Three Lies, All True || ONC2021 Longlister

Chapter 13: Ice-Cold Eyes

Nikolas didn't know whether he should be surprised or not. He expected Peter to walk out of the Battle Room as soon as their conversation was over, and he knew he would be leaving Royisa's Army. But now that Peter actually stormed off, he couldn't help but feel surprised.

He flicked his gaze to the soldier to his left. Commander Petra of the Magi Brigade… If Nikolas was honest, he expected this plan to come out from someone in the Tactics Brigade. But there she was, a moon ago, in his office, with a vision from the stars.

Then again, there was one flaw in her plan.

He placed his hands down and turned to her. "You said I'll be losing one soldier. Just. One. And yet here we are--both of our commanders down, with one of them being the best commander the army has seen for nearly a thousand years."

Petra lowered her head and hummed. "I didn't say you'll be losing just one, I said you'll be losing at least one. Whatever route we would have taken, Peter would have left the army. I didn't anticipate for Adrien to die or intervene with my plans."

"You could have let him live if the other was going to leave, anyway."

"I could, but unfortunately, Adrien is smarter than me." Her eyes narrowed. It was hard to read a super soldier's expression, but Nikolas didn't need to be a mind reader to know she was thinking of what happened during the Infiltration.

"I'm certain that he would have stopped my plans if I let him live."

Nikolas hummed. He would have smiled if it weren't for the fact that he still lost an important member in his army. Searching for a new one in the Tactics Brigade would be difficult, especially since no one had ever topped Adrien's wits and strategies.

He turned to Petra again, who was tucking wisps of her ginger hair behind her pointy ears.

She met his gaze. At that instant, Nikolas felt himself freezing. Her eyes, despite being the same shade of pale blue as Peter, held no life. Not even the lights from the windows were able to illuminate them.

They were ice-cold, and they were dead. Just like every soldier in the army. Every soldier except Peter.

"You have something on your mind, Your Majesty?"

"Well, there is one." Nikolas pressed his hands together again. "How long have you known?"

"How long have I known what?"

"That your brother is the defakt and not you?"

For a moment, she blinked. Then, a smile formed on her face, followed by a short laughter.

"Almost everyone believes that the records are reliable. You do, the scientists do, and even the Tactics Brigade do." A sigh left her lips. "Even I once did."

"How did you find out?"

"Apart from the ears?" She scratched the pointy tip of it, almost making Nikolas do the same. "Let's just say I was… desperate to find proof about it when I was younger. I didn't mean to expose Peter as the defect, only to prove that I wasn't."

"And yet you never told anyone."

"I didn't intend to. Knowing the answer on my own was enough for me. Besides, I don't think anyone would have believed me, it might make them think I'm a defect even more."

Nikolas crossed his arms and hummed to himself. Smart girl. She knew what she was doing all the way from the beginning, it was almost frightening.

"By the way," he continued, fully twisting his seat to face her. "Can I ask you one last thing before you go?"

Petra nodded, making him sit up.

"Why do all this? Why tell me about Nuryyn's plan to ambush Royisa when we could have fought back? You're all super soldiers, another hundred and fifty years should mean nothing to you."

As expected, a sigh left her lips. He heard that Petra was one of the soldiers that disliked war, but he never knew the reason. But it seemed like he was about to find out now.

"The goddess of peace and freedom is a fierce warrior, yet the god of war is a diplomatic mediator. Do you know why that is, King Nikolas?"

Nikolas shook his head. "I unfortunately do not."

"It's because those who yearn for freedom fight for it, and those who know the horrors of war purse their lips. It's why I fight--I seek for Royisa's peace and freedom as much as everyone, as I'm aware of how the war has impacted us all."

"So you're tired of fighting?"

She shook her head. "I'm tired of fighting without a cause. A soldier fights for something, the same way a weapon is used for a purpose. An endless war is as meaningless as its goal it wishes it can achieve."

A hum left Nikolas's lips as he nodded. He turned away from her once again and waved his hand. "Alright, you're free to go, 7114."

"Thank you for your time, Your Majesty."

As Petra darted our of the Battle Room, Nikolas could only think of one thing.

They were weapons. And weapons didn't weep.

So it sent a shiver down his spine how she was able to say all of those words without batting an eye.