As Oriana savored another sip of tea, a subtle smirk played on the corner of her lips. Gently gulping the tea, she spoke, "Reflecting on what you said that night and my subsequent conversation with Queen Julien, I’ve co to acknowledge that my family is at the root of the Royal family’s suffering. I’ve decided to take responsibility and acquiesce to your demands."
"Do you think I’ll fall for your words?" scoffed the witch. "Don’t play gas with , or I’ll imdiately punish soone from the royal family for your..."
"You never seem to listen to the whole story, do you?" Oriana interrupted.
"What do you an?" the witch inquired.
"I’m not naive enough to surrender my body to you just like that, letting my soul perish, okay?" Oriana responded. "I’m still young and want to live my life. Like you, I want to be with Arlan, as I love him. There’s no way I’d let go of the man I love and the life I cherish."
The witch’s voice betrayed genuine curiosity as she asked, "What are you trying to imply?"
"We can share my body, my life, and the man," Oriana suggested. "Two souls in one body."
"How can that be?" the witch questioned.
"Why can’t it be?" Oriana asserted in a serious tone. "Aren’t there two souls in Arlan’s body?"
The witch appeared genuinely shocked, clearly unprepared for Oriana’s unexpected proposal.
Oriana pressed on, "You desire the beast inside him, while I want his human side. We can both benefit if you agree to my terms."
"I do not agree with it. He is mine alone," the witch retorted, her possessiveness evident in each word. "I can be with him, and I will be."
Though Oriana felt her blood boiling, she maintained her composure. "Then neither of us will have him. If your corrupted mind still can’t grasp it, allow to simplify it for you."
The witch awaited Oriana’s explanation, realizing the gravity of Oriana’s statent that neither of them could get Arlan.
Swirling the tea in her cup, Oriana continued, "Arlan won’t accept you because he despises you. He would go to great lengths to keep you imprisoned here, even if it ans resorting to violence against to eliminate my special blood, which could set you free. On the other hand, he can’t accept , for if he does, you would harm his family, persistently summoning him and disrupting my marital life with him. This way, none of us would achieve our desires. But by sharing my body, we both can attain everything. You gain the beast, I gain Arlan, and I ascend to beco the Queen of this Kingdom, reveling in a life of luxury."
There ensued a brief silence on the witch’s end, but it didn’t linger for long. "How will we decide who will be with him and when..."
"That’s up to , alright?" Oriana interjected. "This is my body, so I have the sole right to decide and claim more ti with him. You can have him on the nights of the full moon, and the rest of the nights and days belong to ."
"Not possible," the witch exclaid. "I’ve been trapped here for so long. As the mate of his beast, I would demand more ti with him."
"You greedy witch," Oriana spat in anger. "Let think."
A contemplative silence followed as Oriana weighed her options. After a brief pause, she spoke, "Alright, you can have him on full moon and new moon nights, along with the dayti as well. This is my limit now. I don’t like to share, but I am already generous enough to share my body due to my family’s faults."
"Half of the month’s days will be mine," the witch declared.
Smash!
Oriana shattered the cup on the floor. "You’re pushing now. Are you testing my limits?"
"Are you not striving to secure the best deal for yourself?" the witch retorted, mirroring sa anger as Oriana. "Don’t forget, I’m trapped here because of your mother, and for two decades, I’ve been deprived of the outside world. How could I not crave more ti for myself? Do you think it’s easy to be confined in darkness for so long?"
The scene inside was not for the power struggle but two won fighting for a man. If Yorian was there, he would have relished it nicely and if Arlan was here, he would have lost all his senses to witness it.
While Oriana maintained a facade of cold expressions, a glimr of amusent flickered in her eyes. Finally, the witch displayed emotions and a desire for more than just power. It was exactly what Oriana had aid for.
After a brief silence, Oriana spoke as if taking the conversation seriously, "Hmm, blaming my mother again, are we? Trying to manipulate by invoking her repeatedly. Do you take for a fool? But..."
She paused, allowing the witch to anticipate her next words.
"I might consider it a little, as I want to resolve this soon. The prince and I have a wedding coming up," she mumbled to herself, audible enough for the witch to hear. Oriana then looked at the witch and continued, "Alright, one week every month. That’s it. If you argue for more ti, I’ll leave this room imdiately and run away, ensuring you’re never free. It won’t take long to captivate another prince with this pretty face of mine. The Prince of Abetha has already shown interest, and even Arlan was jealous. Make your choice now, or I’m leaving."
A brief silence enveloped the room. Oriana stood up, ready to depart. "Alright, no deal..."
"Wait," the witch interjected. "I agree to this deal."
Oriana halted and fixed her gaze on the witch. "Are you sure about this? Because I won’t be offering any more concessions."
"I am sure," the witch affird.
Oriana returned to her chair. "Let’s discuss the two remaining matters."
Puzzled, the witch inquired, "What do you want now?"
"It’s not about what I want, but about what you need," Oriana asserted, her deanor growing more confident and arrogant. "Don’t you require my blood to free yourself from this place first? Are you planning to perform the soul-transferring ritual within this closed room?"
"Are you willingly offering your blood?" the witch questioned.
Oriana scoffed, "I’m sparing you the effort of coercing Arlan into obtaining my blood before the night of the new moon. What good will it do if he has to harm ? I desire a happy marital life with him in the future."
"Very well," the witch responded, seemingly pleased. "Let have your blood..."
"Hold your horses, Edna," Oriana cautioned. "Don’t be so impatient. Do I appear that easy to you, that you ask and I willingly give my blood? Don’t you think that, in exchange for harming myself to provide that blood, I would expect sothing in return? Last ti you cut my arm, it hurt, and that scar still hasn’t entirely healed."
"What do you want?" the witch inquired.
A light smirk played on Oriana’s lips. "Given that we’re dealing with matters of blood, I expect sothing in return related to the blood."
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