A timer

"Drey, is it true what I heard ?" Rico inquired, his face lacking its usual sharpness and instead displaying a mix of disappointment, anger, and a sense of failure. He didn't even bother to offer a greeting to the king.

Drey didn't need to guess Rico's inquiry. The only surprising aspect was that Rico heard it from someone else. Judging by Rico's disbelief, he must have been taken aback. "Did you really have to send her?" he yelled, as he landed a blow on Drey's face.

Although Drey could have dodged it, he decided to take it, hoping that it would help to calm Rico's anger. He wasn't just upset about the fact that Trina had been sent to the borders of Rosario; he was even more frustrated that she had to confront Dany by herself. Drey was well aware of Rico's longstanding love for Trina, and the thought of her being almost molested by Dany only added to Rico's distress.

Rico landed another blow, this time on Drey's right cheek, causing blood to trickle down his face. "So, if I hadn't heard about it, you both would have kept it hidden from me!?" Rico exclaimed, pacing back and forth and messing with his hair as he muttered to himself, "If anything had happened to Trina, even a single strand of her hair would have been touched by Dany..." Rico screamed in frustration, releasing his anger, while Drey watched him keenly.

Rico, typically a reserved man, now felt consumed by his inner turmoil. The urge to kill was overwhelming, prompting him to hastily seek Drey upon hearing the news. "Why did you let her leave?" Rico demanded, greeting his teeth in irritation.

Drey replied after examining his thumb and wincing at the pain, "I didn't want her to go."

Rico's anger simmered as he retorted. "You could have consulted me first. Did you not have a choice in the matter?"

Drey sighed, "My hands were tied."

Rico's gaze narrowed as he confronted Drey, "Did Trina blackmail you? What kind of secrete did she have on you? Considering the number of indiscretions, it could have been one of them. Which one was it that convinced you to let her leave?"

Rico searches Drey's eyes for any signs of a response, but Drey's expression remains inscrutable. Frustration welled up within Rico as he demanded, "What did Trina find out? It directly involves my woman now."

Drey finally spoke, "That's not your concern." His mouth tasted metallic from the blood he had drawn earlier.

"But has impacted my family," Rico retorted.

Drey's next word caught Rico off guard, "Did you know when Trina made her decision to leave, it was for your family?"

Rico was overwhelmed with a sense of failure. He knew Trina was resolute once she made up her mind. "Dany is truly unhinged," he cursed.

"That's why we need to exploit his vulnerability," Drey responded.

Rico's body trembled when he remembered the incident, "He nearly killed her Drey." Overcome with emotions, Rico collapsed in the nearby seat, his hair disheveled and his face hidden from view. He appeared far more strained than when he first arrived.

"Could she have been scared when she saw him?" he asked, his eyes closing as he fought back tears. Exhaustion overtook him, and his head sank back into the chair.

"But the important thing is that she came back safely," Drey consoles him.

"What if she hadn't?" His voice was hoarse and slow as he spoke, "I'm scared of losing her." He hugged himself and coiled in the chair.

"There was always a plan B," Drey answered, trying not to provoke him further. He looked at Rico and felt a pang of pain in his heart. He would have let her go. Even if it was his own little Kira, he would have killed the person responsible.

Rico simply shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"We'll be leaving early tonight," Drey informed him.

"I'm ready," Rico replied.

***

As the sun set, Rico and Drey emerged from the stable with their horses. The King's loyal knight followed closely, murmuring and laughing as they made their way to the back gate of the castle.

"I saw the recruits who were assigned to the castle. They seemed to be well-trained," Rico said, as he mounted his horse.

"All thanks to Jerome," Drey replied.

"They have the potential to become great soldiers and knights of Rivea," Rico added, as he waited for Drey to mount on his horse.

"They will be great soldiers and knights of Rivea," he replied, waiting for Drey to mount on his horse.

"What is wrong with Ira?" Drey asked, noticing his horse raise his tail.

"She doesn't seem to want to go," Rico said, with an expectant expression.

"I'm not going to accept "no" as an answer from her," Drey scoffed, knowing what was running through Rico's mind.

The knights started to ride at a leisurely pace, aware that the King disliked being treated as a noble and protected at all times. In fact, the King was the one who acted overly protective of his knights.

Drey noticed that his horse, Ira, was behaving strangely, she usually exhibits this type of behavior when she can sense danger.

Despite the brown horse's reluctance, Drey didn't hesitate to ride off alongside Rico. But Ira's odd behavior continues to linger at the back of his mind.

As they began to gallop, the excitement of racing took hold and each knight vied to take the lead. Beating the King and Rico in a race was an achievement, and the winner will have the privilege of choosing either of the two to dual upon their return to the castle.

The castle was situated quite a distance from the city, and the knights had a fair bit of travel ahead of them.

As they entered the city, they were met with a lively scene. The streets were teeming with people, yet none of the city inhabitants, the King, and his knights were in their midst. To the dwellers, they were just like any other soldiers on patrol, passing through without any special recognition.

"I plan to visit the brothel once we return," Amon, one of the King's loyal nights, whispered to himself.

"You certainly have lofty aspirations," Rico remarked, observing the scantily clad women entering the brothel.

"Sir Rico!" Amon was caught off guard, not realizing that someone was riding beside him, let alone it was Rico.

"Is that the establishment you and Jerome frequented?" Rico inquired, taking Amon surprised.

"Huh!" Amon stammered, unsure, of how to respond.

Upon receiving Amon's response, Rico spurred his horse forward, overtaking the other knights and leading them out of the city gate.

As they rode through the night, they eventually arrived at the outskirts of Rivea, with Amon on the lead. Rye, the soldier tasked with guiding the mining site, welcomed them upon their arrival.

The mining site was an expansive area, and the nights made their way through, the soldiers emerged from various sections to greet them before swiftly departing.

Having heeded Richard's warning, Rye prepared the meal in advance, serving it promptly upon the King and his men's arrival at the settlement.

They gathered around the warm, crackling bonfire and shared the meal. As they ate and chatted together, with Rye recounted all the information and finding to the King.

However, their jovial atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of voices from a distance.

"Ugh!" Someone among them grunted, their surprise and concern.

The peaceful night was shattered by the piercing scream, as the soldier fell to the ground with a loud thud. They were immediately on high alert, scanning their surrounding for any signs of danger.

Their worst fear was realized when they caught sight of arrows just being fired in their direction. They were surrounded!

Amidst their gasp, the knights banded together to protect the King. However, the King was still savoring the roasted meat and had not immediately risen to his feet.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Amon shouted, "We have been ambushed!" With that, the knights sprung into action, taking their position and fighting back with all their might.

Drey was taken aback, not expecting the enemies to be quick. He watched the man who appeared to be walking with a sense, he was quick.

"We meet again big brother."