201: Sad And Disappointed

Sad And Disappointed

2The prince looked immaculate in blue, the same deep shade as his eyes, and today, his long ash brown hair was loosely tied with a ribbon, resembling a dashing scholar albeit without a monocle. She could not help keep staring at him.

Her gaze then flitted to his handsome face, and though unsmiling, there were no signs of him suffering from the aftereffects of last night's inebriation. 

'Did he already drink a hangover tonic?'

She quietly stood on side and when Arlan glanced her way, her heart skipped a beat.

She got hold of herself and spoke with her head lowered. "Good morning, Your Highness."

She didn't get any reply from the prince. 

Peeking at his expression, he was no longer looking at her, his face still expressionless. She wondered, 'Does he remember everything? I hope he doesn't, or it would be so awkward between us. But what if he does? Then what should I do?' 

Her mind was getting chaotic when she heard Neil speak. 

"Orian, your turn."

Putting the three pairs of boots aside, she walked towards the prince, trying her best to not meet his gaze. As she stood in front of him, her hands shivered slightly due to how her heart was being so loud. The memory of last night kept repeating itself in her head, and she dared not lift her head, fearing how she would probably blush at the sight of his lips.

Trying to calm herself, she focused on fixing the buttons of his coat and attaching the  various accessories chosen prior on his lapels. It was quite an effort to keep her breathing steady, but as she progressed to the last button, she realized that she felt strange, as if there was something missing today, but she could not put a finger on it.

"It's done, Your Highness," she said and dared to raise her gaze, only to find him staring straight at the mirror instead of her, as if her presence didn't matter to him.

His face looked colder than usual. It was normally impossible to guess what was on his mind, but his frigid expression today made him more distant and unapproachable.

Oriana lowered her head and stepped aside as Neil helped the prince with his boots. 

'Does he not remember? Or he remembers but he is displeased with what happened?' Unknown to her, her heart sank. 'Let's not think about it. If he doesn't wish to then I can ignore it as well.'

During his morning meal, Arlan remained unusually quiet, even until it was time to attend the second day conference of the summit. Not a single word had been uttered the entire time. 

As one of the servants standing outside to see him off, Oriana watched the carriage go away, and along with it, grew a strange emptiness inside her. Today, Arlan did not warn her to stay in her room and not create trouble. No teasing, no rude remarks. He said nothing, absolutely nothing.

Only now did she realize how she had gotten so used to his nonsense talk. 

Her eyes continued to stare at the carriage until it disappeared from sight. 

Rafal noticed the sadness on her face. The knight was not allowed to follow Arlan due to his injuries. He had also been prevented from participating in any form of exercise or labor by his captain. With both Arlan and Imbert gone, he originally intended to provoke Oriana. However, seeing her confused face, he schooled his expression.

"You should head inside," he reminded casually, unlike how rudely he talked to her before. 

Oriana did not seem to notice. She headed inside with her head lowered, looking all disappointed. 

'What's with him?" Rafal could not help but think as he followed her inside. 

At the foyer of the mansion, a servant from Megaris approached her. Oriana recognized the young woman to be one of Seren's handmaiden, Marie, who was a witch as well. It was apparent she bore a message from the Queen of Megaris.

Rafal, as the one with the highest authority among those from Griven, entertained the messenger. Upon inquiry, Oriana heard her say, "Her Majesty Queen Seren invites Physician Orian to our mansion, seeking his services."

The knight looked at Oriana then at Neil who was the most senior attendant. Neil simply shrugged, allowing Rafal to make a decision on the matter.

"I will come as well," Rafal spoke after a while, only to receive a questioning gaze from Oriana. 

"In His Highness' absence, I have the responsibility to look after you so you won't create any trouble."

Oriana didn't comment, nor did she have a right to, and the two quietly followed Marie.

When they reached the guest mansion of Megaris, they were brought towards the drawing room, where Yorian was waiting with Slayer. Oriana bowed to them, while Rafal gave them a perfunctory greeting. 

