The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Scared Of Himself

Meanwhile, her roommate was not as unaffected as Oriana thought.

Luke found it difficult to sleep next to her. It was even worse than when they were inside the wagon. At least there, there were other people sharing the same space. But tonight...

Though he had his back facing her, Oriana’s body was close enough to make him feel different. It was as if her presence was spreading inside the room. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could smell that mild scent from her body, the same scent he noticed when she was freshly bathed.

Hours crawled by slowly, but he could not sleep. Finally, Luke could no longer bear it and turned around. Though the wick from the lamp was no longer lit, moonlight illuminated the room, the pale light seeping through a gap in the curtains.

Luke could clearly see the figure of the young man sleeping next to him.

His gaze observed her beautiful face that was facing him. He felt like he could stare at this face for hours and never get tired of it. As if his hand had its own mind, it moved towards her face, wanting to caress that soft and fair cheek of hers, but he stopped midway.

Luke looked at his hand in disbelief and pulled it back, tucking it under the blanket.

’What am I doing? I must be going crazy.’

Feeling frustrated at himself, Luke stood up and went out of the room. He looked around the drawing room and made his way towards the lone armchair. He had to sleep as far as he could from Oriana. It was safer that way, for both him and his friend.

It was the first time in his life Luke felt scared of himself.

—

The next morning, when Oriana woke up, the sun was already out.

’Did I sleep that long?’

The space beside her was empty, the sheets properly folded and set aside. After a lazy stretch, she too fixed her bedding before exiting the room. The house was silent as well She wandered outside, only to find Ena tending to a small part of the yard where she had planted carrots.

"Good morning, Orian. Did you sleep well??" the woman smiled at her.

"Good morning." Oriana smiled back and looked around. "I don’t see Luke and Ken."

"They left for work about an hour ago. Luke wanted them to leave early."

"Huh? That guy is sure obsessed with work. No wonder his mother is worried about him," she mumbled.

"Did you say something?" Ena asked.

"Ah, nothing."

"Well, your food is on the table. Don’t go to work without eating. A growing boy like you should eat a lot before starting your day."

"Thanks, Ena. I will wash myself up first."

Oriana was about to walk towards the well to fetch water when Ena informed her.

"There is no need to get water. Luke kept enough water for you in the washroom."

Oriana could not be happier than this. This early in the morning, she didn’t wish to do hard labor. She hurried inside the house. When she closed the door of the washroom, she found there was a bolt fixed on the edge of the doorway. She felt shocked and touched at the same time.

"I have not searched even a third of the market yet. I will test my luck again tomorrow," she sighed and noticed that the sky was beginning to turn dark. Her steps weighed by disappointment, she turned around to return to Ken’s house. _{freeweɓnovel.cѳm}