[Music Recommendation: Western Nights ~ Ethel Cain]
Later that evening, Adric stood on the balcony, his eyes staring blankly at the night sky. He turned when he noticed someone’s presence.
"Sneaking on your husband might attract some punishments," Adric spoke without looking to his side.
Oriana hugged him closely from the back. "I’ll gladly take the punishments if it’s coming from you."
Adric finally turned, holding Oriana by the waist. "Are you being naughtier by the day...or should I say night?"
Oriana chuckled. "It’s only for you and nobody else." She rested her head on Adric’s chest, closing her eyes. Whenever she was with him, she didn’t have to think or worry about anything. She was just herself, a normal girl. "When did you return from the camp?"
Adric hummed. "A while ago. I thought you had slept off. I didn’t want to wake you up."
"I was awake waiting for you. I just thought to come out and take some air," Oriana remarked, moving from Adric’s chest. She went to rest on the balcony rail, resting her head on it. "Did Adelaide tell you about her marriage to the Prime Minister?"
Adric turned his face, now looking at the sky. "She did. I hope it’s for the best this time. They want it to be a quiet wedding, so we don’t have to do anything for her."
Oriana hummed. "I’m planning on letting Sophie get married to the charmer, but we will need to go back to Orion and tell our parents." Turning to Adric, she asked, "Can we visit Orion? I also want to talk to my mother..."
Oriana wanted to talk to her mother, especially after finding out that Curtis was not her father. She had a lot of things she wanted to ask her mother.
"We can leave tomorrow. I will have the carriages made ready for us to leave, and I will let Rowan know we will leave very early, so as to arrive the same day," Adric replied. Looking at Oriana, he asked, "Will you be okay going back home?"
Knowing that Oriana didn’t have the best memories while at home, he was worried that going home would trigger memories that would hurt her.
"If I’m going with you, then I’m sure I’ll be fine." Oriana raised her head and, going back to stand close to Adric, hugged him. "Adric."
"Hm?" Adric answered, patting her back gently.
"We are going to be fine, right?"
Adric sighed. He didn’t know what the future had in store for them, especially with the war ahead, but he wanted to believe that everything would turn out well for them. If not for anyone, then for Oriana, who grew up with scars and tears. He wanted to give the best life to her from here on.
"We will be just fine," his voice was calm and low as he touched Oriana’s back gently.
. . .
The next morning, the carriages were ready to leave the palace for Orion.
Malcolm and Adric spoke briefly before he left. "General, I know it’s too much, but I will only feel at ease knowing your soldiers will watch the borders and also guard the palace."
Malcolm bowed. "I will protect the palace. This is the reason we came to Avon in the first place. Trust me and my soldiers on that."
When the carriages were ready to leave, Sophie was in the same carriage as Galen, while Adric and Oriana stayed alone in their own carriage. Madame Rosalie and Freya left in another, and Rowan came with the guards in another.
By evening, the carriages from Avon finally arrived in Orion. It was raining in Orion, so the villagers had already closed their doors, going to sleep early.
Oriana stuck her head out, looking at the place she once grew up in. The streets she was very familiar with, places she went to whenever she escaped from the palace just to breathe. It was dark, but she could see it clearly. When she saw the house of Demi-monde, she smiled, remembering the memory she shared with Adric there.
When they got to the palace, they stepped down from their carriage, not waiting for pleasantries because of the rain. They entered the palace.
Oriana could still remember the last memory she had before leaving her home. After being punished, banished, and brought back to be married off to pay back a debt. A marriage where she would have lost her life if Adric hadn’t come to rescue her. Then, she wanted to really die and not be saved, but right now, she was most grateful to Adric for saving her and giving her the will to go on with life.
"O-Oriana?" Saline’s voice broke when she saw her daughter. "Is that you?" the woman called. Her eyes now looked dull and tired. Her hair looked rough, with one side of her face swollen. It was clear, even at night, that she had been hit.
Oriana nodded. "It’s me, Mother."
"Oh, Curtis! Oriana is back," the woman shouted excitedly. "She came back."
Curtis came out wearing just his robe and trousers, his chest left bare. "It is really Oriana," the king muttered. When he saw the person beside her, the man bowed. "Your Majesty, congratulations on your coronation."
Adric nodded. "Thank you."
Sophie ran down from her carriage, holding her husband closely. "Mother, Father."
"Who is that mad man beside Sophie?" Curtis asked nobody in particular as everyone waited calmly for Sophie to speak for herself.
Excitedly, the princess raised Galen’s hand. "I introduce to you all my husband."
"What?"
Oriana cleared her throat. "It’s a long story, and we are tired from the journey. Let’s get some rest and talk about this tomorrow."
"L-let’s go inside," Curtis nodded, still looking at his daughter with a horrified face. "Is that man going to enter the palace with us?"
Oriana nodded. "If he doesn’t, Sophie won’t want to sleep inside either. So, yes."
As everyone entered the palace, Oriana felt someone’s eyes looking at her. When she turned, she saw her mother looking at her closely, and when their eyes met, the woman blinked, looking away immediately.
Saline touched her hair, trying to straighten it while she tried to hide the marks on her face and body. "Come inside, it’s cold," she muttered, walking briskly inside the palace.
Oriana looked at the entrance of the palace, trying to remember any good memories, but all she could hear were her own screams as she was being punished. She tried her best to put it behind her, but she couldn’t move her feet. Even when she forced herself, she felt her chest squeeze and she couldn’t breathe.
"I’m here with you, no one is going to hurt you...now slowly breathe," Adric touched her back gently. "Now follow my step. I’m going to stay here with you, and anyone who tries to hurt you will have to go through me first," his tone reassuring. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Oriana gripped Adric’s hand tightly, and slowly she listened to his voice and took one step inside the palace. Slowly, she walked deeper with Adric’s guidance and voice. She forgot about the pains she felt while living in the place she once called home.
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