The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 430

Chapter 430: Wish To Protect Friend’s Secret

Oriana nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. "I’ve also been wondering about my grandfather. Is he my maternal grandfather or a paternal one? If he’s my paternal grandfather, it means my grandmother was a witch, making my father a warlock. But if he’s my maternal grandfather, then where is my father’s family?" Her expression turned sorrowful. "From what that witch said about my mother, I can say she’s no longer alive. But where is my father? I’m not sure what to make of all this."

"Only your grandfather or those who knew them in the past can provide answers," Yorian replied.

"His Majesty imposed a condition that he’d reveal information about my family only after I marry Prince Arlan," Oriana explained. "About others, those who know about the Verner family are forbidden from discussing it. I think, for now, we should just wait for my grandfather to wake up and focus on dealing with that witch."

"That sounds like a reasonable approach. Sooner or later, we’ll uncover the answers," Yorian reassured her. He then shifted the conversation back to their previous topic. "So, a few things are clear. The witch needs your unique bloodline, and she aims to become the prince’s mate while taking control of your body. She’d have no trouble posing as the prince’s betrothed and marrying him without raising suspicions. Her plan is well thought out. Once free, she knows exactly what to do in the outside world, positioning herself as a powerful figure among humans. She’ll become a queen of this kingdom and a dragon’s mate, too. She’s quite the visionary."

Slayer, who had remained silent until this point, finally broke his silence. "While locked inside that dark room, she needed to put her rotten brain to some use." His words were laced with a cold, seething disdain for the evil witch. If, it was not just about scaring her, Slayer would have preferred to kill her right there and then.

Oriana pursed her lips, her expression skeptical. She turned to Yorian and asked, "Don’t dragons choose their own mates? Why would he choose someone he despises?"

"Let’s discuss some peculiarities concerning divine beasts and their mate selection," Yorian suggested and directed his attention to Drayce. "Your Majesty, I believe you can shed more light on this."

Oriana also turned her gaze toward Drayce, and the pair of crimson eyes shifted toward the young witch. "You’re familiar with the three stages of bond establishment between a beast and their mate, right?"

Drayce acknowledged her explanation with a nod and continued to elaborate. "Finding a mate is sometimes destined and occurs naturally, but this isn’t the case for every divine beast. For those who haven’t found their mate or never favored any female, there’s a custom of marking females randomly chosen for them as the most capable ones who can survive the beast’s marking. If the selected female survives the marking, she is considered the beast’s mate, and they later complete the mate bond through consummation. This is an alternative way to find a mate which ensures that the beast has a mate and they can continue to produce the next generation."

There was a silence as Drayce stopped and observed Oriana for a while before speaking, "Since Arlan hasn’t formed a mate bond with any female, it means he doesn’t have a mate and can establish a bond with that witch who is capable of surviving the marking."

The weight of this revelation weighed heavily on Oriana. "So this witch plans to force Prince Arlan to mark her, and she’s confident that she’ll survive the marking."

Yorian chimed in, "Given her considerable power, her confidence isn’t unfounded. However, her confidence also stems from her plan to possess your body. Your body, with its unique bloodline, gives her the assurance that she can survive the bond. She’s been plotting this for a long time."

Oriana fell into silence, her eyes fixed on the floor, and the others remained hushed, waiting for her to respond.

After a moment, she raised her head and locked eyes with Yorian. "So, my body is special enough to withstand the marking?"

"Seems like it, given all our conclusions are accurate, which I’m quite certain they are," Yorian affirmed.

Oriana simply nodded, leaving the others to ponder what was on her mind at this moment.

Oriana suddenly broke the silence, concern etched across her face. "She possesses a potent spell to trap me,’ she confessed. "If I find myself in her clutches again, I need a way to break free from her grasp."

Yorian nodded thoughtfully. "Even when trapped, you managed to send a magical message to King Drayce while she was distracted, weakening her hold on the trap. This suggests you have the ability to overcome it."