Unexpected Meeting

Early in the morning Riana went to the garden house, last night she felt very anxious, even Doctor Wilson rushed to check her condition and gave her medicine. Since her parents left, Riana's health condition had worsened. She was not ready to step into society with the title of Baroness.

Riana went to the garden house accompanied by Uncle Parlo, actually he did not allow Riana to go there, seeing her condition which had just been healthy now worsened. But for Riana the garden house was the right place to recover her worsening condition, she could not meet many people.

"Uncle, you can come back soon. I'm fine here." Riana said.

Uncle Parlo knew Riana very well, he had worked at the Loren residence since Riana was not born, even before her father married her mother. He had worked for a very long time, until he was appointed as head servant.

"Lady, I will ask Martha to accompany you here."

Riana shook her head. "No need, I can take care of myself."

"I will still ask Martha to accompany you, your health is more important." Uncle Parlo said firmly, "Get some rest, Lady."

Riana couldn't deny it, she knew that Uncle Parlo would still ask Martha to accompany her even though she insisted on refusing.

Uncle Parlo then left the garden house after making sure that Riana would be fine there, he immediately told Martha to accompany Riana until she recovered. The garden house for Riana was the most comfortable place for her to calm down, she could release her longing there, when she was little she spent her holidays with her parents here.

****

The sun peeked in through the gap in the window that was slightly covered with cloth waking Ivander from his sleep. It was almost noon, time for him to pack up to leave Zyra City. It was clear from his facial expression that he was very tired, the long journey he had taken had not yielded any results.

"HAH! I think I've really gone crazy!" Ivander said. This week his common sense had been gone, he couldn't think clearly, he was often almost thought to be a thief because he was caught watching the residence (the Loren family's residence). It would be very embarrassing if his friends knew this news.

After finishing packing, Ivander immediately rode his horse, the journey home would not be as crazy as yesterday, he would enjoy every place he visited. His plan to find Riana's whereabouts was canceled, he no longer visited the mansion or the garden house, he was tired and disappointed in his hopes, therefore now he went to visit the center of Zyra City just to relieve his disappointment.

Arriving in the city center, Ivander chose to walk, he wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of the eastern city more. Zyra City is very different from Tapire City, this city really emphasizes beauty in the city center, different from when he was on the outskirts of the city. The fountain filled with carvings on every corner of the edge is very pleasing to the eye. The look in his eyes that had been looking at the fountain was now diverted when he saw someone he knew very well, his friend, Harvis George.

Ivander quickly followed the figure from behind where he was going, until Ivander stopped at a blacksmith's place. His feet stepped in, his gaze found the figure of Harvis and a middle-aged man talking.

"Ivander?" Harvis was surprised when he found his leader in front of him, did he follow him here?

Two pairs of eyes now looked at each other with surprised and questioning gazes, both Harvis and Ivander did not expect to meet in Zyra City. They sat at a small table in the blacksmith's place, no one wanted to speak first until finally Ivander decided to break the silence.

"So, you went to this city?"

"As you see."

"Not to your home?" Ivander asked inquisitively.

Harvis remained silent, not answering, besides at that time he had no choice but to lie, he didn't want his friends to know about his past.

"You lied to us." Ivander said disappointedly.

"I don't want to go back to this city, but there's something I have to finish."

"Do I need to lie like this?"

"Sorry."

"I'll wait for you after the holidays, you have to explain everything later!" Actually Ivander wanted to know the reason right now, but his mind was not ready to accept what other surprising things he would get.

"I'm not going back." Harvis said suddenly which made Ivander widen his eyes.

"What do you mean?!"

"I decided not to be a knight anymore, I will stay here."

Ivander was silent, digesting every word of Harvis carefully and precisely, even though his feelings and thoughts were bad, he was forced to always be rational.

"I'm resigning, there are many things that happened while I was away from home and there are many things that I can't tell you." Harvis continued.

Ivander was still silent, he was still waiting for Harvis to continue.

"I'm sorry. I actually don't want to hide this from you, but I hesitate to tell you everything." Harvis lowered his head, he had been friends with Ivander for seven years, they faced death together, fought together, shared drinks together and now he had to leave all that because of a choice that forced him.

"I do not accept your resignation." Ivander said firmly, then he got up and left.

"WAIT!" Harvis shouted quickly and chased his leader out of the blacksmith's place.

Ivander ignored Harvis who kept calling him, his feelings were very chaotic. Starting from disappointment in the hope of meeting Riana, now added to the fact that his best friend lied and would resign as a knight. What a terrible vacation!

"I will not accept your resignation, so go and take care of your business as soon as possible." Ivander stopped and turned around before he mounted his horse.

"Just pretend I never met you here." Ivander continued, he then rode away before Harvis could speak.

Disappointment and betrayal mixed into one, he regretted following his heart's will, he should have stayed home with Galar who would continue to bother him. Even now he felt better being on the battlefield with death that continued to follow him than being in a position like this.

Not only Ivander was filled with feelings of confusion, Harvis was too. If he could choose, he would definitely choose to remain a western knight, but there was a responsibility that he had to shoulder. Being born as the successor to the George family was indeed perfect, but that was before the death of his mother, Countess George.

When Harvis turned sixteen, his mother died of a serious illness, everyone said that it was the curse of the George family where a woman who carried the title of Countess George would not live long, since then his loving father became blind to wealth. Moreover, the enmity with the Montena family that had existed since his great-grandfather was still alive, for whatever reason made these two families hostile, Harvis never knew about it until now.

Count George became even more furious after learning that the matchmaking between Count Montena's daughter and Duke Walterz did not go well, Duke Walterz refused on the grounds that Count Montena's daughter was still too young. This was an opportunity when he was big to match his son, Harvis George with Duke Walterz's daughter.

Harvis's age with Duke Walterz's daughter was not much different, he wanted to prove that the George family was far superior to the Montena family. Count George used Harvis as a tool to gain profit for him, his name would be highly respected in Zyra City if he succeeded in establishing a family relationship with Duke Walterz.

Seeing his father's behavior change and becoming crazy about wealth and honor made Harvis rebel, he did not want to be a tool for his father's satisfaction. On his seventeenth birthday, Harvis ran away, he wanted to live freely without having to be a tool for someone. But it seems that the desire to live freely is not easy, now Harvis must return to his home and become a tool for his father.

"HAH!" Harvis rubbed his hair back, he really felt very helpless. If only his father had not changed, maybe he would have lived his life normally.

"Damn meeting!" He cursed. No, he was not cursing about his meeting with Ivander, but his meeting with Eryon Mason while at the headquarters of the royal knights. If not for his instigation, he might not have returned and found carelessness like this.

"Watch out you bastard! I'll get back at you!"

****