"Greetings, Mister Yorian, Sir Sanders. I was informed that the Queen summoned me."

"Indeed. We need you to check on Her Majesty," Yorian replied. 

Oriana looked at him, bewildered. "Is Her Majesty not well?"

"She is well, but as her attending physician, shouldn't you do a routine check on her?" Yorian asked. 

"Apologies for my ignorance," Oriana replied. "I will make sure to not forget my duties."

"You can follow me upstairs then." Yorian led her way, while Rafal was forced to stay back in the drawing room. After all, without permission, he would not be allowed in the Queen's chamber.

"I hope you are alright now, Sir Ahren," Slayer asked. 

He was left behind to protect Seren while Azer accompanied Drayce. 

"I am fine, Sir Sanders," Rafal replied, his gaze on the pretty boy's departing figure. 

Meanwhile, Oriana was led to the same place where Yorian scried into her powers instead of going to Seren's chamber. Oriana understood. Seren's health was just a reason to bring her out of Griven's lodging. Inside that spacious room, Seren was waiting for them along with Martha. She smiled at Oriana who bowed upon seeing her.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Good to see you here," Seren replied. "Have a seat with us."

"Are you not feeling well, Your Majesty?" Oriana asked, as it was the proper thing to ask. 

"I am completely fine," she replied. As Oriana sat in one chair, Yorian found himself a seat as well. 

"How about you, child? How are you feeling?" the elf asked. "It must have been a lot to take in."

Oriana felt touched at their concern. "I'm not sure, my lord. The future…frightens me."

Yorian nodded, as if he expected that. "We were thinking, since we have nothing to do while the conference is ongoing, let's not waste these days and instead use it to help you."

"Help me?"

"Letting you know more about your powers and guide you on using them."

"Will it be alright? Here?"

"It is. This place is secured by a spell and well-protected." The elf swirled a finger, as if to prove his point. "We can do whatever in this room and no one will know. You can use your power—"

"Apologies," Oriana interrupted. She understood his well-meaning intentions, but she had some other plans. "I do not wish to use my power. I mean, I do not want to learn spells or grow strong. In fact, it is the opposite—I need your help to stop this power from affecting the medicine I make for my grandpa."

Her statement caused the room to be plunged in silence. 

Yorian, Seren and Martha exchanged glances before Yorian awkwardly cleared his throat. 

"I know you said before that you want to live the life of an ordinary person. But in order to control it,  knowing and understanding about your powers come first," Yorian said. "What affects black nightshade is the darkness attribute of the magic running inside you.  Unless you know about it, how would you be able to control it, much less stop it?"

"If I stop using any forms of magic, wouldn't I return to what I was like before?"

"If a piece of paper is crumpled into a ball, will you be able to smoothen the creases and make it look like new paper?"

Oriana realized what the elf was trying to say made sense. It appeared she was too naive. She was ready to do anything for her grandpa, even risking her own life. There should not be an issue with understanding her own self. 

"Apologies for my ignorance. Please teach me as you will."

Yorian nodded in understanding. "First of all, we need to hear the extent of your current knowledge. What do you know about witches?"

"Nothing, really." She helplessly shook her head. "All I know from the general concept I heard from people around me… that…witches…can use magic…they cast curses…plagues…they can control minds…and they abduct children…They are evil creatures that must be feared…" 

"That's what humans think nowadays, huh?" Yorian laughed. "The atrocities are growing. What do you think, Miss Martha?"

Martha could only sigh. "It has not changed, really, my lord. For the common people, when strange or bad things happen, the only reason is that it is caused by a witch."

"They don't understand anything and feel scared of something more powerful and different than them." Yorian spoke. "Well, even innocent women get branded a witch as a matter of convenience. As if being a witch is a crime in itself."

Oriana agreed. That was also the main reason why she found herself rejecting the notion of being a witch, as well as the notion of black magic. Witches were loathsome monsters, and she grew up with that knowledge in her head. How could Oriana easily accept being evil? 

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