322: Enchanted by Him

Enchanted by Him

She nodded and met his gaze unwaveringly. "If Your Highness cannot move beyond fleeting emotions and meaningless incidents, then it is his responsibility to address."2

Her expression remained cold and impassive, underlining her assertion of truth.

"Such cruelty?" he remarked, a wicked smile playing at his lips.

She composed herself, saying, "Your Highness, our paths diverge tomorrow, perhaps never to converge again. I insist you not to complicate matters for us both."

"Why should we not meet? The distance between us isn't so great that I cannot reach you."

"As Her Majesty's lady-in-waiting, I bear responsibilities I cannot forsake for trivial and meaningless pursuits."

"Fleeting emotions? Meaningless incident? A mistake? Trivia and Meaningless Pursuit?l."

Arlan continued to echo her earlier, harsh words as if each of them had pierced his heart deeply like a sharp knife. But he maintained his calm. 

"Shall we investigate if these are indeed the terms you attribute to it, if everything is just meaningless to you?"

Their faces drew closer, his gaze penetrating hers profoundly. Panic surged within her, instinctively guiding her hand to her face, clutching her veil as a precaution against any attempt to remove it. He exuded a sense of danger that her instincts warned her about.

Suddenly, a vigorous gust of wind swept through, catching her off guard. The weather transformed abruptly, reminiscent of that night when she had confessed her true gender to Arlan by this very lake, and then the rain had poured.

'The climate in Othinia remains highly unpredictable.'

Abruptly, all the lamps in the vicinity extinguished due to the forceful wind. Before she could utter a word, dense clouds shifted in the sky, shrouding the moon entirely, erasing all traces of visibility.

Oriana's heart raced with panic. In the darkness, his face eluded her clarity, yet she could sense the intensity of his gaze upon her, his silhouette etched against the obscurity.

"Your Highness, the weather..."

"It's precisely as it should be," he interjected, dismissing her anxiety entirely.

She sensed his hand glide from her waist to her cheek, while the other hand restrained her, preventing her from withdrawing.

"I merely wish to know if your heart is truly as unyielding and if nothing between us genuinely leaves an impact on you."

"What do you imply?" Anxieties swirled in her thoughts, a yearning to escape the strength of his grasp. Her eyes strained to capture more than just a shadow of his countenance. She longed for clarity in his visage, a window into his thoughts.

His face drew nearer to hers, his lips pausing a breath away, his warm exhalation igniting her skin.

"As our paths are about to diverge, I yearned not to let this moment elude me. I wish to have you near, intimately close, reminisce the previous night."

His voice lowered, a husky timbre weaving a seductive spell.

Her breath faltered in the face of this proximity; his words wielded considerable influence over her. "Your... Highness..."

"If you truly do not wish to, I won't insist anymore and allow you to depart this instant. Yet, my heart yearns to persist, to claim you without delay. I assure you, I will respect the boundaries."

His words bore an undertone of assurance, yet beneath lay an unspoken plea and an undeniable need, craving the intimacy she could offer.

His words, that proximity which emanated a searing heat, effectively breached her defenses. Though her mind urged her to resist, her body and heart resonated with a yearning that mirrored his own.

Oriana remained confounded, unable to decipher why his allure was irresistible, compelling her to draw near and yield to his desires. What sort of spell had he put on her, causing her to relinquish reason whenever their proximity tightened? One thing stood certain—

This man had enchanted her entirely. 

She wavered and trying to reason out if she went ahead with his demand. 'This must be the last time, right? Our paths as Lady Ria and Arlan will never converge again. The longing is mutual.  For the last time... I shall....solely this once.'

Arlan exhibited a patient mien, poised for her response. But as she was silent for long, he seemed to understand her response, taking it as her unwillingness.

He began to loosen his grasp on her waist, preparing to release her, yet....

To his surprise, Oriana's hand ascended from his chest to his shoulder, her delicate palms taking the hold of his shoulders, her stance shifting to tiptoe, her face drawing closer to his.

Arlan's hands that were about to let her go, held her steady, though surprised, he got her answer with much clarity. 

With her face closer, their breaths intermingled, a delicate dance of exhalations. The apex of his nose brushed against hers, an attempt to immerse himself in the intoxicating aroma that emanated from her.

Arlan could feel the change in his appearance. before he proceeded, he whispered against her lips. "I want you to close your eyes and not open them unless I allow you to."

She was taken aback by his request. It was already dark, then why did he needed her to close her eyes. As if she was compelled to obey him, she responds in a low whisper against his lips.

"Alright."

She surrendered her gaze to darkness, allowing herself to be enveloped by Alan's touch. His hand tenderly graced her cheek, while his lips drew incrementally closer to hers. With her eyes shut, her concentration fixated on his tactile connection, her skin ablaze wherever his fingertips brushed, her body progressively yearning for further contact.

Before she could rein in her burgeoning desires, his lips made contact with hers. It was a tender and lingering brush of lips, as if he were in no rush, savouring the connection.

In response, Oriana parted her lips, granting him permission to delve deeper. His lips embraced hers with tenderness, gradually introducing his tongue in a gentle exploration, tracing the contours of her luscious lips.

A soft, involuntary moan escaped her throat as the warmth of his mouth melded with hers. Her fingers tightened their hold on his coat, her lips reciprocating the fervor of his kiss with equal enthusiasm.

pqdm.com