Chapter 152: Forever Slave
Here is Chapter 152 of "The Devil's Betrothed": Chapter 152: Forever SlaveAs Arlan reached the platform, along with others, Oriana straightened their bodies... Donât miss it!
Chapter 152: Forever SlaveAs Arlan reached the platform, along with others, Oriana straightened their bodies to watch him kneel in front of his father.
"I, Arlan Cromwell," the handsome prince announced, "am honored to represent the kingdom under the blessing of the Almighty Oak that shelters our motherland."
"You may rise," the King said in return.
Oriana remained suspended in disbelief.
âThis canât be true, right? All along...the cruel Crown Prince from the rumors...?â
Under the gaze of the most important figures of the kingdom, Arlan remained standing by the Kingâs right side, a symbolism of Ailwinâs immense trust on his firstborn son, making it clear to everyone that Arlanâs position as the next king was unshakeable. In fact, even without this gesture, most members of the royal court could feel the Kingâs intention to soon pass down the crown to the prince. He had already started handing over important matters to Arlan about a year ago.
Meanwhile, Oriana was trying to deal with the shock of her newfound discovery.
âCrown Prince...?â She felt like crying. âThis perverted brat is the next king?! He is not a good-for-nothing prince? Ahhhhhh! I am in big trouble for sure.â
No wonder she felt like something was wrong the moment she saw Lenard. Lenard was younger than Arlan, and he was the Second Prince. Wasnât it only natural that Arlan, being the older sibling, was the First Prince, the Crown Prince?
âSo I was serving the next king himself? Can I...can I still quit? If I escape, will the borders be locked down? Will he send the royal army to pursue me? Ahhhhh! How foolish! I am so foolish! I should have investigated the royal family before accepting an offer to work in the royal palace? Ahhhhh!â
She wanted to dig up a grave for herself, and if not for her being surrounded by people, she would have loved nothing more than to scream her lungs out in frustration.
Panicked thoughts flooded her mind in a matter of seconds.
âBut how could I have known? How am I supposed to know who he is when no one around him addresses him as the Crown Prince? Damnation, no one in the Palace of Thistle even dared say his name!
âHow could I have guessed his identity when our initial meetings involved him acting like a spoiled young master? He acted like a prodigal son who could not pay me for touring the marketplace and he even forced me to meet in a tavern, a lowly place for a noble, much less a royal.
âWas misunderstanding his identity solely my fault? Where was the dignity and arrogance of a Crown Prince? There was none! Waitâdid I not stab him on our first meeting? And he totally recognized me later on, that was why he used my knife as bait. He probably knew it all along, and planned to use my actions to force me against my will later on. Does that mean I cannot escape his clutches? The moment he exposed all my crimes...ahhhh! I donât even want to think about them.
âAm I really forever bound to be his slave? Ahhhhh!â
Fortunately, no one could hear the internal chaos in Orianaâs head.
Once the short formal ceremony was over, the Cromwells left the platform, with Ailwin saying a few short reminders for Arlan. Julien symbolically gave a handkerchief she personally embroidered with an oak tree for her son.
"Itâs a long journey. Do take care of yourself."
"Mother, itâs not like my brother is going out for the first time," Lenard commented as he smiled teasingly, "but you wonât stop worrying for him, will you?"
"It is Arlanâs first time personally heading the delegation for the alliance. Such a grand event is not without danger."
"Mother, seems like someone is jealous," Arlan commented back as he looked at his younger brother.
"Why would I be? Once you are gone, I will have all of my motherâs attention."
"You already have such a fine lady to pay attention to you," the Queen teased. "Do not bother this old lady now."
Meira, who was standing next to Lenard, smiled shyly.
"By the way I heard something about your servant creating a mess at Miltons. Can I see that special personal attendant of yours. I heard he is someone new who relived Roman from trouble of serving you."
"You do not have to be interested in my servants. You better take interest in where you should or I will make sure to send you somewhere far on random mission."
"Spare this newly married brother of yours, Your Highness." Lenard said smiling sweetly but then narrowed his eyes at his brother, âSomething seems off. I need to see who is that servant to make my brother step in personally at that very moment without having to set proper investigation team of the appointed people.â
While the members of royalty were casually teasing each other, Oriana and the people serving Arlan made their way back to their carriages. The officials who were part of the entourage, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, also bid farewell to Ailwin and the rest.
By the time Oriana snapped out of her daze, the entourage had already passed through the gates of the royal palace, where their parade was witnessed by the cityfolks of Karlin.
Oriana, who happened to glance outside the window, noticed the people on the roadside humbly kneeling before the passing carriages.
âSo much respect for royalty.â
Neil and Damien didnât pay attention to the commotion as it was nothing new for them.
The royal entourage soon left the capital city. Due to the royal knights clearing the way, the paved roads were empty of private carriages and merchant caravans. Hardly any humans were around once the entourage hit the dirt roads, crossing a number of barren fields and deserted forests suffering under the cold spell of winter.
Such a peaceful sight would normally make Oriana crack a wistful smile. The forest was akin to her second home, and the sight of farms would make her imagine starting her own herbal garden.
Outside the palace, outside the city, there were no sounds of people greeting the prince, only the rustling of tree branches and the liveliness of wildlife. However, the sounds of nature accompanied by the noise of rolling wheels and trotting horses ruined the mood for her.
Traveling. Traveling once again.The word âtravelingâ was making her sick.
She chose to be quiet while listening to the talk between Neil and Damien, which was mostly about the palace officials chosen to join the entourage as well as their families. The two young men were akin to walking genealogy registers, able to name and recognize seemingly even the most distant relatives of the current officials.
âUnlike me, the ignorant country bumpkin.â