The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 521: Like His Own Child

Chapter 521: Like His Own Child

There were knights all around, and even Ana was nearby, which only served to deepen Oriana’s embarrassment. Not only was Arlan holding her so closely, but his words were suggestive and shameless.

Oriana shot Arlan a glare. "Will you please behave? We are outside. Everyone can see us."

Arlan chuckled and glanced at his knights. "What do you guys see?"

"Nothing, Your Highness," they replied in unison, promptly turning around to face their backs toward the couple.

With a playful glint in his eyes, Arlan turned back to the woman attempting to free herself from his grasp. "They see nothing."

Oriana frowned. This prince and his men were like peas in a pod.

"I want to talk about Snowflake. Can you let me go now?" Her voice dripped with annoyance.

"At one condition."

"What?" she demanded.

Arlan’s face drew closer, his voice a whisper against her ear. "Tonight, you will allow me to provide you with my warmth."

She pulled her face back to look at him, only to hear him once more. "Will you?"

Her heart skipped a beat and made her anxious. "I... don’t know what you mean," she retorted, trying to push against his chest, her teeth gritted. "Let... me go..."

Finally, Arlan released her. Just as she thought it was over and stepped away from him, she heard his voice again.

"You seem to have trouble understanding whispers. Allow me to make it loud and clear so you can clearly understand what I mean."

Her expression tensed as she watched him speak again.

"Tonight, I want you to....umm...." His words were cut off as delicate palms covered his mouth, the owner of them hurrying towards him to prevent any further embarrassment.

Arlan didn’t back away, simply looking at her, only to hear her say, "Alright. I get it."

Under her palm, she could swear she felt his lips curving into a smile. This jerk!

She removed her hands from his mouth and watched the sly smirk play on his lips.

"Good that you understood," he said, taking her hand in his. "Let’s talk about our pet while we walk."

Oriana allowed him to hold her hand and walked alongside him. She knew he wouldn’t let go, so there was no use in resisting.

Without waiting for her to ask questions, Arlan began, "I found Snowflake almost five years back...."

He drifted back to those memories from when he was assigned to learn about military affairs and was dispatched to different military sites across the kingdom after he had finished his training at the academy where Crown Princes from various kingdoms honed their skills under the guidance of a single master.

During those military training years, one of such year, he was stationed at the northernmost border, attached to Megaris, he often found himself gazing at the towering, snowy mountains in the distance, seeking solace in the midst of loneliness. Sometimes, almost inexplicably, he even found himself teleporting there, driven by a subconscious urge he couldn’t quite comprehend.

In the thick snow and bitter cold, he would wander alone, akin to a lost soul merely existing for the sake of it. One particularly serene night, as he traversed a blanket of thick snow, his sharp hearing caught a muffled, weak sound. Intrigued, he followed the faint noise until he stumbled upon something out of the ordinary—a tiny creature, barely moving, emitting soft, muffled coos.

Arlan knelt in the snow and carefully extracted the small being, almost buried beneath the snow’s surface. In his hand, he cradled the delicate, feeble creature, its body barely warm and fitting snugly into his palm. He could scarcely detect its heartbeat and feared it wouldn’t survive much longer. With gentle care, Arlan removed every trace of snow from the tiny body and pressed it against his chest, covering it with the warmth of his thick coat, hoping to stave off the biting cold and provide some comfort.

"...I don’t know what I felt at that time, but all I wanted was to protect that small creature," Arlan shared, and Oriana listened intently. "I brought her back to the military base and tried everything I could to save her. She was a newborn baby, and I didn’t know exactly what to do. She needed food, but she was too small to eat anything. Feeding her milk was a challenging task, given her weakness, but somehow, I managed."

"How did you do it?" Oriana asked, her curiosity piqued. She wondered if he possessed the patience required for such delicate care.

"At first, I obtained a goat, which was readily available to provide milk for the soldiers. However, she couldn’t drink it; she was too weak. Feeding her with a spoon proved futile as well. But I couldn’t bear to let her die. So, I..." Arlan chuckled at what he was about to reveal.

"What?" Oriana’s curiosity peaked further.

"I made something- a small cotton ball wrapped in soft cloth and tied it to create a tiny shape that could fit in her mouth. Then, I dipped it in milk so it could absorb the liquid and placed it in her mouth, holding onto the corner of the cloth with one hand to prevent her from swallowing it entirely. She could suckle from it easily, and then I would slowly pour milk onto the soft ball in her mouth, allowing her to continue sucking. This routine persisted for an entire month until she grew stronger."

