The Devil's Betrothed-Chapter 644: Lucian And Oriana

Two carriages arrived at the Verner residence, where the butler greeted them and led them inside. As they entered the drawing room, Gwen, Paul, and Rina saw a beautiful woman waiting for them. She hurried forward upon seeing them.

"Your Highness," Gwen bowed, followed by Paul.

Rina, though confused, did the same. Why did this royal-looking woman seem so familiar? Why did she look like someone Rina knew? Was she mistaken?

"Aunt Gwen, Uncle Paul, good to see you here," the woman said, her eyes glistening with moisture. "Please, call me Oriana."

Paul and Gwen simply nodded.

Rina raised her head and looked at Oriana. ’Did she just say Oriana? Orian...Oriana?..."

Oriana offered her a pleasant smile. "Rina, good to see you after so long."

’That same smile, same voice. I’m not mistaken,’ Rina thought. She couldn’t hold back and asked, "Are you Orian? A woman, not a man?"

Oriana nodded, and Gwen spoke up, "We will explain it to you later, Rina. But for now, know that Oriana is married to Prince Arlan and is the Crown Princess of this kingdom."

"What?" Rina exclaimed, then quickly controlled her voice. "A-Apologies, Your Highness."

"It’s alright, Rina. It’s not your fault that you didn’t know," Oriana consoled her, standing in front of Rina and patting her head.

Rina looked at her brother, "You didn’t tell me on the way here," she turned to her parents, "No one told me."

"We wanted it to be a surprise for you," Lucian answered.

"You just wanted to see me shocked," Rina huffed, then observed the beautiful woman in front of her for a moment. "You are truly so beautiful, Your Highness."

Oriana smiled, "Thank you, Rina. You look beautiful as well. But I’d like you to call me by my name, as before. Call me Oriana."

"By name?"

"Yes. You all are like my family. I want you to treat me like before."

Rina glanced at her parents and then to her brother, who nodded in agreement.

Rina offered a gentle smile, "Alright, Oriana."

As they smiled at each other, Rina spoke, "You’re a woman. No wonder I always found you different from the other boys in the village."

"Different?" Oriana asked.

"Those boys were rude, annoying, dirty, and ugly, while you were nothing like that. I always liked you more. I even thought when we got older, I’d like to marry you."

Oriana couldn’t help but laugh lightly, "So, did I break your heart now?"

Rina nodded, "A little, but I’m happy for you, so it’s alright."

"You have always been such a sweet and kind girl, Rina," Oriana said. "I believe you will marry a nice man, someone like your brother." Oriana looked at Lucian, who stood quietly watching the two of them.

"Someone like my brother?" Rina commented in reluctance, "No, having someone like him as my brother is enough. I don’t want another mute in my life to make things difficult. No matter what you do, he only glares at you. His kind of man is difficult to please. He would never even know if he had upset you let alone knowing how to express his feelings to a woman. I don’t want to live with stone of a man."

"Rina?" Gwen glared at her daughter, "He is not just your brother but a lord as well. Think before you speak about him."

Rina pouted, "You always scold me. He may be a lord to others, but to me, he’s just my brother."

"It’s alright, Mother," Luke interjected, not wanting his mother to get upset as it wasn’t good for her health. "She’s right. I’m just a brother to her, not a lord."

He had learned to be indifferent to what others said about him. Rina was his sister, and he knew she loved him more than she complained about him. In a way, her complaints were pleasant to hear since no one else ever corrected or challenged him. Only Rina and one other person, Erin, dared to do so.

They went to visit Philip’s grave, which was built in the center of the garden. As Gwen, Philip, and Rina knelt in front of the grave to pay their respects, Oriana stood by Luke’s side, watching the others.

"Are you still upset with me for hiding my identity?" Oriana asked.

"I should be asking you the same question," Luke replied.

She chuckled softly. "Then, shall I take it that we’re even?"

"That seems appropriate," he replied.

"The last time we talked, I thought you were angry with me and that we’d never speak again," Oriana added.

