"Would you like to have something else, Your Highness? Perhaps fruit juice?"
In response, Arlan took the cup of lukewarm tea, taking careful sips that made it apparent he was not even tasting his drink.
None of his servants dared disturb his mood. Because of his silence, even those officials nearby inevitably moved in a quieter manner, mindful to make as little sound as possible.
After he finished the cup of tea, Oriana got the empty cup back from him. "Would you like to have us brew another pot, Your Highness?" Because Arlan took his sweet time drinking, the tea that Neil brewed had long cooled off. Her voice was as polite as it could be, careful to match the prince’s solemn mood.
Arlan didn’t reply, but from his body language— the way he folded his hands behind his back— it made it clear that he didn’t want to be served more tea.
"Your Highness, would you like to have snacks?" she asked tentatively.
Finally, there was a reaction from him as he told the group, "I wish to eat in the carriage." He then turned around to go back to his carriage.
"Yes, Your Highness," Damien said, as he was the one holding the basket of baked snacks.
Arlan merely glanced at the young man’s direction, almost scaring him as if had said something wrong. Wasn’t he just taking snacks as per what his master wanted? Damien felt wronged.
Neil, his original primary attendant, immediately spoke, "Damien, help me check the luggages. Let Orian do that."
Satisfied with Neil’s observation skills, Arlan entered his carriage without another word.
Only then did Damien breathe out and thanked Neil with his gaze. He looked at Oriana. "Carry this to His Highness’s carriage."
She accepted the basket and heard Neil add, "Stay with His Highness till he finishes his snacks."
Oriana was not an idiot, and realized they were pushing for her to stay by the prince’s side. However, she was too exhausted to react. Was there an option to refuse? What was the use of protesting?
Without wasting her energy on arguments, she quietly nodded and brought the snacks inside the Crown Prince’s carriage.
Seconds later, Oriana found herself sitting on the cushioned seat opposite to the Crown Prince of Griven...and for some reason, she felt herself growing nervous under his solemn gaze and didn’t dare raise her gaze to look at him.
The carriage started moving again. Oriana held the small basket of baked snacks in front of Arlan, gently prompting him to grab one, "Your Highness, snacks."
Arlan moved his gaze from her nervous face to the basket in her hands. "Feed me."
"Huh?" She looked at him, hoping that he only said it in jest, only to realize that he was serious. Sighing inwardly, she picked up a cookie and raised her hand towards him. As expected, her hand could not reach his mouth as the Prince was sitting comfortably with his back against the cushioned backrest. He didn’t even bother to lean forward to have a bite. He simply looked at her, seemingly anticipating her next move.
She eventually decided to give in, put the basket aside and was about to lean forward to feed him but...
"Wait!"
’What now?’ she frowned internally and silently slumped back to her seat.
"Is it good?" He suddenly said, his face stern.
She was dumbfounded. How is she to know? Is she even allowed to taste it? "It must be. It was especially made for His Highness." she managed to reply.
"So are you going to trust blindly just because it was made for me? What if it doesn’t taste good? Do you want me to taste something you are not certain whether it’s good or not?"
"But..."
"What if it is poisoned? Are you going to risk the life of the Crown Prince of this kingdom? Shouldn’t you taste it yourself first to be certain"
’So if it is indeed poisoned, it’s fine for him if I die,’ she gritted her teeth in response but decided to give in. "I will taste it first, Your Highness."
She took a bite of it and she swore she tasted heaven. It was so good that she almost thought, ’How can something taste so good? What did they even add to it? It’s worth dying while tasting such delicacy.’
Arlan watched her chewing it and could instantly tell how much she liked it. Her eyes widened, giving her away, but she tried as much as she could to keep her expressions in check to conceal her feelings of delight. He had heard Neil saying she didn’t eat much during her morning meal and as he looked at her, she sure looked tired and hungry. There were faint shadows under her eyes as well.
Once she gulped that one bite, she said, "It doesn’t seem poisoned."
"We won’t be certain with just one bite. Poisons might take a while to show effect. Finish it up and let’s see."
It’s not like she minded it, so she just silently obeyed and finished the entire cookie by herself under his gaze.
’I was hungry anyway. This brat is being ridiculous. But at least it’s good for me. I am feeling better after eating this.’
Once she finished the entire thing, she looked at him, "Now I am sure it’s not poisoned."
He gave her a feigned skeptical look, "That one might have been fine. But we could not say the same is true for the others. Check one more."
This time around, she didn’t need to be told twice and obediently grabbed another cookie. She took a bite and happily munched on it. "It doesn’t seem poisoned either, Your Highness."
"Really?" he continued to give her the feigned skeptical look. In one swift motion, he leaned forward and grabbed the cookie out of her hand. Before she could utter a word, he took a bite of the cookie, not even caring that Oriana ate the same one first.