Oriana was almost crying along with the boy out of frustration. How was she supposed to explain to the boy the dynamics involved in having babies? Would the little boy understand that her marriage with Adric was not even stable and they didn’t love each other enough to have babies? It didn’t even work by going into the room together; a lot was involved.
"Walter, your auntie needs her rest," a young man’s voice gave Oriana hope. She quickly turned to see who her rescuer was, and if Oriana didn’t know better, she would have said the sun decided to take the form of a human. The man’s face looked like he had a halo above his head that made him stand out. This was it! Oriana’s dream man was now standing right in front of her with a warm smile.
"Uncle Nicholas," Walter stopped crying, wiping his eyes. He left Oriana to go hug his uncle.
Oriana heaved a sigh of relief, closing her eyes for a brief moment before she stood up and bowed gratefully to the man. "Thank you," she mouthed.
"Walter, why don’t you go and continue playing while your auntie gets her rest," Nicholas snapped his fingers, and the servant behind him came to take the boy away.
Oriana was happy to see the boy leave, not because she hated the child, but she needed to prepare herself for their next meeting if she didn’t want to run out of answers.
"Princess Oriana, yes?" The young man who had helped Oriana said with a small smile.
Oriana became self-conscious; she touched her hair, making sure it wasn’t out of place. "Yes, and Walter called you uncle? Are you related to the um, royal family?"
Nicholas twitched his lips, "Well, since I’m a servant of the crown, you can call it that." His reply was polite and calm.
"Servant?" Oriana looked at his dressing; she was sure the man was trying to be humble. He even had his own personal servant.
Nicholas noticed the questioning look on the princess’s face, "Don’t let my looks deceive you; I’m just a servant with a title," he winked, and Oriana found herself blushing.
"Thank you so much for helping me out earlier; I wasn’t sure what to say to the boy," she bowed sincerely. She was rested in a dilemma earlier.
The young man nodded, "I saw you from over there, and I knew you needed rescue. Children can be dangerous if you don’t know how to answer their questions,"
Oriana pressed her lips; her fingers found their way to her hair as she twisted it in a funny way. "You seem to be quite experienced with them; are you married?" She found herself asking the straightforward question.
"No, I’m not; I just love children," he replied.
You do? Oriana asked in her mind. Biting her lower lip, she couldn’t even look at this man straight in the face. Was this what people called love at first sight? Then this explains the reason why she was brought to Avon. Heaven had prepared this day for her to meet her soulmate. Freya was right; everyone had the one for them, and they shine brighter when they meet. She needed to quickly end this marriage thing with Adric now that she had found the one person for her.
"Is something bothering you?" Nicholas asked, seeing that the princess wasn’t talking but kept biting her lower lip.
Oriana shook her head, "Nothing, nothing at all. In fact, I’m doing just fine." She replied, fixing her hair properly. If this was a sign from heaven to meet with her soulmate, then she wouldn’t miss it. Yes, she has met a lot of tribulations, but then her grandmother had decided it was time for her to be happy. A pure gift that she deserved.
"I hope I’m not eating into your time if I ask to take a walk with you," Nicholas suggested, his voice calm and smooth.
Oriana blushed, turning her face to the other side. "How did you know? I love taking walks; I mean, it helps me relax and calm down my nerves. You see, I get very nervous when I see um..."
"Butterflies?" Nicholas asked with a smile, which the princess nodded with her hand covering her mouth.
"How did you know? Don’t tell me you’re a mind reader," Oriana giggled like a child. She couldn’t contain her excitement; to have a man as handsome and polite as Nicholas give her attention melted her heart.
Nicholas sucked his teeth, "Well, let’s just say it’s like a side job apart from being the king’s servant." He leaned closer to Oriana, "But it’s a rare gift that I use on very beautiful women,"
Oriana’s face flushed with blush; then she frowned. Does that mean he has seen so many other beautiful women? "It must be a gift that makes you popular," she muttered.
"Well, since you’re the third woman, after my mother and sister. Then I guess you can say that," Nicholas replied. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Oriana raised her face; it wasn’t other women but his mother and sister. Who knows, they would soon become her family in-laws; she needs to say something good about them. "I bet they-"
"Lord Nicholas," Oriana’s smile disappeared when she heard Adric’s voice. Why was he here to ruin her parade, and wait, did he just call him Lord? Then his position must be high in the court.
"Your Highness," Nicholas bowed deeply.
Adric’s eyes didn’t leave Oriana, who was still smiling at Nicholas. "If I didn’t know you so well, I’d say you’re trying to seduce a married woman,"
Oriana turned to glare at Adric; what was he talking about? She waved her hand, trying to tell Nicholas that it was all a lie, but Adric glared at her, and she stopped.
"I will never do that, Your Highness," Nicholas bowed, "I was only trying to keep the Princess company, seeing that she was all alone,"
Adric nodded, "I see, that’s very thoughtful. It’ll be to your own benefit if you keep the boundary set between you and the future Queen of Avon,"
"I will bear that in mind," Nicholas bowed, "Please Princess Oriana, forgive my impudence. I will not cross the line again," he said with a small smile before leaving.
Oriana pressed her lips, making a move to try to stop him from leaving. She was not done listening to him talk. Oriana turned to glare at Adric.
"Do you enjoy people having the wrong impression about you?" He asked this because Rowan had told him about Oriana’s encounter with Jasmine’s husband last night.
Oriana twitched her lips, "But we were just talking," she pointed out with a calm voice similar to Adric’s own. Oriana could clearly see that Adric was not having his usual smile on his face.
"A boundary not clearly set could become a problem in the nearest future," Adric warned, "Your family will be arriving Avon soon," he informed her before leaving.
Oriana’s eyes followed his movement, then she sighed after he had left. "Why does it feel like he’s angry," Oriana shook tje thought out of her head, Adric wouldn’t care if she spoke with another man. They clearly didn’t have such feelings for each other, she inhaled deeply, she walked back inside the palace, praying that Sophie would come quickly to take over her position so she could start something with her new found soulmate.
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