168: Feeling The Familiar Pull

Feeling The Familiar Pull

The King of Megaris had a cold and aloof appearance, and coupled with his domineering aura naturally possessed by military men, it made most ordinary people uncomfortable, frightened even, as if they were supposed to walk on eggshells in front of him.  0

For Oriana, it was worse. Not to mention the weight on her conscience, there was also something inherently scary about this red-eyed man. His unusual red eyes looked like he could see through her and she could not hide anything from him. Her mind was telling her to run away from this man as far as she could. 

Then there was also this sense of familiarity…one she could not point out... 

"Your Majesty Queen Seren, I hope your husband entertained you well?" Arlan talked to his friend's wife. "Did you have fun?"

The veiled woman nodded. "Yes, it was fun. I get to see various places in Othinia. It's a beautiful kingdom with different tastes in aesthetics."

"True," Arlan agreed.

As they continued to talk about scenic spots, Oriana lifted her gaze to peek at the woman with a sweet voice. Her manner of speaking was soft and polite. Though she was a queen, there was not a single hint of arrogance on her body. It was obvious she was a quiet type of person, preferring to listen more than to speak. She was the complete opposite of Queen Julien who loved to chat and laugh.

'What a young queen. Why is she covering her face with a veil though? Is she shy? Is she hiding a scar? Or maybe it's related to a tradition of Megaris?

'Her eyes are so beautiful! The most beautiful of all I had ever seen, and that unique purple color, it makes you wonder what her appearance is without a veil.' 

When Queen Seren moved her head, Oriana noticed a detail on her face.

'Are those…scales?' A small patch of blue-green scales sat on her temples, stretching slightly towards her forehead. Glancing some more, the same scales were visible on the back of the young queen's right hand and the side of her neck.  'Looks like some kind of rare skin disease. Maybe that's why she didn't wish to show her face.'

As if she sensed Oriana's scrutiny, the Queen moved her gaze towards her. Oriana lowered her gaze immediately. 'Idiot Ori. How dare you be impolite to  the Queen? You will be beheaded. Do not look at her.'

"...by the way, where is that priestess with you?" she heard Arlan asking. 

"Are you talking about me, Prince Arlan?" 

A silver-haired man came toward them. With his silky long hair and beautiful features, if not for his voice, Oriana would have been mistaken about his gender.

Arlan looked at the elf and asked, "What happened to your ears, Yorian?"

The elf's long, pointed ears became small and rounded, like a human's.  "Wearing hoods in warm weather is uncomfortable so I have to disguise them." It was basic illusion magic.

"Doesn't suit you."

"I don't like them either."

Oriana looked at the beautiful man. 'What are they talking about? I don't see anything wrong with his ears.'

Just then, Yorian's attention turned to her. His gaze made her feel wary, but at the same time, it reminded her of her grandfather's kind gaze.

"I see someone new with you."

Getting the same question from the elf, Arlan sighed. "Seems like you people are still muddled from the long journey to be interested in my new aide."

Oriana felt the same. 'Why are these people suddenly asking about me? Don't they have anything better to talk about?'

"This child wasn't with you last time in Selve," Yorian countered. 

"I said this earlier, but Orian is new," Arlan replied.

Yorian exchanged a meaningful gaze with Drayce.

Azer, one of Drayce's knights, entered the drawing room with a scroll in his hand. He bowed to Arlan. "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Arlan."

Arlan accepted it with a nod and told him, "I have brought gifts for my friend. Have Imbert hand it over to you."

Azer looked at Imbert, the aloof captain standing guard on one side, sparing him no glance as if he didn't exist. But Azer didn't mind it. "Rest assured, Your Highness. I will take care of it."

"I believe you will," Arlan said with a light smirk.

Drayce gave a narrow-eyed look to his friend, slightly shaking his head, which only caused the smirk on Arlan's lips to widen.

Meanwhile, Oriana was wondering if the servant who followed Seren was the one she needed to meet. 'This woman looks to be in her twenties. Isn't she too young to be the Queen's nanny? I wonder how I can speak with her and confirm.'

As their group finished tea, Drayce asked, "My Queen, would you like to accompany us outside?"

"I would prefer to stay inside. You can go ahead," the Queen politely refused, with the intention of letting the pair of friends catch up. 

"Alright," Drayce said and pecked on her forehead. "I will be back soon."

Oriana was taken aback by such a blatant show of affection as it was not normal for even loving couples, much less for a king and queen to do so in front of others. Arlan and Yorian had already stood up to leave, as if it was nothing new for them to see. Oriana got back to her senses when she saw Arlan stood up, ready to follow her master. 

It happened that a knock came at that moment. Oriana heard a new voice. "Your Majesty, it is time for your medicines."

"Thank you, Martha," Seren replied. 

Oriana looked at the thin woman who appeared to be in her late thirties. 

'Martha! That's  the other name Master said Celia Voss uses. Umm, I need to get a chance to talk to her. Once I tell her master Erich had sent me, she will agree to talk to me. But…I am feeling this again. The same weird pull I felt from the King of Megaris. I can't understand it.'

pqdm.com