164: Aren't You Being Too Chatty?

Aren't You Being Too Chatty?

Imbert emerged from the other side of the bushes, an unsheathed sword in hand. The knight's cold glance swept across the armed group, as if checking which prey to strike first. He only kept his sword in its scabbard after receiving a silent signal from his liege.2

"He's my guard," Arlan spoke in their language, informing them that Imbert was his man and that there was no need to fight. His knight cooperatively stayed in place, as if to prove that he had no unfriendly intentions. Only then did the tribesmen lower their weapons.

Time trickled on, and as Oriana said, the boy's complexion looked better. He could even open his eyes. 

Oriana smiled at him, her gaze bright and pleasant. "You are fine now, kid." 

The boy didn't understand what she said and looked at the leader, who spoke to him in a low tone. The boy tried to sit up with Oriana helping him and he said something to her. 

"He is thanking you," Arlan explained. 

"You are welcome," she said. "Be more careful when you run next time. You probably disturbed a venomous snake hidden under the leaves and got bitten in retaliation. You were fortunate that your friends noticed something was wrong with you."

The boy simply smiled at her though he could not understand her words. Arlan dutifully relayed her message.

The leader said something to her and she could guess he must be thanking her as well and she offered him a smile. 

After that, the leader and Arlan exchanged more words. When the prince glanced at Oriana, prompting her to think they were talking about her, it made her wonder what the leader said to make this iceberg smile.

"Take care, kid," Oriana said, standing up with the pauldron in hand.

'She herself is like a kid,' Arlan thought as he watched her approach him. 

They were about to head back to camp when Oriana hesitantly stopped. She lowered her voice in Arlan's direction. "Umm, do you think they'll mind if I take a little of these plants with me?"

"You still…"

"These are useful herbs. Who knows if we might need them later?"

Arlan talked to the leader and he permitted them. He watched the way Oriana carefully harvested the silphium flower and leaves. Not touching saplings,  selecting healthy ones and taking only the parts she needed. Her actions were steady and skilled, her focus showing her experience in the field of medicinal plants.

She was foolishly kind as well. She didn't ignore that boy's plight even though she was threatened by those people. It was as if nothing matters to her other than helping that boy, not even her own life.

'What a troublemaker,' he could not help but sigh, 'but the kind of troublemaker no one could hate. No one would blame her for not helping, but she is a woman with a good heart and clear mind as well. More reason for me to keep her by my side.'

As the prince, the knight and the attendant headed back to their camp,  Arlan spoke up. 

"In the Southern Jungle, the natives are fiercely territorial and don't trust outsiders. They generally use stones and animal skulls to mark the boundaries of their land. The official roads are safe, as well as the designated stops meant for transport, and don't cross their boundary. Here, the crime of trespassing warrants death."

"Understood."

When they returned, they saw Rafal bidding farewell to the aide of the minister. It appeared that the Crown Prince's disappearance caused the other delegates to grow restless. A group of knights was about to enter that part of the forest, only stopping when they saw Arlan returning. 

Rafal hurried towards them. "Your Highness, anything the matter?"

"We went on a little sightseeing here," Arlan said. 

Rafal didn't believe his words and glanced at Oriana, who put on a satisfied smile. "Ah, and herb collection." She showed the herbs in her hand. 

Arlan walked towards his tent with Imbert following him. Rafal had no other choice but to believe. However, gut feeling told him this pretty boy must have lured his master to the forest. He could not help but frown at the sight of her.

"Have you taken care of everything, Rafal?" Imbert called for him.

"Yes, Captain!" 

Oriana sighed in relief after she was left alone. That overbearing knight of the prince was getting on her nerves.

After about two hours of resting, the delegation of Griven  was ready to leave once more. As usual, Oriana sat inside the Crown Prince's carriage. 

A few minutes into their journey, Oriana  studied the prince sitting in front of her. He was busy reading a scroll. 

Her focus was on his eyes. 

'Was I imagining things? I swear his eyes changed color. Today is not the first time. Back at the Ahrens, I also saw his eyes flashing gold and red colors. My vision can be mistaken once, but twice? I wonder if the prince has a strange eye disease…'

Arlan was aware of her gaze on him. Not being able to bear it for long, he closed the scroll and asked, "Do you want to say something?"

Caught off guard, she wanted to blurt out the question in her mind, but realized it sounded strange to ask. 

"I am in awe because His Highness could speak their language. Have you been here before?"

He nodded. 

"His Highness interacted with foreign tribes to the extent you even learned their language, that means it should not be a mere visit, but you spent months or years here. Is it allowed for a prince like you to spend such a long time in a dangerous area like this? Is it for reasons, or do you love to explore places, Your Highness?"

"Aren't you being too chatty?" he said as he resumed reading the scroll.

"Umm, I was just curious. I love to explore places as well. However, I am a poor commoner and can only freely wander within the territory of Wimark. It's not the same for you, Your Highness. You are the Crown Prince and I assume you have mountains of work that need to be done."

For a few moments, Arlan didn't answer her. When she lost her hope of receiving an answer, she heard him say, "Precisely because I'm a prince that I must explore to understand and experience the world better. I would usually drag my friend, Drayce Ivanov, to visit places like this across the continent before he became a king."

"Across the continent?" she said with a surprised tone, imagining a younger Arlan in a secret adventure. "From what I understand, Griven is basically on the other side of the continent. That means you are used to traveling far, not returning home for months each time you leave, Your Highness?"

Arlan didn't comment on it as he would never tell her the way he and the King of Megaris traveled. Both men could cross to the other side of a city in a matter of seconds, and could teleport out of a kingdom in a matter of minutes. With their powers, this continent was just their playground, an exploration nothing more than taking a leisurely afternoon stroll.

"That's a lot of tiresome traveling," she said in retrospect. Reminded of how she had to rush back to Karlin from Jerusha, of the fatigue she suffered during that one week, she could not help but be sickened at the thought of constant long travels.

Arlan merely replied, "Something like that."

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