The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 464: Ready To Sacrifice

Chapter 464: Ready To Sacrifice

Arlan’s Perspective

That unfortunate day in the village of Wimark, the day when Arlan discovered Oriana was Philip’s granddaughter, a shockwave coursed through him, leaving his senses momentarily paralyzed. As he observed her hurried and fearful approach to her injured grandfather, it felt as if his entire world had crumbled in an instant.

How could this be? How much more his destiny could be in ruins?

This young woman had been his solace, a source of relief from the silent pains he bore. However, now she seemed destined to become the catalyst for a new ordeal. Yet, that wasn’t his primary concern. In that critical moment, all he could focus on was Oriana’s impending danger.

Helplessly witnessing her tend to her grandfather’s injuries, his mind raced with thoughts on how to shield Oriana from the imminent threat that could jeopardize her life. The looming danger took shape in the form of a witch eagerly anticipating her arrival at the palace.

’I cannot allow her entry into the palace. My father, relentless in his pursuits, will stop at nothing. I must prevent Oriana from returning. Once that witch identifies my betrothed, the blood of Verner within the palace, she will stop at nothing to claim Oriana. I cannot let her inflict harm upon Oriana, my mate; I cannot let her perish.’

He studied her intently, aware that he needed to adopt a stern demeanor and distance her, or else Oriana would never willingly leave. Clarifying the situation was not an option; the less she knew, the safer she would be. Besides, he harbored too much suffering to share, and he firmly believed that no one could alleviate his burden. Oriana’s persistent nature only added to the complexity; knowledge of the danger would likely drive her to recklessness.

Employing a facade of hatred and threats of harm became the only viable strategy to compel her departure. The incident with her grandfather, a regrettable moment now irreversible, provided him with leverage. This became his tool to distance her, ensuring she left even before his father could reclaim her for the palace.

He never planned to kill her. The mere thought of hurting her was unbearable. Instead, he considered sacrificing himself in her stead. All he wanted was to send her away safely somewhere far and she would never return to the palace, even it means to never being able to see her ever again.

With the help of his men, he created opportunities for her to run away. He hoped she would independently choose to depart before reaching the palace, understanding that only her own will could drive her actions. Forceful coercion would never sway her, he knew.

Despite his relentless efforts, Oriana eventually arrived at the palace, leaving him no choice but to comply with his father’s commands. His paramount concern was keeping her away from the Queen’s palace, where the sinister witch resided. The fear lingered that Karla might inadvertently lead Oriana into the clutches of that evil witch. He had to keep her away from Karla’s reach as well.

When Oriana went to the Queen’s palace, he had to show how much he hated her presence and meeting his mother so so he could stop her from coming to the queen’s palace. When Crown Prince was angry, no one would ever dare ask Oriana to enter the Queen’s palace and she would be safe. He didn’t trust Karla even a bit and neither could he punish that old woman if she had to lead Oriana to the witch.

He resorted to the cruelest means to compel her departure, subjecting her to humiliation and repeatedly inflicting harm, even going so far as to strangle her to illustrate the depth of his disdain.

That day when he strangled her, he could not bear to have that sinful hand attached to his body. He wanted to cut it and throw it away. He did, he harmed his hand numerous times that night just because he used it to strangle her.

He had to resort to the tactics of threatening her with doing something out of the line with her, though he knew it was just to scare her. He would never do such a thing. But she was still stubborn.

On the night when the witch tormented him, demanding he bring Oriana, Arlan resisted surrendering. Faced with the harrowing choice, and to safeguard his innocent family, he reluctantly agreed. However, he harbored no intention of leading Oriana to that evil witch.

Instead, he found himself reluctantly seeking aid from an unlikely source, a decision he never imagined making even in the gravest circumstances. He went to that one person for help, despite he hated it.

The more Arlan attempted to shield Oriana from the clutches of the witch, the more she seemed to gravitate towards danger. Faced with this predicament, what recourse did he have but to resort to the extreme measures he took today? The prospect of Oriana falling into the hands of that malevolent sorceress was unthinkable. He couldn’t bear the thought of his mate’s demise, her body becoming a vessel for a vile creature. To protect her, the witch had to be vanquished.

For two decades, he silently endured the torture for the sake of his family. His philosophy was grounded in the fleeting nature of human life; his family members would age and eventually depart in the coming decades. Enduring the torment in silence, he never envisioned having a family, ensuring there would be no blood ties to bind him. He resigned himself to enduring the suffering until the last of his blood relatives naturally passed away. Only then would he enact his revenge on the witch. However, circumstances had shifted, and time pressed upon him.

With his family now free from the specter of the blood curse, only his father remained ensnared. Relying on the assistance of an unexpected ally, Arlan aimed to liberate his father from the curse and, subsequently, eliminate the witch. The daunting task of ending her existence required a sacrifice—his own soul. His blood, the very source that empowered the witch, made him the only one capable of delivering her demise.

Driven by an unwavering determination, he vowed to stop at nothing to achieve this end and all this is to protect the woman he loved. He could die for her without having to think again.