The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 592: Dare To Gift My Husband?

Chapter 592: Dare To Gift My Husband?

Grace didn’t know how to respond and looked at her father, who quickly replied, "Your Highness, you jest," and turned to the King and Queen. "The Crown Princess certainly has a good sense of humor."

Ailwin simply smiled, while Julien added with a smile, "She sure does. But sometimes it’s difficult even for me to tell whether she’s serious or truly jesting. She’s just like her mother, Amaya—beautiful and quick-witted."

Luis nodded and turned to his daughter. "Your brother sent a gift for Prince Arlan, if I remember correctly."

"Ah, yes, Father. I almost forgot," Grace replied, signaling her lady servant, who brought two boxes.

A servant opened the larger box and placed it on the table, revealing a finely crafted sword. One look at it was enough to tell it was no ordinary sword.

Grace looked at Arlan and continued, "My elder brother remembered that in the past, Your Highness admired a sword he was using. These swords are rare, crafted by the secret techniques of craftsmen who work exclusively for our family. The Mortimer family typically possesses them alone, but he made an exception for Prince Arlan and had this sword specially crafted for Your Highness."

Arlan nodded, and a servant took the box away. Arlan glanced at Imbert, who gave him a knowing look as if saying he understood the message.

Grace then stood up and picked up a smaller palm-sized box from the tray, and she looked at Arlan. "Your Highness, I have also brought a gift for you."

Arlan simply looked at Grace while Oriana raised an eyebrow. A young woman offering a gift to her husband while his wife sat right next to him. ’So daring, huh?’ Oriana thought, her hand gripping the armrest of the couch with slight pressure.

"Your Highness, back then you gifted me a precious necklace. I still have it, and not a single day has passed when I haven’t worn it," Grace said, prompting Oriana to look at Grace’s neck. There, a single pendant hung from a chain, resting just above the low neckline of her dress. The stone, similar in color to Arlan’s eyes, was embedded in finely crafted gold. It was truly beautiful.

Oriana turned to Arlan, her gaze calm but underneath questioning him about daring to give another woman a gift. Was he or is he interested in her?

"I do not remember," Arlan stated.

Grace didn’t seem to mind and brought the box closer to Arlan, placing it on the table in front of him. "That is understandable, Your Highness, as you are always busy," she said, revealing a delicate, intricately designed pendant inside the box. The pendant sparkled with precious stones, and its craftsmanship was exquisite. "I have crafted a similar one meant for a man to wear. I hope, looking at it, you will remember the old days."

Oriana observed the pendant. If Grace’s pendant stone was similar in color to Arlan’s eyes, this one was similar to the color of Grace’s eyes, light brown. Not being able to contain her anger, even before Arlan could say a word, Oriana spoke up.

"A couple’s pendant?"

Grace’s attention shifted to her, to which Oriana chuckled mockingly. "Are you daring to flirt with my husband in front of me, Lady Grace?" Though Oriana’s voice was calm, her eyes clearly showed her displeasure.

Arlan turned to his wife, considering whether to intervene before her outburst escalated. Oriana’s blunt words had clearly caught Luis and Graceoff guard. But to his surprise, his parents looked unaffected or one should say they were ready to enjoy the spectacle.

Arlan sighed inwardly as he looked at the royal couple, ’Is my wife a way of entertainment in your boring royal life?’

Ailwin acted as if he didn’t understood his son while Julien offered him a light apologetic smile and turned her attention to her lovely daughter-in-law.

Grace’s smile had faltered slightly, but she maintained her composure. "It is not my intention to flirt, Your Highness. It is simply a gesture of friendship and respect."

"Friendship and respect?" Oriana echoed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "A pendant meant for a man, to match the one you wear every day? That’s quite a bold gesture, Lady Grace."

"I dare not, Your Highness," Grace’s face turned sad as if she were being wronged. "In the past, His Highness and I used to be close and spent a lot of time together. This was merely my attempt to reminisce about those memories. But if you do not like it..."

Oriana stood up gracefully from her chair and took a step towards Grace, maintaining a dignified distance. "Of course, I mind," she said, picking up the pendant from the box and examining it. "As far as I know, by crafting a similar pendant, you implied the meaning of a couple’s pendant. And according to my knowledge about certain customs in the northeast territory, such pendants are crafted as a sign of true love, a way to show and confess your feelings. If the person accepts this, it means they accept your feelings."

"Your Highness, it’s just something similar to what His Highness gifted me before," Grace countered.

’She is surely implying that Arlan had given that pendant to her as a confession of his feelings. Is she trying to sow discord?’ Oriana thought.

"Arlan says he doesn’t remember," Oriana continued. "How do we know he gave this to you?"

"He did..." Grace tried to insist.

But Oriana was not going to play fair here. About Arlan giving a gift to some other woman, she will look into it later. "Making someone accept a gift, despite them not knowing the meaning of it, it’s not something noble lady would do, Lady Grace. Later were you going to claim that you and Arlan are old lovers and even have gifted each other the couple pendents, a sign of love you share?"

Grace looked at Arlan, who offered her no response, making the situation inside the drawing room awkward and dead silent. Even Luis seemed at a loss for how to defend his daughter.