The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222: Pitying The Young Witch

"The main herb of this pill is rare and expensive. How did you get your hands on so much?"

Oriana answered hesitantly, "From the royal pharmacy...Master Erich’s—"

"Erich knows of this?!" Martha said in disbelief, her tone laced with anger.

"Yes, no, I mean, I have been getting it through the royal pharmacy, and Master only discovered it when I was about to leave with the delegation. He warned me but he also understood my situation, and I promised him this would be the last time."

Martha continued to scowl. "How can he allow you to...? Is he losing his mind with old age?"

Oriana stared at the reaction of the older woman who always behaved calmly, but suddenly lost her composure. She realized that Erich and Martha might be closer than she guessed.

"You are not taking this medicine after this," Martha warned her.

"I won’t," Oriana agreed. There was no need to prevent her cycle next month. She was sure by then she would achieve her goal and terminate her service in the royal palace. Once she left, she didn’t have to take this kind of medicine.

"Eva will bring your meal here. Make sure to eat even if you have no appetite," Martha instructed. "I have to attend to Her Majesty now. I will be back in the afternoon."

Martha left, leaving Oriana alone, which was what she exactly wanted at this moment. Her thoughts wandered to the memories of last night.

’Was it because of him or I was just overreacting due to my hormones?’

She tried to reason out the heartache she felt, but she knew deep inside why she was hurt.

’This is not good for me. The more I stay around him, the less likely I can stomp on these unrealistic expectations. I must be out of my mind. How can I feel this way towards that brat?’ She idly played with the strand of her hair. ’But how can I leave without even getting what I came here for in the first place? And even if I run away, I will be hunted down. I am not confident that I can go back to Wimark and run away with Grandpa safely. I need to find a way...’

Just then, she heard a knock and a young woman entered, bringing a meal for her. Oriana recognized her as one of the maidservants of the Queen of Megaris.

"Good afternoon, Miss." The maidservant offered a most polite smile to her. "I am Eva."

"Good afternoon, Eva."

"I have brought hot porridge for you."

"Before that, would you help me freshen up?" She felt discomfort being covered in sweat. However, the cramps along with the general weakness of her body made it hard for her to move about.

"Oh, sure, Miss, but your porridge will go cold."

"It’s fine." Oriana nodded and Eva came to her side to help her. "Thank you, Eva."

The young maidservant just smiled. Oriana realized she didn’t show any change in expression when she saw her in a woman’s clothes. Seems like all of them have accepted her reality and didn’t blame her for deceiving them.

Once freshened up, Eva fetched the wooden tray table and served Oriana her food on the bed. "Please enjoy your meal. Miss Martha told me to inform you you have to finish it all."