The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180: God Of War

"Orian, come here," Seren called for her.

Oriana immediately went towards the counter and found the Queen showing her a jade hairpin. The craftsmanship was beautiful. Though acting as a man, she was still a woman inside—she still felt affectionate towards womanly things.

"This is a gift for you."

"F-For me?"

"I gifted one to Xena as well."

"Thank you, my lady." She gulped. "B-But I am a man. What would I do with it?"

Again, that pair of purple eyes appeared to be smiling.

"You can give it to a woman important to you," she said. "Take it."

Seeing the young lad’s hesitation, Rafal spoke up, "It is rude to refuse Her Ladyship’s goodwill."

Oriana accepted the gift. "Thank you, my lady."

’The Queen of Megaris is truly kind. How can I not admire her?’

In their group, only Yorian was not surprised by Seren’s behavior. The elf had discussed Oriana’s situation with Drayce and Seren. Drayce also told his wife that it was Oriana who had seen her face last night.

Because of this, Seren was well-aware that Arlan’s attendant was a woman, not to mention a young witch who had no idea of what she is.

Towards Oriana’s situation, Seren sympathized with her. After all, she herself had been mostly kept ignorant of her own circumstances. She could only imagine what kind of hardships Oriana faced that forced her to live as a man.

Yorian, who was standing on the side, approved of Queen Seren’s treatment of the young woman. The kind Queen of Megaris pitied Oriana for needing to hide herself instead of feeling wary of her upon learning that she was a Black Witch.

In the middle of their shopping, Seren and Xena soon got tired, and their group decided to rest in a fancy restaurant while trying out local cuisine. The meal conversation was mostly dominated by Yorian, an elf whose mind was a treasure vault of interesting anecdotes and archaic knowledge, as well as Xena, who turned out to be a rich merchant’s daughter well-versed in geography.

It appeared that everyone in their group had never been to Nefer prior to this trip. All they knew of the capital of Othinia had been from stories of acquaintances, hearsays and books.

Oriana was quite happy to listen to them chat. She was satisfied with her haul. In addition to the jade hairpin, she was able to collect seeds of plants that she could try growing in Wimark. The knowledgeable elf gave her advice on alternative ways to grow the plants, and she could not help but be excited to try them.

After resting their feet, Seren asked Yorian if there were any interesting scenic spots they could visit next.

"...there should be the largest floating market here in the capital, but the river is at the outskirts of the city."