88: That Idiot!

That Idiot!

A sword pierced through his throat from just below chin only to make its way out of his neck just at the end of his skull. Arlan pulled his sword out, before continuing to sip on the wine glass in his other hand.  2

A devilish smirk painted itself on his face. 

"I like this brand of wine best but your lies disturbs my mood to drink."

Arlan continued to swirl the wine glass in his hand leisurely, as if nothing special happened and he was merely talking to guests. However,  many of the subordinates of the dead man had peed in their pants. 

As Arlan enjoyed that wine slowly, no one dared make a single sound till he finished it for which he took his sweet time. Once he finished only then Imbert was the first one to move and got the empty glass from him. 

Arlan stood up, brandishing his sword on the side. "Anyone else wishes to tell the last lie of your life?"

Those captives immediately bowed on the floor, asking for mercy. 

"We will tell everything we know, my Lord!" 

"Please forgive us!" 

"We will give all the details of the master's business!"

Arlan walked out of the brothel, leaving the rest to his knights. He looked at the dark sky. 

'It's over earlier than I thought. I can go back now. I wonder what Shortie is doing. She is a person full of colorful surprises, so I doubt she is sleeping peacefully right now.'

His guardian knight stepped out of the brothel as well. 

"Your Highness, we can leave Rafal and the rest to take care of the aftermath. Would you like to go back?" Imbert asked, seeing the dazed Arlan. 

"Shall we do that?" Arlan asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

"I will bring the horses," Imbert said before walking away.

It was the first time Imbert saw Arlan behave this calmly after killing someone. It gave off a strange sense of dissonance. There was no bloodlust, no unreasonable anger in those  blue eyes.  The fact that the Crown Prince even spared some of that man's subordinates and did not order a killing spree was surprising in itself.

'Must be something going on in his mind.' Imbert never questioned Arlan's actions, but he was skilled at guessing the mood of his liege and acting accordingly. 

Imbert and Arlan left on horseback and returned to the Ahrens. When they reached his current dwelling, Arlan instructed his knight, "Go retire for the night."

Without another word, Arlan went upstairs to his chamber, not knowing what was waiting for him there. 

'Huh?' 

He planned to quietly open the door, wanting to be considerate of his sleeping attendant, but the door did not budge. It was locked from inside. 

'Why did she lock the door? Does she not want me to enter my own chamber?' 

He was about to knock, but changed his mind midway.

'It might disturb her sleep.' He let out a helpless sigh, but the corner of his lips curved upwards. 'This stupid idiot. How dare she lock out her master from his own chamber? See how I punish you in the morning.'

He used his power and the bolt on the door from inside opened on its own. 

A strong scent of honeysuckles and lavender filled his senses, and he applauded his decision to arrange her sleeping quarters inside one of the side chambers connected to his chamber. Her scent was a hundred times better than he remembered, and his body instantly felt comfortable.

He was about to take a step inside that chamber dimly lit by the silver moonlight when he heard a soft splashing sound.

His head snapped in the direction of the bath. He caught the sound of water being poured. 'At this late hour? She prepared my bath?'

He heard a scuffle, and then the sound of her voice. "Ouch, it's too hot."

Arlan didn't think much and walked towards the side chamber. Even before he could fully push aside the heavy curtain covering the doorway, his entire body froze.

A naked woman sitting at the edge of the bathtub, her back facing him, was pouring water over her head with the help of a dipper. Her long reddish blond hair fell in stringy waves below her slender waist, their ends dripping water on her full bottom…. 

Unaware she was no longer alone, the woman gathered her hair to one side to wash them, allowing the newcomer a good eyeful of her delicate nape and shoulders, as well as exposing her curves and backside to his view.

Arlan's heart raced, pounding against his ribcage, ready to jump out of his chest. His throat suddenly felt dry. 

As if Oriana felt someone's presence, she turned her head around to look at the doorway, but there was no one but her in the side room. The curtains were not even moving.

'Was it my imagination?' 

With her brows furrowed, she quickly rinsed her hair and stood up. With only a towel to cover her front, she walked slowly towards the doorway and moved the curtain away. She took a peek outside. Her eyes found the door locked as it was, and there was not a single person inside the main chamber. 

'Am I feeling guilty for sneaking into his bath? I made sure to lock the door. I would have heard it if anyone tried to open it.'

Feeling relieved, she returned to the bathtub. After cleaning up the things she used and collecting her stuff, she returned to her small chamber with a little skip to her steps. 

The long soak felt heavenly, and her hair was soft and fragrant. It ought to be the best bath she enjoyed in her life!

Be that as it may, her happiness was another's suffering.

Arlan instinctively used his power to disappear from the chamber the moment Oriana noticed him. By the time he realized what happened, he was atop the highest spire on the outer wall of the royal palace. He teleported across the capital due to panic.

'That idiot, that idiot, that idiot!' he repeatedly cursed under his breath, trying to calm his racing heart. 

That slender back, those soft curves, the lingering mist due to the hot water…

With his eyes shut, Arlan began massaging his temples, his thoughts chaotic like a runaway criminal with a guilty conscience. 

'That lowly woman, how dare she affect me like this?' 

He had been to the most popular brothel just a while ago, and he had met the most beautiful courtesans in the capital. He even happened to see a handful of them naked when he raided the brothel, but none of them affected him the way Oriana did.

None of their beautiful faces nor their curvaceous bodies moved him. For him, they were not subjects of carnal desires but pretty showpieces which he didn't take interest in.

But seeing Oriana… just a small glimpse shook his soul. 

Her scent alone made him crave for her presence. The experience earlier was even more mind-blowing. It made him almost lose control of himself in a way he had never felt before. 

It made him want to surrender to his most primal instincts.

The pitiful prince, driven away from his own bedchamber by his new attendant. His lonesome figure stood atop the highest spire of the palace in his attempt to calm his heated body with the help of the freezing winter wind. 

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