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Adric’s eyes lit up with pure evil as they moved from the airhead Crown Princess to the shocked younger princess.
"Crown Princess Sophie must have been so tasty," he said with fake innocence.
Oriana turned to glare at him, reaching for her sister’s cup, she tried to stop her, but Sophie was far gone.
Finally, when she dropped the cup, she belched loudly, causing Oriana to close her eyes in shame. Why were her plans always backfiring, she cried in her head. What crime did she commit in her past life?
"Your wine tassss gooood..." Sophie said, placing the cup on the table, but her hands weren’t steady, which caused her to push a wine jar. The crown princess didn’t mind when wine spilled on her dress; she sat down, moving closer to Adric.
"So, Crown Prince," Sophie slurred, the room tilting slightly, as her world was now moving in circles, "Care to explain why you, of all people, frequent such... Dem...?" The Crown Princess fell back, almost crashing on the ground, but Adric didn’t make a move to hold her. Oriana, who noticed this, quickly held her sister’s head.
"You have the strength of a man, I must say," he smiled, pushing the cup Sophie used aside. He raised the white jar that was now empty, courtesy of the crown princess.
"The Shepherd’s boom, this alcohol is even feared by most men. But you ordered it; were you secretly planning on knocking your sister out?" Adric’s voice dripped with mischief.
Oriana gently moved her sister to the side, making sure nothing happened to her. This wasn’t part of her plan. How was she supposed to explain this to her mother? Sophie opened her eyes immediately, with her hand raised, she shouted.
"All hail the Queen of Avon. Queen Sophie," she mumbled before closing her eyes to sleep. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
If Oriana didn’t feel ashamed before, this one worsened it. She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"The Crown Princess is quite a dreamer, I must say," Adric commented, pulling out his cigarette from his pocket.
After placing Sophie on the bed, Oriana went to sit opposite the Crown Prince, pouring herself wine in an empty cup. She needed the alcohol to help her brain relax at the moment.
"You already knew about the wine?" Oriana said, taking a sip from her cup.
Adric nodded without denying, "I’m a regular here so I know the wine just by looking at it. Though I’m surprised why you chose to give it to me, what was your naughty mind trying to do to me this time?"
Oriana inhaled deeply, "Are you really going to marry Sophie?"
"You know the answer; then why ask?" Adric threw back the question to her.
Oriana hit her leg gently; she knew it! This Crown Prince wasn’t going to go on with the wedding. She had only invited her doomsday; maybe she underestimated him for a minute. Oriana thought to herself.
"Then what are you doing here? Why did you accept the invitation?" She asked, looking at him straight in the eyes without blinking.
Adric crushed the butt of his cigarette on the ashtray and smiled. "I wasn’t going to accept it, but when I got the news, it was from Orion. I had a slight suspicion that it was you calling me desperately. So I said why not."
Oriana could feel her stress level plus her blood pressure rise, making her age quicker. She hit her shoulder, trying to massage it.
"Why not?" She asked, bile rising in her chest.
Adric nodded, "And I’m glad I did; it has been quite entertaining. A dumb Crown Princess and a Moth-brained Younger princess. I’m enjoying the ride, so far." He said with a small smile that struck a nerve in Oriana’s neck.
"So this is all for fun? What kind of person are you?" Her voice slightly raised, and this caused Sophie to stand up, looking around the room before she laid back down.
Adric placed his finger on his lips, "Shh, keep it down, don’t let your sister know about our secret relationship." He grinned, "Yes, all of this is, fun, and to answer what kind of person I am? I just love to have fun." Adric replied, seeing that Oriana wasn’t saying anything, he continued.
"You invited me, and here I am." He raised his hands defensively.
Oriana shook her head, "And whose fault was it that I wrote a letter? I just wanted my grandmother’s necklace back!" She pointed at him.
"You mean to tell me, you invited an entire kingdom for marriage because of a mere necklace? You privileged child," Adric tutted. "You have so much to learn, and I’ll make sure you learn your lessons."
Oriana raised her cup and gulped the remaining contents. "Did you just say a mere necklace? Ha..." she scoffed, turning her face to the side, trying to stop her tears.
"To me, that necklace costs more than the worth of any kingdom. Everything might come as a joke to you, but the reason for me to go on, the reason why I don’t have to feel like I shouldn’t have been born is in that necklace, and yet the only reason why I don’t see myself as odd is in the same necklace. But you left it here? And what? It has no value..." Oriana sniffled back her tears.
This was her only source of a reminder of her grandmother’s warmth, the older woman who left her behind without warning. Yet, because she didn’t cry on the day of her burial, she had been called different names. Trying to find herself after being left alone, Oriana became rebellious, filling up the void and emptiness she felt within the palace walls with her constant escape and shenanigans.
"I know I’m a child, but why can’t people just let me be!" This time Oriana’s lips were trembling.
Adric paused, looking at the princess with a calm expression on his face. Then he sighed, "It wasn’t that deep for you to make such a long speech. Either way, I had goosebumps." He remarked nonchalantly.
Oriana, whose mouth was now hanging open, looked at the man sitting opposite her. She lost words to say to him,
"You’re just insufferable! Fine, I’ll go report myself and get punished. It’s not the first time." Oriana pushed her gown aside, walking out of the room with anger.
Hearing the door bang shut, Sophie jerked up again, looking around the room,
"Who dares to be noisy when the Queen of Avon finds her rest?" The Crown Princess mumbled, falling back to sleep.
Adric nodded, "Tell me about it," he said in reply, dipping his hand into his pocket, he took out the necklace and stared at it blankly. His finger tapping on the table thoughtfully,
"You’re one interesting piece, aren’t you?"
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