The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 479: You Have Changed.

Chapter 479: You Have Changed.

After Evanthe and Sierra departed, Drayce turned to his companion, gesturing, "Take a seat. Allow me to aid your recovery."

Arlan sat in the couch as Drayce sat opposite him. he placed his hand over the wound on Arlan’s chest and shut his eyes in concentration. Gradually, the shadowy essence flowed from Drayce’s form, merging with Arlan’s. Once the transfer was complete, Drayce reassured him, "In a few days, your wounds will mend, and your abilities will return."

Arlan acknowledged this with a nod. Without missing a beat, Drayce remarked, "Now, it’s Oriana’s turn." Together, they proceeded to Arlan’s chamber, where Drayce touched Oriana’s forehead, infusing her with a portion of his shadowed essence, hastening her recovery. The trio shared a common thing—darkness—as their source of formidable power.

Drayce observed Oriana’s pale face, "Seren was the same and it took her time to heal completely but she is alright now," he looked at worried friend, "You should stop worrying."

The playful friend Drayce had been seeing for the past two decades, seemed changed and unusually quiet. He was hiding his pain behind his playful and blatant personality but now he didn’t need to hide anything.

Arlan simply nodded and looked back at Drayce, "You will exhaust yourself by providing both of us with part of your powers and you keep teleporting back and forth. It would be enough if you only do it for Oriana. I will heal on my own."

With a teasing glint in his eye, Drayce quipped, "Have you forgotten who you’re speaking to? I am the son of the Devil, the most formidable entity in this universe."

Arlan, taken aback, found himself momentarily speechless. It was uncommon for Drayce to openly acknowledge his lineage, calling himself Devil’s son.

Sensing Arlan’s surprise, Drayce added, "As long as I can help my people with the power I got from Him, I can be only thankful for having that power."

"You’ve changed," Arlan commented.

Drayce chuckled softly, as they exited the chamber. "But haven’t you too embraced your abilities, all to shield someone dear?"

"Precisely," Arlan agreed.

"So let me help you and Oriana. You have always been important to me. While Oriana...Well, I see her as my younger sister, someone who is in need of help and I would never mind lending a hand."

Arlan raised a brow, "Isn’t she your Queen now?"

Admittingly, Drayce replied, "True enough. Bound by duty, I’d be compelled to heed the Queen’s commands—unless I’m prepared to be labeled a renegade and face the wrath of our witch clan."

Chuckling, Arlan mused, "Fortunate of me, I’m not a warlock."

Drayce laughed as he knew what his friend was thinking, "You would have been walking eggshells around your mate, always being obedient to the Queen of Witches."

"That’s not going to happen," Arlan retorted.

"But something else might happen. If the Queen orders me to beat you, I would have no other choice but to follow her orders," Drayce teased, "do not worry, I will only use my powers of warlock."

"You can sure beat me, then I will have an excuse to act pitiful and make her tend to my injuries," Arlan countered.

Drayce could not help but smirk, "Already planning sly tricks?"

At that moment, Alex appeared, bowing respectfully to both Arlan and Drayce before delivering his message. "Your Highness, you are summoned to the palace."

Arlan realized he had neglected his father who must have suffered the previous night, "Is there any issue with my father’s health?"

"I cannot say," Alex replied, "but King Ailwin himself has called for you."

"Make preparations to leave for the palace," Arlan instructed, his thoughts momentarily with his ailing father.

Alex left and Arlan heard Yorian, "King Ailwin is absolutely fine, Prince Arlan?"

Arlan looked at the elf, "Have you visited him?"

"I ensure no detail escapes my attention, Prince Arlan," Yorian nodded, his voice laced with pride. "When Zaria lifted the curse, she made sure your father was completely alright. She seemed to have put in more effort than required."

Drayce remained silent, his thoughts clouded by his lingering animosity toward Zaria, whom he viewed as an adversary for harming his wife. Arlan, on the other hand, was left in a state of bewilderment, processing the unexpected revelation.

"No surprises there," Yorian’s tone dripped with sarcasm as he remarked, "As you have given her your precious divine blood to help her be more powerful, she could at least have this much conscience. But I think she did it because of Oriana as Oriana is her student."

