The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 339

Chapter 339: Chest Bind

The next day, Neil knocked on their door at sunrise, informing Arlan that preparations for their departure were complete.

The previous night, the other half of the Grivenian delegation reached the town. Although one night’s rest was not enough for them to completely recover from their fatigue, Arlan decided for their group to leave after a night. It was best for them to travel to a larger town or city, where they could receive better accommodations than this almost deserted area.

Oriana was quietly eating her morning meal in bed on her own.

It was their second day in town, but ever since they arrived, she had never gotten the chance to step out of the room. The prince would even bring her food himself, as such, she had also not seen anyone but him.

She was hesitant about certain things.

At this point, wouldn’t it be stranger if no one had suspicions about her relationship with the Crown Prince? It was easy to imagine their thoughts, and the blame would probably be on her, the commoner. Maybe the prince’s closest confidantes would not mind, but what of the others, the officials who are with them?

Would they think she was a pervert who seduced another man? How much impact would it cause the prince’s reputation? Did she ruin his image in their minds?

’Will things be better if I admit I am a woman?’

For a moment, she wondered how the delegation would react if they saw her in her current state. The prince’s youngest servant, his flat chest growing two mounds overnight.

Oriana could not begin to imagine their reactions when they realized she was a woman all along.

’A scandal will spread out either way. If I remain a pretty boy in their eyes, their guesses can still remain vague, but once they find out it is a young woman who shares the same carriage and room as His Highness...’

In the end, pretending to be a man was still the best option.

After setting aside her finished bowl of food, she grabbed the long strip of fabric she used to bind her chest. She knew it was going to be difficult for her to do it with only one hand.

’I should lock the door first.’

She stepped out of bed. Though her ankle still hurt, she could walk on her own. However, the moment her feet touched the floor, the door opened.

It was Arlan, impeccably dressed in his travel attire, returning from meeting his knights.His gaze didn’t fail to notice the chest band on Oriana’s hand, which the latter instinctively hid behind her. After all, it was her undergarment.

Keeping his expression unchanged, he closed the door behind him and locked it.

Her nerves tensed up when she saw him striding towards her. Her intuition warned her about what he was about to do.

She nervously stood up. "Are we about to set out, Your Highness—"

But a pair of strong hands held her at shoulders and steadily seated her back on the bed.

"Why are you moving so much for an injured person?" he snapped, his voice cold, but the next moment his expression softened when he noticed her wince. "What’s wrong? Is it your ankle?"

She nodded with a lowered head. Arlan kneeled on a single leg and checked her ankle, causing her to be flustered. "I-It’s fine. Please stand up, Your Highness. I was just careless earlier."