360: Tonight, You Shall Comply With My Wishes

Tonight, You Shall Comply With My Wishes

Oriana entered Arlan's chamber and found him standing by the window, an unusual calmness about him. As she gazed at him, she couldn't help but sense the loneliness that seemed to envelop him.1

For a brief moment, Oriana found herself reminiscing about the Arlan who had been away from the kingdom, the one who had been playful and possessed the spirit of a free soul. However, upon his return, she couldn't help but perceive how he seemed burdened by endless worries.

Arlan had detected her presence in his chamber the moment the door creaked open, yet he didn't turn to acknowledge her. But he could not deny her presence and her scent around was enough to calm his unsettled mind.

"Greetings, Your Highness," she offered.

Receiving no response, Oriana proceeded to set a tray on the table before turning her gaze back to him. She understood why he seemed indifferent towards her.

"Your Highness, I wish to apologize for my mistake this morning," she admitted.

Finally, Arlan looked at her, but he remained silent, his gaze fixed on her bowed head. He had explicitly instructed her to stay inside, but she hadn't heeded his warnings. She was his mate, and he felt compelled to shield her from any potential danger. However, his willful and reckless mate had a mind of her own, and he struggled to find a way to convey the importance of her safety.

A woman's sinister voice, brimming with threats, echoed in his mind.

'Never dare to seek your mate. Should you discover her, do not lay the blame on me for claiming her life. I must kill her because you belong to no one else but me, my Prince.'

His cold expressions turned into worried ones. 'What if her identity is revealed, and I end up losing her? Would it be better to send her away to ensure her safety?' But the mere thought of being without his mate by his side was enough to drive him to the brink of madness. 'I shall just keep hiding her by keeping her by my side. It should be fine, right?'

Meanwhile, even with her head lowered, Oriana keenly felt his penetrating gaze on her, and an invisible weight seemed to press down on her shoulders. The prolonged, wordless silence on his part was starting to stir anxiety within her.

'It seems like I've deeply upset him this time,' she mused, her concern mounting. 'But I did it for his sake. I need to uncover what is continually troubling him.'

When she was lost in her thoughts, a pair of feet came into her sight, walking towards her. She raised her gaze up to look at the person, only to find him standing in front of her. 

She was about to lower her face again as she should not look into the eyes of her master like this, long, slender fingers gently cradled her chin, lifting her face up, making her look at him. 

Her anxious eyes looked into the pair of icy cold blue eyes. She could not dare say a word, intimidated by such close distance between their faces. 

"So you are still aware that disobeying me is great offence but you still ended up doing it?" His voice carried a weight of authority. "Do you love being punished by me so much? Have I been so lenient with you recently that you forgot I am your master and you must obey me?"

She wished to apologize once more, though deep down, she recognized the futility of her words. Her actions had provoked his ire to its limits, and the only path forward was to embrace the impending consequences.

"Your Highness, I willingly accept the punishment," she managed to say, her composure unwavering beneath the looming uncertainty.

In response, his piercing gaze shifted from her eyes to her lips, which had just begun to part. Still maintaining his grip on her chin, he leisurely traced the contour of her jawline with his thumb, his touch gradually drifting toward her lower lip.

A faint smirk curled upon his lips, "Punishment, you say?"

Oriana shuddered as he grazed her lips, and his wicked smirk only intensified her unease.

'Could it be,' she pondered, 'now that he knows my true identity as a woman, he's plotting to exploit this situation under the guise of administering punishment?' Every fiber of her being tingled with this unsettling revelation.

'No, it couldn't be, could it? He has always been aware of my true gender, yet he never used his authority as a master to take advantage of me. Those times when things happened, he was drunk and unaware of my true identity. Later, I became Lady Ria in his eyes. He's not the sort to exploit a vulnerable servant in such a manner, is he? He's a man of integrity. I was the one who took advantage of him when he was inebriated,' she reasoned, grasping at excuses and desperately seeking to see the noble qualities in this complex man.

His wicked gaze finally shifted from her lips to her eyes, and he declared,"Alright, punishment it is then."

Oriana swallowed hard, wondering what thoughts were brewing in this enigmatic man's mind. Despite her efforts to rationalize the situation, the wariness that came with her newfound femininity lingered.