Arlan’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Oriana was Zaria’s student?"

Yorian didn’t bother explain but said, "As we are at up to revealing everything, there is no use of hiding anything."

Yorian then subtly at Drayce, who understood the gravity of this revelation for his friend. Sensing the weight of the unspoken, Arlan turned his gaze toward Drayce, seeking clarity. "Were you aware of this?"

Drayce narrated him everything from the start when he spotted Oriana for the first time at the Azures island and the young Black Witch they were talking all along was no one else but Oriana. He also explained everything that happened in Othinia as well and how Oriana ended up seeking help from Zaria for Arlan’s sake after seeing him hurt due to evil black magic.

Arlan’s voice quivered with emotion. "So, all this time, you were aware of her true identity, and yet, I remained in the shadows?" He leveled a penetrating gaze at Drayce. "Is this how our bond endures? Imagine if I concealed something of Seren from you—would you stand by quietly?"

"I understand your feelings of betrayal," Drayce began earnestly, "but recall your own prejudices against Black Witches. Had you known Oriana’s true identity initially, would you have granted her the chance she deserved? Would you have allowed her to be even in your line of sight? She feared your rejection deeply, urging me to maintain her secret. Moreover, she once saved Seren’s life, creating a debt I couldn’t ignore. I had to accept her request."

While Arlan grasped the reasoning, his discontent remained palpable. "Yet, how could you allow her to go to Zaria—"

"Oriana had found this way on her own and we didn’t stop her as there is no other powerful Black Witch in existance who could teach the Queen herself," Yorian replied. "Oriana is a Queen so Zaria would never harm her that is why we allowed her. Every supernatural being must know how to use their powers, if not then they would only end up harming themself and others by accidental use of those powers. Would you have preferred it that way, Prince Arlan? We have seen the sudden involuntary outburst of her powers twice, once in that temple in Othinia and second the previous night. She needs to know how to use and control her powers. A powerful person like the Queen, could not be left unattended or casualties are bound to happen."

Arlan kept quiet for a while, processing everything they had said.

"Just know that, all she till now is solely for you. That means you are someone more important to her," Drayce tried to comfort him.

Arlan responded with a solemn nod. "I’m aware." His gaze shifted to Drayce. "Are there any other secrets concerning her that I should be privy to?"

Drayce hesitated momentarily before responding, "There’s little else, except that she has Black Nightshade in her possession, intended to aid her ailing grandfather. Rest assured, her intentions are pure."

He understood and said, "After this, do not hide anything from me about her. Whatever it is, I will handle it."

Drayce nodded in agreement. "You have my word."

Yorian interjected, shifting the topic, "The palace summon likely to address your impending wedding, which is mere a few days away."

Only then Arlan realized that he and Oriana were going to get married soon.

"But I wonder if the bride wants to walk the aisle with you and even wants to marry you," Yorian commented.

Yorian’s speculative remark earned him a sharp, warning glare from Drayce, hinting at unspoken complexities surrounding the impending union.

Yorian’s words carried a palpable bitterness, his resentment toward Arlan evident. "You betrayed her at the last moment when she was resolute on protecting you. At the critical juncture when she mustered the courage to reveal her true identity, fearing your rejection as a Black Witch, you betrayed her. She braved her deepest fears, planning meticulously to safeguard you. Her commitment to you was unwavering, yet you dismissed her wishes, seemingly prepared to sacrifice your life. Did you even grant her an opportunity to explain?"

Arlan’s voice was firm, unyielding. "Even had she revealed the truth, my stance would have remained unchanged. I would have never allowed her to go to that witch."

Drayce’s hand gently rested on Arlan’s shoulder, offering empathetic reassurance. "I understand you. I would have done the same to keep Seren away from any impending danger."

"I know she will be upset with me when she wakes up, but I will handle it. As long as she is fine, everything is bearable," Arlan spoke.

With a heavy sigh, Yorian disappeared from there. He appeared somewhere far from the place, a cliff of a mountain where no one was there to disturb him. His gaze darted at a distance, seemingly looking at nothing but lost somewhere in a deep abyss in his heart.

"I didn’t even get the chance to protect her."