263: A Private Banquet

A Private Banquet

When they reached their accommodation in the royal palace, Neil and the other servants were waiting for them by the entrance.0

"Welcome back, Your Highness."

Arlan slightly loosened his collar as he continued to walk inside the mansion. "Anything happened while I was gone?"

The young man followed behind him while reporting, "indeed. We have received an invitation from the Megarisian delegation."

"About?"

"Your Highness is invited to attend a banquet arranged by the Queen of Megaris," he replied and explained the details. 

Arlan glanced at Oriana who was also trailing behind him. "No need to follow me. Rest up and then accompany us to the banquet."

Oriana nodded. It was a relief she get to rest. She was somewhat tired, although she did not do much for the past few hours. It was mostly the mental strain of how she was interrupted again and again every time she was about to confess to Arlan about her gender.

Once Arlan went upstairs, she went to the servant quarters.

Oriana closed the door as soon as she entered her room. She freshened up before changing into another set of uniform.

The first thing she did afterwards was to open the box the prince gave her and pull out that scarf. 

'So beautiful!'

The more she held it, the more she loved it. The fabric was cool and extremely soft to touch, and the white patterns near the edges were much to her liking. There was beauty in its simplicity, and its style could be used by both men and women. 

And it was his gift.

That alone made it all the more beautiful. 

She stood in front of the mirror after she had gotten rid of her headwrap. She put that scarf around her neck, combed through her hair with her fingers and then smiled pleasantly. 

'It sure looks good on me.' She narrowed her eyes at her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a noble lady with her long hair falling around her in waves., 'Well, I am pretty so anything looks good on me. Isn't that a given?'

As she praised herself, she felt herself regaining her old confidence. Ever since she became Arlan's servant, his mood swings would often make her question herself, and her confidence took a nosedive back when he told her that she 'stinks'. This only worsened after meeting the gorgeous black-haired Rosetta.

'But I am pretty too.'

Oriana loved everything about her appearance, from the color and texture of her hair, to the shape of her eyes and the contours of her face. After all, her beauty was the only gift she had received from her parents aside from giving birth to her. 

Removing that scarf around her neck, Oriana lay in the bed. She allowed that scarf to flutter over her face. The light and soft fabric felt comfortable against her delicate skin, and even the faint scent of sandalwood coming from that scarf was soothing. She felt so relaxed that she wanted to sleep…

Half an hour later, there was a knock on her door. It woke her up and she stood up in shock. 

'What the hell, did I really fall asleep?!' 

However, another knock brought her out of her daze.

"Orian, you have to accompany His Highness," came Neil's voice. 

She slapped her forehead.  "Give me five minutes, Neil."

With a grimace, she kept the blue scarf back in the box and grabbed her headwrap.  She was relieved she had already washed up before falling asleep. She even had changed into a new uniform. All she needed to do was wrap her hair and hide her neck. 

She looked at the marks on her skin which were improper to be seen by others. Even after she applied ointment to heal the, they were still glaringly obvious. 

'To leave such bruises, what the hell was that brat thinking then? Was he trying to eat me?' she frowned, hoping they would disappear by tomorrow.

—-

Accompanying the Crown Prince of Griven was not just Oriana, but also his two knights, the captain and vice-captain of the Order of Thistle. 

After an unwanted period of confinement at the mansion, the somewhat recovered Rafal was finally allowed to accompany his liege, and he was inwardly elated to resume his knightly duties. However, he could not help but frown looking at Oriana who was the reason he was forced to become a good-for-nothing bum the past few days. 

Oriana outrightly ignored his glare, simply focusing on walking behind Arlan. 

When they reached the guest mansion of Megaris, they were led to the rear garden of the mansion. As the banquet's hosts, Drayce and Seren were present at the entrance of the garden to welcome the guests. 

Oriana observed the well-decorated lawn, the numerous lamps brightening the place to give emphasis on the lovely blossoms growing within the garden. Small flower-shaped candles were arranged starting from the entrance of the garden, forming a pathway that paved the way to the banquet proper. There were tables and chairs arranged for the food, but there were also seats prepared around the garden pavilion, where at this moment several musicians were playing a soothing musical piece. 

The minimal seating arrangements gave away the fact that the dinner banquet was an intimate one, with the invited guests probably the same small circle shared by the Crown Prince of Griven and  the King of Megaris. 

After greeting Arlan, Seren's bright  gaze moved towards Oriana. 

"Orian, good to see you here."

Oriana bowed to her politely. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I hope you are doing well."

"Yes, I am," Seren replied. Though face was covered with a veil, it was clear from her eyes how happy she was to see Oriana.

Oriana had always known the reason why the Megarisian delegation treated her well was due to her identity as a  Black Witch. Such an impure motive had always made her wary, unable to fully trust them, even though she knew their kindness was real. Be it Drayce, Yorian or Martha, they sometimes stare at her as if they knew something else and expected more of her, and it gave her silent pressure. 

Except for Seren. 

From her behavior, Oriana always felt Seren's sincerity. The Queen had never treated her like anything else but who she is—simply Oriana. Instead of a servant or a witch, Seren saw her as a friend, and unknowingly, Oriana felt the same towards Seren. 

If circumstances had been different, if she was not a commoner and a servant, Oriana believed they would have been good friends. 

However, her current identity as a man and their social status forbade them from such closeness. The difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth, and rumors would hurt the Queen's reputation if she were to be seen frolicking about with the 'male' servant of her husband's friend. 

At least. Oriana knew her boundaries. 

Mere minutes after their arrival, Cian appeared there along with his guardian knight. The royals exchanged greetings, while Oriana excused herself and went to mingle with the other servants.

"Brother, I heard you went to see an opera today?" Seren immediately asked Cian. 

"Yes, I did."

"Was it good?" she asked like an excited little girl, and Oriana could not help but smile at how cute she was being.

"I guess yes, but you can also ask Prince Arlan. He was there too," Cian said as he looked at Arlan. "How was the play? Did you like the ending?"

"I am not sure," came the reply from the Crown Prince of Griven.

"Apologies, I guess your attention must be somewhere else." 

Cian chuckled, making Drayce smile as well. His brother-in-law was being bold these days to take liberties with Arlan. In the past, their roles were reversed, with the serious Cian being the target of Arlan's antics. Drayce could not deny that he enjoyed this kind of Cian as well. 

Arlan raised a brow in challenge. "I wonder if Prince Cian went there to watch a play or spy on me?"

"Latter one seemed more interesting to do." Cian replied with a smirk. He  then placed his attention back to his younger sister. "You can ask Orian as well. Prince Arlan brought him along to the opera house."

Oriana, who was chatting with Eva, was not aware what the royals were talking about. When she heard Cian saying her name, she immediately turned towards them. 

Arlan frowned at her reaction. Cian just said her name once and she immediately caught it. Who was her real master, Cian or him?

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