305: Not Really

Not Really

Oriana's gaze moved away from his eyes but this time it was to see something which had caught her attention even before, but this prince didn't give her a chance to do anything other than asking her to pay attention only to him. 0

Arlan watched her looking at the brooch he had attached to the lapel of his coat. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked. 

She looked back at him, "Do you really find it beautiful?"

"If not, then I wouldn't be wearing it," he remarked. 

She was happy that he really liked it and even wore it tonight. 

As they glided in perfect harmony, Arlan could not stop the growing itch urging him to remove Oriana's veil, that damnable thin fabric obstructing him from seeing her beauty in its entirety. 

Oriana as a woman, wearing not just any random dress but a gown tailored to hug her curves perfectly, showing off her lithe figure.

He was intrigued to see her complete appearance; an unveiled Oriana clad in female clothing. It was bound to be an enchanting sight, a beauty unrivaled by anyone within the royal ballroom.

'And her hair…'

She had beautiful long hair, its mesmerizing color reminding him of sunset. He could not help but inwardly frown at the memory of her decision to cut her hair short like man's. 

'Never!' he vowed solemnly. So what if her hair was inconvenient in her disguise as a man? He would never let her cut it.

In a while, he moved his face closer to hers, even through the veil, she could feel his hot breath against her cold cheeks. 

Her intoxicating sweet scent was making his heart to beat faster, urging him to do more than just be close to her. 

She looked closely at him and wondered why he suddenly moved his face closer. "Y-Your highness," she mumbled under her breath. 

He smiled lightly and moved his face to the side to whisper in her ear while moving along with her, "You are dancing really well, Lady Ria."

Shiver ran through her spine with that closeness and whisper. All she could think was why did he have to be so close to complement her. 

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Arlan still didn't move back so she asked, "His Highness is close like this with all the women he dances with?" There was a hint of displeasure in her voice though she tried to sound normal.

A light smirk graced his lips as he spoke, "Not really."

He didn't say 'no' but answered vaguely. Was he admitting it? Unknown to her, jealousy took over her mind. She had seen him dancing with a woman when she attended the ball in Griven. She had seen how closely he was dancing with the daughter of the Milton family. 

Oriana frowned inwardly as she concluded once more, 'He must love to play with women like this. I won't fall into the trap of such a player.'

As they focused on the dance, Arlan moved her around with ease. The music was about to end. The sudden soft moves became a little faster for her as Arlan moved her around, pushed her away and pulled her back, only to let her collide against his chest. Startled, she rested her both hands against his chest to keep herself steady on her feet and his hands held her steady at her waist. His gaze was intense and heated, making her want to go away from him.

She wanted to move away, to get out of his hold but she couldn't. "Your Highness?"

The music was over, and he finally released her from his hold. She immediately stepped away, her heart racing at its best. 

"Excuse me, Your Highness."

She walked away from there. 'I need to calm myself.' 

She needed to get fresh air and decided to go out for a while. She looked at one of the doors of that huge hall and walked towards it. Arlan watched her retreating back and walked away from the dance floor while other couples resumed dancing to the next song.

Just as Arlan was about to follow her, delegates from other kingdoms came to him, stopping him, "Your Highness."

Arlan looked at them and looked in the direction where Oriana disappeared, 'She should be fine. She might need some time alone.'

He looked back at those people with a smile and started talking with them while his gaze would move in that particular direction once in a while where Oriana had left. He even used his sharp senses to track her movements. For now, he sensed nothing unusual and continued to talk to those gentlemen.

Oriana came out of the hall and entered the open hallway from where she could see the outside view and a vast garden downstairs. She walked towards the railing of the hallways and stood there to get some fresh air and calm her nerves. 

'Cold breeze feels better. That closeness was suffocating. I thought my heart would jump out of my chest. Why does he have to be so close to me all the time? Can't he just let me be?'

She continued to stand there with her eyes closed. Once she felt she was calm, she decided to return. 

"Her Majesty might be looking for me."

Just as she turned around, she saw two noble men standing behind at a distance, looking at her. Both had glasses of wine in their hands as they observed her. Oriana felt disgusted with their gaze on her and wanted to beat them both, but she held back. From their clothes, she could guess they were native Othinian. 

'I can't create any trouble here. I shall just leave quietly. I can't let down Her Majesty by acting recklessly.'

As the two men were blocking her way to the door, Oriana walked ahead and wanted to go to another door to enter the hall but those two walked with her as if wanting to block her way back to the hall. 

One of them talked to her, "My lady, can we talk?"

"Apologies, but I have to go back to my master." 

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