The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 105

Chapter 105: So Many Honeysuckles?

Before Oriana realized it, they arrived at the Palace of Thistle.

Past the large archway was a vast garden, where Roman and Oriana alighted from the carriage. Roman led the way once more, his strides slow while his hands were behind his back, as if he was not a butler but a landowner evaluating the land under his name.

Only then did she realize again the truth of Mia’s words.

’Even though they too are servants, noblemen are proud people. Arrogance is deeply embedded in their bones.’

She followed Roman past the front garden where she saw three water fountains at a single glance, along with a man-made waterfall and a pond, and while there were gardeners trimming weeds in the front yard, there were also servants cleaning the exquisite statues in the garden. Behind them was a spectacular three-storey mansion that looked to be a work of art in itself.

The breathtaking structure spanned twice as wide as the main mansion of the House of Ahren, and the extravagant embellishments was something Oriana had never witnessed before. The facade alone dripped with golden hues and exuded glamor. She could not even begin to imagine what it was like inside.

’The Palace of Thistle, one of the residences of the Cromwell Royal Family. I wonder who lives here. The oak is the symbol of the King, the rose the Queen. Thistle...it should be one of the royal children, right? Shall I ask the butler? Ugh, no, Mia said I should never ask questions. Never speak first. If I need to know it, Mister Roman will let me know.’

Upon entering the palace proper, as soon as she stepped past the front door, her eyes widened.

’A residence? Is this still a residence? This can’t be a person’s home, right...?’

Spacious.

That was the first word that entered Oriana’s mind.

There was so much space, that despite the furniture and decorations, there would be no problem about crowding even if hundreds of people were to come in at the same time.

The large windows allow natural light to flood, and with its high ceilings, tall pillars and the wide space of the foyer, it looked more like a combination of a garden and a temple. The array of expensive objects inside was dizzying—no, wait, was that a water fountain inside the building? Even the walls by themselves did not seem like they were made of ordinary stone. The foyer boasted the finest furniture, intricate tapestries and paintings hanging on the walls, as well as beautiful artworks like vases and bronze sculptures could be seen on the hallways.

Oriana once again began to doubt whether coming to the royal palace was a correct decision.

Seeing the wealth showcased by the Palace of Thistle, she could guess that its owner appeared to be an excessive and flamboyant person. Just imagining the cost of taking care of indoor flowering plants in winter...

However, Roman did not give her a chance to linger in the foyer. The butler led her elsewhere.

’Hmm? This sweet smell...So many honeysuckle flowers?’

Along the way, she watched her new colleagues removing the slightly wilted honeysuckle flowers from the vases and replacing them with fresh ones.

’Is my new master fond of honeysuckles? Hmm, good choice. Not only do they smell nice, they are also good for making cooling cures as well as a remedy for homesickness, indigestion and inflammation...’

Of course, as a herbalist, Oriana’s appreciation of plants leaned more on their usage, rather than their beauty or fragrance.

Roman glanced at the young servant quietly observing her new work environment. "What do you think of the palace?"

"A poor commoner’s vocabulary is not enough to explain its beauty, Mister Roman."

"This is the ground floor of the Palace of Thistle. Though today we entered through the main entrance, remember that only the master and important guests can walk through it, unless we accompany them. Servants on their own must use the servant entrances. We have three, one on either ends of the main hallway and another on the rear of the building"

She nodded and he continued, "As you have seen from outside, there are two more floors above this one. The ground floor has two drawing rooms for receiving guests and two smaller reception rooms for the guest’s attendants. If you go forward, you will see the ballroom and the banquet hall, meant for hosting indoor parties. On that side is the kitchen and the pantry, there is the main dining room and the secondary dining room, and if we head to that hallway, it leads you to the servant quarters... Let me show you around."

There was a grand staircase leading to the upper floor from the foyer. From its size, even a small troop of knights could climb it without bumping against each other. They passed the staircase, and even without Roman telling her their destination, the delicious aroma of food already made its way towards Oriana’s nose.

"This is the kitchen. That is our head chef, Dan Lowborough."

Oriana bowed at the chubby middle-aged man checking a list of ingredients for procurement.

Roman introduced her to him, "Dan, this is the new personal attendant of His Highness, Orian."

Oriana was slightly stunned by this slip of tongue. ’His Highness? So this residence belongs to either the First or Second Prince?’

"Such a young boy," the chef commented and offered her a smile. "Oh, from which family is he from? To be allowed to personally serve His Highness..." _{frёewebnoѵēl.com}