340: Doubting Brother's Preference

Doubting Brother's Preference

On the other hand, Arlan marveled at her long silky hair, strands like threads of golden sunset. It was the one of the things that made a deep impression on him during their first encounter in the forest of the Wimark Estate.  0

The cheeky trespasser who interfered in his hunt and stabbed his royal body, the image of a black-clothed woman with the most beautiful red-blond hair. 

'Even her hair smells like honeysuckles.' He could not help but comb through them with his fingers.

"Your Highness, are you doing my hair?" she asked tentatively. 

"What do you think?" He threw a question back at her, and Oriana found him skillfully working with her long hair like he knew what to do with it.

"Do you know how to style a woman's hair?"

"Should I not know?" 

She frowned at his gimmick of not answering her directly and throwing questions back at her. She rolled her eyes. 'I shouldn't have asked.'

Still, she was curious. It was easy to imagine this man somewhat dabbing in fashion or cooking, those aspects of female-oriented skills, but only a rare breed of men would even care about hairstyling. Even most doting fathers would rely on their wives or maids to fix their beloved daughters' hair. 

"How did you learn it?" she probed. 

"When my siblings and I were children, we used to play with my older sister's hair a lot. Her maids thought it was adorable and taught us princes how to set her hair in different ways. Maybe the maids preferred to let us style my sister's hair than mess them up as my sister never stopped us," he answered with a wistful voice, as if reminiscing good old times. 

A faint smile appeared on her face at this glimpse of the softer side of the prince. In no time, he set her hair in a proper bun at the back of her head. He swiftly dug out a new cloth matching her brown coat and snugly wrapped it around her head.

There was a knock on the door. 

"Your Highness, your carriage is ready," they heard Neil's voice. "We can leave whenever you want."

And they heard the sound of footsteps departing without waiting for Arlan's reply.

Arlan retrieved Oriana's shoes which were surprisingly clean. He helped her wear her socks and shoes, and once more, Oriana was struck with the strangeness of her master behaving like a servant.

Arlan was prepared to lift her but she spoke up, "I would prefer to walk."

Arlan didn't insist and offered her his hand to support her stay on her feet. He grabbed her bag, and after making sure nothing was left behind, they left the room.

When they came out of the inn, Neil and Damien walked forward to help Oriana, but the moment Arlan's gaze fell on the two, they stopped midway. They merely watched the Crown Prince help his youngest attendant climb inside the royal carriage.

—

It took more than two weeks for the Crown Prince and his entourage to reach the capital city of Griven. The Kingdom of Abetha sent escorts to pave their way, and thus, the rest of their journey after leaving the flooded borders of the kingdom was smooth-sailing. 

Oriana had completely recovered during this time under the prince's attentive care. When they reached Karlin and entered the royal palace late in the afternoon, the Crown Prince and the Minister of Foreign Affairs first went to the main palace to report the completion of their mission to the King of Griven. 

It was nighttime by the time Arlan returned to his own residence. The paveway leading to the front entrance was lined with maids and stewards on both sides. Along with the butler, Roman,  ash brown-haired, blue-eyed young man was waiting to welcome his brother in front of the Palace of Thistle. 

It was Lenard Cromwell, the Second Prince of Griven.

Oriana stepped out of the royal carriage first, followed by Arlan. Lenard was surprised to see an unfamiliar boy disembarking from his brother's carriage. The boy looked odd with his head wrapped like that of the nomadic tribes in the North, but his brown uniform belonged to that of a palace attendant. 

Lenard's curiosity did not disappear even after Arlan approached him.

"Welcome back, Brother," Lenard offered him a warm smile. 

His gaze went to the pretty boy behind Arlan, and to his surprise, the handsome young servant held his gaze instead of looking downwards as etiquette required. Those fearless eyes held awe and curiosity as they blatantly studied the Second Prince's appearance, which was nearly identical to his older brother's.

Oriana and Lenard's silent exchange did not go unnoticed. Arlan narrowed his gaze at his brother. "Are you forgetting basic manners, not focusing on the  person you are talking to?"

In response, Lenard smiled as he understood his brother's subtle warning. "Does it bother you that I am focusing on the next person I plan to talk to?"

"No need to talk," Arlan replied and walked ahead to enter his residence.

"But I want to," Lenard insisted like a child as he followed his brother. 

"Where's your wife? You left her behind?"

"Just because we're married doesn't mean we have to be joined at the hip—"

Arlan's knights and servants dispersed, with only Roman trailing behind the princes. 

It was the first time Oriana got to see the interaction between the First and Second Princes of Griven. As she had met the King and Queen before, she had somewhat expected that the relationship between brothers would be good as well. What surprised her was their easygoing and playful banter. 

Oriana stared at the backs of the Cromwell brothers. Both strongly resembled their father, the King, be it appearance or build. Only Arlan's hair was long, reaching past his shoulder, while Ailwin's and Lenard's were clipped short. 

Despite their similarities, she could easily differentiate their natures. 

King Ailwin was dignified in his simplicity, like an heirloom sword bearing the weight of history. His first son, Crown Prince Arlan, had a playful but short temper on most days, akin to a sharp dagger that would point its deadly blade at you at the slightest mistake. On the other hand, his second son, Prince Lenard, had a more reserved aura around him, like a sheathed blade. 

As they entered the foyer, Roman spoke, "I hope the journey was not tiresome, Your Highness."

"Of course not. It was nothing more than a stroll in the garden," came Arlan's sarcastic remark. 

"Glad to know, Your Highness," Roman replied with a smile as if he didn't get the sarcasm. 

Reminded of his butler's bland personality, Arlan looked away and found his brother with a frown who was glancing at someone. "Aren't you going back yet? Or do you plan to sponge a meal off me instead of spending it with your wife? Shouldn't newlyweds be inseparable?"

"We are no longer newlyweds now. She must be tired of my face every day," Lenard replied shamelessly. 

Arlan rolled his eyes. "I already dined with Father so if you are going to eat here, just let the kitchen know what to cook. I won't be accompanying you."

"Speaking of company, since when did my brother start to let a servant accompany him in his carriage?" 

As Lenard said those words, he turned his head to glance at Oriana, who was trailing behind them along with her luggage. In the Palace of Thistle, her room was on the same floor as the prince's, not in the servant quarters. She had no choice but to quietly trail behind them. 

Arlan glared at him. "I am tired. You better stop messing around."

Seeing his brother's serious demeanor, Lenard decided to stop. "Alright. I will come in the morning again." 

When Lenard walked past Oriana, she bowed towards him.

"What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Orian, Your Highness."

Lenard stared at her wordlessly for a while, only to hear his brother growl, "Aren't you leaving, or do you want my knights to show you your way back to the Palace of Hibiscus?"

The Palace of Hibiscus was the official royal residence under Second Prince Lenard's name. 

"Alright, I am leaving." Lenard smiled, not offended at the very least, and glanced at Oriana once more before leaving. 'So this is the pretty boy I heard  rumours about. Does my brother really swing that way?' Lenard shook his head. 'Can't be. He is my brother, and we have the same blood. Brother will be crowned king when Father steps down, and the bloodline of the Cromwells can't end like that. But those rumors…'

Lost in thought, Lenard returned to his residence with the intention of returning first thing in the morning.

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