260: Do Not Leave My Side

Do Not Leave My Side

In the middle of their dessert, Oriana glimpsed at the prince's expression.  0

'I wonder if it is fine to talk. He seems to be in a better mood. Shall I outright tell him that I am a woman? '

Arlan felt her sneaky gaze at him, and he raised a thick brow at her, his eyes inquiring. She immediately lowered her gaze. 

"Anything the matter?" he asked. 

She lowered the cutlery she's holding, unaware her fingers were slightly trembling. "I have something to tell you, Your Highness."

"What is it?"

"I-It is of sensitive nature, but I hope Your Highness will understand the reason behind the situation, as I only deceived you to protect myself." Without waiting for him to respond, Oriana cut to the chase, "I want to tell you that I am—"

"Ahh!"

Smash!

Crash!

A moment of stunned silence descended upon the dining area before all heads turned towards the source of the commotion. One of the servers apparently tripped and the porcelain bowls he carried on a tray went flying, the dishes splattered on the floor in a mess. The server stood amidst the broken pieces of bowl, visibly scared due to this mistake. He didn't know what to do, and out of panic, he began to gather the fragments with his bare hands, his face flushed in embarrassment. 

A middle-aged man who appeared to be the restaurant overseer came over to him and started scolding him. 

Oriana tactfully closed her mouth, wondering if the disturbance was a good thing. The timing was impeccable, and for a moment, she felt it was her fortune giving her a sign—that revealing the truth to the prince might not be a good idea.

'Well, maybe not now. If he shows anger or disappointment, what if I burst into tears? We are out in public. Maybe it is better to tell him the truth in a more private setting.'

Arlan wiped his mouth with the table napkin and decisively stood up, signaling the end of the meal. 

"It's noisy."

Oriana and Imbert immediately followed him. Arlan stopped by the place of the incident and looked at the restaurant overseer with a displeased glare. 

The middle-aged man hurried to bow. "My Lord, please forgive us for being such a nuisance and disturbing your meal. I will throw this server out right away."

Arlan lazily studied the sweating overseer and the pale-faced server, before giving Imbert a certain look. The knight understood what his liege wanted to do. 

Imebrt offered a thick pouch to the overseer as Arlan spoke, "Stop making fuss. Accidents happen to anyone."

The middle-aged man gaped at the pouch filled with gold coins. Before he could say anything to Arlan, the prince was already gone. 

The overseer sighed at the server. "Since that benevolent Lord has spoken, I am sparing you this time. Be more careful when you work."

"T-Thank you, Overseer!" The server appeared less shaken. "I will clean this immediately."

The overseer apologized to the other guests and happily returned to his place with that pouch of gold coins.

The tense atmosphere dissipated, and soon enough, the rest of the patrons carried on with their meals, many of them relieved that the situation had been settled. 

Oriana could not help but look at Arlan in a new light. 

'How kind.' 

Oriana felt like this was the first time she had spent a peaceful day with Arlan. Thinking back, there was no arguing or mocking each other, and it somewhat reminded her of that time she guided the 'good-for-nothing young master' around the market of Jerusha, with her showing off her knowledge of bargaining and selling herbs. How proud she was back then.

At that memory, a small smile lingered on her lips.

Surprisingly, many months had passed since then. 

Glancing at the prince, she wondered if he truly felt guilty because of that lake incident. He was being nice today, with no ridicule or harsh remarks thrown her way.

But just as she had this thought—

Arlan stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing? Did you hire me as a guide to show you around?"

Oriana immediately understood his implied meaning and caught up to him, walking half a step behind.

"Apologies, Your Highness," she said respectfully, but deep inside, she began to complain unhappily. 'I don't even know where we are or where we are headed. Of course, I'm going to lag behind you, not to mention I am following you as your servant…'

"Do not leave my side," was all he said.

Their group stopped in front of another luxurious building, and Oriana wondered what her master wanted to buy next. However, Imbert entered the building ahead of them, while Arlan slowly strode over as if to give his knight ample time to do his bidding. 

Upon stepping through the majestic double doors, Oriana wondered what the place was. The foyer was extravagant, with shimmering chandeliers, thick red carpet and gilded decorations, reminding Oriana of the foyer of the Palace of Thistle. 

To think this shop was as luxurious as the residence of a royal prince!

Even before she could figure it out, Imbert returned to their side. "Your Highness, it's been arranged." 

Arlan nodded, and under Imbert's lead, the prince and his aide made their way towards the grand staircase leading to the first floor. After walking through a hallway, they entered a certain door, but only Oriana and Arlan because Imbert stayed outside as a guard. 

Oriana as usual followed Arlan into the room. The room was relatively small by royal standards, its size a third of the prince's main bedchamber in the Royal Palace of Othinia. It looked like a place to rest, similar to the parlor she had seen back when she accompanied Arlan to some nobleman's ball. 

One side had a tall shelf displaying bottles of various wines, both local and foreign, while another side was covered by thick velvet red curtains. 

'Oh no! So many wines! Don't tell me he came here to drink?!'

Aside from that, the arrangements inside the room involved plush velvet couches and an array of snacks and refreshments on the center table, with a small silver bell on the side which could be used to call for a servant if a customer needed anything more. 

'What is this place? An inn? Doesn't look like it as this place is like a palace. Umm, but who knows? Maybe this is some sort of lavish place, especially catering to royalty. I bet an ordinary noble can't even afford to be here.'

The more Oriana looked around, the more convinced she was of her guess. 

'Maybe he got tired and wished to rest…but we only went to one shop and one restaurant, right? His endurance can't be that horrible.' However, she could not help but sneak another glance at the rows of wine bottles. 'I hope he has no plans to get wasted on liquor.'

Memories of what happens whenever he was drunk, surfaced in her mind and she felt nervous with the thought of dealing with drunk him again. 

Just as she had that thought, Arlan spoke, "Come here."

She looked at him, puzzled. The way he said it, it sounded strange, making her nervousness grow.

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