224: Tell Me, What Is It You Desire?

Tell Me, What Is It You Desire?

5 Chapters  1

-----

The fourth day of the summit conference was over. 

The King of Megaris and the Crown Prince of Griven were walking towards their carriages. 

"Why do you seem so serious, Dray?" Arlan asked.

"Today, I have sensed traces of black magic around Samer Vailes."

The prince furrowed his brows, contemplating as he looked back at the hall they just left. "I did not sense anything."

"I am a warlock, and I can sense traces of magic coming from any witch. As long as theirs do not surpass the quality of my magic, it is impossible to hide it from me."

"If it is a witch strong enough to hide it from me, then that means Zaria Lynx indeed came to Othinia with that psychopath," Arlan concluded. 

"I have searched the entire royal palace ever since they attacked Seren in the temple, but I did not sense any presence of supernatural beings aside from our own."

"Their forces ought to be hiding in the outskirts of the city."

"Samer Vailes never left the royal palace, that means she entered here under our noses." 

"I wonder what kind of spell she is using to hide herself." 

"She stayed in my kingdom's capital for a long time, yet I could not sense her until the day she abducted Seren. At that time, I thought it was my negligence but now I am assured that it is more complicated than I thought. She must be using an ancient spell or a divine artifact that can hide her presence and her magic really well."

"That's worrisome if she could move undetected. Make sure Seren is protected at all times."

Drayce nodded but he was worried about another person—Black Witch Oriana, the new Queen of Witches who also happened to possess divine powers. What if she fell into the hands of Zaria Lynx? He needed to do things faster. "We need to plan."

Arlan promptly said, "My study," to which Drayce nodded.

The royalty of the two allied kingdoms sat in their respective carriages for show, but just as the carriages moved, the men sitting inside had already disappeared. Their figures materialized inside Arlan's study.

"I get a feeling that we are going to deal with something difficult soon," Drayce said. 

"We will be ready."

"I know, but from you, I expect more. I want you to start understanding your powers, especially more since you don't think they belong to you. Trust me, when you have someone to protect, you will resort to anything, even grasping at straws for that person's safety. Magic is a tool and a weapon, and it is foolish to not use your full strength because of prejudice."

Arlan looked away, responding with a dry, "I will try."

Drayce no longer insisted and turned to sit on one of the couches. "I have something important to tell you, but it has to wait until you learn how to deal with your dragon part."

Of course, such words made the prince unhappy. He sat down on the seat opposite his friend's. "Why such a condition? If it is important, do not keep me in suspense."

"I have given words to someone that I will give them time."

"Who?"

"You don't need to know, unless you succeed in what I am asking you to do."

"Alright."

Another figure appeared out of thin air inside the study. It was Yorian. "I got Your Majesty's signal." He then moved to occupy an empty seat. "Is there trouble?"

Drayce nodded and explained to him about what he sensed during the day's conference. 

"Strange," the elf muttered. "Ever since their delegation arrived, I have been keeping their mansion under tight watch. If Zaria used magic to enter from outside, I would have sensed a fluctuation." In the end, Yorian was also at a loss. "Hmm, I will try to dig more, but I dare not enter their premises and alert the enemies."

Drayce understood, and after talking about plans to tighten security, he changed the subject. "How is Arlan's aide?" 

Arlan was immediately alerted, though he pretended not to.

Yorian explained Oriana's circumstances to them. "She will be fine in a day or two, however, Your Highness." The elf pointedly looked at Arlan. "It will be for everyone's best interest that she not be forced to hide her gender anymore."

Arlan looked away and heard Drayce remark, "I know your reason, but I agree with Yorian. Let her know you are aware of her gender instead of letting her harm herself."

Drayce and Yorian stood up to leave. Arlan closed his eyes while leaning back in his chair, wondering how a day could feel like an eternity without her by his side. The situation she was in, he wouldn't be even able to go to her even if he wanted to. 

He wondered how she would react to seeing him. Would she be angry and hurl curses his way? Could the insult 'brat' have changed to something worse? Or would she give him the cold shoulder for treating her that way? If so, what would he do? 

'Will she understand If I tell her that I had to walk away from her to protect her from the beast inside me? She probably won't and I will only leave her scared of me. Is she had to see my other side, she might despise me. Seems like there is no way to resolve her misunderstanding if she is angry.'

'Her scent I miss it.'

—-

In the evening, while Drayce was speaking with Yorian inside his study,  the King's attendant announced the arrival of an unexpected visitor. 

"Your Majesty, Miss Oriana wishes to see you. Do you wish to grant her an audience?"

"Send her in."

After a while, a woman with long reddish blond hair wearing a simple yet elegant white dress entered the King's study. Drayce almost did not recognize her. For the first time, he was seeing Oriana in a woman's attire, and unlike her sneaky and mischievous form of a boy, she looked like a prim-and-proper young lady. 

'Idiot Arlan is missing on things,' Drayce sighed as he heard her greet them. "Good evening, Your Majesty. Good evening, my lord."

Drayce offered her a light nod and asked, "You can state the purpose of your visit."

Oriana glanced at Yorian's direction. The elf smiled at her. "I shall leave you two to talk."

"It's alright, Lord Yorian. Please stay," Oriana said before returning her attention to the red-eyed king. "Yesterday, Your Majesty offered to reward me for saving Her Majesty."

Drayce observed the determination in that pair of eyes. "Hmm, seems like you have finally made a decision, Oriana."

First, she was taken aback that the King had also addressed her with her real name, but she quickly got back to her senses. "I have made my decision."

"Tell me, what is it you desire?"

pqdm.com