[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: 6.6 GIGUE ~ PETER GREGSON, RICHARD HARWOOD & REINOUD FORD]
Oriana felt a familiar heat crawl up her neck; she didn’t miss the underlying threats in Adric’s words, and she knew they were meant for her. She had underestimated the craziness of this man the first day, thinking Sophie would match his style. But looking at her elder sister now, who didn’t even catch up with the man’s sarcasm, Oriana knew she had messed up big time by writing a letter to Avon. Did she bite off more than she could chew with this one?
This whole escapade and marriage arrangement, meant to be a punishment for Adric, had morphed into a personal nightmare. Here she was, back in the very room where she’d encountered the nightmare for the first time. Instead of running away from it, she ran back towards him by writing a silly letter. And to top it all off, Adric was reveling in her discomfort.
"Extraordinary, isn’t it?" Adric dangled the necklace in front of her, the glint of the moonstone pendant mocking her. "Such an ordinary trinket causing such a stir."
Oriana’s eyes followed the necklace until she saw it disappear inside his trouser pocket. She gulped.
Sophie piped up, trying to engage in a conversation with Adric, which she had been trying to do since they left the palace but failed. "Perhaps it has sentimental value."
Adric’s smile turned razor-sharp. "Sentimentality? And in a place like this? Doubtful, wouldn’t you agree, Princess Sophie?" Then he paused, a small coy smile creeping up his lips. "You’re not far from it; the memories made while touching this necklace could add va-"
"Alright, that’s it!" Oriana, who had been trying to control her bubbling fury, exploded, "We came here for an ’unconventional experience,’ remember? So why don’t we truly embrace it?"
A slow, predatory smile spread across Adric’s face. "Finally catching on, are we, Princess?"
Ignoring the drip of mischievousness in Adric’s voice, and how he called her just Princess..Oriana marched outside the room towards where she had seen Madame Rosalie.
She found the inn owner smoking a long pipe while gazing outside, looking at the peaceful canvas of the clear blue sky.
"We’ll be taking your finest room service," Oriana declared, "and enough of your strongest concoctions to make a princess blush!"
Madame Rosalie’s eyes lazily moved, settling on the young princess. She dragged another smoke from the pipe. "Have you decided to finally come out clean? It was you who I saw that day, yes?"
Oriana nodded, "That was me, yes."
The woman nodded with a smile, "I knew you had a different aura around you. Sure, what type of merriment would you desire, Princess..?"
"Oriana. My name is Oriana," she said to the woman, who bowed slightly. "Can you get a drink that could knock out a man with one shot? Something that would even bring down an elephant," Oriana’s voice turned to a whisper.
Madame Rosalie chuckled, "Did you come along with an elephant?" She said, noticing how the princess didn’t look happy being around Adric, and she knew immediately who it was who ticked the girl off. "His Highness can be quite a handful. I have no good testimonies about him to give to you." She said, "Not to worry, I’ll give you a nice treat, since it’s not every day we get to have the Princess of Orion in our humble inn."
Oriana nodded to the woman with a smile, before walking back inside the room. Of course, as Madame Rosalie said, there wouldn’t be any ounce of goodness in the life of someone like Adric. She quickly glanced at the Crown Prince, who was smiling sweetly to something Sophie was saying. When he turned to look at her, Oriana touched the curtain like there was something interesting in it.
The next minute, as promised, Madame Rosalie had their room buzzing with foods, drinks, and the best entertainers of the inn. The woman made sure everything was in order before leaving. She walked towards Oriana.
"There in the white jar is the drink that can knock down even the biggest elephant. Drink wisely," the woman winked.
Oriana’s eyes zeroed in on the drink, then she grinned. Clapping her hands, she got everyone’s attention. "Now, now, since we are all here, let’s have the best day of our lives." Oriana smiled brightly.
Sophie scrunched her face, "What type of fun can we possibly have in a place like this?" She moved her leg, with her hand raised in the air like everything there was below her standard.
Adric chuckled, "Well, Princess Sophie," he began, his voice smooth as velvet, "fun is a relative concept, isn’t it? For a delicate flower like yourself, perhaps a stroll through the palace gardens would be more suitable."
Oriana’s eyes quickly looked at the Crown Prince. Why was he suddenly buttering up Sophie with his deceptive words?
"But for someone with a touch of adventure in their spirit," he paused, letting his gaze linger on Oriana for a beat too long, "this place could be a treasure trove."
Sophie smiled, "A delicate flower," she blushed proudly.
Adric nodded, "Of course, we can’t deny that you’re as beautiful as the morning rose," his brown eyes gleaming with amusement Sophie couldn’t quite decipher. "Think of it, Princess Sophie. A chance to see a side of the kingdom most nobles never experience. The raw energy, the hidden gems to be discovered. It’s an experience that might just broaden your horizons a touch and give you the knowledge you need to be the future Queen."
Oriana could feel goosebumps rise on her skin with the cringe way Adric was trying to flirt with Sophie and with the look in his eyes, she knew he was faking everything. But her sister was long gone.
"Oh my, Your Highness. You’re such a sweet talker," Sophie said, holding her chest. He just acknowledged her to be the future Queen; this was a big step for her. Sophie thought to herself.
"Fine, if Your Highness insists, then I’ll be willing to try it out." The Crown Princess now relaxed on the couch.
When they had all settled down, Oriana decided to serve the drinks herself. Pouring a mild wine for Sophie before filling up Adric’s cup with the wine from the white jar.
"Your Highness. What is Avon like?" Sophie asked, trying to start a conversation.
Adric’s lips pulled up in a mischievous smile that only Oriana noticed. "Avon... Avon has so many beautiful women, but it gets boring since they all act alike, reserved and coy. I prefer my women wild, honest and free..." he drawled.
Sophie cleared her throat, thinking it was some type of joke on Adric’s side. She covered her face to laugh, "You’re such a tease, Your Highness."
Adric turned to look at Oriana with a raised brow, "I wasn’t joking," he replied.
Oriana quickly raised her cup, seeing that the conversation was not going anywhere because Adric’s sarcasm was lost on Sophie just like that.
"Let’s make a toast!! For the future of Avon and Orion," she said with a cheerful smile.
Sophie raised her own cup, "Cheers." The two sisters paused when they noticed the Crown Prince wasn’t raising his cup.
"Your Highness?" Oriana called through her teeth, waiting for him to quickly gulp the drink and pass out already. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Adric hummed, "You see, I always enjoy when a woman takes a taste of my drink first. It gives me a sense of security and heartwarming welcome," he remarked.
Oriana scowled; he already suspected that something was in his drink. And which moron was going to fall for it and taste his dr-
"Sure, Your Highness. I’ll take a sip of it." Sophie quickly dropped her own cup and instead of a sip, she gulped half of the contents.
No! You idiot! Oriana cried in her head, watching her sister down the contents in the cup.
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