The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41: No One Is To Hunt Deer From Now On

"I need a room."

The old man looked at her and then to her sides. "Alone? No woman?"

Oriana was too exhausted to be social. "Does it matter?"

The old man yawned, showing broken yellow teeth. "Twenty coppers a night."

As soon as Oriana paid, the old man pulled out a key and handed it to him. "Upstairs, the last room on the left."

Oriana picked the key and immediately heard the innkeeper say, "If you need food or alcohol, tell my grandson." He signaled towards the young boy carrying alcohol to one table.

"Do you have water?"

The innkeeper almost choked, but answered, "One copper."

"Thank you."

After satisfying her thirst, Oriana went to her assigned room, locked it from the inside, put her bag on the table, and only then could she breathe in relief.

She lay on her stomach on the small but clean bed and closed her eyes.

’So tired, so drained. I must have accumulated fatigue without realizing from traveling for so long...’

She removed her mask and inhaled deeply a few times, before turning around to look at the ceiling.

’...or maybe because I used magic? Before, whenever I used it, I was never affected like this. Maybe because I overdid it earlier? That tornado sure is horrifying...’

She sat up in bed and opened her bag. Her soft gaze was as she checked the stalks with small green berries and leaves that have soft irregular, shallow-toothed edges.

’Five stalks of black nightshade! Five months’ worth of medicine for Grandpa.’

Knock! Knock!

Startled, she hurried to stuff the stalks back inside her bag, making a dried leaf fall to the ground from one stalk.

’They found me so fast?!’ She was about to jump off the window when she heard a boy’s voice from the door, "Mister, I brought you alcohol and food."

’I didn’t order anything.’ She hesitated, but in the end, she walked towards the door and opened it a little to take a peek. A weak-looking young boy offered her a smile. "Mister, the bread will cost two copper coins, a mug of beer three."

Oriana understood this boy was simply trying to earn more. She opened the door, gave him two copper coins and only got the bread. "You can take back the alcohol."

The boy felt happy and left.

Oriana closed the door and had a decent meal the first time in what felt like forever. The bread was still warm, as if it was freshly bought from the baker. Her stomach could finally feel at peace.

Once she finished her meal, she began to rearrange the items in her bag. She pulled out a pouch of coins.

She counted the remaining copper and silver coins. Though she had thrown a pouch of silver for that thin man to see, the second pouch she gave him were merely copper coins.

’I am not a fool to give him two pouches of silver.’ She put everything back inside her bag, and lay in bed with her arms wrapped around it.

’I have decided. Tomorrow, the first thing I will do is to catch a ship back to Selve. _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

Then, I will join a caravan back to Wimark.