The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Honeysuckles In Summer

Arlan returned to the Wimark Estate with his knight in time for the evening meal.

After dining with his sister's family, he decided to retire to his room and rest. It had been a long day, and tomorrow would probably be the same.

Just as he was about to go to bed, his gaze landed on the small knife placed on the bedside table. He walked towards it and picked it up.

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary knife. It had a narrow blade with a single sharp edge—the kind favored by forest hunters, not herb collectors—but its handle was not made of pale wood but rather ivory. There were traces of a carving at the bottom, but perhaps due to the passage of time, the mark had long faded.

'This is something that a commoner should not have. Only nobles can afford this kind of knife.'

Though it was unadorned, any person with a keen eye could tell this knife ought to be a relic, if not a treasure.

'Is Oriana a daughter of a noble family? That shouldn't be. What kind of young lady behaves like a rogue and struggles to earn copper coins? Unless...her household had fallen into ruin.'

Arlan made a mental note to ask his brother-in-law for a list of fallen noble families in his territory.

'Another possibility is that found it by luck and kept it with her.'

Putting the knife inside a drawer, he idly walked towards the wooden coat hanger placed in the corner. Hanging on it was the headwrap Oriana lost during their first meeting in the forest.

A faint scent remained on the fabric, a mix of herbs along with a delicate fragrance Arlan realized was her own scent. After hanging out with her for an entire day, he had become long used to that scent—it was neither too sweet nor strong, more like a vanilla-honey blend, with hints of jasmine and citrus. It was bright and refreshing, just like her personality.

'She reminds me of honeysuckles in summer.'

His fingers caressed that dark cloth, his expression at a loss.

'Strange. Why does her scent continue to linger in my thoughts? But...I do not dislike it.' He shook his head, attempting to disperse the image of her body pinned against the alley wall. 'Honeysuckles, huh.'

He pulled his hand back from the dark cloth and went to lay on the bed. A smirk crept on his face as he recalled her colorful expression whenever he teased her.

'Shortie, what have you done to me? Why do you intrigue me so?'

That was his last thought before closing his eyes.

—---

Meanwhile, that intriguing woman was running short of curses to say as she hurried back to the village.

"...That good-for-nothing noble brat! You hired me as a guide, had me waste a day's worth of saliva explaining the market to you, then you laugh, saying you have no coins and will pay me tomorrow? What a villain! Did your nanny feed you milk with lead? Maybe she dropped you in the head when you were a newborn—"

Her village was more than an hour's walk away from Jerusha City. Oriana was even forced to spend a few coppers for an oil lantern, otherwise she would be blindly making her way back in the dark.

Amidst her anger, she could not help but be worried for her grandfather.

"I wonder if Grandpa had a meal? He hates to eat by himself. He must still be waiting for me to return."

At the sight of the lit torches outside the village fence, Oriana picked up her pace. When she reached home, she indeed found her grandfather waiting for her outside their wooden cabin. He was sitting on a stump of wood by the doorway.

She hurried towards him. "Grandpa, I am back! What are you doing outside? The cold is bad for your joints."

The old man looked at his young granddaughter with a warm smile. "Waiting for my sweet Ori, of course. I am glad you returned safely."