The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 575: My Heart Is Dark

Chapter 575: My Heart Is Dark

The meal concluded peacefully as Arlan refrained from saying anything that might provoke Oriana. Remaining silent until the end, Oriana finally stood up and announced, "I have to leave. It’s already noon, and Grandpa must be waiting for me."

Arlan gazed at her silently for a moment before rising to his feet, prompting Oriana to ponder his thoughts. Had her mention of returning to her grandpa upset him? It was a possibility, given his disdain for her grandfather.

"Rafal must have already made preparations," Arlan said, leading the way.

"Have I upset you?" Oriana inquired, sensing tension.

Arlan concealed his true emotions, masking it with a calm demeanour as he turned to her and said, "You’ve yet to tell me how many times you think you should be spanked."

Her eyes widened in surprise, momentarily forgetting her previous question. So he hadn’t forgotten about it and was indeed serious.

Noticing her shocked expression, Arlan realized he had successfully shifted her focus and suggested, "How about I help you decide, so you don’t have to worry about picking a number?"

She looked at him, a sense of unease settling in. If there was no escaping it, it was better to choose for herself.

"Four," she blurted out quickly before Arlan could suggest a number that would be unchangeable. It was more than three as he has instructed.

"Stingy, aren’t you?" he teased. "I expected more from you."

"Who would enjoy being spanked? Are you being delusional, thinking I might pick a higher number?"

He stepped closer, causing her to retreat. "You don’t know what kind of fun you’re missing out on."

"I don’t think there’s any fun in getting hurt," she replied firmly.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Didn’t it hurt last night, yet you seemed to enjoy it."

"You..." Embarrassment flooded Oriana’s cheeks as she stammered, "You pervert!" She turned to walk away, but Arlan caught her hand and pulled her back gently. "Where do you think you’re going?"

She glared at him, her voice tinged with irritation. "I told you the number already and now I am free to go." She referred to when he said she won’t be allowed to leave unless she tells the number.

Arlan said nothing in response; instead, he leaned in and kissed her. The moment their lips met, all her anger disappeared and she kissed him back, making her wonder if she was losing her pride to the temptation of intimacy he pulled her in. At this moment she didn’t care and continued to kiss him, reciprocating the equal passion as his.

When they finally parted, he whispered, "Do not dare leave without giving me this."

His words reminded her of the next morning after their wedding day when he had said every morning of their life should be just like this. Suddenly, Oriana understood why he had stopped her from leaving.

She nodded, her breath still heavy. "I will keep that in mind."

"You may leave now," Arlan said, releasing her hand. "I will wait for your return."

"I will," she replied, and turned to leave.

Oriana quickened her pace, afraid that if she lingered, she wouldn’t want to leave at all. It was crazy to feel this way when her elderly grandfather awaited her, but deep down, she longed to stay by Arlan’s side.

As she stepped away, a frown creased her brow. ’It must be that demoness inside me craving the dragon,’ she thought bitterly, ’or else why would I lust after him when I have my grandfather’s needs to consider? I hope getting spanked will humiliate the Demon Princess enough to stop her from lusting after him.’

---

Meanwhile, at a distant location, two witches with opposing powers convened once again.

"Why did you summon me?" Evanthe inquired, her tone cool and detached.

"I can’t hold back that stone for much longer. It’s like it’s become stronger since it sensed Oriana’s presence; it’s resisting my powers effectively," Zaria confessed, her frustration evident.

Evanthe laughed softly. "It seems you’re not as formidable as you once were."

"Why don’t you try to restrain it yourself and see? Sadly, you lack the power of darkness," Zaria retorted with a smirk.

"Don’t tell me you need someone with darkness attributes to help you control it," Evanthe said, arching an eyebrow.

"You’re still as sharp as ever," Zaria acknowledged with a nod.

"Prince Arlan was injured, and he isn’t ready yet. Besides, he needs to conserve his strength to mark Oriana," Evanthe explained. "And my son? He would probably strangle you and send you to the depth of hell. As for Draven, he would kill you the first chance he would get."

Unperturbed by the threat, Zaria responded, "Then perhaps I should let the stone seek out its intended recipient, let it reach Oriana. If it fulfil its purpose, it will only make me more powerful with that Lord’s grace. Think it over. You know all I care about is gaining more power."

"How could I forget your greed for power?" Evanthe replied dryly. "I’ll contact Drayce. He’ll help you manage the stone until Prince Arlan can mark and complete his bond with Oriana."

"Whatever it takes to stop this," Zaria shrugged.

"Why are you even trying to protect Oriana when you might lose your chance to gain more power from that Demon?" Evanthe asked.

"I will get what I want from him eventually. Stopping this rock is impossible—it will reach her one day. I’m just buying some time until she’s ready to face what’s coming. So there’s no loss for me; I will still gain power," Zaria explained, her tone matter-of-fact.

"Why do you even care about her?" Evanthe asked again, as if trying to find if there was a shred of humanity still left inside her old friend who had surrendered herself to the darkness.

"Care?" Zaria chuckled darkly. "Since when have I cared for anyone? Don’t be mistaken, Evanthe. I’m only looking out for my interests, and my interest in Oriana is that I need her. I want her to grow stronger so she can be useful to me. If she gets trapped in the Demon realm, that’s a loss for me. I have yet to conquer Agartha and punish all those mighty supernaturals who think they are above everyone else."

Evanthe stared at her, speechless.

"Don’t give me that look. Nothing will change," Zaria stated firmly. "We are nothing but enemies."

"There’s still time for you to turn back. We can forget what happened back then..."

"You might forget, but I can’t," Zaria cut her off sharply. "My heart isn’t as kind and forgiving as yours. It is dark and craves nothing but revenge for all the injustice that was caused to my clan. Just because I’m helping Oriana doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned my purpose. Oriana is merely a part of my plan, nothing more. Keep that in mind."

Evanthe sighed deeply. "I’ll bring Drayce. We can meet again."

With that, Zaria vanished without another word, leaving Evanthe alone, staring at the spot where she had disappeared.

’Only if I can return into the past, and stop everything from happening since the start. But seems like, we can only prepare to face another war.’

She shook her head, ’For now let’s focus on the issue in hand. I need to check if Oriana’s body is ready to bear marking.’