The Devil's Betrothed-Chapter 687: Esmeray’s Residence

They arrived in front of a massive residence built into the black rock mountain. Arlan looked up at the imposing entrance door and tall pillars, feeling a sense of awe at the ethereal architecture, so different from anything in the human realm. The place was eerily quiet, as if untouched by visitors. freewёbnoνel.com

"This is Princess Esmeray’s residence. It once belonged to her mother, the previous queen, and later was passed down to the Princess." Xyron explained as he used magic to open the door. "Though no one is allowed to visit, the place remains unchanged. You all can stay here comfortably."

"We do not plan to stay here long, so it doesn’t matter," Arlan replied.

Xyron remained silent and led them inside. The three dragons could sense that this demon wanted their princess to remain in the Demon realm, but they had no intention of letting that happen. She must be Esmeray in her previous life, but now she was Oriana and they believed Oriana would want to return to human realm as well.

What about Esmerya? They were yet not sure about and it was something to worry about. But in the end, it would be her choice. Who could even dare force a demoness. As long as they could find a middle ground if she wished to stay here.

Snowflake looked around cautiously, alert for any potential threats, and followed them.

As Xyron had said, the place, though deserted, was meticulously maintained. The drawing room, with its minimal furnishings, contrasted sharply with the exterior’s dark rock. The interior was decorated with light-colored fabrics draped along the dark, stony walls and ceiling. The furniture had cushions in soft, light colors, adding a touch of brightness to the otherwise dark theme of the structure. They guessed this was due to Oriana’s mother, who came from the heavenly realm, had tried to make the place brighter.

Xyron guided Arlan through a corridor connected to the drawing room, leading to the princess’s bedchamber. Unlike residences in the human realm, there was no foyer or upper floor. Despite its grandeur and ancient design, the space felt closed and cozy, offering a sense of comfort and protection to its occupants.

The vast corridor ended at a beautifully carved, massive door adorned with a golden lotus motif. Arlan wondered if the golden lotus held special significance, as he had noticed a similar symbol on the entrance door. Xyron used his powers to open the door, and Arlan carried Oriana inside, saying, "You can stay outside. It’s my mate’s chamber."

Xyron had no intention of entering the princess’s chamber without her permission, though he noted the dragon’s protective warning. Inside, a large circular bed stood at the center of the room, draped with thin, translucent curtains hanging from the ceiling, creating a beautiful and ethereal canopy. The room was sparsely furnished but still felt comforting and serene.

Arlan gently placed Oriana on the bed. In her unconscious state, she appeared vulnerable, a stark contrast to her powerful and dangerous demonic form. No one could say this woman here could be so powerful and dangerous when she was angry.

Arlan caressed her cheek gently, the more he looked at her, the more he felt he was falling for her. The feelings he had for her, could not be expressed in words and he wished there was another way to do so, to let her know the depth of his love for her.

It didn’t matter to him whether she woke up as Oriana or Esmeray; he loved her regardless of who she chose to be.

He moved aside her hair to check the mark on her neck, noticing that the area still looked sore with two dots that seemed to be mark of his canines. His fingertips brushed over it gently. ’I hope it didn’t hurt much.’ Also the excitement to what kind of mark she would bear, filled his mind. He had seen the ones on Ember and Seren’s neck, which made him more curious about his own mate.

He observed the golden robe she still wore, despite having changed into other clothes, and wondered if she had expected him to mark her already. Finding the layers of clothing potentially uncomfortable, Arlan carefully removed her outer garments, leaving her in a thin black chemise. He then covered her with a quilt and slid in beside her, pulling her close to his half-naked body.

He had missed her terribly, even though they had been apart for just a day. Holding her now felt like the end of his longing. He breathed in her sweet scent, letting the beast inside him to feel calm as well.

Arlan could feel how much his Dragon side longed for her as well, but he did not hate it. In fact he felt a new connection forming between him and Oriana due to his beast, the connection as if their souls were being entangled with each other, it was pleasant to feel.

When she awoke, he knew he would not resist the call of his beast to consummate their bond. Instead he was now waiting to complete the bond so she would forever belong to him and no one could ever take her away from him.

After a while, Arlan woke up. He realised his friends were out there and he should talk to them. making sure Oriana was asleep, and at the same time wondering when she would wake up, Arlan left the chamber.

He could sense the presence of the fellow Dragons and walked out of one of the doors attached to the Drawing room. It led him through the corridor that wind to the rear of the residence and made him visit the entirely new place.

A vast open place surrounded by the tall rocky walls. One side of the rocks looked like there used to be a water fall once. The same place Snowflake had brought Oriana before. All of sudden Arlan stopped, feeling as if he had been here before, that this place belonged to him, but then...

This feeling didn’t belong to him, it belonged to his Dragon. Arlan wondered how long the dragon’s soul had lived here and what he knew about Esmeray. At this moment, he wished he could have all of the Dragon’s memories at this moment and gets to know Oriana’s past.

"Arlan," a familiar voice called. Just as Arlan turned, he was already wrapped in a tight hug from his friend.

"Dray?" Arlan was taken aback as Drayce rarely showed such affection, neither did he despite being best friends.

Arlan could understand his feelings and hugged him back.

Drayce, didn’t let go of him as if this time he was deeply scared to lose Arlan and he had still not come to the terms that Arlan was alright.

"You know, I have a mate now. She might go crazy if she smelled someone else’s scent on me when she wakes up," Arlan commented.

"I don’t care," Drayce spoke and moved back to look at Arlan, "All I know, if you gambled your own life ever again, I am going to beat the hell out of you."

Arlan chuckled softly as it was rare to see Drayce this vulnerable. "After this, I think there won’t be any need. With a demoness by my side, who would ever dare put my life in danger."

Drayce chuckled as well, "That true."

Arlan turned to Draven, "Thank you for creating that elixir with both of yours darkness. With my reserved darkness and the one from that elixir, I could transform into my Dragon form or it would have not been possible."

"You have to thank yourself for taking the risk of your own life when we were not entirely sure that it would work," Draven spoke, "But then, anyone of us would have done the same for our mates."

Arlan nodded and trued to Xyron, "Thank you for siding with your princess and helping us. Without the information you have provided, we could not have made this plan."

"My loyalty has always been towards the Princess, I would have done anything to make her regain her powers," Xyron replied politely. "But your two friends had almost spoiled the plan if I had not stopped them on time."

In response, Drayce frowned as his red eyes offered a displeased gaze to Xyron, "I didn’t know demon’s love to snitch."

"I prefer it as telling the truth," Xyron countered.

Arlan sighed, "It’s alright. Now everything is fine. You two don’t have to salty towards each other."

Xyron and Drayce kept quiet, not willing to talk to each other.