The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 612: Luke’s Identity

Chapter 612: Luke’s Identity

As the sky darkened and the sun slipped behind the horizon, Arlan prepared to leave Wildridge Manor with his knights. Alex and Nathanial arrived to join them.

"Where are you going that you called Sir Perryl back?" Oriana asked, resting comfortably in bed.

"There’s been a mysterious group roaming the capital for a while. We’ve caught a few of them, and we expect to meet their leader tonight," Arlan replied, standing in front of the mirror.

Oriana set aside the blanket and stepped out of bed to go to him. "Are they a threat?" She reached out to help him with his dark coat.

"We’re not sure yet, but we know they’re after Marquis Mortimer. We need to find out why and their exact purpose," he answered, allowing her to help him.

"Will you be gone for a long time?"

"It might take until midnight or so."

"What am I going to do here alone? Should I come with you?"

"I have a companion for you. You won’t be alone." Arlan walked to the stand, grabbed a thick coat, and wrapped it around Oriana.

"Who?"

In response, Arlan took her hand and guided her outside. Snowflake was sitting at the main entrance of the manor.

Oriana hurried towards the fluffy wolf, knelt down, and hugged Snowflake, her arms barely reaching around her. Arlan smiled to see her acting carefree in front of him.

"Snowflake, I missed you," she said, looking up at Arlan. "Thank you."

"I will take my leave now."

"I’ll wait for you," Oriana replied.

Arlan climbed onto his horse and rode away with his knights. Nathaniel, riding alongside him, commented, "You two look in perfect harmony."

"Your eyes didn’t deceive you," Arlan remarked.

Nathaniel smiled. "I’m happy to see you two together."

"I wish to see you like this as well, happy with someone."

"That’s never going to happen."

"No need to let your father’s anger ruin your chance at a happy future."

"My father will never get what he wants, even if it means sacrificing any kind of future I might have."

Arlan sighed, knowing he could do nothing about Nathaniel’s hatred toward his father. Moreover than man deserved nothing but hate.

They rode through the woods and reached a deserted place deep in the forest, where a group of knights from the dark forces was waiting for them.

"Your Highness," the knights bowed to him.

Arlan nodded and looked at the group of captured men kneeling on the ground, their hands tied behind their backs, with knights standing guard around them.

"These are the men from that mysterious group," one knight informed.

Arlan looked at Alex. "You’re the leader. Take care of it."

Alex was taken aback. Until now, Arlan had kept him away using Nathaniel and now he was giving him his responsibilities back to him, finally.

Arlan turned to Nathaniel, and they walked away, enjoying the cold breeze and standing apart from the group under the shroud of darkness.

"Is the leader coming?" Alex asked the knight under his command.

"We sent one of their men back with a message for the leader. If he wants his men back alive, he has to show up here by the given time. If he values his men, he will come," the knight replied, glancing at the moon in the sky. "We have to wait a little."

Alex nodded and walked toward the captured men. "Did they reveal anything?"

"Not yet. But tonight, if their leader doesn’t show up, we will make them talk," the knight replied. "Either their leader talks, or they do."

After a while, a knight approached them. "Leader, the group is coming. It looks like their leader is with them."

Alex signaled, and all the knights stood alert, facing the direction of the approaching group. Soon, the horses stopped at a distance, and only one man dismounted while the others remained mounted.

A man in dark clothes, with his face covered except for his eyes, walked toward Alex and his group.

"That’s a brave man to walk alone like this," Nathaniel commented. "Isn’t he worried we might just capture him and make all his people surrender if he’s the leader?"

Arlan, standing aside as a bystander, narrowed his eyes in the man’s direction. "He seems to be aware of the ways of dark forces, or he’s just overconfident," then Arlan gaze observed rival groups’ men on the horses and he smirked, "he didn’t come here empty handed, Let’s see what more he is capable of."

The man stopped a short distance in front of Alex, who stood at the forefront while knights stood behind him.

"You wanted to meet me?" the man in dark clothes asked, his gaze shifting from his captured men back to Alex. "State your purpose."

