165: First Time Visiting Another Kingdom

First Time Visiting Another Kingdom

"Ah, Your Highness, can I ask you a question?" Seeing him nod, she continued, "I am wondering what that tribal man said to His Highness before we left. I remember His Highness smiling because of it. Did he say something funny about me?"1

Arlan raised a cocky brow at her. "Instead of asking useless things, shouldn't you worry about what punishment I will give you for disobeying my orders of not going anywhere far?"

At those words, her body froze. 'I almost forgot this.'

"Apologies, Your Highness!"

"Not even sincere," he scoffed. "I will announce your punishment once we reach the capital."

'Petty brat, can't even let slide once. I almost lost my life today and he still wants to punish me.'

"Cursing me in your mind won't change anything."

'What? How did he know?' She felt scared. "I-I will accept my punishment, Your Highness."

She quietly looked out of the window. 'Let's not think about anything.'

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he remembered what that tribal leader said to him. 

'This woman is foolishly brave but kind and righteous. She is like an unruly wind, difficult to tame and control. I must say, you have been blessed to have such a great woman with you.'

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After passing through the Southern Jungle, their journey would continue for another week. Until they reached the capital of Othinia, the curious cat vowed to control herself by the prince's side, behaving enough to not create more trouble for her master. 

Oriana honestly did try…but the tribal leader was mistaken. She was not difficult to tame and control—it was impossible. Only she herself could rein herself in. The good news was that she never put her or anyone's life in peril this time.

The prince's little attendant continued to enjoy her first trip to Othinia. Though she was amazed by the beauty of Abetha, the culture and people, the terrain and architecture, the society in general was similar to Griven. 

But the Kingdom of Othinia was fascinating and remarkably different.

Othinia was a land where water shapes the very essence of its existence, with rivers and lakes intertwining to create a breathtaking natural wonder. 

It was a kingdom where children could be seen swimming fearlessly in rivers, where festivals could be seen almost every other day, and where it was common for women to wear tunics and pants. Many even bare the skin of their arms and no one would find it indecent.

On this trip, Oriana discovered the concept of floating markets, where goods were sold from boats, and a lot of rare plants that were difficult to find in Griven were growing wildly due to their warm climate. She had been tempted more than a dozen times to buy a wagon of her own so she could collect native plants for study purposes. Sadly, there was no time to roam and sightsee. The delegation would only stop long enough to rest the horses.

While passing through the cities along the way, experiencing the authentic Othinian lifestyle through their stays at the houses of noble families, trying out dishes and enjoying local performances during the night banquets, she also found the nobles of Othinia to be far more open-minded and easygoing than those she met from Abetha, extremely warm but at the same time proud of their rich heritage. 

Thanks to their hospitality, Oriana was even allowed to interact with the herbalists and healers under the service of the nobles, allowing her to broaden her horizon.

Roughly two and a half weeks after leaving Karlin, the delegation representing the Kingdom of Griven reached Nefer, the capital city of Othinia. The people of the city, aware of the alliance summit being hosted by Othinia, were curious about the foreign delegations arriving at the palace. From the crests on the carriages and the flags held by the knights, they could see which kingdom the particular entourage belonged to.

Her gaze observed the men and women of Nefer.

'Both men and women seem to be fond of wearing lots of jewelry here.'

She could see the people wearing sets of gold jewelry not only on their necks and hands, but even on their hair, arms, waists and ankles. Their attires were colorful, the fabric of their tops silks and satins with printed motifs. 

However, the skirts of the women were unlike the balloon skirts favored by those in the Griven and Abetha, but rather long wrap skirts. The fabric around their bodies emphasized the  fine curves of a woman's body and they looked so elegant and comfortable as they walked down the streets.

'How beautiful. Those ladies don't look shy, but confident in themselves. Is this kingdom liberal with women?'

Meanwhile, the men's garments had prominent embroidery on them, seemingly more fashionable than their counterparts from the other kingdoms. Some had headscarves like hers, while others wore short-sleeved coats or vests, or shirts with long loose sleeves to cover their arms, which ought to be comfortable for traveling under the sun.. 

'Everything here looks so colorful and bright. Extremely  pleasing to the eyes.'

She looked at Arlan who was busy reading a scroll. "Your Highness, have you been to Nefer before?"

"Hmm." 

"Have you toured the city?"

"Hmm."

"How do you find this kingdom?"

He understood why she was asking. "Interesting. Every kingdom has their own culture, and the differences range from manners, to religion, to food. One only needs to enjoy each experience as it is without judgment."

"Makes sense."

Oriana seemed to have forgotten the difference in their status due to their daily interactions. Outside the palace, there was no one to impress and little etiquette to restrict her, not to mention the majority of those in the entourage were Arlan's people. She had befriended most of the knights by sharing ointment for insect bites or heat rash. With her being the 'youngest' in the group, even the other officials treated her well, without contempt due to her status as a commoner. 

She acted more like a little girl rather than a servant whenever she chatted with a prince. 

"We never stopped for more than a night at a single place so far. We can have free time after we get settled in their royal palace, right? I might go out later tonight to buy something as a souvenir. Umm, to think of it, I have quite a few people to buy gifts from back home and—…."

Arlan continued to listen to her quietly while doing his work, humming once in a while to respond to her when she directed a question his way. Though she was being overly talkative, Arlan found it relaxing and her talk didn't bother him at all. 

Instead, unknown to him there was a light smile on his lips, all along.

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