The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Body And Bag Inspection

The same man who escorted them to the office entered, while the three women from their group were led to a different room by a female official.

"Come with me," the royal servant said as he looked at three male newcomers, Oriana being one of them.

They followed the servant out of the office to go to another room.

Though Oriana’s calm and polite expression was faultless, she was panicking inside.

’How can I escape this situation? Not just that herb and my dagger, but I will also be exposed as a woman. They will surely imprison me for fraud, not to mention the crime of deceiving a noble and royal household. What if they accuse me of being a spy? They might torture me before killing me—’

Inside the room next door, there were two male servants waiting for them.

"Put your bags on this table and remove all your clothes."

’I am dead. I am truly dead— and that too with all my clothes gone. Such an embarrassing death! It would be better to be eaten by a wild animal in the forest rather than to be punished as a criminal in the palace..."

As she let out a frustrated groan, she realized her fellow companions had already started undressing. She averted her gaze from them.

’I sure don’t want to see naked men. Talk about seeing men’s naked bodies before dying. Gods, spirits, whoever is out there listening to me, please save me.’

"Lad, why are you not undressing?" one servant called her out.

"Apologies..." Her mind began cooking up different plots. ’If I say I am no longer interested in working as a royal servant, will they let me go? No, they will grow even more suspicious because I do not want to undergo inspection. What if they call for guards? Even if I run...I think I can only beat them with my magic, but if I do that, I will be charged with assault along with other crimes. Even if I manage to escape the palace with the help of my magic, I will become a criminal.’

Images of her running away flashed in her mind, and the ending was hergetting captured by a troop of soldiers. Not only would she be beheaded, possibly even Luke who was posing as her brother and Ken who was supposed to be their cousin would be dragged into the mess.

’No, I can’t let that happen!’

She was at her wit’s end. ’Seems like I have to tell them the truth that I am a woman. If I admit guilt on my own, I can reduce the punishment of fraud.’

Just as Oriana made up her mind, there was a knock on the door. It was Jade, the Head Steward, and accompanying him was a scholarly-looking black-haired man in his early thirties. Though he wore the same uniform as Jade, this man who appeared to be a gentleman with a kind smile wore a white cravat and a lapel pin of a silver oak tree and a white thistle.

"The butler from the Palace of Thistle is here," Jade said.