The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 566: Confronting A Master

Chapter 566: Confronting A Master

Just as Yorian left and Oriana was about to call Ana to give her instructions about her grandfather, Oriana felt something and turned around, only to find a woman standing in her chamber.

It seemed like it was a day for unexpected visitors, and this one was the most surprising of them all.

"Are you so happy to see me that you even forgot to greet your master?" the woman commented as she walked and settled herself in the chair.

Oriana regained her senses and asked, her tone displeased, "What are you doing here?"

The woman raised a brow. "Impolite in front of your master?"

Oriana’s demeanor remained the same. "Should a master who deceives their student expect respect from them? Especially one who deceives her student with a fake identity."

"It’s not like you were unaware of my identity. The King of Megaris must have already told you that I am Zaria Lynx, the most powerful black witch who once wreaked havoc among supernaturals."

"He did, and I should have been wary of you as he advised. You are not to be trusted."

"Hmm, it seems like my student has some misunderstandings about me," Zaria commented calmly. "Since we are on the subject, let’s clear it up today. Speak your mind."

Oriana stood rooted in her place and asked, "Why did you help Prince Arlan, and if you did, why didn’t you tell me when I called you for the same purpose? Why did you help him sacrifice his life? Just for some divine dragon’s blood? Are you so greedy for power that you would let someone sacrifice their life as long as you get what you want?"

Zaria remained calm. "Let me answer then," she began. "Firstly, Prince Arlan approached me before you did. He told me he was a Dragon and offered his blood in exchange for my help, which I gladly accepted. And why would I not? It’s not every day you meet a Dragon and he offers his blood.

"Secondly, I wanted that witch to die, and if he was willing to sacrifice his life to kill that monster, it meant he knew how dangerous she was and that there was no other way to kill her. I supported killing that monster, even if it meant sacrificing someone’s life.

"Thirdly, it was for your sake. It was going to lead to your awakening as the Queen of witches, which was more important..."

"But not for me," Oriana interrupted her angrily, "I didn’t want to be the queen of witches, especially not at the cost of his life," Oriana countered angrily. "Who are you to decide how my powers should awaken? Who are you to think it’s alright to let someone die for my sake? Who are you to even meddle in my matters?"

"Your master," Zaria answered. "The moment you called me to seek my guidance on dealing with that witch, I was already involved in the matter and qualified to meddle."

"No, you were not," Oriana shouted angrily. "As a master, your job was to guide me and let me handle things myself. Didn’t you say I was to take care of it and you wouldn’t be helping me? Then why did you decide on your own? Why didn’t you let me deal with it on my own?"

"On your own?" Zaria chuckled. "Where did you get the confidence that you could do it on your own? defeating a powerful and malicious witch like her, do you really think simply learning how to use your magic was enough? Or just because you know you are a Queen of Witches, victory will come to you on its own? Are we witches who give our life time to become powerful, are we fools in your eyes? This is not confidence, but you being delusional that you could defeat her just based on your bravery and some newly practiced skills of using a magic."

There was a silence in the room.

Zaria continued. "If it were that easy, why would a powerful beast like a divine Dragon suffer under her control? Why do you think the prince decided to sacrifice his life? Was he tired of living and didn’t want to find any other way to kill her? Because he knew she wouldn’t die easily and only sacrificing his soul was the way."

"I...I could have found a way without letting him get hurt," Oriana commented.

"Find a way?" Zaria chuckled mockingly. "You did find a way, and that’s because I paved it for you. You were only able to kill that witch because your powers were awakened. Without that, you and the Prince could have died at that witch’s hands, or at least been gravely harmed. I chose to sacrifice one life instead of two. I chose you, Oriana."

"So generous, huh?" Oriana glared at her, her eyes reflecting the depth of her anger as she recalled how she almost lost Arlan. "You, who caused the entire high elf clan to be wiped from existence, you, who killed so many people back then, now trying to be generous by saving one life?"

Zaria stared wordlessly at Oriana before letting out a mocking laugh. "My dear Oriana, how naive of you think this way. Seems like you are far away from learning the reality of how this world works and how selfish you can be."

"Though I am black witch, I am not like you," Oriana growled, "I won’t ever harm any innocent and never be a power greedy like you."

"Oriana Verner," Zaria’s expressions turned serious as she gazed into Oriana’s eyes, "you were about to destroy this entire realm just because you lost one person important to you, not caring about how many innocent people you would have killed because of your vengeance towards the witch. Do you even qualify to judge me, someone who has lost countless loved ones and was forced to avenge them?" Zaria smirked mockingly, "Just losing one person made you this angry and destructive, when you are yet to face what it means to lose everything in your life just like I did. If you were to suffer what I did, you would probably want to destroy all three realms."

At this, a sudden silence filled the chamber. Oriana, short of words, stared at her master. It was true—on that night, she had almost destroyed the entire realm, and if not for Arlan’s intervention, her anger and her demonic side might have led her to do so, albeit unintentionally.

Zaria continued, "Everyone decides what’s right or wrong based on their own comfort, and someone has to turn into a villain when the other side declares themselves a hero, pretending to act righteous. But in truth, everyone is just selfish, looking for their own benefit."

Oriana fell silent, absorbing Zaria’s words. "Have a seat. Let’s talk about something more important," Zaria added.

Oriana sat down, still unable to find the words to confront her master. What Zaria said made sense; if her powers hadn’t awakened, she wouldn’t have been able to defeat the witch. However, the cost of Arlan’s life was a price she felt she could never forgive Zaria for.

"Before we discuss why you’re here, I want to know how Arlan found you and what exactly he said to you," Oriana requested.

"Alright," Zaria replied, ready to explain further.