338: Inner Battle

Inner Battle

For the rest of the afternoon, Oriana slept soundly in bed, while Arlan stayed in the room to keep an eye on her. Due to his constitution, despite his lack of sleep, he was not as tired as the rest of their group. Simply sitting by his mate's bedside was enough rest for him.0

Whenever she needed to use the washroom, though embarrassed, she had to accept his help to walk. Her injuries might not be life-threatening, but personally tending to her needs soothed Arlan's guilty conscience.

It was evening when Oriana stirred awake again, only to find a single oil lamp illuminating the room. She found Arlan's tall silhouette standing by the open window, looking outside. 

She sat up in bed and her movements caught Arlan's attention, prompting him to look at her. He frowned at the sight of her struggling to sit up and hurried to arrange a pillow behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible. Like I fell down a cliff."

"Be serious."

"Better than this morning, Your Highness."

She felt much better, though the muscles of her entire body continued to ache. Her strained left shoulder and hand injury throbbed in pain, but it was tolerable. It was probable that her outward appearance was worse than her actual injuries, since she's covered in cuts and bruises. 

It was a surprising discovery for her though. From her experience, such injuries would take her patients at least a week to heal this much. It did give her an impression that her situation was not as bad as she originally thought; what she didn't realize was that it was her witch bloodline causing her fast recovery.

After they had an evening meal, Arlan informed her. "We will be leaving tomorrow morning."

She nodded, as if to say she understood, and then said, "Your Highness, can you help me up?"

When she said those words, he was about to stoop down to carry her. He paused with furrowed brows. "Can you stand now?"

"As long as I don't put pressure on my ankle."

Arlan held her hand to assist her to her feet. "The washroom?"

"To the couch please," she answered, her gaze landing on the quaint-looking couch on the other side of the room. 

Arlan immediately understood her intention. The temperature inside the room plummeted.

"You are sleeping on the bed," he said with an air of finality.

Oriana already expected such a response from him. "Your Highness, I had been occupying your bed the entire day. I am merely wounded, not crippled. Besides, do not forget I am your servant. I am more used to sleeping on a couch."

In response, Arlan lifted her legs back on the mattress and settled her body under the blanket. "Stop talking nonsense and sleep. It's getting late."

"Your Highness, you…"

"If you are concerned about where I will sleep, then let me tell you: I have no intention of spending my night sitting on a chair," he said and went to lie on the empty side of the bed, forcing her to scoot over to her side. 

As it was the best room offered by an ordinary inn, although it was large enough for two people to share, the bed felt rather cramped since one of them was a tall and well-built man.

"T-This—"

Seeing her outrage, a grin appeared on his face, amusement coloring his tone. "Do you believe in that old wives' tale that sleeping next to a man will get you pregnant?"

"Of course not! Please do not insult my intelligence, Your Highness!"

"Then, are you a noble lady with a reputation to preserve?"

"No."

"Do you stink?"

"Y-You…"

"Then sleep."

Oriana pressed her lips into a thin line and could only watch the prince extinguish the flame from the lamp on the bedside table, leaving the room dimly illuminated with silvery moonlight from the window. He then made himself comfortable next to her.

'Could I even sleep like this?' Oriana wondered.

A mere few inches of distance separated their bodies. It was as if she could feel his body radiating heat. If she dared move even by mistake, she would end brushing her body against his. 

Although there were times she shared a bed with him, the prince was dead drunk during those nights. Those times she fell asleep in his arms should also not be counted, as there were inevitable circumstances, like the bandit attack the night before.

Oriana felt herself growing restless under the blanket. With Arlan so close, she could smell his manly scent. She could even hear his rhythmic breathing. It was as if all her senses were stimulated by his near proximity, causing her to be sensitive to everything about him. 

She wanted to turn her back to him, but he was sleeping on her right side and she could not turn to her left side as she could not put pressure on her left shoulder.

Oriana was left with two options: to sleep face up and lay on her back, or to sleep facing the prince. She chose the former one, the most comfortable option.

Staring at the ceiling, she gulped before closing her eyes. "Good night, Your Highness."

Arlan opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her side profile, the soft glow of the moon highlighting her exquisite features. It was the first time the two of them were sharing the same bed with him being sober and in the right state of mind. 

Funnily enough, despite her reservations, Oriana drifted to sleep quickly, as usual. Arlan could only silently laugh at her. It was a spectacular talent. She was the kind of person who could fall asleep even if the world were to end.

As he gazed at her sleeping form, sleep seemed to evade him, countless thoughts keeping him wide awake. He was tempted to reach out to her, to plant a kiss on her forehead and scoop her into his arms.

'She is hurt. She needs to rest.' 

Although she was no noble lady with a reputation to preserve, she was still a person that deserved respect. Arlan had a moral bottomline. He could only bide his time and not pounce on her in her defenseless state. 

Inside him was a war between his rational mind, his principles and his beastly desires.

One side of him was telling it's fine to do anything as she belonged to him, while another was telling him to respect his mate. What was stopping him was his pride and his morality. 

'I might not be human, but I am also not a beast. I am not an animal who lets my instincts rule over me.'

It was a battle where he could never let that beast win.

pqdm.com