334: Ticklish Touches

Ticklish Touches

Oriana had no choice to cooperate as she had no other option. Arlan moved his hands towards her tattered coat, and with utmost care, he slowly slid off the coat from her shoulders, then her sleeves through her arms.  1

Arlan was so close to her that she felt herself reacting to his body heat. She gulped. Fortunately, he was not looking at her, with all his attention on carefully removing her coat without touching the injury on her right hand. 

Seeing his serious face pulling away, she could not help but feel relieved that more than a week had passed since he bit her neck. The mark on her skin had long faded. Otherwise, she had no idea how she would react the moment he saw it. Still, the memory triggered a pink flush to appear on her cheeks.

Arlan acted as if he noticed nothing and then proceeded to unbutton her shirt. 

One by one, the buttons of her top were being undone. His actions were slow, reverent even, and Oriana found herself tensing up. She didn't dare look up at Arlan. 

When the last button was undone, her face was so hot despite her better judgment. It was a strange sensation, to have a man undress her, even if the reason was nothing more than pure goodwill.

She contemplated taking over her own treatment, but she felt that if she were to try stopping him again, the prince might lose his temper. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of his cold and displeased gaze.

Arlan began to remove the shirt off her shoulder, making sure that she experienced the least discomfort possible given the situation. Although as a man he could not help but cast a glance at her chest area, it was mainly to scan for injuries. Fortunately, the front part of her chest wrap was intact and clean. When she fell down the slope, she must have curled herself in order to protect her head and torso. The worst of her injuries were on her arms, shoulders and back.

Oriana breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her chest bind properly secured, and nothing beyond her collarbones was exposed. 

By the time she raised her head, she found Arlan wholly focused on removing her bloodied shirt without letting the fabric touch her open wounds. His nonchalance made her feel she was worrying for nothing. 

Aware of her worries, Arlan made sure that his eyes would not wander around her body beyond necessary. He was mindful of the abduction incident she shared with him, and he had no wish to trigger her fears. Being considerate was unlike him, but his mate was an exception.

'She's so slender.'

With her coat and shirt removed, Oriana sat on the bed with tense shoulders, her thin arms awkwardly trying to cover her upper body. It was a strange experience, both embarrassing yet exhilarating, to be stared at by a handsome man with only a thin strip of fabric wrapped around her chest. A faint blush could be seen coloring her cheeks, but she pretended to not be affected by his deep scrutiny.

There was a slight bulge under the tight wrap, but Arlan forced his eyes away, his gaze intent on the graceful arc of her neck as well as her shoulders, before landing on her arms and her small waist. It was not an indecent gaze, but one observing the position of her wounds.

Arlan was a healthy young man, and having an almost naked woman inside a small room was a severe test for his willpower. He had no idea how long he could resist temptation, as such, he wanted to treat and dress her wounds as fast as possible.

Small wounds and scratches littered all over her skin, but nothing as bad as the injury on her right hand. Large patches of bluish purple bruises covered her body, especially on the left shoulder and arms. 

'No wonder she could barely move. She must be in so much pain.'

With the damp cloth, Arlan mechanically cleaned her neck, then her shoulder and her arms.

The subtle brush of his fingers against her skin caused a flutter of sensations. Oriana made sure to clamp her mouth shut, even when she felt ticklish when he cleaned around her waist area. Her body was feverish, add to that the cold dampness of his gentle fingers and his breath hitting her sensitive skin—

'Dear Spirits, please lend me strength. I really can't hold back.'

Resisting the urge to squirm, she raised her head up to stare at the ceiling, silently praying for this blissful torture to finish fast. 

Once Arlan was done, he looked at her flushed face and watery eyes. He had the impulse to tease her, to pinch the side of her slender waist and ask her if she was ticklish. It was hard to resist how adorable she would be, flustered and embarrassed. However, he dropped the idea. 

If he did so, she would no longer let him treat her wounds. 

'Maybe another time.' 

The naughty smile on his face came and went without her noticing. Arlan then set aside the cloth and the basin, and applied the freshly made herbal paste on her wounds, lathering them generously regardless of the size of the wound, even if it's just a small scratch. 

The paste was a concoction Neil hastily made from Oriana's personal stash of herbs. Although those herbs from Othinia were of good quality, Neil had little understanding about the differences between plants native in Othinia and those in Griven and merely followed the standard method in making the paste. Due to its deteriorated quality, the herbal paste meant to disinfect her wounds stung badly. Oriana had to do her best to not wince in pain.

Just as she thought the treatment was done, Arlan did not grab the bandages. Instead, he stood up and removed the pillows behind her to make room for himself.

Feeling nervous, she was about to turn around when his hand stopped her. 

"What are you doing, Your Highness?"

"Don't move." Arlan sat between her and the headboard. "You have wounds on your back as well."

"Oh…" The tension on her shoulders barely left when she felt his fingers fiddling on her back, causing her to grow frigid, exclaiming in shock and embarrassment, "What are you doing?!" 

Her arms instinctively moved to her chest.

Arlan had pulled the knot of her chest bind, causing the strip wrapped around her chest to loosen.

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