[Music Recommendation: Love and War ~ Fleurie]
Adric had his eyes on Oriana all the while he was talking with the ministers. When he saw her take a drink from her sister, he was going to ignore it until he noticed the movement between Adelaide and Jasmine’s husband.
"Excuse me, Ministers. You all should enjoy tonight; let’s discuss tomorrow morning." Adric left the gathering. As soon as he moved, Rowan followed behind him.
Back at the party hall, Oriana held the cup to her face. The more she sipped, the more she became thirsty for more. But it wasn’t just about being thirsty; it was something else it was doing to her body, making her want to remove her entire dress.
"Princess Sophie? Are you okay?" Madame Rosalie noticed that the other princess was now acting weird, trying to remove her dress.
Sophie, who had also taken the content, was feeling the same heat as Oriana, but hers was stronger because she took the drink in one gulp. "I feel really hot and I want to get rid of this..." She tried to rip her gown off.
"No!" Madame Rosalie covered her quickly, turning to Freya. "Help me take the princess back to her room."
Oriana nodded, though her body was swaying a little. "Please take care of my sister," she mumbled. Now left alone, she looked around the room. "Water," Oriana muttered, looking around for where to quench her thirst when some women stopped her.
"Your Majesty, I am the wife of the minister for..." They started chattering, introducing themselves to the new Queen.
Oriana, on the other hand, wasn’t hearing what they were saying. She was getting dizzier with each second that passed. All she wanted to do was jump inside the bowl filled with cold water.
"I would love to come and see you tomorrow, your Majesty. My husband has this merchant that brings the finest silk..."
Oriana raised her hand, stopping the women from talking. "I will talk... tomorrow, not today," she mumbled, looking for a way to escape when she bumped into someone. It was Princess Adelaide.
"Your Majesty," Adelaide gasped, "I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Here, let me help you." She tried to touch Oriana, but the girl backed away.
Oriana held Adric’s jacket closely. "I’m fine, no need." She rubbed her eyes; it was so hard for her to keep them open. And the only person on her mind right now was Adric.
Adelaide noticed how Oriana’s eyes were darting around the room. "If you’re looking for my brother, I saw him going back to his room through that door. Have a good night rest, your Majesty, and congratulations once more." She bowed and left but went to a corner to watch Oriana.
Oriana looked around, raising her finger. She pointed towards the door. "Adric is there," she staggered towards the door until she left the room where the party was being held.
Now walking through the lonely passage with dim candlelight on each pillar, Oriana tried her best to keep her eyes open. The more she walked, the more she felt her core throb. She wanted to be touched, anywhere at all, just so she could quench the burning desire in her body.
"Where is he?" Oriana muttered, looking around for Adric. She swallowed hard, feeling her throat dry up. Oriana stopped walking. She felt a person’s movement behind her. Slowly, she took out the small knife close to her dress and turned quickly to attack, but her hand was held up midair.
Adric held the girl’s hand up, looking at her with so much amusement. Though she was intoxicated, she was still very much aware of her surroundings.
"Your Majesty," Oriana gasped, taking her hand back. A small grin formed on her lips. "You were looking for me too, weren’t you?"
Adric cleared his throat, taking the knife from her hand so she wouldn’t hurt herself. "Who said I was? I saw a drunk woman walking aimlessly in the palace, and I decided to check who it was."
"I’m not drunk!" Oriana moved back. "See? I’m very fin-" She tried to stand straight but failed, causing her to stagger.
Adric stretched his hand forward and pulled her close to his chest. "Are you now?"
Oriana blinked, with her hands resting on Adric’s chest. "You have very beau- No! Dark eyes."
"Do you hate them?" Adric used his free hand to push the hair that was almost covering Oriana’s face back.
Oriana shook her head. "No, no... I don’t hate them. Just that it makes me... it makes me..." She paused. "Can I ask you for something?"
Adric raised his eyebrows, unsure of what she wanted to ask. "Go on, I’m listening. If it’s something I can do, then I will."
"Of course it’s something you can do! We’ve even done it before," Oriana whispered, then she buried her face in Adric’s chest, giggling.
Rowan cleared his throat from where he was standing, reminding Adric that he was still behind him.
Adric exhaled, his eyes on Oriana. The girl should be given a kingdom to rule and name it trouble because that was what she was best at.
More than her causing trouble, Adric was even more furious when he thought of another man seeing Oriana in such a vulnerable state.
"Get those involved in spiking the Queen’s drink. I’m sure Caspar would have something to do with it. Make sure he’s caught in the act because he already has other crimes to pay for," Adric ordered. Someone had to be punished for the killing in the woods and the attempt on his father’s life.
Though Caspar wasn’t the mastermind, he wasn’t innocent either. It was time for him to teach others a lesson, whether it was Gwen or her daughters. They needed to learn to stop crossing the line.
"I’ll do just th-"
"Shhh!" Rowan stopped talking when Oriana raised her face, holding her finger to her lips.
"Silence," Oriana continued with a serious look. Then suddenly, she started giggling, hitting Adric’s chest. "Your Majesty, I have something else I want to ask you for."
Adric rubbed his temples tiredly. "What is it this time?"
Oriana pressed her lips, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Can you... um... use your finger and place it inside my-"
Adric used his hand to cover her mouth, making the rest of her words muffled. "That’s enough," he closed his eyes for a brief second.
Rowan turned around, looking for how to escape from the awkward situation while also trying to stop himself from laughing. "I’ll now take my leave. I mean, go apprehend the culprits."
"You do just that while I take this Queen trouble back to her cage. I’ll talk to you tomorrow," Adric held Oriana’s waist, and with one lift, he carried her on his shoulder.
Rowan bowed deeply, with a small smile playing on his lips. "Enjoy your night."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
