276: Things Have Been Changed

Things Have Been Changed

Oriana was visibly sleep-deprived.0

After she woke up from her nightmare, she was too shaken to go back to sleep. She decided to make good use of the time and continued studying the book of witchcraft until the first rays of the sun lit the horizon.

After hiding the book within the room, Oriana headed downstairs to head to the servant quarters before attending to her morning duties. Anxiety could be seen within her eyes. 

'I am yet to even read half of that book. Don't know what that woman would do. Knowing how wicked she is, she would probably punish me.' She gritted her teeth. 'One thing is sure. I won't let her use this excuse to back down from teaching me today. By all means, I will get her to teach me.'

Calming herself down, she hurriedly freshened up and stepped out of her room, changing into a fresh pair of servant's uniform. 

Inside the prince's chamber, Oriana found herself observing the complexion of the prince who was standing in front of the mirror. with the help of Neil and Damien. 

Her gaze keenly eyed his face, more specifically his eyes. Those blue eyes sure looked tired, but they were not bloodshot. It appeared that he had recovered well from last night's drinking as well. The sullen suffocating presence he had the day before had also eased. 

'Today, he looks normal. I think he is only pretending to be fine, though. I wonder what goes on in his mind.' Then, she frowned as she remembered the bottles of wine in his chamber. 'He always drinks his problems away. As if that will solve anything. What an unhealthy habit.'

Just then, Arlan looked at her through the mirror and she lowered her gaze, flustered. 

'He always catches me staring at him. He sure must take me for a pervert.' She sighed inwardly. 'Shall I talk to him about my things today? Something always comes up whenever I try to. Today, I have to do my best. Whatever it takes, I will tell him about myself.'

Once Neil and Damien were done with his clothes, they signaled Oriana to take over her work. Orianan hurried and stood in front of the prince, picking up accessories one by one to fix on his lapel. 

She sneakily raised her head to peek at him, only to find him staring down at her. Once again, their eyes met. It was nothing new, but everytime it happened, it always made her heart skip a beat. Her hands trembled a little but she got ahold of herself.

'Damn it, my heart, stop making a fuss. Don't give meaning—'

"Do you want to say something?" she heard him ask in a rather easygoing tone. 

For a moment, she felt her ears heard wrongly. 'Did he just ask me?'

Her hands just finished attaching a brooch, and for strange reasons, time seemed to stand still. Their locked gazes both held unspoken words, unknown emotions swirling on the surface. 

'Why does this suddenly feel intimate?' 

It was as if they were the only two people inside the room.

"Then, uhm, are you alright, Your Highness?" she asked, her voice low and shaky. She didn't know why, but the atmosphere made her feel nervous. 

"Is there a reason not to be?" he asked with a raised brow. His expression was roguish, as if amused by what he was seeing.

She missed this, this voice, this tone, this expression. She felt like an eternity had passed since the prince had last seen Prince like this.

Yesterday, he had outright ignored most people's existence, only giving out sharp orders to Neil or making short, curt replies when asked questions. Many things had happened ever since they arrived in Nefer, it almost made her forget that the Crown Prince of Griven was originally famous for his silver tongue as well as his carefree and charming personality.

'I wish I could hear him speak to me more often.'

Oriana lowered her gaze and cleared her throat lightly, "Your Highness, I wish to talk with you about something important."

Her attention was fixed on his accessories, not wanting to meet his eyes. However, she could feel his gaze roaming over her face. She held her breath, hoping she was hiding her emotions well. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

She fixed the cufflink on one sleeve. "Umm, not now. When you return from the conference, Your Highness."

"Hmm. Anything else?"

She shook her head as she finished her work and took steps to stand away from him. Her cheeks had turned a little pink as she realized, the way the two of them interacted was more than the way a servant and master should talk. Others must have noticed it too, yet they didn't criticize her for it, as if it was as it should be.

'Things have really changed between us.'

After Arlan left for the conference, Oriana had her meal and finished her work as fast as she could. The moment she escaped into the second floor of the mansion, she pulled out the pendant artifact to call for Rosetta. 

She was equally anxious and excited to begin.

'The first lesson! I hope to learn something practical. But what do I do if she gets mad? She would not suddenly leave after she hears I failed to finish the book, right? She shouldn't be so petty.'

When she opened her eyes, Rosetta was standing in front of her. As her student, Oriana respectfully bowed to the woman.

"Greetings, Teacher."

Rosetta was caught off guard by Oriana's sudden polite attitude so unlike the day before. However, she was an experienced person. There were no outward changes on her face.

She glanced at the leather-bound book which Oriana had kept open on the center table. 

"I hope you enjoyed your first assignment."

"I did. It was interesting to read…but…I did not finish reading the entire book. I apologize for—"

Rosetta raised a brow, scoffing, "And you still dare call me here, without finishing the simple task given to you?"

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