"Who are you?" Alex demanded. "What is your purpose in coming to the capital, and why are you after Luis Mortimer?"

"Those questions are unnecessary to answer," the man replied.

"Then I’m afraid you and your people won’t leave here alive," Alex warned, gripping his sword.

"As much as I value my people, I believe you do the same," the man said. "Look over there."

Alex glanced behind the man to see the others on horseback moving forward out of the darkness. Each horse had two men mounted: one in front, a captive from the dark forces, and behind them, a man holding a knife to their neck.

Alex realized their men had also been captured, explaining why this man dared to walk ahead alone.

"You don’t want unnecessary bloodshed, do you?" the man asked. "If you kill my people, I won’t spare yours. If both sides fight now, there will be more casualties, as my people are no novices."

"How about you and I spar? The one who wins gets what he wants," Alex proposed, drawing his sword.

"Accepted," the man in dark clothes said, drawing his sword as well.

Arlan and Nathaniel quietly observed, as did the other knights. No one interfered in the decisions of their leader, and it was the same on both rival sides.

"After so long, we’re going to see Alex in an unfriendly spar. Should we have brought some fine wine to enjoy along?" Nathaniel commented. "And yes, Arthur would regret not being here once I let him know."

Arlan hummed, his gaze fixed on Alex and the leader of the other group as the spar began, filling the surroundings with the sounds of swords clashing with powerful blows from both sides. The members of each side silently rooted for their leader, confident in their skills.

"Arlan, did you notice something?" Nathaniel commented, his eyes following the two swordsmen. "Their sword skills are oddly similar."

Arlan had noticed it too and continued to observe. "A few moves are different."

"How did you learn these sword skills?" Alex asked, surprised but unwavering in his focus.

"I could ask you the same," the man replied, matching Alex’s full potential.

"I don’t need to answer when I’m using what rightfully belongs to me," Alex said, delivering a strong blow that took the man by surprise, though he quickly recovered. "Then my answer is the same."

"If you’re a friend of that bastard Luis, you’ll die with him. And if you’re a foe, I won’t let you reach him," Alex growled.

"You can keep dreaming. Before you know it, my sword will have already made its way into his body," the man retorted.

"You’re delusional."

The spar intensified, and the two marched toward each other with determination, seemingly ready to end the fight decisively.

Bam!

Before their swords could collide, Alex and the man were thrown apart. Arlan stepped forward and faced the man, who managed to get to his feet, his eyes widening in surprise at seeing Arlan, whom he hadn’t noticed before.

"You are a Rainier," Arlan said to the man.

The man seemed shocked again. "How do you know?"

"Your sword skills gave you away," Arlan answered. "Do you know who you’re fighting?"

"Do I need to know?"

"You do. If you’d both listened carefully to each other and noticed the similarities in your sword skills..." Arlan then looked at Alex, who was surprised when Arlan called the man a Rainier.

Arlan turned back to the man. "If you’re a Rainier, you must know Wynter."

There was a moment of silence as Alex and the man looked at each other.

"If you’re a Rainier, then there’s no need to fight him," Arlan said again.

"Are you truly Wynter?" the man asked.

"Aaron Wynter," Alex replied. "And you?"

In response, the man removed the cloth from his face, leaving everyone shocked once more.

"Luke?" Alex mumbled.

His knights had investigated Luke and his family when he investigated Oriana, but they found nothing unusual. Even when he worked at Ahrens and Oriana met him as her brother, there was nothing unusual. They knew only that he was in the capital to treat his mother, with Oriana’s help through Erich, and he was now working as Erin’s bodyguard.

Arlan was equally surprised. He heard Luke say, "She doesn’t know anything."

Arlan understood who he was referring to but put it aside. "The previous night at Ahrens—seems like that was you."

Luke nodded. "Something interfered."

"You should thank that something," Arlan commented. "If you’re truly a Rainier, we don’t want the last one from that family to be executed for doing the right thing at the wrong time."

Alex walked towards Luke and stood facing him, his gaze observing Luke’s face. "You are...."

"Lucian Rainier," Luke answered what Alex seems to have understood already.