The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Annoyingly Handsome

Though Oriana successfully sat on the saddle of the horse, she was praying she would not fall down from the horse.

Under her worried gaze, Rafal led her horse along with his. She looked at the way Rafal sat on the horse and followed his posture, letting her body move along in sync with the horse’s movements.

A few minutes later, she found being on horseback was not that scary anymore. ’It’s not as difficult as it looks, or maybe I am just too smart. All I need is a bit of practice.’

With her newfound confidence, Oriana allowed herself to enjoy the scenery within the Wimark Estate.

’So beautiful!’

Starting from the gate, there was a paved road with vast landscapes on both sides, hedges and flowers laid out in symmetrical patterns as well as trimmed trees lining the path. There was impressive architecture, from fountains to pavilions to sculptures from time to time, and there were even gardeners tending to the different gardens she passed by. With her knowledge of plants, she could name a few exotic flowers that were normally not grown in the North.

What an eye-opener!

A hint of envy sprouted in her heart. She had never seen such things, only heard from rumors of servants working under nobles.

When she was younger, she too wanted to grow a medicinal herb garden of her own; however, it was impossible for a commoner to afford building one, not to mention, she and her grandfather would not stay in a single place for longer than half a year.

The effort and wealth put into maintaining such beauty, she could only calculate in her heart.

’Let’s not pay attention to it. Not like I will get all this if I keep staring at it. I need to get my knife and leave as soon as I can.’

An elegant mansion soon appeared in front of Oriana. With a beautiful lawn and a fountain in front, the stunning blue-roofed palace with turrets and at least hundreds of rooms was the main mansion of the House of Wimark. It was a majestic sight that was beyond anything Oriana had seen before.

Seeing her awestrucked face, Rafal commented, "That is not our destination."

"Ah?"

"That is the residence for His Grace the Duke and the main family of the House of Wimark. My liege is staying in a separate mansion."

Her hazel eyes were round with incredulity.

’These bloody wasteful nobles! They do not offer guest rooms but mansions? What kind of extravagance—ahh, my blood pressure!’

They soon reached the part of the Wimark Estate where Arlan was staying. It was an isolated residence surrounded by beautiful greenery. At this point, Oriana was tired of being surprised.

From a distance, she spotted a familiar figure inside a garden gazebo. The handsome nobleman was sitting on a chair and enjoying the tea while looking through some scrolls. A bunch of young, pretty maidservants were standing around to wait on him, and that cold-faced guard she saw in the inn was standing nearby as well.