112: He Can Laugh Like That?

He Can Laugh Like That?

The charming prince entered his carriage, and only after the coachman and the footman climbed their respective spots did Oriana snap out of her daze. 

With a light cough, Oriana sat in the second carriage with the other two servants. After half an hour, their entourage reached the inner city of the capital. It was the residence of one of the most prestigious families in Karlin, the House of Milton.

Through the window of their carriage, Oriana enjoyed seeing familiar streets. She even saw the Ahren Residence along the way. Neil laughed at her acting like a country bumpkin, while Damien thoughtfully pointed out whose houses and residences they passed by. 

Soon, they entered the main gates of a mansion just as beautiful as the city residence of the House of Ahren.

The moment Arlan's carriage stopped at the entrance, a middle-aged nobleman, Count Milton himself, along with his wife and vassals were waiting to greet him.

"Walter Milton welcomes His Highness Crown Prince Arlan to our humble abode. My family is fortunate to have your honored self personally attend the ball to celebrate this old subject's birthday."

"Of course, you are," Arlan said with an angelic smile. "Not to mention the Count, your late father had been one of the strongest advocates of the royal faction. It is only proper that us Cromwells acknowledge your loyalty." 

His words brought smiles and praises from the Count and his companions, but underneath Arlan's perfect charade, he looked down at these kinds of people, especially those who were not genuine, and amongst the court officials, there were tons of people like that. They respected the royal family only because the current Cromwell Family held unshakeable power and authority. 

If a silly prince were to inherit the throne, these 'loyal' dogs would be the first to take advantage of the weak monarch and bite their master.

Walter led the way towards the ballroom. Meanwhile, Oriana and the other servants stepped out of the carriage which was a little away from the main entrance. 

All she saw was Arlan being led inside the grand-looking door by a middle-aged nobleman. 

Neil and Damien reminded her again about some things she needed to remember, before temporarily parting ways with her. 

Just as Roman told her, Oriana was led towards one of the lounge rooms next to the ballroom meant for male guests to relax. Inside the side chamber, there were only servants of nobles as their masters were in the ballroom. On the way, Oriana noticed some young ladies in the hallways, walking in and out of other parlors, but from their attire alone, it was difficult for the ignorant Oriana to differentiate them from their female servants.

Compared to male attendants who wore almost similar-looking suits, the maids of the noble ladies wore ball gowns as well, although theirs were not as grand as their masters. The problem was that in Oriana's eyes, all their outfits were beautiful and expensive.

'Ah, what lovely fair maidens. That gown in red, oh, that pink dress…I wonder what I'd look like wearing a gown like that.' 

She scowled at the all-men room in front of her. 

'This is the part I hate about disguising as man. I always have to be at a place surrounded by men instead of women.'

Fixing her expression, she entered the large parlor where some men were even smoking, and just like how other servants were sitting in the respective chairs when their masters were not around, she found an empty spot and stayed still, pretending to be a wallflower. 

Some time later, a man happened to comment, "What a pretty face." It was a servant from some noble family sitting near her.

Oriana simply glared at him but ignored him.

"Hey, beauty. This is the first time I see you around here. Are you new?"

At this moment, Neil and Damien entered the parlor and overheard the man harassing their new colleague.

Neil stormed towards them. "Be mindful of your words." He moved his hand on the crest embroidered on his clothes. "You should know who you are talking to."

The servant saw the symbol of the silver oak and thistle, and realized who these three servants belonged to—none other than the Crown Prince of Griven. 

The servant quietly shut his mouth and even pretended to be drunk before finding a chance to slip away.

'Wherever I go, it's always the same. All men are scums, except for a rare few that can be counted with my fingers.

"Are you alright, Orian?"

"Yes. Thanks for coming to the rescue."

"You did well holding in your temper, but you must also never be afraid of others. We serve royalty. Of all the servants here, we three have the highest status. Even their masters ought to be respectful to us."

"But I'm just a commoner…"

"That doesn't matter. You are His Highness's aide. You have the backing of the Palace of Thistle."

Oriana thanked him again. 'Serving a prince seems to have good perks. The moment he saw the crest on Neil's clothes, that servant didn't dare tease anymore.' 

Neil and Damien were noblemen to begin with, and as longtime servants of the Crown Prince, they had acquaintances amongst those inside the parlor. They would sometimes chat with them. 

On the other hand, Oriana was bored. There was food prepared on one table, but they were mostly small snacks which she couldn't hoard under the watch of other people. She would listen to Neil or Damien talk with their acquaintances from time to time, but it was mostly family business concepts she didn't understand. 

After sitting idly for a while, she saw some noblemen entering the room, their servants helping them fix their attires, bring gifts for the host or light their pipes to smoke. 

Oriana looked at the door and wondered if Arlan would come here as well. 

'Well, he is perfect the way he is and he doesn't need to look after anything.' 

She felt proud to have such an outstanding master. Be it status or appearance, her master was superior compared to the masters of the other servants present in the parlor. 

She gradually realized that the atmosphere was somewhat weird. Once in a while, those servants and their masters would glance at her, and she started to feel uncomfortable.

Oriana excused herself, "I will be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Neil asked.

"I need a quick breather. The smoke here is getting too heavy for my liking."

"Alright, come back soon."

Damien then thoughtfully remarked, "Orian, if you want fresh air, go to a balcony. Don't stray in the gardens. You might see something you don't want to see."

"I will keep that in mind. Thanks." She nodded and left. 

As Oriana stepped out of the parlor, she was greeted by a complicated maze of hallways. It was not as bad as the Palace of Thistle, but she was not paying much attention to the layout of the place earlier. 

She wondered which way to go. 'Right or left?'

There were more people in the right hallway.

'Right is never right for me, so left." 

With her head lowered, she passed by a few nobles. She continued to walk straight and then there was a turn to the hallway and took a turn. This hallway was quiet and no one was using it. 

Ahead, there was even an open corridor. 

Oriana hurried to a good spot and enjoyed the pleasant breeze and starry sky ahead. 

'It was suffocating there.'

She heard music coming from a particular direction. 'Nice music. Is it from the ballroom? I have never seen a real ball before, only a dance at a town's square. Shall I take a peek?'

She walked towards one of the doors out of so many but heard a voice which spooked her. 

"Who goes there?"

It sounded like a servant or guard from the Miltons. 

'Oh no. I will be punished if they see me loitering!' 

She hurriedly opened the door and entered, only to be welcomed by a grandest view she had ever seen in her life. It was a large hall filled with beautiful people, each of them dazzling sights to behold. The entire hall was bright as day with the crystal chandelier overhead, and there was music and wine and dancing.

She accidentally entered the ballroom! 

Before reality could sink in, she heard someone trying to open the door behind her. She immediately moved away and hid behind a pillar. She saw a guard checking around and left after not seeing anyone strange in the vicinity.  2

'That was close. Luckily, he didn't catch me. I will find another door to get out of here.' 

Just then, she caught sight of Arlan surrounded by a crowd.

Of all the beautiful people inside the hall, Arlan was no doubt the most eye-catching of them all. If the nobles were akin to stars, he was the sun, the brightest star of all.

Oriana witnessed him laughing at something a pretty lady said, and for a minute, she forgot how to breathe.

'He can laugh like that?'

It was as if the man in the middle of the crowd was an unfamiliar person. He was not a brat who clung to her to enjoy drinks in a tavern, nor was he the pervert who chased pretty boys. He was not the young master who dotes on his niece nor was he the lord who forgets time when at work.

A royal prince.

Glamorous, respectable and gentlemanly, an excellent representation of what society expected royalty to be.

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