Oriana couldn’t help but smile. She could sense his compassion and tender-hearted nature. She had never expected him to exhibit such patience and care towards an animal. He had nurtured her with such dedication, akin to that of a mother caring for her own offspring.

She could picture that tender scene in front of her eyes and almost ended up thinking- ’Will he be this patient and gentle to his own child?’

"What are you smiling at?" he inquired, noticing Oriana’s expression.

Oriana felt a pang of self-reproach for allowing her thoughts to wander where they shouldn’t have, and she quickly replied, "You were really creative to come up with such an idea."

Arlan chuckled softly as their conversation continued.

"I returned to that same spot on the mountain countless times, hoping to find her parents, but they were never there. Eventually, I made the decision to keep her with me. She was so small and frightened of everything that I couldn’t bear to leave her in the forest or give her to anyone else. She would only sleep if I was beside her and wouldn’t allow anyone else to even touch her. Every night, I worried about accidentally harming her tiny body if I shifted in my sleep, so I couldn’t rest properly. Yet, she felt like my own child, and I didn’t mind the trouble. In fact, I never found it troublesome at all. Her presence next to me was comforting, as if I had someone of my own with me all the time. It made the loneliness bearable."

Understanding the depth of his words, Oriana tightened her grip on his hand involuntarily, as if trying to offer him solace. Arlan noticed but remained silent, knowing she would only blame herself for his circumstances. In another moment, he might have teased her or taken advantage of the situation, but now he simply appreciated the small comfort she was trying to provide.

"Why did you name her Snowflake?" Oriana broke the silence that had settled between them.

"When I found her buried in that snow, she felt like a beautiful snowflake trying to free herself from the rest of the snow. Whenever I held her, she was like a comforting purity amidst the darkness in my heart—so pure and beautiful, shining brightly."

"I loved her name," Oriana said, looking at him. "It suits her perfectly."

Arlan nodded and continued, "After a few years of training, it was time for me to return to the capital and assume duties as the Crown Prince. I couldn’t bring her back with me; you can guess the reason."

"I understand," Oriana replied with a heavy heart, then asked, "Where was she all this time?"

"In the northern part, on a territory owned by Nathan’s family. There’s a vast private estate under Nathan’s control, which includes a secluded forest area that’s snow-covered almost year-round. Snowflake loves to frolic in the snow and explore the forest. The estate was perfect for her, so I left her there under Nathan’s care and visited her often. She was familiar with Nathan, so she stayed there comfortably. Now everything is fine, and she can stay with us."

"I would love to have her here as well," Oriana added, her eyes alight with anticipation.

He looked at her sternly. "But that doesn’t mean you keep using her for warmth and forget about me. If that happens, I will send her back."

"You said she is like your own child, then how can you be so cruel to her?" Oriana countered.

"Yes, but I am a beast, and we beasts are possessive," Arlan replied firmly. "Snowflake is a beast as well, and she understands the language of beasts, which includes possessiveness. She won’t mind it."

Oriana sighed, dropping the argument, and asked, "Why do I feel like she is quite bigger than normal wolves? She is just five, isn’t it?"

Arlan nodded, "For wolves age of five is not like a human child. She is full grown adult for being a wolf. Indeed, she is quite bigger than ordinary wolves because she is special."

"Is she a werewolf? A shapeshifter?" Oriana queried with curiosity.

Arlan chuckled lightly. "No, she is not a shapeshifter. She is just a wolf, but of a slightly different kind."

"Different?" Oriana pressed.

"Hmm, I have no proof yet, but when Drayce met her for the first time, he said he sensed magical abilities in Snowflake. We couldn’t pinpoint the exact nature of her abilities, but Drayce is certain there is something magical about her."

"How can King Drayce be so sure?" she asked.

"Drayce is a warlock and has inherited his mother’s abilities of soul study. Though he’s not entirely skilled, he can still sense souls graced with magical abilities. Later, in books, we discovered there are some creatures with such abilities, and they are rare, like hardly one is born in hundreds of years."

"That’s interesting. No wonder Snowflake feels so special," Oriana remarked, watching the white wolf rolling on the green lawn and lazing around. ’That unique and healing warmth I felt from her... was it not my illusion?’

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report