When Oriana woke up, she found that the sun was already up. "I keep sleeping late." But then she rembered it wasn’t her fault but Arlan’s, as he had made her sleep again after doing sothing indecent with her.
Well, indecent? She couldn’t deny she loved it.
Arlan was, as usual, not in bed. As Oriana sat up to get out of bed, he entered the room, dressed well, looking every bit the enigmatic Crown Prince of the kingdom.
"Good morning," he greeted her, his voice smooth.
Startled, Oriana pulled the covers up to her chin. "Morning."
Her gaze and her thoughts seed wary, as if he might be up to sothing indecent again and wouldn’t let her slip out of the chamber.
"You seem fine, and our way of healing you seems to have worked just fine," he said as he walked towards her.
As Oriana shifted slightly, she realized there was no sting of pain. She puzzled over how Arlan could be so certain of her recovery. ’Did he check on while I was asleep?’
Noticing the change in her expression, Arlan chuckled. "I considered checking personally, but I didn’t want to wake you. I could tell by the way you moved without wincing."
Relieved, Oriana said, "I need to go to my grandfather."
It was her way of signaling that she was not in the mood for his antics today, and she wasn’t prepared to endure whatever else he had in mind.
As much she enjoyed being with him, her dying grandfather needed her as well. With Arlan, she would have as much ti she wished.
Arlan, seemingly unfazed by her request, calmly responded, "Rafal will take you there."
His agreent, so devoid of resistance, took her by surprise. "Thank you."
"New sets of clothes and everything you need have been arranged in the side chamber. Feel free to use it as yours. The bath is also ready."
Still caught off-guard by his cooperation, Oriana repeated, "Thank you."
"Do you need my help?" he asked, his voice soft.
Instantly on guard, Oriana shook her head emphatically. "No, I will manage."
Arlan gave a slight nod, his expression more somber now, a stark contrast to the playful deanor he had shown upon entering. "I will leave you to it, then." He exited the chamber, using his powers to close the door behind him silently.
Oriana climbed out of bed, wrapping the sheet around her securely, and walked towards the bath. The tub was filled with steaming water, evoking mories of the ti they had shared in the water, relaxing.
Relaxing? Not exactly as it was him using that ti to cook a new plan in his mind.
Resolved, she thought to herself, ’No more relaxing in the bathtub. I’ll just wash and be done with it.’
After her bath, Oriana wrapped herself in a clean, freshly prepared drying cloth and made her way to the side chamber where Arlan’s clothes and necessities were usually kept. To her surprise, half the space was now occupied by her own belongings—dresses, accessories, and everything she might need.
She rembered how, in the palace, they both had their separate residences and everything was maintained separately. ’Why did he trouble himself by arranging my things here? He could have just assigned a random room and allowed to use it. Wouldn’t this be inconvenient for him?’
Though she questioned the arrangent, a warm feeling blossod in her chest as she saw their belongings mingled together. It was an unfamiliar, yet comforting sensation—a sense of belonging, of being at ho.
A light smile touched her lips, but then her thoughts shifted back to her purpose. ’I have to go to grandpa. I hope he’s doing well.’ Worry creased her brow as she hastened to get ready.
Stepping out of the chamber, she was greeted by the butler. "Good morning, Crown Princess."
"Good morning," she replied politely, then quickly inquired, "Are the arrangents for to leave made?"
"Yes, Your Highness, but before you depart, I was to escort you to have a al. Everything you like has been..."
"Apologies, but I must leave. I will have a al with my grandfather," she said, descending the stairs briskly.
The butler’s insistence pulled her attention back. "His Highness specifically asked that you eat sothing, Your Highness."
"Where is he now?" Oriana inquired.
"His Highness is currently in his study. He plans to leave soon for the palace," the butler inford her.
Understanding that Arlan must have been quite preoccupied as he left the chamber earlier, she resigned herself to his request. "Alright, I will eat a little since you insist," she said, although it seed more because Arlan had passed such instructions.
Oriana made her way to the dining room where she hastily grabbed at random items, stuffing them into her mouth to speed up the process, not even bothering to sit. After swallowing a few bites and taking a quick sip of water, she instructed, "Let him know I ate," then turned briskly to leave.
"Yes, Your Highness," the butler responded, hastening to follow her out.
Outside, Rafal was ready to escort her to the Verner residence. Oriana quickly acknowledged her knight’s greeting and hurried into the carriage.
anwhile, Arlan standing by the window of his study, watched as the carriage pulled away from the manor. His face expressionless as his gaze followed the carriage till it disappeared from his sight.
"Seems like she is completely alright, to look so energetic and hurry off like that," a playful voice comnted from behind him in the study.
"What more do you expect after she spent a long, intimate night with , so pleasant that she could not stop herself from absorbing all of my essence I offered?" Arlan replied, his tone a mix of jest and pride as he turned to face the elf who had materialized in his study. It was then he noticed another presence.
"Dray?" Arlan’s voice carried a hint of surprise.
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