocratic Faction. Duke August was sure the routed enemy would not return to the siege and instead, they would return to their own places.

Lucas rode on top of a horse, he led the vanguard–the Duke led the main army. The road infrastructure between Aruburn and the Capital was not the best. Lucas learned from the Duke that the maintenance of the road was left in the hands of the noble who owned the territory. The late King did not care about regulating the public infrastructure and left the nobles to take care of it by themselves. Lucas saw the King as a fool, a good road infrastructure would be very advantageous in case they were in a war. An army from the Capital could easily travel with ease with a good road to the border.

The road in the Duke Augustus’s territory was well-maintained, the Duke understood the importance of road networks. During his rule, he built infrastructure connecting villages to Aruburn city and set up patrols on those roads to protect travellers. He was a great leader for his territory, understanding the needs of his citizens and he was loved by the people.

However, the roads that connected villages and cities were made of dirt; There was no gravel road or paved road. Lucas planned to regulate and build the road infrastructure after he was able to take control of the kingdom’s politics. The late King was weak, in terms of political power, and he gave so much power to the nobles, essentially making the kingdom hugely decentralised. Lucas felt both disappointed and grateful because by looking at the father, the Crown Prince would be easy to control.

A scout rode back from his scouting.

“Lord Lucas, I have found a place where we can camp for the night. It is not far from here,” reported the scout.

“Good, we will camp there. Ariana, relay the words.”

“Yes, My Lord.” Since that night, Ariana started to call him by his noble title.

The army then went to the field and camp for the night. They would arrive at the Capital in less than a week. Ariana attended to Lucas, since she was relieved from her commanding position she was no longer able to talk to Sally. While she was at his tent, Bianca came to meet Lucas.

“Ah, he isn’t here?”

“No, he was called by the Duke.”

Bianca stepped inside the tent. “I see.”

“Do you need something, My Lady?” asked Ariana.

“I just want to meet him, that’s all.”

“I will serve you a drink while you wait.”

“Thank you.”

Ariana served tea to Bianca. Bianca drank the tea, she sat for several minutes without talking.

“Why didn’t you go with him?” asked Bianca.

Ariana politely answered, “He asked me to stay here.”

“Hmm.” Bianca took a sip. “How is your relationship with him?”

Ariana did not answer her question. She stood in silence. “I see, whatever happened that night must have left a bad taste,” said Bianca. “But, I see that it didn’t completely break you. After all, you still wear that hairpin.”

Ariana still wore the hairpin Lucas gave her, every day. She did not return the hairpin nor throw it away. She was heartbroken, but as she said before to him love could not be replaced easily. She still had lingering feelings for him.

“Whatever happened that night, I hope you understand why he said all of that. He was a noble raised to be the leader of the Duchy of Lorien, he was the second-in-line to inherit the seat, therefore he was given the same education as his older brother. He was always taught to think for the prosperity of the House and throw his feelings away before making a decision… I know it is cruel to him, but that way of thinking had made the Loriens last for generations.”

Ariana listened to Bianca closely. “It is cruel. The history of the founding of Lorien was full of love, but the descendants were different…”

“Heh, that is the life of nobles. Once we were born, our path was set to support our house. You know when we were in Lorien, I was told that a man in his 40s had asked for my hand, and Lucas's father, Duke Lorien, and my father agreed to the proposal.”

Ariana was surprised. “What? He was that old?”

“Yes, and I would be his second wife after his first wife died a few weeks before the proposal.”

“Did Lucas know?”

“He did not. His father told me to keep my mouth shut, until now I haven’t told him.” Bianca took the cup and looked at her reflection in the water. “I was surprised as well, that was the first time I heard about the man. They agreed without asking me, when I was told of the decision, I… was angry, I wish I was born as a normal person, not as a noble. I wanted to experience love and not be bound by my duty to my family.”

“Bianca…” Ariana could see tears in Bianca's eyes.

“At that time, I had given up. My life, my feelings and everything, I tried to steel myself to accept the truth and the future laid down by my family. But, until today I am still afraid. The thought of marrying a man twice your age and being his third wife with a child as old as me…” Bianca put the cup back on the table. “I wish… I was as strong as Lucy.”

“Lucas' twin sister?”

“Yes, she was a strong woman even when she was still a child. She and Lucas were the stars and moon of Loriens. Lucas and Lucy complemented each other, they were smart, cunning and… funny. House of Birmingham once asked for Lucy’s hand when she was 15, obviously, her father agreed. However, she challenged them and if she won then the betrothal would be broken off.”

“Did she win?”

Bianca smiled, proud of something. “Of course. She was a determined woman and would do anything to get what she wanted. She was the one who made a new tactic to fight against Roktarian and she proved the tactic by commanding a fleet herself.”

“That new tactic that was used by Loriens Navy? I heard it was made by the Duke itself.”

Bianca realised something; she had spoken too much. “Ah, of course. It doesn’t matter, because no one remembered her.”

“Bianca, I’m curious about her. I have never heard of her before.”

“Of course you are. No one except us, Loriens, remembered her.”

“But, it is weird, how come a person as noble as her wasn’t known throughout the Empire? There was no mention of her name on the books and documents.”

“What did Lucas tell you about her?”

“Nothing, except for his feelings on her death.”

“Then, I can’t tell you anything.”

“I-i understand.” Ariana looked disappointed. It seemed her life was a secret closely guarded by Loriens.

“Lucy’s death changed Lucas forever. It is as if he lost his other half. I tried my best to be like her to cheer him up, but me and her are different... Princess Sophie was the one who was able to heal him, albeit not completely.”

Bianca stood up and walked towards Ariana. “Ariana,”–Bianca hugged Ariana–” I’m sorry. I was mad that night after I learnt what you did. But, I understood your feeling, because I too saw Lucas almost get killed in the battle.”

“What?”

“It was lucky that I was able to protect him before he was stabbed. His left arm was cut, didn’t you notice it?”

“No, I-i did not.”

“Hah, he is good at hiding it. It must have healed by now.” Bianca caressed Ariana's hair and touched the hairpin. “This hairpin brought a lot of memories. I will tell you more about Lucy when you have become Lady of Lorien.”

“I-i don't know what I should do. I lashed out at him that night.” Ariana then told Bianca about what happened that night. Bianca was saddened when she heard what Lucas said. She knew he must have said something horrible to Ariana, but not that horrible.

“I will help you. After we capture the Capital, I will talk to him and tell him to apologise to you,” assured Bianca.

“Is it fine though? I have forgiven him already.”

“It is. It’s his fault for saying that to you.... I will make sure your feelings reach him if you still have them.”

Ariana smiled. “I still have hope for him.”

“Great. Then, I will leave now.”

“You don’t want to wait for him?”

“No, I was meaning to talk to you anyway. See you, Ariana.”

“See you, Bianca.”

When Lucas came back from his meeting with the Duke, Ariana told him about Bianca wanting to meet him. She also asked about the wound he had on his arm. Lucas showed the wound on his arm, however, the wound had completely healed.