270: Risk, She Was Willing To Take

Risk, She Was Willing To Take

By the time Oriana returned to the Crown Prince's bedchamber, Arlan was getting ready for the ninth day of the summit conference. Everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened.  1

Oriana arranged his accessories without a word. When she caught him staring at her, he averted his gaze from her. A normal reaction. She didn't feel anything different about him. 

Up until Arlan left for the conference proper, Oriana was observing him. Was she relieved to see him normal? Oddly, the fact that Arlan never mentioned anything about the incident, and he was acting as if he had no memory of it, only deepened her worries.

Her mind wandered to the thought she had before falling asleep. Here, she thought her priority was telling him about her gender. It appeared that the more important matter was for Arlan to never discover she was a Black Witch. 

'I don't want him to hate me.'

Oriana did quick work of her morning meal before returning to her room. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she pulled out a small pouch from the bottom of her bag and hid it in her inner coat pocket. 

Just as she headed towards the door—

"Look at you acting so sneaky," she heard a familiar voice behind her, causing her heart to nearly jump out her chest. When she whirled around, Yorian was sitting leisurely at the window sill of her room. Leisurely leaning his back to the wall, One leg slightly bent in knee, resting on the window sill, with his one hand resting on the knee in a manly manner while his other leg was hanging down the sill.

She got back to her senses. "L-Lord, Yorian, how come you are here?"

"Visiting a friend, of course."

"Oh…"

"I was bored, and I thought you must want someone to talk with," Yorian replied. "I believe you don't mind me intruding in your room."

"Of course not, Lord Yorian," she smiled awkwardly. 

"Hmm," he let out a sigh. He playfully swung his leg. "I feel as if you have something going on in your mind. If you feel comfortable to share, I am all ears."

Oriana was convinced that this elf could really read her thoughts. Whenever she needed him, he was but a thought away. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but there was no way he appeared in front of her again for no real reason.

She didn't decline his goodwill. 

"I was thinking about His Highness," she replied honestly. 

"About the incident before dawn?"

She nodded. "Since a Black Witch was related to his disappearance, I was wondering if I, as a Black Witch too, maybe…" She hesitated. 

"So you want to help him."

A statement, not a question.

She forced a smile, only to hear the elf ask, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I need to learn how to use my powers as a witch."

He raised a brow. "Do you have a way?"

"Hmm, not really. But I do hope Lord Yorian can find a way for me," she replied. 

He stared at her for a moment and then smiled. "I will try my best."

"Thank you, Lord Yorian."

"Anything else?" he asked casually.

She shook her head.

"Alright, I will leave then as I see nothing to worry about." 

He jumped out of her window. When Oriana went to the window, there was no one in sight. The elf had disappeared. 

Oriana let out a sigh of relief. 

'I almost thought he caught me. I cannot let them know, or else, they will never approve of it.'

Oriana stepped out of her room to go upstairs. She had informed Neil that she was going to prepare some medicines for the Crown Prince, and for that, she needed no disturbance. Neil didn't doubt her and she was free for at least the next several hours.

She was aware no one went to the second floor of the mansion, other than the chambermaids in charge of housekeeping in the morning. Around this time, they ought to be finished cleaning. 

For some reason, Oriana headed towards a certain secluded chamber. If Seren, Yorian or Martha were here, they would have realized the position of the room was equivalent to their secret meeting place in the guest mansion of Megaris.

Oriana locked the door from the inside and gave out a sigh of relief that no one questioned her along the way. After giving the room another glance, she pulled out the dark pouch from her inner coat pocket. 

'I am not sure if it really works. Let me try.' 

She pulled out a necklace with an obsidian-like pendant, the ancient communication relic given to her by RosettaRosetta.

Remembering the lady's instructions, Oriana closed her eyes while holding that pendant tightly in her hand. 

'Lady Rosetta…?' she asked in her mind.

She didn't know if it was working or not. She could only keep hoping in her heart, repeating the lady's name again and again. She waited for a while, but nothing happened. 

Giving up, she opened her eyes with a sigh, only to get the shock of her life. It was as if her brain froze, causing her to take a backward step.

A black-haired woman in an elegant maroon dress stood in front of Oriana, offering her an amused smile. Her gray eyes observed Oriana quietly, but it was impossible to predict her real thoughts.

"It…it really worked?" Oriana looked at the pendant in her hand, before returning her gaze on the lovely figure of  Rosetta. 

The lady chuckled, "Looks like it."

Oriana immediately got back to her senses and bowed to her. "Thank you for showing up, Lady Rosetta."

"No, I should be thanking you for trusting me enough to call me," Rosetta said demurely, her elegance as a noble lady apparent in her every word and gesture. "I am sure there is a reason for calling for me."

Oriana knew she had to be careful of this woman. Although it was her who initiated contact, she had no idea about Rosetta's, no, Zaria's real motive. 

However, Oriana had no regrets. This was a risk she was willing to take, a decision she made after hours and hours of consideration. Somewhere she was aware that Rosetta won't harm her without a reason.

"I do," Oriana said as she confidently looked into Rosetta's eyes. 

Rosetta had expected Oriana to contact her sooner or later, but not so soon. She wondered what made this young witch call her all of a sudden. Moreover, looking at Oriana, it was not a decision made out of a whim but she had thought thoroughly about it. 

Was it a trap, or did she call her for own benefit? 

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