On the fourth day of the conference, Drayace had left to attend it. During the conference, as usual he came across King of Thevailes, Samer Vailes, but this time Drayce's attention was caught by something else. There were traces of black magic on Samer which took him by surprise.
The conference continued but Drayce's mind was swirling around why Samer had traces of black magic on him and why was he suddenly so reckless to let it be shown.
'Is that witch trying to show her presence now, intentionally?'
After the conference was over, Drayce returned to the guest mansion and shared this finding with Arlan and Yorian. Yorian assured him to discover more about it and keep a watch on the guest mansion of Thevailes.
----
In the evening, while Drayce was speaking with Yorian inside his study, the King's attendant announced the arrival of an unexpected visitor.
"Your Majesty, Miss Oriana wishes to see you. Do you wish to grant her an audience?"
Drayce and Yorian looked at each other in surprise.
"Send her in."
After a while, a woman with long reddish blond hair wearing a simple yet elegant white dress entered the King's study. Drayce almost did not recognize her. For the first time, he was seeing Oriana in a woman's attire, and unlike her sneaky and mischievous form of a boy, she looked like a prim-and-proper young lady.
'Idiot Arlan is missing on things,' Drayce sighed as he heard her greet them. "Good evening, Your Majesty," and then she looked at Yorian, "Good evening, my lord."
Drayce offered her a light nod and asked, "You can state the purpose of your visit."
Oriana glanced at Yorian's direction. The elf smiled at her. "I shall leave you two to talk."
"It's alright, Lord Yorian. Please stay," Oriana said before returning her attention to the red-eyed king. "Yesterday, Your Majesty offered to reward me for saving Her Majesty."
Drayce observed the determination in that pair of eyes. "Hmm, seems like you have finally made a decision, Oriana."
"Since you took your sweet time thinking, I would also like to take a time before granting your wishes," Drayce said, referring to her rejecting his generous offer twice. "You must fulfill what I told you before."
Oriana raised her gaze and looked at him. "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"Reveal your identity as a woman to Arlan. Only after that I will think about granting your wish," Drayce replied, his tone firm and commanding as if it was not a choice but his decree for her.
Though Arlan was aware of her true identity, Drayce wished them both to stop playing hide and seek and not to make things difficult for each other.
Oriana's countenance shifted, betraying a hint of reluctance. "Your Majesty, I..."
"Once you disclose your identity to Arlan, I will provide you with a substantial supply of the herb you seek, sufficient to aid your grandfather for the remainder of his days," Drayce interjected firmly. "As for your second request of assisting you in your safe departure, that shall be granted once you reveal your status as a Black Witch to Arlan."
Oriana stood rooted to the spot, her mind swirling with uncertainty. 'These royals are never trustworthy. This King didn't have any intentions of helping me to begin with but he can't give up acting as a generous King. Generous? A liar and pretentious instead.'
Despite Oriana's outward composure, Drayce sensed the silent storm brewing behind her calm façade, he could feel her silently casting curses his way. Suppressing a smirk, he watched her with a knowing gaze.
"Take your time to consider my offer. Inform me once you've fulfilled the condition," Drayce instructed, his tone unwavering.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Oriana acknowledged with a formal bow before gracefully exiting the study.
As the door closed behind her, Yorian broke the ensuing silence. "King Drayce, for the sake of your friend, aren't you putting yourself in danger?"
"I am acting in the best interest of both of them. In time, they will come to appreciate it," Drayce responded confidently.
"But do not forget, Oriana is the Queen of Witches, and you, a warlock. Should she reclaim her power and ascend to her rightful throne, she will hold authority over you as your Queen. If she decides to take a revenge on you, you may find yourself unable to defy her," Yorian cautioned.
"We shall cross that bridge when we come to it," Drayce replied calmly, his demeanor unwavering in the face of uncertainty.
Yorian chuckled, "It would be amusing to see a powerful Dragon being punished by the Queen of Witches."