"As long as Your Highness does not prevent me from reuniting with my family," she ventured cautiously.

"Consider that far too lenient a punishment," he scoffed, a sly gleam in his eye. "I have a more intriguing proposition."

"What is it?" she inquired, yearning to put some distance between them, yet he showed no intention of releasing her from his presence. She was going to be away from him and he didn't know for how many days. So, he didn't wish to waste spending this night with her by his side.

"Tonight, you shall comply with every wish of mine. You will heed my every desire."

His words only served to amplify her earlier suspicions. She wanted to protest, "Your Highness, I..."

"Accompany me for a drink," he interjected.

"Huh?"

"Is that concept too challenging for you to grasp?" he quipped, relinquishing his hold on her chin and moving toward the table where Oriana had set out a tray with wine and glasses.

Rather than taking a seat in the chair, he settled himself onto the floor, where the plush carpeting provided ample warmth and comfort.

Oriana was caught off guard. "Your Highness, you really shouldn't..."

"Come, sit here," he patted the spot next to him, paying no heed to her impending objection.

Since it was her punishment to fulfil whatever he asked her tonight, she obediently walked ahead and sat next to him, However, she maintained a deliberate distance between them to ensure they wouldn't be uncomfortably close. She even placed a cushion between them, which she had hastily taken from the nearby chair before taking her seat. At the back of her mind, she was comforting herself believing he would never do anything inappropriate with her.

Observing her cautious demeanor, a faint smile played upon his lips. 'Does she really believe a mere cushion can stop me if I plan to do anything with her?'

He looked at her, "Are you waiting for me to serve you drink?"

Oriana quickly regained her composure and proceeded to pour the wine into his glass. As she caught a whiff of its potency, she discerned that it was a strong alcoholic beverage, the type Arlan always favoured. It was the kind of drink that, if consumed by someone unaccustomed to its strength, could swiftly lead to inebriation. Arlan's ability to handle alcohol was certainly on par with that of many individuals.

Once she had filled his glass, Oriana returned the wine pitcher to the table, only to be met with a questioning gaze from Arlan.

She grasped the implied inquiry. "Your Highness, I must rise early tomorrow to depart for Wimark..."

"That's your concern," he interjected, his tone devoid of any sympathy. "At this moment, shouldn't your focus be on accepting your punishment? Or was that apology merely a facade to deceive me?"

"N-No, Your Highness. I will quickly pour some wine for me." She stammered, hastily seizing the wine pitcher to fill the other glass. Returning the pitcher to the table, she picked up her glass and extended an awkward smile to the Prince.

As if he was not convinced by her act, he continued to look at her. She could not help have a sip of wine. Though it was strong for her liking, she was good at holding her liquor as well and did not show any change in expressions though inwardly she cursed. 

'Too bitter.'

Arlan saw right through her facade, and he couldn't help but marvel at her ability to maintain her composure without revealing anything on her face.

He swirled the wine in his glass and proceeded to down the entire contents in one swift motion. Oriana could only watch in astonishment as the wine from the glass flowed seamlessly into his parted lips and down his throat, observing the graceful movement of his masculine Adam's apple with each gulp.

'That's remarkably quick,' she mused. 'I wonder if his taste buds are dead to feel anything bitter at all.'

Her gaze remained locked on his throat, an unexpectedly captivating sight that heightened her senses. 

'Every move he makes is undeniably tempting,' she acknowledged inwardly. However, in the next moment, she shook her head, self-critically chiding herself. I'm becoming rather lecherous. It must be the influence of this wine. I am undoubtedly a virtuous woman.'

Placing the empty glass on the table, Arlan directed his gaze toward her. His eyes conveyed a complex tapestry of emotions, none of them easily decipherable.

Oriana met his gaze, her curiosity piqued as he posed a surprising question. "If I were to offer you the choice to reside in Wimark and arrange for you to work at Duke Wimark's estate with the same compensation you receive here at the palace, without the need for your family to relocate this far, will you accept it and choose to live in Wimark?'

Confusion gripped her as she wondered why he was posing such a query. 'Hadn't he previously asked me to remain by his side always? Then why this sudden change? Is he attempting to distance me from him now? Have I committed grave mistake by defying his order this time?

"Will you?" he repeated.

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