"I was shocked, but not angry. After knowing your identity, I didn’t want you to be associated with me because of what I was doing. I didn’t want to put you in any trouble when you finally had the chance for a better life. For that, being stranger to you was a best choice." he explained. freewebnøvel.com

Oriana finally turned to face him, offering the same smile she always did. But that smile no longer affected him like before, when it would steal his breath away. Now, it was just a normal smile to him.

"So you do care for me," she asked.

"I do."

"And you have no hard feelings about me hiding my gender? That I deceived you?"

"I’m glad you’re a woman," he spoke calmly. Only he knew how he had suffered those days, thinking he was attracted to a man. But then, how he was relived to know she was a woman.

"Huh?" She raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Having you as a little brother was troublesome. You’re better as a little sister and having a capable man next to you, who can control you from acting recklessly."

"Little sister?" She scoffed. "I’m not a fifteen-year-old boy; I’m a twenty-year-old woman."

"And I’m twenty-two," he interrupted, clarifying that he was still older than her.

"Hmm," she sighed. "You win, elder brother. Anyway, I always wondered why you didn’t look eighteen as Aunt Gwen always claimed. But then, I thought you just had an early growth spurt that turned you into a tall and muscular man."

Lucian didn’t comment, as they both understood why they had to hide their ages. To everyone, Oriana was a fifteen-year-old boy who didn’t have any masculine features yet.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"In a day or two, once His Majesty permits us. There are still matters to take care of. Aaron and I will be leaving together with the Mortimer family as prisoners," he explained. "Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Clarence is waiting there for us after taking over the territory."

Oriana watched him talking, a smile on her lips.

"What?" he asked, not knowing why she was smiling.

"I was wrong. You do know how to talk for long," she chuckled. "Most of the time, I felt infuriated with your responses that were nothing more than humming, as if you were too lazy to say any words."

Lucian didn’t know what to say now. First Erin, then his own sister, and now Oriana had all described him as practically mute. It made him question his own behaviour.

"Even I am shocked that he is not a mute anymore," Rina said, joining them and leaving her parents behind. "I’m sure Lady Erin shares the same opinion as us."

Oriana heard the familiar name. "You mean Lady Erin Ahren? Did you meet her?"

"I did," Rina explained her meeting with Erin. "...I liked her, but it seems like my brother somehow offended her. She couldn’t stand him and left in a hurry."

"Don’t expect much from your brother," Oriana commented. "You should be glad he’s not mute at least."

"True. At least, whoever his wife will be, she won’t have to play a guessing game about his thoughts."

"Haha. True."

Lucian looked at the two in disbelief. He was right there, and they were talking about him as if he didn’t exist.

"Why are you two bad-mouthing my son?" Gwen interjected, having heard it all. "My son is the best. Whoever marries him will be fortunate."

"Here comes his best admirer," Rina sighed, glancing at Oriana. "We better not say anything, or we’ll have to listen to a hundred reasons why her son is the best man in the world."

Gwen tapped her head, "You little rascal. Your tongue has been quite sharp these days, huh? Seems like you’ve forgotten all those beatings you used to get a few years back."

Rina hid behind Oriana, "Your Highness, is there no freedom of speech in this kingdom?"

Oriana laughed and looked at Lucian, "Rina is truly a smart girl. Once you return to the northeast, make sure she studies. She could become a brave person who won’t hesitate to state her argument."

"Just like you?" Lucian commented.

She smiled, "You could say that."

"Oh, I really want to study," Rina said excitedly. "I always thought about studying more than just learning from my brother."

"We’ll hire a private tutor for you," Lucian assured her.

After having a meal with Oriana, the Rainier family left the Verner residence. On the way, Lucian stopped the carriages and stepped out.

"Where are you going?" Rina asked.

"Just somewhere," he answered. "These knights will take you back safely. I’ll return soon."

Rina could only agree. Through the window of the moving carriage, she watched her brother walking toward one of the large estates she had observed in the city.

At the entrance, the top part of the huge wooden gate had a name written: Ahren Estate.

’Ahren? Is he going to meet Lady Erin?’ she wondered.